Tom Morello reveals why he finally released a signature guitar as Fender launches the Soul Power Stratocaster

Although Rage Against the Machine’s eagerly anticipated reunion tour dates have been postponed, the launch of Fender’s Tom Morello signature Soul Power Stratocaster is still going right ahead - and the man himself has given Guitar World an exclusive interview to share a little background on the signature guitar nobody thought would happen.

In the video, Morello details what made him finally sign up to release a replica of the guitar that fueled Audioslave hits such as Cochise and Like A Stone.

“I’ve never done any signature guitar before, never done any endorsements,” Morello says.

“The one thing I have always done endorsements for is my music, which is something that I make, and something I believe in. So until I had a guitar that I made and I believe in, I wasn’t going to do that.

“This is a guitar that I am very, very proud of, but I would never have done if there was not a crucial charity/social justice component to the whole procedure, and to that end, we’re giving away hundreds of guitars to two organizations.”

These guitars will go Wayne Kramer’s Jail Guitar Doors, which uses six-strings as a means of rehabilitation for prisoners, as well as the Fender Play Foundation, which donates instruments to local youth organizations.

Morello goes on to detail the modifications he made to the instrument, how he feels about the original being featured in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and whether he still stands by his comment that "gear does not matter".

The Tom Morello Stratocaster is available now for $1,299. For more info, head over to Fender.