NAMM 2024: This year’s NAMM show is packed with eye-wateringly beautiful gear and, as ever, much of it carries similarly eye-watering price tags. One of the most pleasant surprises of this year’s show, then, has been the unexpected alliance of Jack White’s uber-cool Third Man Hardware with affordable effects champions Donner.
The result of the collaboration is a three-in-one multi-effects pedal – the excellently-titled Triple Threat – which is launching at a headline-grabbing street price of $99.
It’s predominantly aimed at the beginner guitar player, but we suspect it will also attract an interesting combination of White fans, tonal bargain hunters and anyone else in the market for a clean, clear analog multi-effects setup that can cause some sonic havoc.
Guitar World’s Paul Riario is on the floor at this year’s NAMM and made a beeline to the Donner booth to check it out – with a little help from Jack White’s trusted guitar tech Dan Mancini.
“For this pedal, we were really excited, and our main thought and concern was to get this out to entry level musicians and guitar players who are just starting out,” explains Mancini, in the clip.
“You know what it’s like when we were teenagers and you wanted to go mow the lawn or shovel snow and save up to get your first guitar, your first effects pedal. We wanted to be able to do that and get people excited.”
White has reportedly been a fan of Donner’s Alpha FX series (which provides the basis for the unit) since its launch and we note, that its previously-issued black and yellow Cruncher unit practically looks like a Third Man product already.
“It started out just excited about Donner products and [the sense that] these guys were doing something special here,” says Mancini.
“[We wanted] to get something at a price point that was manageable for any level of musician. It was great to be able to take what Donner had already started and custom tailor it – and get something that is really exciting for everyone.”
Later, Mancini (armed with a Donner HUSH Series travel electric guitar) is good enough to give us a demo of the unit and, despite offering the caveat that he’s “no shredder”, certainly gets more than a few convincing Jack White-esque tones out of the unit.
There are some wild combinations on tap, too – particularly once all-three effects are engaged and that crackling distortion base starts to bounce around the phaser and echo.
In addition to the standard black Triple Threat, a limited edition all-yellow variant is also heading to online store Reverb as an exclusive listing.
“We like doing special little runs, just to get people fired up,” says Mancini. “That’s going for $129 – and they’ll be going fast!”
We agree. Check out the full clip above and for more information on the Triple Threat, head to Third Man Hardware.
