Jack White

Jack White plays a Gibson F-4 Mandolin in a tune from the Cold Mountain soundtrack, a Civil War film in which White plays a lost-soul soldier. The tune goes with a turn fiddle accompaniment.

The Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner has been used in all of Jack White's pedalboards for the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, and the Dead Weather.

"I had all of the Dead Weather’s equipment custom made. I co-designed the drum set with Ludwig."

White can be seen playing a Steinway Piano throughout this performance of "My Doorbell" by The White Stripes.

In a live performance of "My Doorbell" by The White Stripes at Rock Am Ring in 2007, Jack White can be seen using a Wurlitzer, not a Fender Rhodes Mark I Stage 73, as previously mentioned.

Jack White played a Wurlitzer 200A during The White Stripes' live performance of "My Doorbell" at Rock Am Ring in 2007, as seen in the YouTube video.

Producer Vance Powell - “On Blunderbuss I also used the Neve 33609 and RCA BA6A and an Ampex MX35 four–channel tube mixer to record the drums, but these sessions happened so quickly that I did not have a lot of time to set things up. There was not a lot of upright bass this time, but when there was one, I’d use an RCA 44 and something higher up like the RCA BK5A [cardioid ribbon mic]. There was an African drum on ‘Would You Fight For My Love?’, which had an AEA R92, electric bass would have been DI and a Neumann U67 on the amp, with maybe some compression from the [Fairchild] 670. I recorded Jack’s acoustic guitar with an RCA 77DX, and his electric almost always goes through his 1963 Fender Vibroverb in front of which I placed a U67, which went into the Neve 1073 desk and then straight to tape. I did not record any of Jack’s vocals, other than on the song ‘Just One Drink’ because that was done entirely live. I used a Shure SM57 or 58 on his vocals for that, and Josh recorded the backing vocals.”

Jack White is using the Septavox in this video at 3:33 https://youtu.be/QClzlZTXj4Y?t=3m33s

Jack White is using the Akai MPC 500 at 3:43 in the teaser video of his third album https://youtu.be/QClzlZTXj4Y?t=3m43s.

Used on the album 'Lazaretto'. "I tend to like an RCA BK5B on Jack’s acoustic guitar, and occasionally an RCA 77, or an SM57 if everything else in the room was pretty loud."

"Detroit’s famous duo features Stylophone sounds throughout the song 'Icky Thump,' the title track of their 2007 album. The track showcases the Stylophone with a wild and dissonant solo. Always a fan of retro musical instruments, Jack White is also credited for playing the Stylophone on the album Consolers of The Lonely by the Raconteurs."

Used on the Elephant Tour for the guitar, as stated by monitor engineer Matthew Kettle in this July 1, 2003 Mix Online interview.

Kettle relies on number of outboard processors, including a UREI 1178 compressor on guitar and an Empirical Labs Distressor on vocals. “I compress almost everything going on, because he can go from screaming into his mic to singing really quietly,” says Kettle.

Used for the vocals on "Icky Thump", as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

“Jack is very particular about his vocal sound, and it’s one of the things on the album that we really took a lot of time for. He is very sensitive to what he hears in the headphones, and he wanted something that gave him juice and was exciting to sing to. So every song had a different mic/preamp/compressor setup. Most of his vocals were recorded through an old RCA 77DX mic, but for some of them I used the Shure SM7 guide vocal mic. On the title song Jack’s vocals were recorded with a Telefunken U47, going into a Neve 1073 preamp and then into an 1176 compressor.”

This is restated by Chiccarelli in this October 1, 2007 Mix Online interview.

Most of the vocals were recorded on a RCA 77DX ribbon microphone, but a U47 and an old Altec 633 salt shaker mic were also pressed into service. Processing, depending on the track, included a Telefunken V76 tube preamp, an 1176, an LA-3A, a Fairchild and a Chandler Limited EMI TG2 compressor. “Sometimes the vocal went through a guitar amp, sometimes through a Neve module with a preamp turned all the way up,” he says. “He's great about working the distortion, knowing how to sing to a certain microphone. He knows how to back way off and come way in when he needs to. The vocal is different on every single song.

