Mike Campese’s Main Gear
Get ready to dive into the world of Mike Campese’s incredible gear collection! Armed with his arsenal of finely crafted guitars, Mike effortlessly harnesses their power to create a mesmerizing sound. Whether he’s wielding a blistering electric guitar or strumming a delicate acoustic, Mike’s instrument of choice becomes an extension of his musical soul. Combined with his meticulously selected amplifiers, effects pedals, and other cutting-edge gear, Mike Campese’s sonic palette knows no bounds. Prepare to be inspired as you explore the tools that fuel his musical fire, and discover the secrets behind the breathtaking tones that have captivated audiences worldwide.
Guitars
Electric
Mike owns and has several guitars that he uses live and in the studio. His primary guitar is a Tom Anderson Grand Am – translucent red. Mike originally purchased this guitar while living in Hollywood, CA back in the day, and has been Mike’s main guitar ever since. Since this guitar is extremely rare, more recently Anderson has made Mike a newer version of this model and only brings the newer ones out on the road. Mike has a few versions of this model and several other Andersons as well.
Acoustic
Not only does Mike play electric guitar, but he also plays acoustic guitars live and in the studio. His main acoustic guitar is an Ovation 1992, Collectors Series model. Mike does have a couple of other acoustics he will use in the studio, like an Ovation 12 string and an Alvarez Yairi, classical guitar.
Amps
Mike uses Mesa Boogie amplification and he will use various Mesa Boogie amps for live and studio. His primary amp for live and studio is a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, which is a 2 channel 1995 blackface model. Also, In the studio Mike uses a Dual Rectifier recording preamp for direct recording.
For smaller venues and also in the studio Mike will use a Mesa Boogie DC-5. For larger venues when Mike was running his wet/dry setup, Mike will use an additional power amp, the Mesa Boogie Coliseum 300 and this power amp will run the effects and additional cabinets. Currently Mike’s primary live setup and in the studio he will use a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and a 4×12 Mesa Cab.
For studio recording, Mike primarily uses Mesa Boogie amplification, but in recent years has been complementing the Mesas with a 1971, 50-watt, hand-wired Marshall Super Lead.
Cabs
Mike’s primary cabs are Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier cabinets loaded with Celestion speakers. Depending on the venue, Mike will run additional cabs.
Mike still has and will add additional cabs for larger venues, including a Marshall JCM800 Lead 1960 A and B 4×12 cabs that he has had since his high school days. They are both loaded with G12-75w Celestion speakers.
Effects
Mike owns several different effects and rack gear. For live, he mainly uses a TC Electronic G-Force for his reverb, delays and chorus etc. A Furman PL-8 E Power Conditioner and a wireless unit are also in the rack.
For floor effects on Mike’s pedalboard, he uses a Vox Wah Clyde McCoy model, a DigiTech Whammy 2 pedal, and an MXR Phase 90. Mike also uses boost pedals by Xotic Effects, mainly the BB Preamp or EP Booster in the studio, along with other various pedals. For fly dates and more recent live shows, depending on the backline, Mike may sometimes drive the BB Preamp with a Dophix Effects custom pedal made for him. He may use the pedals individually or together depending on the amp and desired amount of gain. He will also plug a TC Electronic Flashback delay into the effects loop of the amp for fly dates.
Mike also uses a Custom Audio Electronics RS10-MK2 MIDI Foot Controller to control the G-Force in the rack. The MIDI controller connects to a custom MIDI box Bob Bradshaw made for Mike, which is located behind the rack and connects to the G-Force via MIDI.
The Xotic BB Preamp is one of Mike’s go-to boost pedals, used to push the amp and add extra gain when needed.
In recent years, Mike has also used various Klon Centaur pedals in the studio, including Klon Silver and Klon Gold. He has also used a KTR on some recordings.
Mike occasionally uses other boost pedals in the studio as well, including the BB Preamp, EP Booster, RC Booster and various others over the years.
There are additional floor effects Mike uses for his acoustic guitar, a MXR Dyna Comp, a Boss RC-20 looper, a TC Electronic Hall Of Fame reverb and a TC Electronic Flashback delay. Mike will sometimes mix and match these effects.
Cables
Mike uses all Mogami cables for live and studio. His primary cable is the Mogami Platinum Series instrument cable, and these days he mainly uses the Mogami Gold Series live.
Strings
All of Mike’s guitars are strung with D’addario strings and he has been using these strings for many years. Mike uses D’addario XL-110, 10-46 set for all of his main guitars. He also uses D’addario XL-115, 11-49 on a couple guitars. Mike’s acoustic guitar is strung with D’addario EJ-16, 12-53.
Picks
The picks Mike uses are white Dunlop Sharp 1.5, picks with Mike’s signature on them.
Tuner
Mike uses the ST-300 tuner, by Sonic Research.
