Going to RATM’s early years, Tom used one with a bare metal finish and two Hot Rails humbuckers. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. Ten-year-old musician Nandi Bushell has made great use out of a guitar that was just gifted to her by Tom Morello, performing the Audioslave hit … It’s not exactly certain when he got this one, but it was sometime in the late 1970s. Another very old piece in Tom’s collection is the DOD FX40B Equalizer pedal. However, it seems that, after all these years, he’s not satisfied with this modification since it apparently ruined its tone. But in order to keep the Peavey cabinet and not ruin this treasure completely, Tom got another spare one, Marshall’s 1960B model, also featuring four 12-inch speakers. Aspiring guitar players will get the chance to learn from one of the best in the business when Tom Morello hosts his first ever Guitar Revolution camp in South… It’s not unusual to find some special custom-built instruments in the arsenals of famous guitar heroes. After learning all the important basics, Tom needed a better instrument. Other than that, Gibson J-45 is a pretty popular dreadnaught-style steel-string acoustic guitar. It’s not certain when he got his hands on this, but the story goes that he was at Ibanez’s workshop and stumbled upon a faulty Talman and just fell in love with it. But Morello’s music just wouldn’t be what it is today if there weren’t for DigiTech and their legendary Whammy pedal. Basically, if you click on a product link on this site and buy that product we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s where he began playing folk-rock stuff and used this completely new music to continue working on the political message. This pedal was introduced in 1986 as a continuation of the DD-2 model. In preparation for what can only be a blistering cannonade of mind blowing riffs and solos, here are 12 of Morello's best guitar tracks. Tom Morello is a two-time Grammy winner and one of Rolling Stone’s "greatest guitarists of all time." This second Steelcaster had a Hot Rails pickup in the bridge position and an Alnico Pro II in the neck position. Tom Morello’s guitar playing style. Tom Morello’s Signature “Soul Power” Stratocaster. Years Used: Early 1990s to now Your Anger is a Gift! The guitar’s design is pretty interesting as well, featuring a black finish with white binding on the front of the body. However, having the same guitar cabinet and blasting it loud for both studio sessions and live shows takes its toll on the speakers. However, it’s been confirmed that he used it to record “Tire Me” from the 1996 album “Evil Empire”. Reproduction of any part of this website without direct permission is prohibited. While Tom still relies on his JCM800 2205 amp, there’s another Marshall in his collection. Having music with a strong message was something that Tom Morello and Rage Against the Machine always strived for. When someone mentions Tom Morello, Gibson Les Paul is not exactly the first instrument that comes to mind. Boss is actually the first manufacturer in history to make a pedal-sized digital delay. "Bulls On Parade" - Rage Against The Machine, "Sleep Now In The Fire" - Rage Against The Machine, "100 Little Curses" - Street Sweeper Social Club, "Know Your Enemy" - Rage Against The Machine, "Ghetto Blaster" - Street Sweeper Social Club, "Guerilla Radio" - Rage Against The Machine, "Killing In The Name" - Rage Against The Machine. Pairing it up with the Marshall JCM800 2205 head, he really liked the tone that this cab produced, so it’s not really a surprise to see him using this combo for that long. Aside from the legendary Tube Screamer, Ibanez had some pretty interesting pedals in their line of products. Morello was also a touring musician with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I remember when we were on Lollapalooza, him hanging out with Morello […] Privacy Policy, 12 Of Tom Morello's Best Guitar Tracks To Get You Pumped For His Solo Album, SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER, Ryan Kristobak, HuffPost Associate Entertainment Editor. However, there’s also a knob that sets the wave shape. He occasionally used it for live performances with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. But at the same time, it manages to get clarity in mids and higher-mid areas. Finish: Customized. And although it was developed in the 1980s, the pedal is still manufactured to this day with an almost unchanged circuitry. In Tom’s case, we’re talking about an SG-style solid-body guitar with a few distinctive features of its own. Acquiring it back in the early 1980s, the E2 Explorer was a somewhat unusual guitar with a golden finish and a 5-piece body made out of maple and walnut laminate wood. And he was really in a hurry to record a demo with his old band Lock Up. Nonetheless, this was one of the most popular equalizer pedals back in the day. But due to some major changes in the market of electronics components at the time, the production price dropped. Used by many other guitar legends, this simple phaser features only one parameter knob that controls. 