“There was no vocal comping,” Chiccarelli continues. “If he didn't like a line, we'd erase it and redo it. It was totally old school, like you're down to track 15 and that's the lead vocal track so make the performance count. A couple of songs were tricky, but he's really good about diving in and working really hard to get the stuff to be what he wants. He's fearless and that's a quality I always look for in an artist.”

Used on the room mics for Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

“The Trident at Blackbird Studio D was used for monitoring, and also some guitar microphones, plus most of the room microphones. Some room mics went through an API 512, and a few through a crazy old RCA OP6 tube preamp. Most of the other close mics went through various Neve 1073, Brent Averill API 312 and Chandler TG2 preamps. Jack loves the sound of ribbon microphones, so we used a lot of them, on guitar amps, vocals, and as room mics: Coles 4038, Royer 121, AEA R84. I would have six to 10 room mics up, and would chose a stereo pair from them."

Used for the guitar on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 1, 2007 Mix Online interview.

The Twin was one of two amps that Jack White used, the other being a rare Silvertone piggyback amp. Chiccarelli used an assortment of ribbon mics on the amps, including an AEA R84, a Royer 121 and a Coles. He would also put a Neumann 67 back in the room for ambient tracks. As far as outboard gear, Neve 1073 preamps and UREI 1176 compressor/limiters were typically used, with a Fairchild compressor also being employed occasionally.

Chiccarelli was careful with the track's loudness. “I don't record extra-hot levels to tape,” he explains. “I like to have headroom and the openness, so stuff was not overly distorted to tape. I prefer having the transience left intact, and if I need to overdrive something, I'll do it with an outboard box.”

Used for the Hammond B3 on "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" and "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)", as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 1, 2007 Mix Online interview.

A pair of songs — “I'm Slowly Turning Into You” and “You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)” — show off Jack White's B3 talents. Chiccarelli miked the B3's Leslie with a tube U47 on the bottom and a pair of KM84s on top. He also had a U67 in the room to capture some of the organ's ambience. “Sometimes we took a direct out of the organ and sent that through a guitar amp to get a little more edge and bite,” he adds.

at 2:42 you can see him using it

Visible in this ca. 2005 photo of White’s pedalboard featured on Kit Rae’s Big Muff Pi page. It was first used on “Blue Orchid”, as specified in this September 9, 2010 Guitar Player interview.

Kit Rae’s Big Muff Pi Page - Big Muff Users and Their Pedal Boards

Shown above, left to right: Jack White's large pedal boards, circa 2005, with a red Big Muff (rehoused by Analog Man).

Guitar Player

Sometimes, I use a POG pedal. I think I was the first person to record with one on the White Stripes song “Blue Orchid.” Electro-Harmonix sent me one as a present when we were recording Get Behind Me Satan. “Blue Orchid” came out two weeks after the session, so it had to be the first song to feature the POG. I use it to add the first and second octaves below, and one octave above the root note. It’s four of the same note simultaneously. It’s just so heavy. The riff is actually pretty simple, but it’s all about the one. It’s a funk-based idea.

"I had a Bigsby installed [on the Gretsch Anniversary Jr.], and I put in an old mute, too. When you pull a lever, the mute comes up and dampens the strings."

Jack White can be seen playing a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass at 1:17 in this video.

Used to record the album Lazaretto. "We recorded to tape, initially just eight–track, to RMG 900 at 7.5ips. Jack loves that sound and we also are very happy with the quality. It has a hefty bass bump, almost an octave lower than 15ips, and the top end is flat until 20k. Something happens at the top end, above 4k, with tape compression; the sound is easier saturated and it meant that we never had to worry about things like de–essers. We did not hit the tape hard. In fact, we left tons of headroom, because it retains transients better."

