Primed for Revolutionary Riffage
Fueling his groundbreaking work in Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello’s hippo-adorned, politically charged custom 6-string has stood as his most iconic guitar for more than three decades. Now, the renegade style and era-defying sound of that iconic instrument can be yours with the Fender Tom Morello “Arm The Homeless” guitar. Tom originally acquired the guitar in the late 1980s, and he quickly set about modding and replacing just about every component on the guitar — a fact reflected in Fender’s re-creation with its scattershot specs, including a double-cut alder body and a painted maple neck wielding a Custom Flat C profile and an angular “hockey stick” headstock. Under the hood, you get an EMG 85 in the bridge with an EMG H in the neck to capture the exact sound of Tom’s legendary playing, whether you’re dishing out classic early-era Rage riffs, scratching a hex key across the strings, or lighting up the stage with Whammy-induced madness. Moreover, an expressive double-locking Gotoh tremolo with a Floyd Rose locking nut ensures rock-solid stability while you traverse the 15-inch rosewood fingerboard’s 22 jumbo frets. Lastly (and most importantly), this guitar’s juxtaposition of political rebellion and happy hippos set upon a serene Ice Blue Metallic canvas mirrors the same hand-drawn artwork of Tom’s original guitar.
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High-power active EMG pickups
Twin active EMG pickups grant the Fender Tom Morello “Arm The Homeless” its signature sound, comprising an EMG 85 humbucker in the bridge and an EMG H single-coil in the neck slot. From the inflammatory riffs on Rage Against the Machine’s 1991 debut album to today, these high-output pickups are responsible for many of Tom’s most iconic riffs and rhythms, capable of performing with an aggressive high-output growl that retains crystal-clear clarity no matter how much gain or effects you pile on. And while many may clamor for the stuttering staccato effects of “Bulls On Parade,” Sweetwater's Rage fanatics are quick to point out that Tom’s “Arm The Homeless” guitar doesn’t feature a kill switch — Tom simply turns the volume on one of his pickups off and flips between positions on the 3-way switch.
A true 6-string icon
The “Arm The Homeless” guitar began life as a custom-order 6-string before Tom relentlessly began switching out parts to achieve the sound of his dreams. In fact, the only feature of the original guitar that remains today is the body, featuring Tom’s now well-worn hand-drawn artwork.
Somewhere along the way of this seemingly endless journey, Tom’s philosophy flipped entirely. Instead of tweaking his gear to meet his needs, Tom instead committed to the guitar in its current form, deciding that “whatever sound this thing makes…I’m going to create with it.” Ever since, Tom has retained his utilitarian approach to gear, and if you’re lucky enough to see him slinging his “Arm The Homeless” guitar on the stage today, it remains largely unchanged.
Tom Morello: revolutionizing the sound of rock for 30+ years
For more than 30 years, Tom Morello has remained one of the most fearless guitarists in modern music. His inimitable style seamlessly fuses catchy, hard-hitting riffs with experimental sounds and scratches, so much so that Tom “began to self-identify as a DJ” during his era-defining run with the genre-defying, era-defining group Rage Against the Machine. After Rage’s demise in the early 2000s, Tom once again cemented his status as a modern musical visionary in the supergroup Audioslave with his former Rage bandmates and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell. Several Rage reunions, solo albums, side projects, and decades later, Tom’s most iconic instrument remains the “Arm The Homeless” guitar that started it all.
Fender Tom Morello's “Arm The Homeless” Features:
- Signature guitar of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage’s Tom Morello, replicating the custom 6-string he’s played for 30+ years
- Alder body featuring the same design as Tom’s iconic axe, contrasting happy hippos with Tom’s “Arm The Homeless” artwork
- Painted maple neck in a speedy Custom Flat C profile, topped with an angular “hockey stick” headstock
- 15-in.-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets offers smooth bends and a fast feel on your fingers
- Active EMG electronics include a single-coil EMG H and a humbucking EMG 85, delivering a powerful, high-output tone with exceptional clarity
- Gotoh double-locking tremolo with Floyd Rose locking nut puts squeals, screams, and all sorts of experimental, Tom Morello-style techniques at your command
