Three's A Charm

Jack White's Third Man Hardware has created a three-effect powerhouse in collaboration with budget brand Donner

- Trevor Curwen

Jack White has got involved in pedal design before via his Third Man Hardware brand, having previously worked with CopperSound and MXR among others, but this time he's teamed up with budget Chinese company Donner. Enamoured of its Alpha range, Jack felt that the company would be ideal for creating "something very cool that was not going to break the bank for a beginning musician". The result is the Triple Threat, a solidly built multi-effects pedal that starts with a distortion, followed by a phaser and a delay, all for less than £100 for the Black edition.

The effects are based on some earlier Donner pedals, but these have upgraded circuit design and tonal qualities dialled in to Jack's specifications. The Distortion has a flexible range, starting from crunchy drive and culminating in a rich high-gain sound that has plenty of sustain but retains good string articulation. All this is tempered by the Tone knob, which really puts the top-end presence where you need it to be.