Used on the album 'Lazarettto'. "I recorded Jack’s vocals mainly with a Shure SM57. Sometimes we used a Neumann U47, as well as an RCA 77D and a Shure SM7, and I often pushed his vocals hard through an 1176(...)"

"‘Just One Drink’ is kind of a straightforward rock song. We did an early rough mix, that I ran through a Waves MaxxBCL, which we use to ‘heat’ our mixes, and Jack fell in love with it."

(about 'Would You Fight For My Love?') "[Jack] did a vocal double that I ran through a Neve 2254 compressor, plus there was an amped vocal track. You can hear this track after the bass break."

Used on the Elephant Tour for vocals, as stated by monitor engineer Matthew Kettle in this July 1, 2003 Mix Online interview.

Kettle relies on number of outboard processors, including a UREI 1178 compressor on guitar and an Empirical Labs Distressor on vocals. “I compress almost everything going on, because he can go from screaming into his mic to singing really quietly,” says Kettle.

A pair was used on the Hammond B3 for "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" and "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)", as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 1, 2007 Mix Online interview.

A pair of songs — “I'm Slowly Turning Into You” and “You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)” — show off Jack White's B3 talents. Chiccarelli miked the B3's Leslie with a tube U47 on the bottom and a pair of KM84s on top. He also had a U67 in the room to capture some of the organ's ambience. “Sometimes we took a direct out of the organ and sent that through a guitar amp to get a little more edge and bite,” he adds.

Used extensively on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

“The Trident at Blackbird Studio D was used for monitoring, and also some guitar microphones, plus most of the room microphones. Some room mics went through an API 512, and a few through a crazy old RCA OP6 tube preamp. Most of the other close mics went through various Neve 1073, Brent Averill API 312 and Chandler TG2 preamps. Jack loves the sound of ribbon microphones, so we used a lot of them, on guitar amps, vocals, and as room mics: Coles 4038, Royer 121, AEA R84. I would have six to 10 room mics up, and would chose a stereo pair from them.

(...) “For the song ‘Icky Thump’ I had the Royer and an AEA on Jack’s two guitar amps, and a couple of U67s for room ambience. In a few cases I used the Shure SM7 guide vocal mic. Ribbons are prone to overloading, so we blew out four Coles mics on the guitar amps. Luckily Jack had several Coles 4038’s with him! The guitar mics went through Neve and Chandler preamps, and then always through an API 550A EQ, and then an 1176. The Univox sounded great acoustically in the room and was miked with a U87 across the room, going into a Chandler TG2 preamp and then some slight compression with an LA2A."

This is restated by Chiccarelli in this October 1, 2007 Mix Online interview.

Most of the vocals were recorded on a RCA 77DX ribbon microphone, but a U47 and an old Altec 633 salt shaker mic were also pressed into service. Processing, depending on the track, included a Telefunken V76 tube preamp, an 1176, an LA-3A, a Fairchild and a Chandler Limited EMI TG2 compressor. “Sometimes the vocal went through a guitar amp, sometimes through a Neve module with a preamp turned all the way up,” he says. “He's great about working the distortion, knowing how to sing to a certain microphone. He knows how to back way off and come way in when he needs to. The vocal is different on every single song."

Used for the vocals and guitar on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

• Vocals: Teletronix LA2A, Roland Space Echo, echo chamber, Neve 8078 EQ

“Jack always wanted more distortion on the vocals! The main vocal effect is a distorted slap echo, which I recorded: I overloaded the tape machine. When you severely overload something, it squashes the waveform so much that it almost sounds like a different instrument. Instead of being a delay of the original signal, it becomes its own sound and adds a vibe to the track. When it came to the mix, Jack wanted still more distortion on the vocals and more edge, so I overloaded an LA2A compressor, setting the output to 80. This meant that I was getting the distortion from the last tube stage of the compressor, which creates a really beautiful distortion.

