Jack White and MXR partner up for new Double Down guitar pedal
Singer and guitarist Jack White, along with his Third Man Hardware pedal company, has teamed up with MXR to develop their collaborative pedal: The Double Down. Available in both a standard version and a Reverb-exclusive iteration, the Double Down combines two of MXR’s famous Micro Amp boosts into a single pedal. It brings users two independent channels of “classic MXR preamp gain,” thanks to its pair of Micro Amp circuits. It can also serve as a signal splitter and dual-boost pedal; it sports two output jacks to connect it to two amps that can be controlled independently. The Double Down also comes with a Phase switch for a stereophonic effect and a Buffer switch that allows users to choose between true and buffered bypass.
A collab with the MXR brand
From its establishment in 1972, MXR rose to fame among guitarists and musicians, and the MXR pedals are well-known worldwide. Guitarists are familiar with their pedalboard mainstays, such as the Phase 90 and the Blue Box, which are closely associated with guitar gods Eddie van Halen and Jimmy Page, respectively. Even in the present, their stompboxes are still known for their great sound and durability, which is why they’ve also become a favorite of White’s. The Double Down is inspired by his use of MXR equipment that has long remained a part of his line-up throughout his extensive and impressive career.
White’s career in tools and instruments
[Even as far back as his time with The White Stripes, White had already been using MXR’s Micro Amp and splitting his guitar’s signal into two different amplifiers. The Double Down gives White the best of both worlds in one pedal, letting musicians from all walks of life use its features for their music ventures.
Jack White is well-known for his eclectic and unique sound, and his arsenal of soundboxes and effects—which often border on the bizarre—are to thank for that. Fuzz and distortion pedals are constants of his, which gives single-slide notes body, bringing and sustaining his guitar to the front of the mix. His pedals also allow his guitars to create a thick sound using octaves and pitch shifting.
Though he’s now been using Hofner bass guitars in later releases and posing with a custom glittery blue Fender Telecaster for an upcoming menswear campaign with Celine, the effects pedals have greatly helped him transform his guitars into basses, particularly during his days with The White Stripes. It is also what you hear on “Seven Nation Army.” From his first solo album with Blunderbuss to Fear of the Dawn ten years later, this distorted, cool, and rough tone has remained his signature sound for years, cementing him as an undeniable force of nature on the electric guitar.
Even with his notable use of pedals and effects, Jack White expressed his desire not wanting his name to be overly attached to the product with the release of this collaboration, stating that he wants the Double Down to be something useful for others to get their sound out of rather than dubbing it the “Jack White pedal.” The Double Down was crafted to give musicians a stereo version of the iconic Micro Amp preamp pedal, freeing artists to use it for all genres and applications.
