“Eric Clapton’s roadie brought a Strat with him. I said, ‘Do you want to sell that guitar?’ He said, ‘I’ll sell it to you for £60’”: Ritchie Blackmore on why he switched from the to the Stratocaster – and the one he used to record Smoke on the Water
There are few players who have wielded the Fender Stratocaster with more authority than the legendary Ritchie Blackmore. The firebrand guitarist who brought the world some of its most iconic riffs (and solos) with Deep Purple and Rainbow has made it his number one electric guitar for decades, and at 79 he is in no mind to change now.
It wasn’t always this way. Longtime Blackmore fans will tell you it was the Gibson ES that he made his name on. So what was it that got him swap the semi-hollow for the solidbodied doublecut?
Well, as he explains here, in an interview that takes us from his GW cover shoot to the present day, there was a knock at the door. Enter, Eric Clapton’s roadie… But first, what about that Strat from the GW cover?
Where and when did you buy this guitar?
“I have no idea. I have probably 12 Strats, but I noticed when lookin
English-born guitar icon Ritchie Blackmore is one of the most influential guitar players from the 70s and is often referred to as one of the fathers of heavy metal. His unique playing style, blues-driven riffs using 4ths, classical music influence, arpeggios, and fast picking are the reason he stood out above many other contemporaries.
In the s he began his career as a session guitarist, recording and touring with many bands. However, he is most famous for being one of the founding members of Deep Purple, one of the most prominent classic rock acts ever. During the mids Blackmore left Deep Purple and formed another classic hard rock giant Rainbow, after the famous “Rainbow Bar and Grill” in LA.
Later on, saw Ritchie along with his girlfriend, Candice Night, forming the medieval folk-inspired band Blackmore’s Night, who are still active, recording and performing live. But it&#;s worth noting that former Deep Purple &#;highway star&#; has left an undeniable mark on rock music as we know it, beyond classical blues-founded riffing, Blackmore innovated the guitar in a way the world was perhaps unprepared for back in the 70s.
It&#;s easy to assume that as time went by, many guit
Fender Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster
What we say:
70s Stratocaster legend Ritchie Blackmore is a guitar hero to many: his epic fretboard excursions with Deep Purple defined 70s hard rock for many people. Since he almost exclusively used Strats, Fender saw fit to reward his decades of dedication with his own signature model.
From a distance, this looks like a fairly straightforward white Strat: it is not until you get closer you begin to notice the specific details. For instance, the middle pickup is not a pickup at all! It is merely a dummy, there to preserve the look of the Strat. The two actual pickups are high powered Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, excellent and versatile units.
A significant feature of this guitar is the custom scalloping on the fingerboard. It is gradual, beginning a few frets up on the heavier strings and at the nut for the lighter strings. The scalloping is shallow to begin with, gaining in depth as the frets progress higher. This modification allows super-fast playing since your fingers have to merely touch the strings to sound a note, meaning you can skip around significantly faster than on a standard fingerboard.
Aside from the specialist scall
Fender Ritchie Blackmore Strat Artist Electric Guitar in White
The store is open 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 5pm Sunday and bank holidays.
The stock information shows the quantity of units that are available to purchase at the Guildford store and the quantity of units that are available at our off-site Guildford warehouse. These stock levels are updated in real time.
Our Click and Collect service is available at our Guildford store from 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am - 5pm on Sunday. You can either choose click and collect as your delivery option online or, during store opening hours, call our sales team at to place a 10% deposit.
If you have placed your order online, you will receive a confirmation email of your order and a separate follow-up text or email to confirm when your item is ready for collection.
Please do not come to the store before you have received the follow-up message, as your order may not yet be ready at the store.
If the only available stock is in our off-site warehouse it can be brought to the store location for you to try - you just need to contact the store within opening hours. Please note any requests received afte
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