When the Shelters performed their song "Rebel Heart" in our studio, guitarist Josh Jove performed on a 12-string Rickenbacker 360. After the session, Jove told us about the guitar -- and that it was given to him by none other than Tom Petty, who co-produced the Shelter's self-titled debut album.

Here is that conversation:

Is that your Rickenbacker?

It has become mine, let's put it that way. It's the "Rebel Heart" guitar, so I've just started using it and I've not ever taken it back to where I got it from.

Where did you get it?

This guitar definitely originated in Tom Petty's collection. He has so many, it's not like a particularly special one. But it's a Rickenbacker that was around and it became kind of the signature part of that song, so I've just been able to take it on the road. It's great.

Was it Petty who suggested the Rickenbacker for that song?

I think we all love Rickenbackers: We all love the Byrds, and we love the Heartbreakers and the Beatles, of course — we love a lot of those bands that use the 12-string. So it was just the natural thing, once we decided on a 12-string for "Rebel Heart," it was natural to grab the Rickenbacker — that's the sound.

Do you have a 12-string at home?

I don't! I used to have an acoustic 12-string, but I've never had a 12-string electric until this guitar, so it's fun to play. I only play it on "Rebel Heart"; I wish I had an excuse to play it more in the set.

Do you ever use it for any covers or anything?

We have. We've done a couple covers, "Don't Talk to Strangers," for instance, but Chase Simpson uses the 12-string in more songs in the set than I do. He has two other 12-strings that he uses. We used it a lot on the record, different 12-strings, but Chase normally fills those in live since I play a lot of lead stuff. It's harder to play lead on the Rickenbacker.

When Tom Petty gave you this one, had he told you anything about it?

Not really. He definitely has certain guitars that are more precious and have special stories to them, but he also sees them as tools. He has so many guitars, he tried not to romanticize all of them. He just has a lot, and he was like, 'Oh, here's a beater Rickenbacker," he probably didn't think about it as anything that special, but it is special of course. It's an amazing sounding guitar.

And it's the same one you used on the album?

Yes, it is.

With you and Tom Petty both being Florida guys originally, did you two have a special connection at all?

I like to think so. I think we definitely have similar ways that we go about life, and I don't know how much of that is from Florida, but it's refreshing to be around somebody like him. He's got that Southern kind of charm. He's a genuine person, and that's harder to find out in California. You can normally tell whenever there's Southern transplants out there in California because they're really nice people, and Tom Petty is one of those people. So I think that we both have a little bit of that Florida thing going for ourselves.

Resources

The Shelters - official site

Rickenbacker - official site

Tom Petty - official site

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