Fender and Mike Campbell have teamed up for a replica of his heavily modded 1972 Telecaster, and you might have seen a million Teles in your life but there is only really one like this.
The Mike Campbell Red Dog Telecaster is being offered in two editions, one a $20,000 Masterbuilt electric guitar, hot out of the Fender Custom Shop, the other fresh out of Corona, California with a serious but not that serious $3,499 price tag.
Both come with a no-messing electric guitar pickup combination. Here we have dual humbuckers in the middle and neck positions, single-coil at the bridge, a Bigsby vibrato, and – get this – a Destroy circuit.
No, it’s not a kill-switch, though the front-end of your guitar amp might well wish it were dead when you engage it, as this applies a whopping +34dB of boost. Simply press the silver button on the pickguard and stand well back.
Campbell bought the Red Dog Telecaster from one of his former guitar students in Florida and would use it in anger with many recordings with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He says it was love at first sight.
“Telecasters are the heart and soul of rock and roll music and this one is a beautiful instrument,” says Mike Campbell. “I could tell The Red Dog was special as soon as I picked it up. It felt like it was in the right place at just the right time. The humbuckers give it so much power and such a wide variety of tones while the destruct button really sets it apart from just about any other Tele.”
This is, indeed, a special release. The standard Fender USA release has been treated to an Heirloom nitro finish. The proportions should be much like the original, with the one-piece maple neck carved into an early ‘70s “C”-shape, with the period-correct 7.25”radius fingerboard topped with 21 vintage-style frets. The Bigsby B5F should be a lot of fun.
Other signature touches include Campbell’s signature on the back of the headstock, a commemorative neck plate, and the price – £2,749/$3,499 – includes a vintage hard-shell guitar case, inside which you’ll get a certificate of authenticity, a guitar strap, and some guitar picks, too.
If you’re budget extends to £18,899/$20,000, firstly, congratulations, and secondly, expect all the finery the Custom Shop can offer.
Masterbuilder Dennis Galuszka has done the honours here, but there are some notable contributions from others.
Analogman has provided the Destroy circuit on this model. There are vintage replica Arcane, Inc pickups. It’s basically the guitar Campbell used to record Refugee, reverse engineered from the ground up.
Other details include a two-piece select alder body, a flat sawn maple neck with custom Oval “C” back-shape.
There are vintage-style Jazzmaster bridge with threaded steel saddles, vintage-style “F”-stamped tuning machines, a bone nut, a pair of American Vintage ‘65+ string trees with nylon spacers. It is quite the signature guitar.
For more details, head over to Fender and the Fender Custom Shop.
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