Fender has released its latest custom shop signature guitar, the Tom Morello “Soul Power” Stratocaster. The instrument is built to the specifications of the guitar Morello used during his stint with Audioslave.
For guitarists who’ve always wanted to emulate the Rage Against the Machine legend’s wild harmonics and feedback screeches, the “Soul Power” Strat touts all the unique particulars and modifications that make those sounds possible.
The alder slab body is based on the exact Designer Series Strat Morello used in Audioslave, with a “Modern C”-shaped maple neck with 9.5″-14″ compound radius rosewood fingerboard and 22 medium-jumbo frets. It also features recessed Floyd Rose locking tremolo, Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker pickups, two Fender Noiseless pickups in the neck and middle positions, a chrome pickguard, killswitch toggle — for Morello’s signature DJ-scratch stutter effects — and the iconic “soul power” decals.
“This Fender Soul Power signature guitar is made to my exact specifications and is an authentic replica of the instrument that forged my sound in Audioslave,” Morello remarked in a press release. “That was a period of renewed artistic freedom and limitless expression on the guitar for me, and Soul Power was the sonic divining rod leading the way. Just as important as getting the specs right however is the charitable/social justice component of my collaboration with Fender. Together we are giving away hundreds of guitars to underprivileged schools and to the Jail Guitar Doors prison rehabilitation program to help unlock creative doors and create better (and louder) futures.”
The collaboration is the first of Fender’s Artist Signature models to be released in 2020. As for the original Soul Power guitar, it resides in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, after recently being shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The signature guitar retails for $1,299.99 and can be purchased from major music retailers including Fender’s online shop and Amazon.
If not for the coronavirus pandemic, Morello would have currently been out on a highly-anticipated reunion tour with Rage Against the Machine. The trek was set to kick off on March 26th, but the entire first leg was postponed. As of now, a summer leg beginning July 10th is still on schedule, with tickets available here.
Watch a video of Morello’s “Soul Power” guitar in action below.
Fender Unveils Tom Morello Signature “Soul Power” Stratocaster Guitar
Jon Hadusek
