MXR Power 50 Overdrive

For more than 30 years, the key component of Tom Morello’s raw, hard-hitting 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 high-end 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 4-12 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 (R-121 Microphones & AxeMount Mic Clip)
Mojave Audio (MA-301 FET microphones)
Universal Audio (Apollo 8xp Interface)
Third Encore Studios, Los Angeles CA
Lon Cohen Backline Rentals, Los Angeles CA

[@TK-lu7vq]

i wish more pedal demos were like this -- where the artist compares their rig to the pedal they've endorsed, and they play it through amps that people actually have at home

[@codymcgrew4015]

HIGHLY agree

[@davidszondi8466]

YES!!!

[@automatics1im]

An artist that does their own A/B comparisons with their own product. 👍

[@billdonvoy6664]

All in all, this is a really good product demo video - one of the rare ones where I actually watched the entire thing. It’s fun to watch Morello having fun playing guitar. Also, for you haters out there, the MXR Power 50 appears to be selling for around $189US - which is very fair - indeed, some might say it’s a bargain.

[@Diego.Crescini]

Funny, some people in Venezuela work 4 months to get that money. Comunism is so fun when you're the one getting a sponsorship with evil capitalist pedal makers, though.

[@duncanhill4326]

Everything is too overpriced nowadays everywhere!

[@richardjones2811]

@@Diego.Crescini Do something worthwhile then instead of moaning about how captalist countries make things you want.

[@vedder10]

@@richardjones2811 Amen and well said.

[@richardjones2811]

@Philthy Casual Your opinion.

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

You simply gotta love Tom's honesty. He didn't go: "Oh, the MXR team has decided to make a pedal that emulates my sound. Let's sell this thing as much as possible, regardless if it really sounds like me or not". That's why he wanted to test the pedal vs. his actual rig. He doesn't accept bluffing (and rightly so). Wish there'd be more artists like him.

[@tybrustornt]

No. There needs to be less artists like him. He is everything wrong with music

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

@@tybrustornt Why do you think so? Let's hear it, Tyler.

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

@Philthy Casual Very predictable. I knew your opinion of him would be based on his political orientation, rather than his artistic work. You should learn to judge an artist for his art, man.

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

@Philthy Casual Oh, you totally can. C'mon, don't be ignorant. I'll give you an example. Personally, I really like the tunes Charles Manson wrote in the late '60s. Now, does this mean I consider him a good human being? Of course not! I just value his artistic work (the songs) for what they are. It's actually really important to learn how to separate the man from the artist.

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

@Philthy Casual Yeah, you know what I meant to say with 'don't be ignorant'. Don't be literal.

[@joachimlindback]

Bought 2205 around 1988 too. Incredible amp and sound if you can stand the weight and size. I think this pedal is smarter.

[@mrdeanv4414]

I too have a 2205 threw 2 300 watt Marshall greenback cabs....I got mine because I love the tone and sound of Michael Schenker.... this pedal is so cool

[@p4fizzle]

Now THAT is how you make your music accessible to everybody! Great job by MXR and Tom!

[@satyanpatel6403]

In all honesty, he did make the 20 watt amp sound really cool and great.

[@therewasascene]

Lil fizzy but way closer than my first setup could get!! (Grunge into Kustom 10w garbage :))

[@christopherfelser]

It sounded like him though.

[@marting.official]

Exactly

[@VioletDeliriums]

a lot of 20 watt amps sound fucking badass...try a 22-watt fender supersonic sometime...and it has enough volume to play onstage without turning it even bast around four when you have a PA.

[@therewasascene]

@@VioletDeliriums sure low wattage amps are awesome 5w fenders/fender-style guys sound absolutely killer. But they’re tube=not the weird SS fizz with gain. Im not some gear purist a-hole either Loved my Princeton 65 SS for years. Rat+delay was all I needed. I got around the SS volume jump by leaving the Rat on all the time at not ridiculous gain, played hard with a hot bridge HB for high gain sounds and using my volume knob/neck SC to clean it up. But tubes are just IT.

[@user-wv5gv3dw5u]

Sounds killer through the Vox

[@BoyAditya]

TBH, Vox 30 always been a great pedal platform. Adding distortion pedal, always sound great But man.. those things loud 😬

[@user-wv5gv3dw5u]

@@BoyAditya Love Voxes. Teppei and Dustin in Thrice use them and they sound MASSIVE

[@ehleroo]

Great demo. MXR’s Marshall-in-a-box pedals in recent years have really seemed to have tapped into something special. Big fan of the Dookie/FOD. Would love to get my hands on this one, too.

