Ritchie Blackmore — Rig Network

Blackmore has used Stratocasters throughout his career, often heavily modified with scalloped fretboards (his most distinctive modification — filing down the wood between frets for reduced friction and easier bends). His 1972–74 Strats on "Machine Head" and "Burn" produced the quintessential Blackmore tone: bright, aggressive, and capable of extraordinary sustain.

Used during early Deep Purple period before settling on Stratocasters — the ES-335 produced a warmer, jazzier character heard on the first two Deep Purple albums.

Blackmore's primary amp throughout the Deep Purple and Rainbow years — Plexi Super Leads jumpered and driven hard, often with a treble booster in front. He ran multiple Marshall stacks simultaneously for his distinctive layered wall-of-Marshall stage setup. The combination of jumpered inputs and treble booster before the amp represents an early form of amp modification through external gain staging.

Unique to this artist in the database

Used during the later Rainbow period — the master volume JMP allowed him to achieve similar gain structure at slightly lower stage volume.

Unique to this artist in the database

Blackmore was among the earliest users of the treble booster — a simple, passive-style boost emphasising upper frequencies. Before the Marshall it pushed the amp's preamp section harder than the guitar alone could, creating the compressed, saturated lead tone without requiring later overdrive pedal technology.

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Used for tape delay — the slight warmth and repeat characteristic of the Echoplex's tape system added depth to his lead tone without excessive wetness.

Unique to this artist in the database