The Third Man Hardware Plasma Coil is a distortion and octave pedal created by Gamechanger Audio in collaboration with Jack White's Third Man Records, and custom-tailored to his live-performance needs12. Instead of clipping your signal with transistors, LEDs or diodes, it converts the instrument's signal into a series of continuous high-voltage electrical discharges inside a xenon-filled tube, which the company says amplifies audio signals to 3500 volts13. The result, as one reviewer put it, is overdrive and distortion that is "quick, responsive and extremely heavy, with a ton of unique character"4.
The pedal was announced in July 2019 and used by Jack White on tour with the Raconteurs at the time15. Gamechanger Audio says he used it on the Raconteurs' album Help Us Stranger, on the subsequent tour and on upcoming projects6.
How the high-voltage circuit works
Most distortion pedals clip the signal with diodes, transistors or op-amps. The Plasma Coil takes a different route: it transforms your instrument's live signal into a series of continuous high-voltage discharges within a xenon-filled tube, and that discharge pattern becomes the amplified audio signal4. Guitar World reported that the pedal expresses an audio signal as electrical discharges and amplifies signals to 3500 volts, according to the company1.
Pedal of the Day described the outcome as unusual harmonic saturation, noise-gating properties and an extremely wide EQ4. Guitar World's review lists the pedal as analog8.
The same high-voltage approach appears elsewhere in the Gamechanger family: the original Plasma Pedal, the rack-mounted PLASMA Rack, and the Eurorack-format Erica Synths Plasma Drive91011.
Controls
The Plasma Coil's control panel is simple, but the knobs do unusual things:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Voltage | Regulates how much electrical current is sent to the xenon tube47 |
| Low Freq | Shapes the low end of your tone4 |
| High Freq | Shapes the high end of your tone4 |
| Special effect switch | 6-position switch selecting octave and effect circuits7 |
| Volume | Sets the output level7 |
A second footswitch engages the special effects section, which is one of the main additions over the original Plasma Pedal712.
How it differs from the Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal
The Plasma Coil is a special version of the Plasma Pedal, built to Jack White's specs64. The core high-voltage operating principle is the same, but two things changed:
- No Blend control. The original Plasma Pedal's Blend control was removed, so with the Plasma Coil the signal is always "100% PLASMA"113. There is no way to mix clean signal back in.
- A second footswitch for special effects. The Plasma Coil adds a second footswitch with a 6-position special effect switch, giving access to octave and effect circuits the original does not have712.
Guitar.com's reviewer, Chris Vinnicombe, described the original Plasma as "already one of the most characterful noisemakers around," with the Plasma Coil taking that principle further7.
Jack White and the Third Man connection
The pedal was created in collaboration with Jack White and Third Man Records6. At the time of the July 2019 announcement, Jack White was using it in his rig on tour with the Raconteurs15, and a 2022 GuitarPlayer rig rundown still listed the Plasma Coil distortion box on his pedalboard14. Gamechanger Audio says the pedal is used on the Raconteurs' album Help Us Stranger, the subsequent tour and upcoming projects6.
Third Man Hardware has since extended the collaboration idea to other pedals, including the Triple Threat.
Versions, colors and price
At launch in July 2019 the Plasma Coil came in two finishes115:
Gamechanger Audio's current product page lists the Plasma Coil at $379.006. Guitar.com's UK review gave the price as £3397.
At launch, the pedal was available exclusively at Third Man's online and physical stores15.
What reviewers said
- Pedal of the Day (2021): "The overdrive/distortion produced is quick, responsive and extremely heavy, with a ton of unique character."4
- Guitar.com (Chris Vinnicombe, 2020): listed it as an analog distortion/fuzz/octave pedal made in Latvia, noting it dispenses with the blend control and adds a second footswitch for special effects7.
- Guitar World (Chris Gill): reviewed the Plasma Pedal and Plasma Coil together, describing the Coil as a special version created in collaboration with Jack White's Third Man Records, and listing it as analog8.
"The Plasma Coil builds on this, creating unusual harmonic saturation, noise-gating properties and an extremely wide EQ."
Videos
Pete Thorn
AndyDemos
Reverb
Questions
What is the difference between the Plasma Coil and the Gamechanger Audio Plasma pedal?
The Plasma Coil is a special version of the Plasma Pedal made with Jack White's Third Man Records. It removes the original pedal's Blend control, so the signal is always fully processed, and it adds a second footswitch with a 6-position special effect switch for octave and effect circuits. The core high-voltage xenon tube circuit is the same.
Does the Plasma Coil have a blend control?
No. The Blend control found on the original Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal was removed on the Plasma Coil. With the Plasma Coil the signal is always fully processed through the high-voltage circuit, with no way to mix in clean signal.
How much does the Third Man Hardware Plasma Coil cost?
At launch in 2019 it sold for $300 in black and $350 in the special-edition yellow finish. Gamechanger Audio's current product page lists the Plasma Coil at $379.00. A limited 5th anniversary edition in white was announced in 2024 at £359.
What colors does the Plasma Coil come in?
It launched in black and a special-edition yellow finish in 2019. In 2024, Gamechanger Audio and Third Man Hardware announced a limited 5th anniversary edition of 400 units in white.
Where can I buy the Third Man Hardware Plasma Coil?
At launch in 2019 it was sold exclusively through Third Man Records' online and physical stores. The limited 5th anniversary white edition of 2024 was made available through Reverb, Gamechanger Audio and Third Man Hardware.
Does Jack White use the Plasma Coil?
Yes. The pedal was created in collaboration with Jack White and custom-tailored to his live-performance needs. Gamechanger Audio says he used it on the Raconteurs' album Help Us Stranger, on the subsequent tour and on upcoming projects.
Sources (15)
- Third Man Hardware and Gamechanger Audio Introduce the Plasma Coil Distortion/Octave Pedal, Guitar World, 2019-07-25
- PLASMA COIL, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-02-16
- Plasma Coil: Gamechanger Audio & Third Man Records, Premier Guitar, 2019-07-24
- Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2021-01-21
- Summer NAMM 2019: Third Man Records teams up with Gamechanger Audio for the Plasma Coil, MusicRadar, 2019-07-22
- Third Man Records PLASMA COIL, Gamechanger Audio, 2026-09-23
- Review: Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil, Guitar.com, 2020-02-20
- Pedal and Plasma Coil, Guitar World, 2020-04-27
- PLASMA Rack - Copy - Gamechanger Audio, Gamechanger Audio
- Plasma Drive - Erica Synths, Erica Synths
- NAMM 2018: Plasma Pedal - High Voltage Distortion unleashed, gearnews.com, 2018-01-25
- Gamechanger Audio and Jack White's Third Man Records debut Plasma Coil octave fuzz, gearnews.com, 2019-07-22
- Gamechanger Audio Plasma Coil (with Third Man Records), Delicious Audio, 2022-06-03
- Take a Close Look at Jack White's Insanely Cool Pedalboard, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2022-06-09
- Summer NAMM 2019: Gamechanger Audio and Jack White's Third Man Records partner on Plasma Coil pedal, Guitar.com, 2019-07-21
