Riff Tone

American Girl

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Broadcaster (original, early 1950s)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, 1970s studio version)

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender Broadcaster original single-coils)

Amp Settings

gain5

bass5

mid6.5

treble7.5

reverb3

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1976 for debut album. Mike Campbell confirmed use of his original Fender Broadcaster for 'American Girl' riff, with a Fender Twin Reverb amp. No evidence of pedals used on the original studio recording for the riff section; overdrive comes from amp pushed hard. Live rigs and later eras used more pedals, but not on the original studio track.

Tone Character(10)

bright and janglytight and percussiveopen, ringing chordsarticulate single-coil clarityslightly compressedupper-midrange biteclassic American rock chimepunchy rhythmedge-of-breakup crunchdynamic response to picking

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, consistent alternate picking with precise timing and stamina to maintain the driving rhythm throughout the song, plus clean articulation of open-string pedal tones.

Sources

Mike Campbell on his unorthodox guitar style – and how Tom Petty saved his Breakdown lick | Guitar World How Mike Campbell and Tom Petty developed their Heartbreakers sound | Guitar World Runnin' Down a Dream: Mike Campbell - Premier Guitar

This tone has been researched 7 times by the community

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