We all have our guitar heroes. I wouldn't be playing today if not for Brian May, and his Red Special inspired my own British Racing Green... Special.
Young American guitarist, Griffin Black, was trawling through Youtube videos of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, when he discovered a show reel of guitarist Mike Campbell's best bits. He was drawn by a beautiful custom apple red Telecaster, named the Red Dog, and wanted the guitar for himself. But as Griffin tells the Washington Post, it wasn't easy to find, so he decided to build his own.
"Over the next three months I endured hundreds of eBay searches, many calls to local music stores, constant e-mails to dealers and a slow, sinking feeling in the pit of my wallet. Finally, I got everything I needed on a table: a body, a neck, two Gibson pickups, one Telecaster pickup, a pick guard, a Bigsby B5 tremolo kit and enough wires to supply electricity to my house. Three days later, I no longer had a table of parts. I had Red Dog."
What happened next is something that most of us have dreamed of. Griffin linked The Heartbreakers management to his website with photos of the guitar, then came a phone call. Campbell wanted to meet him.
Griffin met his hero backstage at a concert, where the guitar legend deemed the 14 year old's guitar good enough to play live in front of arena full of people.
"The song ended, and Mike's guitar tech ran onstage to hand him his next guitar, MY guitar! You Don't Know How It Feels hit the audience with a heart-stopping beat. As if from a dream, Mike Campbell was right in front of me, hitting each powerful chord with Red Dog."
Griffin's incredible story can be read here
Rich Beech
www.StudioParanormal.com
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