23 "Bulls on Parade" (Tom Morello) By Guitar World Staff 21 October 2008 "That's me playing a solo by flicking the toggle switch band and forth," says Rage Against the Machine's innovative guitarist, Tom Morello. My background is in Electrical Engineering earning a Bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University and with my engineering experience I’ve developed as a designer of guitar amplifiers and effects. For Morello, the instrument has a lot of sentimental value and he still keeps it in his collection, despite not staying in tune that well (at least according to his words). And the most impressive thing here is that this old thing is still active and running smoothly. Once again, there’s no definitive info on whether he still has one of these or not. Featuring one 6-string and one 12-string guitar in it, the model found use in plenty of musical styles. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This guitar is a standard Telecaster made in the USA back in 1982. Tom replaced the stock one with a DiMarzio Super Distortion T “rails” humbucker. According to Tom, this was the guitar that he practiced on the most. It even had some arpeggiator effect modes, allowing for some pretty psychedelic tones. This instrument carried all the “bells and whistles” of the era, including a Floyd Rose tremolo bridge and two Seymour Duncan JB pickups. And this is a classic British amp, delivering those sharp tones with pronounced high-ends and mids and a somewhat “woolly” tone. However, Tom tweaked this guitar as well, adding a Kahler double-locking bridge to it in the first half of the 1980s. He used it on and of since he got it, mostly for the stuff in standard tuning. This program is designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. The guitar also features a pretty fitting binding on the body edges and the fretboard, which also goes perfectly with its trapezoid inlays. And this is the same exact model that regular guitar enthusiasts use for home practice. One of them was the XP-300 Space Station, which included a bunch of different modulation and atmospheric effects. Years Used: Late 1990s to now Some of the most iconic guitars used by Tom Morello are his custom Strat-style guitar known as “Arm the Homeless”, his Fender Aerodyne Stratocaster known as “Soul Power”, and also his Fender Telecaster known as “Sendero Luminoso”. It’s also equipped with a killswitch that completely shuts off its output signal, just like on his famous “Soul Power” Fender Strat. According to Tom’s own words, he fell in love with Les Pauls after borrowing one from RATM’s studio engineer to do some overdubs on the demo of “Bullet In The Head”. Popular Related Article: Kurt Cobain Guitars and Gear List, Years Used: Late 1990s to now Another obscure guitar model in his collection, he has a St. George copy of a Goya Rangemaster. Home » Guitars » Tom Morello Guitars and Gear List (2021 Update). As Tom usually does, he customized its looks, including a sticker that says “Sendero Luminoso”, which is the name of an insurgent group in Peru and it translates to “Shining Path”. Fender has released its latest custom shop signature guitar, the Tom Morello “Soul Power” Stratocaster. It became best known when RATM covered Springsteen’s The Ghost Of Tom Joad live and also when Morello played live and sang with Springsteen on the High Hopes album and tour. It was a pretty versatile one for those times, offering 7 frequency ranges with 12 dB of cut or boost for each one. The idea is that this is the Hendrix of now.". It’s pretty well-known by now that Tom is a Marshall guy. Fluff is a well-known guitar reviewer and content creator. This particular piece still remains his main sonic powerhouse to this day. Built around an early-2000s Designer Series Stratocaster, Tom’s “Soul Power” Strat was the primary guitar he used onstage and in the studio while playing with supergroup Audioslave. Build your guitar playing speed with this Tom Morello tip . What’s also really weird is that he uses the same exact parameter setting on it to this day. Finish: Kenyan flag. This is a classic piece that has been produced for so many years. 