[@ItsMrMcFly]

Best signature pedal/amp demo I've ever seen.

[@Remnant8891]

This is wonderful! I love that you used the same sort of Fender Frontman Amp I would have had as a kid to demonstrate its usefulness for young and aspiring guitarists.

[@nathanboone1294]

I really like the trend of artists make their “signature sound” amp in box pedals instead of releasing another amp head with their specs it’s gives more players a chance to get a sound they want and saves space for players that have a couple of amps they like and don’t want to part with to make room Also is it true the mxr FOD and dookie drive are the same other than the 3 way switch for the mids on the FOD

[@tiki2777]

It is true that the FOD = Dookie Drive Pedal. If you have any doubts....compare the circuit boards shown in the user manuals on the website ;)

[@VioletDeliriums]

i hate signature gear... it's like a sports jersey with another person's name on it ... i do like the paint job and the sound is good, and i even like tom morello.. but i wouldn't buy anything with another guitar player's name on it except a les paul maybe?

[@alexz.reynaud187]

So, this is how you do a proper comparison video, being clear on the brands used and actuallu compare the sounds between each other and do the effort on bringing them all together to have the closest sound between them. And for sure, yeah… Tom Fucking Morello! 😎😎😎 Congrats, MXR!

[@SouthpawSatch]

I really respect Tom's innovation and approach to guitar but I also really respect how straight up and honest his is about music

[@devinsinderwitcz9134]

Excellent job by Tom AND MXR in getting his tone into an affordable pedal. Kudos! Just got mine yesterday and got so many great sounds out of it!

[@Adambobro]

Make sure you stand your ground along with the idiot by speaking against capitalism by supporting it lol

[@kleberkshima]

This is the best demo video ever!

[@Rikk_Klaww777]

God i have used my peavey VTM cabs like this one since 1990. To this day it just makes any head i use sound amazing.! I totez agree with winning formulas. Mad respect to Mr.Morello..👌👍🤘🤘

[@edroman2388]

The clicking from his toggle switch is so satisfying

[@tayzer22]

I have a Fender Blues Deluxe RI and I cannot wait until I get this pedal. Sleep now in the fire is my favorite tone.

[@mrdeanv4414]

I too have a 2205 threw 2 300 watt Marshall greenback cabs....I got mine because I love the tone and sound of Michael Schenker.... this pedal is so cool

[@michaelmitchell5909]

What a living legend.....you are a true musical genius Tom. Just shows that you dont need a 4000$ dezeil vh4 to make heavy music.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

About time TM got his own amp in a box pedal!!!!

[@middle_pickup]

I love you, Tom.

[@PageandPlant4Life]

He has been playing that same solo with the whammy pedal for like 30 yrs and I'm still not tired of it. Thats how you know its great

[@ayeapprove]

A true A/B test would have been this pedal into the FX loop of these amps to bypass the preamp section.

[@TheSPY1997]

That's what they did though. It's in the video description

[@ayeapprove]

@@TheSPY1997 The description is a bit confusing regarding this and I have no idea which demo is which pedalboard.

[@KOOKMON1]

Best pedal demo ever. Love Tom

[@MichaelD8393]

1:51 When Tom tears into the _Like A Stone_ solo; eargasm.

[@jimilee459]

Cool pedal. The was a distinct difference when he went back to his amp.

[@chapter_black3234]

Really great that he considered building an FX loop function into the pedal as well. I don’t need it personally, but I could only imagine how useful that capability would be for most guitar players who haven’t jumped the gun on buying a more expensive amp with that feature that is so vital for any modulation or time FX (I know Jimi and early Eddie didn’t have FX loops, boomers)

[@solomonsanchez1897]

It's only necessary for digital effects and even then it's not all.

[@chapter_black3234]

@@solomonsanchez1897 eh, no. I hate to contradict, but it has more to do with the signal chain and order in which effects are layered and that just has very little to do with whether or not the effect is digital or analog

[@thekramer1097]

@@chapter_black3234 this

[@p4fizzle]

@@solomonsanchez1897 It's actually more appropriate for "time" based effects like delays

[@sweethands4328]

Gotta love Tom!

