Legendary Tone:
Jack White of the White Stripes
Jack White is one of my all time favorite guitar players. While he hasn't been around since guitar pioneers of the 70's, he still has a tone people will be remembering for a long time. His tone is very unique in many ways. He achieves this tone with various guitars and old vintage amps that are no longer even produced.
White is definitely a purist when it comes to gear. He only uses analog equipment, even in the studio and is one of the few artists of today that still records to tape and vinyl. However, these features are what give him his distinct tone.
His main guitar is a 1964 JB Hutto Montgomery Airline. He of course has a vast collection of other guitars as well but this model was used primarily throughout his career with the White Stripes.
His choice in amps is very different from any other player I've heard. Besides a coupe of Fender amps (Fender 65' reissue Twin Reverb) and a Leslie cab, White mainly uses a mid-60's era Sears Silvertone amplifier. This gave him that distinct overdrive sound you hear on the White Stripes records.
When he wanted to push the song in a heavier direction or take a solo, White usually stomps the Electro Harmonix Big Muff (the 90's Red and Black model). This gives off a grungy heavy fuzz. The Big Muff (all eras) has been used in many famous guitar rigs since the 70's.
The Digitech Whammy pedal was also a primary tool for Jack Whites tone during the White Stripes Years. He claims once he heard Tom Morello use it in Rage Against the Machine, he knew he had chosen an interesting pedal. This pedal allowed him to play a guitar solo octaves higher or lower so as to break out of the band mix and be heard a little better.
As hard as it is to believe these three components made up almost all of Jack White's tone throughout his years in the White Stripes.
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