Existing comment:
Rig
1980s-2000s
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello
Tom Morello has used this rig and pedalboard through-out his career with the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. He uses it to achieve his signature mix of DJ-style scratches, sound effects, wild pitch-shifting bends, and classic rock tones. Morello is known for both for his extensive use of effects and for his techniques such as using the kill switch on his guitar -- which turns the signal on and off and creates a stutter effect -- and scratching the strings with an Allen wrench. His rig, which consists of a basic amplifier setup along with a customized pedalboard, is exhibited here with some of his most-used guitars.
Explorer II
ca. 1979-1983
Gibson
This guitar was Morello's main instrument during his teenage and college years. He modified the instrument with a Kahler locking tremolo in order to produce extreme "dive bomb" effects, where the vibrato bar is used to rapidly lower the pitch of a note, creating a sound similar to a bomb dropping. The effect, originated by players such as Eddie Van Halen, was vital to the sound of hard rock and heavy metal in the 1980s.
Steelcaster
2000s
James Trussart Custom Guitars, Los Angeles, California
Morello used this guitar extensively in his work with Audioslave, as well as in his guest appearances with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Technical Description:
Perforated hollow metal body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard; 25½ in. scale; aged army green finish with red star in white circle; bolt-on neck with dot inlays; headstock with metal face plate and inscribed James Trussart script logo; single-coil pickup in bridge and humbucking pickup at neck, three-way selector switch, volume and tone controls; Telecaster-style metal ashtray bridge, tuners, control surface, and knobs |