[@caas766]

The best sound was the one he did achieve with the last 20w little amp...even better than the 800

[@bucknasty69]

Now if only Marshall would reissue the 2205 and 2210. I think it was one of their best sounding amps that has kind of flown under the radar for awhile. People have caught on to how good they are recently, and prices for used ones in good shape have gone up a lot.

[@renatoufo]

Acabo de comprarlo y pues es un muy buen pedal , potente , nítido , sonido a marshall clasico , no hay pierde .

[@DJCD92162095]

Great!!! But don’t forget! It has to be with active pickups only!

[@germanofalcon7309]

Morrelo is wicked ! 😎👍✌

[@coisa985]

1:43 hell yeah love that killswitch delay effect

[@SWBaek117]

When he is blurred behind the camera's focus but somehow you instantly recognize him with that high strapped guitar

[@manueltejada6940]

Need this!!

[@user-xj9lq5jy6w]

Awesome!!Revelations!!

[@2dollarcrew]

Super cool!! Is the pedal meant to the first or last in the chain? Before hitting the amp of course.

[@endezeichengrimm]

I think he can afford to get a second amp at this point.

[@vibecheck4581]

He sure can but he probably has but didn't like it idk

[@endezeichengrimm]

@@DARTHMOBIUS I'll probably check it out. I like overdrive pedals.

[@TomPark1986]

Oh don't worry he probably has a warehouse full of them.... But his seld righteous image would be tainted if he were to have mesas and diezel stacked

[@alancrapo2881]

Melts faces on the 20 watt Fender. SOLD.

[@guarango1134]

Es buenisimo!!

[@kaskas55]

The pedal sounds like Tom Morello. AUTHENTIC.

[@danielemella1758]

Tom sei un GRANDE!!!!!!....SALUTI DALL ' ITALIA ❤😇🧙‍♀️

[@benconnell6584]

out of any amp he could have let his son use he gives him a 20 watt fender solid state

[@user-wv5gv3dw5u]

They recorded the first few RATM records on a shitty solid state amp

[@RichiAtlanticWind]

@@user-wv5gv3dw5u he has always used the Marshall and the Peavey cabinet. He even said it in this video, that he used that setup and settings in all his 21 records. So no, they didn't record on any shitty solid state amp.

[@Ottophil]

@@user-wv5gv3dw5u they recorded your mom

[@leoncorbett4553]

@@RichiAtlanticWind they did for one song but that was it

[@mattdiehl5429]

Everyone has a practice amp

[@theimaginaryboy7210]

Tom rules, fantastic player 👊 🎭

[@bobjames9849]

Something about having “arm the homeless” and the hammer and sickle on his guitar while endorsing his sig pedal is sorta ironic

[@bobjames9849]

Cool pedal tho

[@henrypaul8823]

Man this guy is so cool. I really love him.

[@loomer3473]

I kinda like the 20watt amp the most

[@Dan.Solo.Chicago]

I wonder if he’s worn out or broken any three way switches. They’re designed pretty well to last but there’s still a couple things that can go wrong.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

That's a good pedal.

[@b6y8n]

Awesome

[@professorpedropontes4402]

Ok this makes me wanna play “Bombtrack” right there.

[@obscurebandfan]

Tom and I are very different politically, but he is a great player and a solid human being.

[@MojoPenguin]

Tom demoing his own pedal, that's the way!

[@JR-dd4ec]

Tom is one of my favorite guitar players and a HUGE influence on me

[@cavemanzach9475]

I bought a slidee to try doing his scratching, and it's hard as shit to use your toggle switch and a wah while using the slide

[@pjssalud]

Goodness gracious. And I thought my GAS for drive pedals have ended.

[@wadekresak2149]

These things are so good! Don't let red hats, and boundaries discourage your thinking. China and Russia manufacture every single valve/tube that USA and OSHA won't allow for production. 🤘⚡🦖

[@HanksterInc]

Tom i love you, thanks for everything you did since RATM days

[@creativeheadroom]

That 20w practice amp's tone with the Power 50 in front didn't sound like an ideal tone, but I think I could make an album with that and get a solid sounding mix without too much hassle. I think it's time to give my old 15w Squier combo another shot ;-)

[@vargaslubbert]

nice! I would put a Killswitch in it definitely

[@NGS2410]

That peavey box is his sound

[@strauss885]

Pretty cool you did your own test with it lol

[@royerlabs]

🙏🙏

[@rogeliouzielleijacontreras5127]

if tom morello says i can play that so danm good in my old cheap fender frontman amp, then i can !

