For more than 30 years, the key component of Tom Morello’s raw, hardhitting sonic voice has been his amp setup. Using MOSFET technology for uncannily accurate performance and big, wicked tones, The MXR Power 50 Overdrive captures the sound and functionality of that setup for use with any rig, whether you have a simple combo amp or a highend custom stack.

For this demonstration given by Tom himself, we hooked up some random amps to a switcher for him to play through a variety of amps famous for having their own distinct voices—a Vox AC30, a Mesa Lonestar, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, even his son's 8" Fender Frontman 15watt bedroom amp—to show how the Power 50 Overdrive allows Tom to express himself with the same sound and creative freedom that his trusted 80's Marshall 2205 and 412 Peavy cab provide. The results are astonishing.

Two identical pedal boards were assembled, one was run as Tom traditionally has done through the effects loop of his Marshall, while the other was run through the send/return jacks of the Power 50 Overdrive, highlighting this pedal’s special FX loop feature to demonstrate the unique relationship between authentic amp distortion and FX pedals that is a core element to Tom's sound.

SPECIAL THANKS:
Tom Morello
Bret Carpenter
Royer Labs (R121 Microphones & AxeMount Mic Clip)
Mojave Audio (MA301 FET microphones)
Universal Audio (Apollo 8xp Interface)
Third Encore Studios, Los Angeles CA
Lon Cohen Backline Rentals, Los Angeles CA