Tom DeLonge

Thomas Matthew DeLonge, Jr.

December 13, 1975 (1975-12-13) (age 33)

Poway,California

Alternative rock,Pop punk,Punk rock,Post-hardcore,Skate punk

Musician, Vocalist, Songwriter,

Guitarist

Guitar,Vocals
Bass (Box Car Racer only)

Years active 1992–present

Label(s) Geffen

Associated acts Blink-182,Angels & Airwaves,Box Car Racer

DeLonge was raised by his mother and father in Poway, California. He has an older brother, Shon, and a younger sister, Kari. Tom was expelled from Poway High School during junior year after being caught drinking at a school basketball game. He went to Rancho Bernardo High School, where he developed an interest in punk rock. Some of his influences have been Descendents, Screeching Weasel and The Cure. When he returned to Poway High School during his senior year, the students voted him Homecoming King, despite the fact he wasn't on the ballot. ^[1] Becoming a musician was not his first calling. He was going to become a firefighter. "I was originally going to be a firefighter. I was in the San Diego Cadet Program,” says DeLonge^[2]

Fender Guitars worked with DeLonge to create the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster (signature guitar) which consisted of a solid alder body fitted with a single Seymour Duncan Invader Bridge pickup. It was controlled by a lone volume knob adding to its simple design. At first, the Stratocasters were fitted with an American 2-Point tremolo system and was later replaced by a hardtail bridge. Its neck was made of solid maple with a rosewood fretboard, although there have been some custom Stratocasters that were fitted with maple fretboards. The necks included a large 1970s "CBS" headstock.^[6]

Since 2003, with the recording of the untitled album, DeLonge also has a signature Gibson ES-333 guitar out available in brown with cream stripes. The Tom DeLonge Signature starts with Gibsons classic semi-hollowbody design and then extends it into punk rock with an overwound 'Dirty Fingers' humbucking pickup. Its thick, distorted tone is the signature sound of DeLonge's previous band Blink-182.^[7]

On Angels & Airwaves albums, We Don't Need to Whisper and I-Empire Tom uses his signature Gibson ES-333 which is custom made from the Gibson custom shop. Epiphone has since come out with a lower cost version of the Tom DeLonge signature guitar, manufactured overseas, but fitted with the same Dirty Fingers humbucker.