“I also added some Roland Space Echo spring reverb to the vocals during the mix, and ran the vocals through the echo chamber. Any reverb that I used on the album would have been dark-sounding, and in a lot of cases I made it mono as well. In the case of ‘Icky Thump’ I’d pan a mono reverb left behind the vocal that was panned left, and the other mono reverb was panned right behind the vocal that was panned right. Both were panned at about three quarters. I might also have rolled some top end off the distortion, just to get rid of any ugly harmonics.

“I was actually reluctant to use all that vocal distortion during the mix, but again, I had to trust him. One thing I have learned is when you work with great artists you have to put yourself in their hands, trust them and go with the flow. Sometimes the engineer in me would say ‘Oh no, I can’t print all that distortion,’ but then the music fan would go: ‘It sounds great, it’s exciting, who cares?’”

(...) “For the song ‘Icky Thump’ I had the Royer and an AEA on Jack’s two guitar amps, and a couple of U67s for room ambience. In a few cases I used the Shure SM7 guide vocal mic. Ribbons are prone to overloading, so we blew out four Coles mics on the guitar amps. Luckily Jack had several Coles 4038’s with him! The guitar mics went through Neve and Chandler preamps, and then always through an API 550A EQ, and then an 1176. The Univox sounded great acoustically in the room and was miked with a U87 across the room, going into a Chandler TG2 preamp and then some slight compression with an LA2A."

Used for the guitar and vocals on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

• Main guitars: Neve 8078 EQ, Universal Audio 1176, echo chamber, Neve 33609

“I don’t think I compressed the main guitar any further in the mix; all compression was added while tracking, probably an 1176. The guitars were mainly about balances and rides, and making sure the guitar line cut through, so I added some mid-range at the console. The song has an instrumental guitar chorus instead of a vocal chorus, so it was really important that it spoke. I multed the guitar out to two sets of faders, and one of them I EQ’d very mid-rangy and compressed with a Neve 33609 to get a slightly different tone. Every time the guitar riff came up the automation would switch to these faders. It made the melody pop out a little more. I also definitely used the live room in Studio A to add some ambience.”

• Vocals: Teletronix LA2A, Roland Space Echo, echo chamber, Neve 8078 EQ

“Jack always wanted more distortion on the vocals! The main vocal effect is a distorted slap echo, which I recorded: I overloaded the tape machine. When you severely overload something, it squashes the waveform so much that it almost sounds like a different instrument. Instead of being a delay of the original signal, it becomes its own sound and adds a vibe to the track. When it came to the mix, Jack wanted still more distortion on the vocals and more edge, so I overloaded an LA2A compressor, setting the output to 80. This meant that I was getting the distortion from the last tube stage of the compressor, which creates a really beautiful distortion.

“I also added some Roland Space Echo spring reverb to the vocals during the mix, and ran the vocals through the echo chamber. Any reverb that I used on the album would have been dark-sounding, and in a lot of cases I made it mono as well. In the case of ‘Icky Thump’ I’d pan a mono reverb left behind the vocal that was panned left, and the other mono reverb was panned right behind the vocal that was panned right. Both were panned at about three quarters. I might also have rolled some top end off the distortion, just to get rid of any ugly harmonics."

Used for the guitar on Icky Thump, as stated by recording and mixing engineer Joe Chiccarelli in this October 2007 Sound on Sound interview.

• Main guitars: Neve 8078 EQ, Universal Audio 1176, echo chamber, Neve 33609

“I don’t think I compressed the main guitar any further in the mix; all compression was added while tracking, probably an 1176. The guitars were mainly about balances and rides, and making sure the guitar line cut through, so I added some mid-range at the console. The song has an instrumental guitar chorus instead of a vocal chorus, so it was really important that it spoke. I multed the guitar out to two sets of faders, and one of them I EQ’d very mid-rangy and compressed with a Neve 33609 to get a slightly different tone. Every time the guitar riff came up the automation would switch to these faders. It made the melody pop out a little more. I also definitely used the live room in Studio A to add some ambience.”