Fender Unveils New Signatures: Tom Morello, Jim Root, and Eric Johnson | NAMM 2020

Tom Morello, of the recently reunited Rage Against the Machine, is known for wringing heavy riffs and hip-hop-inspired sounds out of his guitars, and adorning them with slogans like on his "Arm the Homeless" custom superstrat.

For the first time, Fender has created a Morello signature model based off of his Soul Power Stratocaster, a customized guitar he used for the majority of his time in Audioslave, the heavy rock supergroup that included the late Chris Cornell.

Tom Morello "Soul Power" Stratocaster

The black Stratocaster with matching black headstock has white binding and a reflective pickguard, and if you want his message scrawled across the upper body, a "Soul Power" body decal you can affix yourself is included in the guitar case. It also features a locking nut, Floyd Rose-style tremolo, and a pickup kill switch—as Morello's original does—so that you can create stuttering effects and dive bombs with equal aplomb.

The retail price on the Tom Morello "Soul Power" Strat is $1,399.99 USD.

Jim Root Jazzmaster V4

Jim Root, the Slipknot guitarist who has had a handful of Fender signature models already—including one of CEO Andy Mooney's all-time favorites, the Jim Root Telecaster—is getting a new Jim Root Jazzmaster. The guitar, as Mooney told us last year before its release, may be his new favorite: "I think my go-to is going to change when Jim Root's [new] signature Jazzmaster comes out this year, which I think is going to be another killer guitar."

Like his other minimalist models, the new Jazzmaster V4 is a straightforward machine, sporting two EMG humbuckers, a three-way selector, and just one volume knob. The V4 has a mahogany slab body and is available in Polar White for $1,399.99 as well.

Eric Johnson "Virginia" Stratocaster

Rounding out the newly announced signatures is another great model from an old endorsee: Eric Johnson. While Johnson has a standard Eric Johnson Stratocaster (with rosewood and maple fretboard options) and a popular Eric Johnson Thinline Stratocaster, the latest is modeled after his 1954 Stratocaster, Virginia, the muse of his song of the same name.

The Virginia Stratocaster features a "rare rift/quartersawn sassafras body, lacquer finish, and custom wiring" according to Fender, making for a "distinctive look and exceptional tone." It will be available in Custom Shop and a limited-edition production run from Fender's Corona, California factory. The production run will retail for $2,499.99

The Morello Soul Power Strat will be available in March, while the Jim Root Jazzmaster will be available in April. The Eric Johnson Virginia Stratocaster will start shipping to dealers in February. Click the "Follow" buttons above to be notified as soon as the guitars are available. Explore all vintage, used, and new Fenders on Reverb.

See more New Products and Highlights from Winter NAMM 2020
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