Tom Petty
Celebrity System
Tom Petty (1950-2017) was an iconic American singer, songwriter, and musician. Best known as the front man of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, his career spanned decades, producing numerous hit singles like “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” and “I Won’t Back Down.”
Petty was also a member of the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys, alongside legends like Bob Dylan and George Harrison. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, Petty sold over 80 million records worldwide, leaving an enduring legacy of honest, classic American rock and roll.
We have a couple of photos of Tom Petty from the late 1970s, showing him relaxing in his home in California. He is surrounded by some vintage Hi-Fi equipment from TEAC, JBL, Marantz, and Garrard. You can also see his Sony “boombox” which he used to take on the road with him.
Equipment in Tom Petty’s Home Hi-Fi System
Starting in the top left, that’s a TEAC A-3340 open reel recorder. It is a classic 4-track, 4-channel reel-to-reel tape recorder from the 1970s, renowned for its “Simul-Sync” feature, enabling synchronized overdubbing for multi-track recording. It’s cherished for its warm, analog sound.
Just below the TEAC is a Marantz 2270 receiver, a highly sought-after vintage stereo receiver from 1971. It’s renowned for its warm, powerful 70 watts per channel sound, robust build, and iconic blue dial lighting. A true classic among audiophiles, the 2270 was inducted into the Hi-Fi Hall of Fame in 2023.
Click here to see our profile of the Marantz 2270: hifihalloffame.com/equipment/marantz-2270-stereo-receiver/
To the right of the Marantz is a Garrard Synchro-Lab 95B turntable equipped with a Shure M55E phono cartridge. The Garrard was a popular 1970s automatic turntable known for its “Synchro-Lab” motor, which combined induction and synchronous principles for stable speed. It offered both single-play and automatic record-changing capabilities, with a substantial non-magnetic platter. The M55E, with its elliptical diamond stylus and excellent tracking at light forces, was a well-regarded cartridge that complemented the Garrard’s reliable performance for enjoyable vinyl playback.
Sitting on the floor are a pair of JBL L44 “Lancer” speakers. The Lancer is a vintage (mid-1960s) bookshelf speaker known for its unique design. It features an 8-inch LE8T full-range driver paired with an 8-inch passive radiator, eliminating the need for a crossover. This design contributed to its warm, clear, and lifelike sound.
Last but not least, sitting on top of one of the speakers is a Sony CF-550A “boombox”, a portable all-in-one system that incorporated a cassette deck, AM/FM tuner, amplifier, and speakers. Its quality construction and innovative four-speaker “Matrix Stereo Sound” system delivered surprisingly rich audio for its size, setting a standard for portable music players.
If you’d like to learn more about Tom Petty, there is a website with photos, videos, and other information, just follow this link: tompetty.com/
