Jack White certainly has a penchant for weird and wonderful guitars. Whether proving a point about the viability of cheap and obscure guitars or modding the Telecaster within an inch of its life for his first-ever Fender signature model, the soon-to-be Rock and Roll Hall of Famer doesn't conform to norms.
So to celebrate his 50th birthday, the guitarist turned to Eddie Van Halen’s luthier of choice, Chip Ellis, for an “out of this world” custom build that looks like a White-ified, cartoonish reimagining of a Rickenbacker.
Lovingly named the Ugly Stick, the build is a hybrid blend of electric guitar and bass and is, in fact, the culmination of three decades' of work. It features two lots of three strings, each with a bottom bass string.
This is surely a fine example of creating a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. The vacant middle saddle also feels like a minor missed opportunity.
“Chip has been working on this for 30-plus years on and off,” White says in an Instagram post that finds him showcasing his new toy with a joyful grin. “I have it tuned to open E on the low and open A on the high strings. But you could do what you want with it.
“The bass strings,” he adds, “are recessed lower than the guitar strings so you can play them all at the same height and same time.
Ellis is a master builder over at Fender, and he was responsible for White’s signature Triplecaster Tele last year. He’d risen to prominence when, upon falling out with Peavey after Joe Satriani signed on as a signature artist, Eddie Van Halen chose him to spearhead his EVH brand. Their first build together launched in 2007.
This new guitar’s unveiling comes a year after White had road tested it in the studio. It ultimately featured on two songs from his 2024 solo LP, No Name — “Number One with a Bullet” and “Terminal Archenemy Endling.”
He adds that it hasn’t made it onto the road yet, but the triple-humbuckered beast might not be confined to the studio forever.
“Thank you so much, Chip. This thing is out of this world,” his post wraps up. “I'm either wishing I had this back in the White Stripes, or I am glad I didn’t!”
The White Stripes’ legacy is set to be immortalized this autumn when the band, alongside Soundgarden, Bad Company and a very anti-Rock Hall Carol Kaye, are set to be inducted.
Speaking to Guitar Player in 2010, White revealed that their biggest hit, “Seven Nation Army”, which is now sung in sports stadiums across the world, came together during a spontaneous soundcheck Down Under.
“I was sound-checking at the Corner Hotel in Australia when that came out,” he says. “I thought about it as a possible James Bond theme, actually. And then I thought, ‘That will never happen!’”
Five years after the song’s release, White collaborated with Alicia Keys on “Another Way to Die,” the theme for the 22nd 007 film, Quantum of Solace. Duran Duran and Amy Winehouse had also been rumored for the film's theme, but the guitarist's success with his alt-rock duo was enough to score him the dream gig.
