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Alternative Rock / Garage Rock2003Elephant

Seven Nation Army Amp Settings

by The White Stripes (Jack White)

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Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes (Jack White)

Original Gear

Guitar
1950s Kay K6533 'Value Leader' archtop hollowbody (believed 1957-59)
Pickups
Single DeArmond neck pickup ('cheese grater' perforated chrome cover). Low output. (Neck (only pickup on the guitar — on/off switch, no volume or tone pots))
Amplifier
Sears Silvertone 1485 'Six Ten' (~120W tube, mid-1960s, by Danelectro) + Fender Twin Reverb (1970s)
Channel
Silvertone Channel 2
Tuning
Open A (E-A-E-A-C#-E)
Pickup Selector
N/A — single pickup with on/off switch only. No selector.
Strings
Unknown — Jack White stated he uses whatever strings his techs put on and has 'no idea what gauge or brand they are'

Dual-amp setup mic'd separately onto individual tracks (confirmed by engineer Liam Watson). Silvertone matched with 6x10 cab with Jensen C10Q speakers — provides thick, crunchy overdrive. Fender Twin Reverb provides clean chime and spring reverb. Recorded at Toe Rag Studios on 8-track analog Studer A80 tape. Jack White: 'The Silvertone and a Fender make a great combination.'

Amp Settings

Bass
5.0
Treble
7.0
Volume
6.0
Settings from Guitar World's tone analysis (Chris Gill, July 2020) — NOT confirmed by Jack White or Liam Watson. The Silvertone 1485 has no separate gain or mid control. At Volume 6, the amp produces a crunchy, mildly overdriven tone with natural tube saturation. These are informed approximations based on recorded tone, not primary source documentation.

Effects Chain

→
DigiTech Whammy (Version 4)
Pitch Shift (Octave Down)
→
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (likely 1970s original)
Fuzz
→
1.DigiTech Whammy (Version 4) — THE key effect — creates the iconic 'bass line' which is actually guitar pitched down one octave. No bass guitar was used. White was inspired by Tom Morello's Whammy usage.
2.Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (likely 1970s original) — Used for the heavy distorted slide guitar overdub solo and crunching chord sections — NOT used for the clean 'bass' riff. Settings are Guitar World ESTIMATES. Note: signal chain order debated — Jack White told Guitar Player the Big Muff goes BEFORE the Whammy for octave-up solos, but for the studio recording's octave-down riff, Whammy likely came first.

Playing Technique

Three distinct techniques in the song: (1) 'Bass' riff — single-note riff through Whammy octave-down, possibly fingerstyle. (2) Slide chords — chrome-plated steel slide on open A chords, mildly overdriven jangle. (3) Fuzz slide solo — raucous Big Muff fuzz with intentional 'slop,' dead notes, and feedback. Dunlop Heavy 1.0mm Tortex picks.

Sources+
  1. Guitar Player Magazine — Jack White interview confirming Kay guitar, Open A tuning, Whammy pedal
  2. Guitar World — 'Secrets Behind Jack White's Tone on Seven Nation Army' (Chris Gill, July 2020) — estimated settings
  3. Liam Watson (engineer), BMI interview (2006) — dual-amp mic'ing technique, 8-track setup
  4. guitar.com — 'The Gear Used By Jack White on Elephant' (Justin Beckner, Sept 2023)
  5. New Cut Studios — detailed technical analysis of the Elephant recording (Mark Vickers, Aug 2022)
  6. Equipboard.com — Jack White gear page
  7. Boost Guitar Pedals — Jack White Elephant-era gear
  8. Northern Lights DVD — Jack White quotes about Silvertone/Fender amp combination

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