Rage Against The Machine - "Arm The Homeless"

[Anonymous]

http://www.flash.net/~branecda/rage/armguit.JPG

Anyone know anything about this guitar? *The headstock is your typical Gibson Explorer type, the pickups are EMGs, and (the thing I'm most curious about) the bridge appears (to my unexperienced eye) to be a Lo-Pro Edge. *Am I right on it being a Lo-Pro? *Also, anyone know what company made this guitar? *Or is it a custom job he did? *I'll get a better pic of the bridge later for you.

[stoopid]

It is an old custom job, where only the body remained. The neck is one of those do it yourself parts, and I believe it has an original floyd rose.

[darren wilson]

It's a Performance Guitar that was made for him. He speaks of it (in not-so-glowing terms) in this interview.

"It’s a complete mongrel, made from spare parts. It was originally made for me by Performance Guitars, and I hated everything about it! (laughs) Not only did they rip me off, but there was not a thing about the guitar that I liked. The only thing that remains from the original guitar is the body. It’s a Strat shape, and now it has EMG pickups."

[jono]

It was on the gover of a UK guitar mag "Total Guitar" (issue 81 march 2001) a while back and yes it does have an Ibanez bridge. On the cover it was a black original edge.

I think Tom has had a few guitars made for him by Ibanez even though he isn't in their official endorsement programme. (something to do with endorsement being too "having high-tea with the machine" )

(Edited by jono at 5:27 am on April 25, 2001)

[Coolstu]

Did it not start of life as an ESP M-II. The body is definitely an early ESP, the neck still looks like an ESP as well but I could be wrong :biggrin:

[ChrisReedSmith]

nah...nothin to do with ESP...just like the interview said it was a performance guitar and he messed around with it. now on the neck...hmm..now that i think about it that does look like an ESP headstock...so who knows. yea .he should stop playin that piece of junk and his tele's and just sign with ibanez. they made him a bunch of really nice custom guitars. (a 6string AX comes to mind) and of course that black and red hollowbody. i dont really like hollowbodies but it still looked *like a nice guitar

[Pablo]

He did use the weird version talmans for a while. The one with the longer lower horn. I remember seeing a live performance on TV once.

[mecca777]

Yeah, there's a picture in the "Evil Empire" sleeve of TM using a custom Talman in the studio. What I heard was that they made some customs for him, including the "weird noise" system Talman (which is similar to a custom AX that Gizz Butt of the Prodigy had) and the AS with effects, and that they overhauled the hardware on his blue "Arm The Homeless" Performance while he was there, which presumably means new Gotohs and an Edge or Lo-Pro Edge.

[cool9]

Man you guys got it all wrong. It's a regular strat style body, with an old Kramer headstock. The pickups are an EMG81 in the bridge and an EMG85 in the neck. And he doesn't use no damn Edge trem. He uses an original Floyd Rose on that particular guitar. He also has 2 volume knobs on the guitar and 1 tone knob(for toggling) and has a Gibson style toggle switch on the lower horn.



(Edited by cool9 at 4:47 am on May 22, 2001)

[jono]

Quote: from cool9 on 4:45 am on May 22, 2001
Man you guys got it all wrong. It's a regular strat style body, with an old Kramer headstock. The pickups are an EMG81 in the bridge and an EMG85 in the neck. And he doesn't use no damn Edge trem. He uses an original Floyd Rose on that particular guitar. He also has 2 volume knobs on the guitar and 1 tone knob(for toggling) and has a Gibson style toggle switch on the lower horn.



(Edited by cool9 at 4:47 am on May 22, 2001)

Funny the piccy I'm looking at has an Edge on it So I say again

"Total Guitar" (issue 81 march 2001). On the cover it was a black original edge. *

And yes I can tell the difference between an Edge and an original Floyd !!!

(Edited by jono at 2:19 am on May 22, 2001)

[jono]

From the inteview in the issue I mentioned...

"It was originally custom-made for me at a guitar shop in LA, and I hated everything about it. So through the years I've swapped out different necks, pickups and whammy bars. And the only thing that exists from the original guitar is the piece of wood that is the body of it"

So who's to say what the various bits are at any one time other than maybe Tom himself? At the time these photos were taken, it had an Edge


(Edited by jono at 3:26 am on May 22, 2001)

[Two hands31]

I have an issue of Guitar One with him on the cover, and it's an Edge.

[ShredHead42]

does it really matter? *i don't think he possesses the technical ability to use any kind of trem well anyway. *