On Blunderbuss, His Solo Debut, the Analog Purist Makes Spur-Of-The
On Blunderbuss, his solo debut, the analog purist makes spur-of-the-moment choices and proves that you don't have to buy into the loudness wars to make a Number One record BY KYLEE SWENSON GORDON MAKTNG A gut decision has never been hard for Jack White. "If somebody asked rne, 'We're going to record a guitar part in a hotel room: What do you want in the room?' I'd say,'I want a lS-watt amp with a reverb, that Supro guitar, a ribbon rnicrophone, and a reel-to-reel,"'he reveals. "somebody else would say, 'Why don't you bring down ten of my Les Pauls, three Stratocasters, a Tele, four of the Silvertones, the Marshall, a TWin Reverb, six other amps, and we'll record 45 guitar tracks. And then I'n.r going to go on vacation and you engineers pick the best one."' While n-rany famous guitar players like to surround themselves witl-r nearly endless optior.rs, that's not a process that appeals to White. He's most comfortable making resolute selections made in the blink of an eye. "I make my decisions early on and eliminate right from the get-go so I don't have to make those choices down the road, because that just makes it harder on you," he says. The youngest of ten siblings, White took on a love for rock, blues, and country and started out as a drummer in local bands in Detroit. The singer and multi-instrumentalist has since paid his dues leading the White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and the Dead Weather, and he's col- laborated andfor produced artists ranging from Alicia Keys and Loretta Lynn to Conan O'Brien, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and even In- sane Clown Posse.
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