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With MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer’s passing In February 2024, rock ‘n’ roll lost not only one of its most influential guitar heroes, but one of its most stalwart activists as well. While the Detroit rocker is much better known for his contributions to the development of what came to be known as punk rock with his band the MC5, he also made tremendous contributions to the cause of social justice, namely in support of incarcerated people.
Kramer’s charity, Jail Guitar Doors, provides musical instruments, art workshops, and other creative tools to incarcerated people as a means of helping them rehabilitate. Kramer’s adoption of this particular cause was no coincidence—the guitarist actually did time himself in his younger years, as he was something of a hoodlum (very much in keeping with his band’s anti-establishment image). “He was an outlaw,” according to Rage Against the Machine guitarist (and friend) Tom Morello.
And now, in honor of this legacy, MXR/Jim Dunlop has announced the new MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal, which faithfully reproduces Kramer’s classic MC5 guitar tone—"Wayne Kramer in a box,” says Morello in his demo video for Reverb.
“What they’ve tried to bake in,” continues Morello, “is not just Wayne’s sound, but Wayne’s attitude—and the grit and the rawness of Detroit, of the MC5.” Morello himself used the pedal in a collaboration with Kramer on the song “Heavy Lifting,” off the last MC5 record. As demonstrated by Morello, the tone is unmistakable—an incredibly gritty, ripping distortion. The extra-distorted tone comes courtesy of “two uniquely voiced gain circuits cascaded together with a singular pot controlling both the output level of each circuit and the overall saturation level of the distortion.”
The pedal was actually designed by Jim Dunlop and Daredevil Pedals owner Johnny Wator in collaboration with Kramer himself just prior to his passing. But it’s not just the pedal’s circuitry that got the touch of greatness—its chassis got special attention as well. Renowned street artist and OBEY clothing founder Shepard Fairey created original artwork to adorn the pedal, depicting Kramer with his iconic American flag guitar, as well as a cool guitar/key motif.
A majority of proceeds from the pedal go towards Jail Guitar Doors, which supports “the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.”
Watch Tom Morello’s demo video for Reverb below. Make sure you don’t miss Morello’s story about how the charity got its name!
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