What guitars does Jack White play?
The former White Stripes man is one of the most innovative and influential guitarists of the 21st century – and his gear is just as unique.
Jack White is one of the most innovative, influential and beloved guitarists of his generation – indeed you could argue that John Anthony Gillis is the one of the last true modern innovators of our instrument.
Because while White has always been someone whose tastes and style are heavily influenced by the past – this is a man who owns his own direct-to-vinyl recording booth after all – he has consistently embraced the weird, the under-appreciated and the cutting-edge when it comes to his guitar gear.
Perhaps Jack’s most iconic and notable guitar was the one that he used heavily in the early days of The White Stripes – a red 1964 Res-O-Glas Airline, which was made by a Chicago-based company called Valco. Valco made guitars under various brands from 1940 all the way up until 1968.
As for the Airline brand, those were made from 1958 until 1968. Not all Airline guitars were Res-O-Glas, but the Res-O-Glas guitars were produced from 1962 to 1967. They didn’t really have a model name, but there was a blues guitarist named J.B. Hutto who played one, and the model was unofficially called the JB Hutto Model.
These guitars are pretty unique. The guitar features a fibreglass hollowbody with a piece of maple going down the centre for the neck, pickups, and bridge to mount to. It features two Valco single-coil pickups, which are often mistaken for humbuckers, and a non-adjustable steel-reinforced neck.
The enduring power of Jack’s undeniable cool can be seen by a quick dash around Reverb today. The original price of an Airline JB Hutto in 1964 was $99 and one of the reasons that Jack used them was that they were cheap ‘pawn shop’ guitars that didn’t cost as much as vintage Fenders or Gibsons.
Nowadays, thanks almost exclusively to Jack White, a Res-O-Glas that would have cost a few hundred bucks in the 90s will now set you back a few thousand – especially if it’s red. As a result of The White Stripes’ popularity, Eastwood guitars brought back the Airline name in the early 2000s, and Airline Guitars continues to produce Res-O-Glas-shaped instruments to this day – however they’re not fibreglass like their forebears, and are just made of wood.
In addition to the Res-O-Glass, White also used a short-scale model and a wood Airline Town & Country guitar in The White Stripes at various times.
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Source: Guitar.com
Airline Guitars Today:
In October 2024, the "Airline" trade name was acquired by a family-owned business based in Chicago, Illinois. Specializing in retro-styled electric guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects pedals, and accessories, the new owners are committed to honoring the brand's legacy while introducing innovations that blend classic American design with modern functionality. With this transition, Airline Guitars returns to its Chicago roots, now operating independently from the Eastwood brand family.
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