Tom Petty is the frontman, lead singer and guitarist for the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The band was first formed in 1976 in Gainesville, Florida. Tom Petty has released several solo albums throughout the years and has worked on projects such as The Traveling Wilburys, but the band is still active to this present day. In addition to Petty, band members include lead guitarist Mike Campbell, bassist Ron Blair, pianist Benmont Tench, and drummer Stan Lynch. In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Singer and guitarist Tom Petty is a baritone, with an earthy, twangy sound. For those that have a vocal range in a deeper register, his songs should be fairly easy to sing. For guitars, Petty has used many throughout the years. Originally he used Fender Stratocasters and Rickenbacker guitar, but in present day he uses a Gretsch Tennesseean, Fender Telecasters, and a Gibson Firebird. For acoustic numbers, Petty plays a Gibson Dove and a Guild D25 12-string acoustic. Tom does not use a lot of special effects, and for amplification, he uses two Fender Vibro-King 60-watt combos.

Lead guitarist Mike Campbell plays a Fender Stratocaster with very little effects. His current stage amp setup includes a Vox Super Beatle with a tweed Deluxe, as well as a blackface Fender Princeton and Vox AC30. Campbell is an excellent soloist, and a firm knowledge of scales and lead guitar will be needed.

Bassist Ron Blair uses a Fender Jazz Bass, with a very basic rig. His current rig includes a JBL power amp, Alembic pre-amp, and a Bi-Amp Graphic. He also uses a full-range cabinet with two 12-inch and two 15-inch speakers.

Pianist and keyboardist Benmont Trench uses a Steinway Grand Piano, a Hammond C-3 organ, and a Vox Continental organ. As with the other members of the band, he uses very little effects on his equipment.

Drummer Stan Lynch uses a custom-made blonde Tama kit, complete with a bass drum, rack tom, two floor toms, and a snare. In addition to his cymbals, he also has a Chinese cymbal, which sounds slightly like a gong.

To sound like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, you will need a group of talented musicians, but not a lot of fancy equipment or effects. Many of their songs could be played by beginning players, such as “Free Fallin’,” and their sound could easily be replicated with the right group of musicians.

Keep Rockin’!!!
Tom Petty Greatest Hits by OAKside taken on September 12, 2007
2009 Gibson Firebird by Freebird_71 taken on October 3, 2009
Fender Stratocaster by tps58 taken on January 1, 2011
Fender Jazz Bass by Beefy Basses taken on February 26, 2011
Steinway Grand Piano by jacksonpe taken on November 1, 2007
Drumset by davidking taken on November 20, 2011