DONNER/THIRD MAN HARDWARE TRIPLE THREAT
Jack White’s Third Man Hardware has created a three-effect powerhouse in collaboration with budget brand Donner
1. Our loaned model is in yellow and is a slightly more expensive limitededition that’s apparently already sold out, but the standard black version with yellow legending looks equally as good
2. The knobs each have a nicely tactile rubber outer ring, but they are tiny so may feel a little fiddly to operate if you have larger fingers
3. The Distortion Vol and Phaser Level knobs both set output volume so can be combined for an overall level or to set a boost. The Echo Level knob is a dry/wet mix
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.
The Phaser is also wide ranging in that you get aDepth as well as a Rate control; it’ll do classic 1970s phasing and some rotary stylings. Then the Echo knob offers a range of the most practical delay times from a cool slapback upwards, with repeats that have an analogue sound with ameasured degree of degradation as they fade away. It’s also aknob manipulator’s delight that will take off into self ‐oscillation. Between the three, there are loads of tones just waiting to be dialled in.
Verdict
In the world of modern effects, you don’t get much for £95, so having three solid performers in one package is great value. In many respects the Triple Threat could be an ideal beginner’s effect pedal, as planned. Our view is that a dirt pedal and a delay are the two essential pedals for guitarists to have and are amply covered here along with a decent dose of modulation if you want it.
What’s more, it has a single power supply, so there’s no mess