3. Never one to slow down, Morello revealed in an interview with Billboard that he's “in the midst of making [his] first solo big rock record.”, Waiting to hit the studio once his current stint with Springsteen is finished in March, Morello gave some insight as to the direction of his upcoming solo LP: “I want to make the craziest guitar record that anyone’s ever heard. It’s not that easy to define what a “guitar hero” is. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13 (over 15 years now) and am an avid collector of all thing’s guitar. In fact, he ended up implementing the electric guitar in ways no one ever thought were even possible. We could see Morello using another one of these later in his career. The owner of this website does not guarantee offers on this site, and all offers should be viewed as recommendations only. It also comes with Ibanez’s Lo-Pro Edge and three “lipstick”-style single-coil pickups. What’s more, the DD-3 model was cheaper, which made it available to wider guitar-playing masses. As for Morello, he used to have one of these during the 1990s, mostly using it for live shows. It’s equipped with a standard Ibanez Edge double-locking tremolo bridge and a nice-looking mirror pickguard. Taking just a glance at it, you can immediately notice that this is an old model. His career really took off with Rage Against the Machine. It seems that Tom really likes putting his own stamp to guitars as he also modified one of his Fender Aerodyne Stratocasters as well. Although a beginner instrument, it has a Bigsby-style bridge and tailpiece, two decent humbuckers, and all the standard controls that you’d find on Gibson’s SG models. Grandson and Tom Morello on What Rock and Roll Means in 2021 Although there’s no official record of when he got it, we can still safely assume that it was in the 1990s and that he just kept it. We can also see binding on the body edges, both in the front and the back, as well as binding on the fretboard. When it comes to wielding the six-string guitar, few have the chops, inventiveness and catalogue of Tom Morello. He even wrote a song about it called “Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine”. Additionally, it’s really robust, offering a reliable package in the longer run, especially for touring purposes. Tom likes keeping the old stuff that he got back in the day, telling us that he’s quite a sentimental musician and a guitar collector. This is one of the longest-lasting products by Dunlop and Tom uses the same one that he got in the 1980s. Fender and Morello will be collaborating further in 2020 with charitable endeavours, such as the Fender Play Foundation, which seeks to "equip, educate and inspire the next generation of players" from under-served communities. Tom Morello is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and political activist. Years Used: 1990s to now He recently worked as a presenter at Tom Morello’s Guitar Revolution workshop. However, this is most likely the MP-2 model. Additionally, DD-2 was also the first-ever digital effect pedal by Boss. The neck that finally found its place and that’s still on this guitar is a graphite one. It’s a pretty great piece, especially for the price. Years Used: From the 1990s to now It’s been confirmed that he used it during the 1990s and up to the early 2000s, but it’s not certain whether it’s still a part of his setup. The legendary “Arm the Homeless” guitar takes us all the way back to 1986 when Morello ordered it from a Hollywood, CA-based guitar shop. Paying a ridiculously low price for it, he bought it from a pawn shop in Toronto, Canada. Years Used: Early 1980s to now So having an instrument that reflects this comes as no surprise. Finish: Light-blue with custom additions. This tailpiece is known for having fine tuners on it. This is exactly why we decided to go deeper into this topic and bring you more info about Tom Morello’s guitars, amps, and pedals. Finish: Cherry red. There was even a mode switch that toggled between short, medium, and long modes. Aside from its volume control and a 3-band EQ, we have separate controls for input gain and overdrive. During his time in Audioslave, Tom also had the classic Boss TR-2 Tremolo pedal in his signal chain. However, Tom Morello managed to put a completely different twist in the guitar-playing game and has taken the instrument to territories that no one has dreamed of. My name is Chris and I’ve had a passion for music and guitars for as long as I can remember. How to Pick the Best Amp With Tips From Tom Morello and Carlos Santana To submit requests for assistance, or provide feedback regarding accessibility, please contact support@masterclass.com . The instrument also had Gibson’s innovative TP-6 tailpiece, along with a standard tune-o-matic bridge. Morello is no vintage fetishist. Tom Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club. Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and political activist. He also has another Ibanez model in his collection, the Talman which was custom-built for him. It’s also not known whether or not he uses it in his live rig or in the studio. Here at the Guitar Lobby, our aim is to share our passion for Music and gear with the rest of the music community. Although released as a new pedal, there’s actually no practical difference between these two. However, this is one of the first commercially available digital effects in a compact pedal-sized format. He also installed a killswitch right at the treble-side horn. Safely under strict coronavirus lockdown in his Los Angeles home with the wife and kids, plus two grandmothers embedded for the COVID-19 duration, the Rage Against the Machine guitarist is about to pay tribute to a lasting inspiration and sonic … It’s a classic model used by the likes of Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, and many others. Jack White is also known for his hollow-body one. Tom didn’t use it that often, but we could see him playing it live on RATM shows for “The Ghost of Tom Joad”. And what would a great rig be without a wah pedal? See Fender for more details. To put it simply, Tom is an innovator. It comes with just one channel, although we have two separate inputs. And what’s also really interesting is that this one is not a high-end instrument. End of dialog window. We have master controls for volume, reverb, and presence. However, it has not been confirmed whether or not Tom still uses one of these. When he finally got his hands on this fine black Fender Aerodyne Stratocaster, done as Factory Special Run for Guitar Center, it became his main guitar during the following few years. Now, this is an odd one. It’s a single-channel amplifier with a 6-inch speaker and basic controls. This is yet another old model, although it’s a small combo with just one 10-inch Celestion speaker (presumably a G10L-35 model). Morello could shred with the best of them, … He has also used it during his time in Prophets of Rage for Cypress Hill’s “How I Could Just Kill a Man”. And it also comes with an entirely black finish, along with a few interesting details, including flags of Kenya, the USA, and Italy. Although not as big as some famous brands, Trussart is known among professional guitar players for his unique designs. Years Used: Late 1990s to now It features a very full and balanced tone, delivering a stronger attack along with powerful bottom-ends. Going more into it, he also added a locking nut to go with the Ibanez Edge 2-way tremolo bridge. Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Although the body has a pretty weird shape, this is a pretty ergonomic design. Morello got more than just one Steelcaster from him, most likely two different instruments. For 40 years, Tom Morello has been pushing the boundaries of guitar playing. We know how Tom is sentimental about his instruments, but this one holds a very special place in his heart. He’s also played many others throughout his career. 100 Greatest Guitar Solos: No. Years Used: Late 1970s to now It's another afternoon deep into the unsettling year 2020, and Tom Morello is at the kitchen table and back on the mic. Valued $100, young Morello split the costs with his mother. But there is a very clear method. Nonetheless, the amp can really crack up when combined with a nice overdrive or a distortion pedal. He was creating textures with the electric guitar, rather than sticking to the conventional guitar hero style of playing. But the story of his stolen gear and going to the guitar tore to get a new amp back in the 1980s has more to it. This is a small and practical amp intended for practice and quiet jam sessions. Although not a “conventional” practice, Tom has been using this same exact piece for all these years now. The 25 best VST/AU plugin synths in the world right now: all the best soft synths you need in your DAW. 2. Another very interesting thing is that the amp has a CabSim output. A true passion of mine, I’ve designed, built, and repaired a wide range of guitar amps and electronics. Aside from being a fully digital device, it came with some pretty versatile tone-shaping options. While the instrument originally featured three Fender Noiseless single-coil pickups. This cream-colored instrument has two single-coils. For Tom, Marshall was a safe bet, and he got the JCM800 2205 since this was the only thing he trusted at the time. In his first online guitar class, the co-founder of Rage Against the Machine will teach you the riffs, rhythms, and solos that launched his career and sent his music to the top of the charts. He later also experienced success with Audioslave. Finish: White. The instrument became known for it’s “Whatever It Takes” caption on the lower bout, right beside the bridge. Amps, Pedals, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Microphones, Studio, and recording gear, I love it all. After the company’s success with the Whammy pedal, they decided to go with this expression pedal blueprint and bring a new wild collection of pedals to their arsenal. While this doesn’t seem particularly impressive by today’s standards, back in the early 1980s, 600 milliseconds was the maximum for delay pedals since all of them relied on BBD chips. When it comes to the main specs, the guitar has a lot of original unchanged features. Now here’s an odd one. As a bonus, here is a cut from Morello's acoustic solo act. This is definitely one of my favorite Tom Morello guitars of all time. Morello always said he felt his place in the band was similar to that of a DJ. With all this being said, Morello’s guitars and gear have attracted a lot of attention all throughout his career. However, with a player like Tom Morello, we can easily check out all the important elements that make one. Fluff’s post reads: “Today @tommorello and @fender unveiled the Soul Power signature production model” next … By default, you don’t expect to hear Tom Morello’s name together with Ibanez. Tom Morello is the best of breed when it comes to electric guitar, and his prowess shines through his video lessons on the platform. But being the way he is, Tom swapped the bridge pickup and added a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker. On top of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Street Sweeper Social Club, Morello recently recorded with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Springsteen's new album, "High Hopes." Just around the time when the 1990s came, pretty much everyone thought that the electric guitar has been taken to extremes and that no one will ever find anything new to do with it after the 1980s shredders pushed the limits. I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. It’s not completely certain when Tom actually got his hands on this one, but he has Gibson’s well-known EDS-1275 double-neck guitar. Although it’s somewhat unexpected of Tom, he did use a classic Vox amp, the AC30 model, sometimes during the 2000s. Tom Morello Guitar Gear & Rig – Rage Against The Machine – 1998 Source: guitargeek.com However, Tom swapped the neck at least four times (according to his own words) and different sets of pickups were in and out plenty of times. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Other than that, we have the standard 5-way switch, master volume, and two separate tone controls. 4. This is also the case with Tom Morello who got in touch with James Trussart in the 1990s and got some pretty unique guitars from him. After he grew out of the Kay SG, he got his hands on a Gibson Explorer. Tom Morello Guitars and Gear List (2021 Update), Best Acoustic Electric Guitars (All Prices), Songs with Lots of Bass Guitar (Rock and Pop), 27 Best Piano Rock Songs of All Time (2021 Update), 17 Best Guitar Pedal Power Supplies in 2021 (All Price Ranges), Adam Jones Guitars and Gear List (2021 Update), 15 Best Classical Guitar Strings (Nylon) in 2021, The 8 Different Ukulele Sizes (From Smallest to Largest), 20 Best Guitar Pedal Brands in 2021 (Mainstream and Boutique), David Gilmour Guitars and Gear List (With Pictures and Videos). For this one, we have to go all the way back to the late 1980s when his old Marshal got stolen. Interestingly enough, he actually used this cheap instrument in the studio for RATM’s “Tire Me”. It’s not certain whether he still has one of these, but he confirmed that this one is present on the “Revelations” album by Audioslave. The best pedals to buy in 2021: 15 best delay pedals ... Rig Diagram: Tom Morello, Rage Against The Machine (1998) From the archives: the guitars, amps and pedals of Tom Morello, Rage Against The Machine (1998) ... Guitar.com is the world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. It features two mini-sized humbuckers, a 3-way switch, an active electronics switch, and a hardtail bridge. At this point, you should know how much Tom loves the obscure and weird stuff. Aside from these two awesome guitars, he also has another one with a personal stamp on it, the Fender Telecaster that’s also known for its caption, the “Sendero Luminoso”. Tom Morello is no exception to this traditional rule. Being a fan of the 1980s stuff, Tom Morello used one of their classic flanger pedals, the DFL model. It was a regular Strat-style guitar with a light blue finish. Since he’s a lover of the good old stuff, it comes as no surprise to see the classic Phase 90 by MXR in Tom’s arsenal. But while we associate Ibanez with those shreddy guitars, this one is actually a semi hollow-body instrument in the style of classics like Gibson’s ES-335. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage. What’s more, we have that classic “fuzzy” and “wooly” tone that’s typical for Orange amps. Tom Morello (born Thomas Baptiste Morello, May 30, 1964) is an American musician, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. But we’re not just talking about the technique or how well a musician applies music theory in practice. We all remember Ovation as an acoustic guitar company. In more recent years, Tom Morello began using DD-3, presumably as a substitute for his old DD-2. 100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke’s Picks From Jerry Garcia and Joan Jett to B.B. But the guitar wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the “Arm the Homeless” caption on it, as well as the easily recognizable hippos. Some of the most iconic guitars used by Tom Morello are his custom Strat-style guitar known as “Arm the Homeless”, his Fender Aerodyne Stratocaster known as “Soul Power”, and also his Fender Telecaster known as “Sendero Luminoso”. However, as he didn’t know much about guitars or building guitars back in those days, the instrument turned out to be not so good. It’s equipped with G12T-75 speakers and can handle up to 300 watts of power. Although Ibanez made this guitar for him by special order, the instrument is almost identical to the company’s GA60SCE which was made commercially. Of course, even after the group stopped working for the first time in 2000, he kept using it for drop D songs, both in the studio and for live shows. Originally, Tom used it for the 1999 song “Guerilla Radio”, but the instrument has also seen some action in live shows, as well as Morello’s solo work. On top of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Street Sweeper Social Club, Morello recently recorded with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Springsteen's new album, "High Hopes." Meanwhile, the body was accompanied by a Performance Corsair neck. Nonetheless, he still has some Les Paul Standard models in his collection. The overdrive knob adds more clipping to it, while the gain control controls the signal strength at the input. The instrument is built to the specifications of the guitar Morello … However, what’s really exciting here is that these Steelcasters not only feature hollow bodies but are also made out of metal. But despite not being anything spectacular in terms of versatility, the pedal’s unique processing has become really popular, both among professionals and enthusiasts. Finish: Custom black and red. By this point, it’s obvious that he likes to keep things simple, which makes this pedal pretty much a perfect addition. Although somewhat straightforward according to today’s standard in terms of controls, this amp still has a lot of tone-shaping potential. Tom’s “in-your-face” kind of tone comes from his main amp, the JCM800 2205 head. The one that we know of is from the early 1990s and features a so-called “candy apple red” finish. In fact, it’s one of the company’s longest-running products, going steady since 1942. "Memory comes from … Years Used: Early 1990s to now In a 2019 interview with Premier Guitar, Tom Morello explained that he wrote the riff to Killing In The Name during a guitar lesson in the late 80s while demonstrating how drop D tuning encourages you to play the guitar differently. King and Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stone critic chooses the best … He uses exclusive methods, practice materials and fun to keep students engaged and interested throughout each lesson. In pictures: 68 pro guitarists' pedalboards. The story of Tom’s main Marshall amp, the JCM800 2205 model, is one of the classic examples of a musician sticking to the same old piece for years. Years Used: Most likely early 1990s to now. Although very strict about what he uses, and although Morello prefers to have the same setup all the time to have the same exact tone, this one worked well for some overdubs on the record. Kay guitars were usually low to mid-priced instruments, mostly for beginners and hobbyists. He also said that he’d had the intro to Bombtrack since he was a teenager. It’s as simple as it gets. He is also known for his acoustic solo act, the Nightwatchman, and Street Sweeper Socia… Years Used: 1986 to now (although it’s been heavily modified) Using all the simple elements, sprinkled with a few pretty unusual choices, Tom started a revolution among modern guitar players with his work in Rage Against the Machine. Boss TR-2 Tremolo is packed with three basic controls.