Play electric guitar like Jack White

In this guide you'll learn everything about the legendary guitars of Jack White, who as a founding member of The White Stripes wrote and recorded some of the most defining solos and hooklines in the history of alternative rock. In this guide we introduce you to Jack's guitars, amplifiers, effects and accessories and, of course, recommend (cheaper) alternative products. Enjoy browsing!

About Jack White

Jack White — born John Anthony Gillis — grew up in a large family with nine siblings. At 15 he began playing guitar after having already taught himself to play drums. From 1992 he studied music at Detroit's Cass Technical High School while also training in an upholstery workshop. In 1996 Jack opened his own upholstery shop, Third Man Upholstery. The colour scheme was, similar to his later label Third Man Records, yellow and black.

The first band Jack played guitar in was Two Part Resin. After Dominic Suchyta left the three-piece, only Jack and his colleague Brian Muldoon remained. The two continued as a duo and from the end of 1993 until 1996 played only guitar and drums. When Brian also lost interest in the band, Jack came up with the idea of putting his alleged sister Meg — to whom he was actually married for four years — on drums. Although she had no prior drumming experience, the two decided to continue as a new band, which they named The White Stripes. Riding the retro-band hype wave of 2002, the album released at the end of 2001, White Blood Cells, became their first major success and brought them international recognition. After the album was issued on CD in 2002, over a million copies were sold worldwide.
One of the most famous guitar riffs of all time is certainly the main riff of the White Stripes song Seven Nation Army. The song became especially popular among football fans in Germany during and after the 2006 World Cup and has since been sung by fans across Europe at sports events and music festivals. It was used, among other things, as entrance music at the 2008 European Football Championship.

From 1997 to 2011 Jack was the frontman of the garage-rock band, and since early 2012 he has been working as a solo artist. In addition to his solo project he is a member of the bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Wheather. In the Rolling Stone magazine's list "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" he is ranked number 70.

Guitars and equipment in the style of Jack White

Low-budget electric guitars for White Stripes fans

Jack White has a penchant for unusual vintage equipment. Much of this gear is naturally eccentric and high-priced, but that's no reason to throw in the towel if you want to chase his sound. Many manufacturers also make affordable instruments that let you copy Jack's musical and visual style. Here we've put together a selection of budget electric guitars in Jack White's style:

Alternative high-end electric guitars in the style of Jack White

If you're willing to spend a bit more, you should also take a look at the following guitar selection. Here we've compiled a collection of high-end electric guitars from other manufacturers that have just as unconventional specifications as Jack's guitars. It's worth taking a look and browsing!

Electric or acoustic? Both, of course!

The Fender Acoustasonic is a revolutionary guitar range that offers both electric and acoustic sounds. Jack White is also a big fan of these extraordinary guitars and regularly uses various Acoustasonic models on stage and in the studio. He particularly appreciates the Acoustasonic Jazzmaster and Telecaster and even received his own signature model from Fender. So you don't have to choose between acoustic and electric, we've also put together a selection of Acoustasonic models that Jack White also plays:

Effects used by Jack White

Jack uses a whole array of effect pedals to give his sound the necessary spice. In addition to reverbs, delays and modulation pedals, distortion/overdrive pedals naturally play a central role in Jack's sound. You can find a selection of Jack's most important effects units here:

The perfect accessories for Jack White fans

With the following accessories you can perfect your look and sound and get even closer to sounding like Jack White. Whether strings, picks or other accessories — including items from Jack's own Third Man Hardware accessory collection by Fender — you'll find everything a White Stripes fan could wish for here!