[@mizonuna9170]

I need a toggle switch as good quality as Tom's.

[@idanshahar]

Who edited the recordings here? why is the camera mic on when Tom plays?

[@albertsabio]

🤘🏻🎸

[@allenb7395]

When will there be a fullbore metal v2?

[@dowens3781]

Not really a fan of Tom's guitar tone, but it works for him.

[@joechapman9518]

Is it a reverb or delay I can hear in that pedal?

[@themcnabinator]

I would have been much more interested in this if it had no knobs or buttons. If TM's not touched his amp settings since 89 or something, we should get the same, a pedal w just an output knob and nothing else. I'd have likely bought that. TM though = Legend

[@sfear6]

He should have a signature Whammy Pedal

[@FrankRizzo333]

Rage on behalf of the machine

[@bassyey]

First I've seen a demo that considers what people would have at their homes. I'm surprised.

[@vetzaaak]

Finally, a Marshall style overdrive pedal. Also, kinda weird seeing Tom Morello doing publicity for a big corporation rather than supporting a small pedal builder.

[@TomPark1986]

The communist turns capitalist when opportunity strikes.

[@vetzaaak]

@@TomPark1986 LOL he was never a real communist, and imo he's not a "capitalist" for wanting to make a quick buck on the side.

[@didtoknan8128]

4:35 Fender + Power 50. Then 5:02 his Marshall. It does not sound the same at all.

[@akito1959]

神！

[@aritomiblog]

$189.99 in the US, is an ok deal for a pedal of this type, but for international customers it's another story: $220 in Japan, $256 in the UK, $297 in Europe...

[@marcocaracciolo834]

Will him socialize this pedal?

[@alexanderlumberjack]

Sounds very good but when you switch to the real amp you can hesr a difference but that is to be expected. Pretty cool. I will probably get one

[@scottbagwell9144]

Do you have to pay extra for the Ray-Bans?

[@AaraliRam]

Grab That Auto 5 4:35

[@Pufedu]

Finally I can get the authentic $hilling In The Name tone!

[@gilbertsevdays]

3:30 what song is that?

[@vincenzoerriquenz2356]

Sounds like Tom Morello playing through a batch of different amps: very very good but different, the power 50 is a very good overdrive but is different from the JCM 800 preamp distortion

[@SilentJayBird]

Who cares They all sound different. And of course they do. Different gain levels through different circuits, various EQ's being before or after their respective power amps, different speakers, different output transformers, etc. Also, a guitar signal chain sounds different after it's been produced & processed into a commercial music recording. The MXR Power 50 might be awesome, but it's unlikely that its use will cause many guitar amps to sound exactly like what we hear Tom Morello sounding like through our CD players. Also, I could be totally wrong. Also again, I still want this pedal.

[@florianescherich7402]

A good guiterist did not need a expensiv stuff to blow my mind of😃

[@tonecontrol]

Tom Morello and capitalism, a match made in heaven.

[@Ottophil]

Compromise, conformity Assimilation, submission Ignorance, hypocrisy Brutality, the elite All of which are American dreams

[@tonecontrol]

@@r.v.9005 don’t get me wrong sir, I think capitalism has brought us very far as an species. Mr. Morello is not too fond of it but he engages in the free market quite a bit.

[@petheato3291]

@@tonecontrol ok

[@Cheyne_TetraMFG]

Capitalism is when you sell things

[@sammadden5540]

@@Cheyne_TetraMFG 😅

[@SourSnatch]

Mike Rowe plays guitar???

[@vmp0001]

I just can afford the cable, but for the effects it made im more than happy.

[@rmccaw7]

2:21 sorry, is that the fender on the drive channel? Just, why? Nobody is going to be using this in that way.

[@BK-lx5mo]

*Whammy not included :)

[@EasyHeat]

"Marxism Intensifies" xX\m/Xx I'm obsessed with that Ibanez Artcore Red/Black guitar you used during TBFLA Tom!

[@Piterotul]

I wish i could buy his fingers

[@MadAlhazred]

Some of the comments here made me laugh and gave me hope at the same tine.

[@slash196]

Someone once pointed out to me that Tom Morello talks EXACTLY like Barack Obama and now I can never unhear it. Kenyan father, Harvard educated...they have a surprising amount in common.

[@jonwanrocks]

is that the check engine light on your hat

[@jps8080]

It IS the most illinoying light.