Triple Inchophone



During their 2005/06 tour the White Stripes sold a small record player at their merch stand. These Triple Inchophones were the trademark red & white of the band and did not sell too well at first, until Jack explained exactly what they were on the bands' official site. The record players were made by a Japanese company called 8-ball Bandai. These record players could only play 3-inch records. When Jack and Meg White invested in buying the machines from the company they were led to believe there were many units ready for distribution; in fact, the company had destroyed all but 400 of their units.

The White Stripes proceeded to buy these remaining 400 units and sell them on tour along with a set of specially made 3-inch singles. The cost price of a unit at the shows was between 120 $. The inchophone can now fetch up to 850 $ among collectors.

3 inch singles
Jack remastered and remixed six of the White Stripes previous releases into a 3-inch format for release with the Triple Inchophone. These included Hotel Yorba, Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Fell in Love with a Girl, Seven Nation Army, The Hardest Button to Button (with an alternative sleeve), and Blue Orchid (also with an alternative sleeve). Also produced was a previously unreleased track, "Top Special", only ever released in the 3-inch format. The "Top Special" single was rumoured to be limited to only 100 copies. So not even everyone who bought an inchophone got a "Top Special". The term "top special" was reported to be Japanese slang for "best friend", while it is actually a Northern British euphemism. Also produced was a 3-inch version of "The Denial Twist" these records were given out to fans by Jack White personally and were never for sale. This is the most sought after of the 3-inch singles, and although produced in similar numbers to the other singles, is the hardest to obtain. They are also often in worse shape than the others due to the fact that Jack White often kept these in his pockets to hand out to fans.