Ritchie Blackmore

Ritchie Blackmore is the guitarist of Deep Purple and Rainbow, later of Blackmore's Night. His main instrument was the Fender Stratocaster with a scalloped fingerboard, a modification that allows greater string bending and vibrato control. Fan research suggests that an early-to-mid 1973 ash Strat with a scalloped maple neck was his first scalloped guitar and was his main guitar through Deep Purple Mk III and early Rainbow; after it was stolen he played 1970s "big head" Strats with scalloped rosewood boards. Fender released a Ritchie Blackmore Signature Stratocaster in 1997.

He was best known for Marshall amps, including Major 200-watt heads, with 4x12 cabinets, after early use of Vox AC30s, and he later moved to ENGL amps for Blackmore's Night. A Hornby Skewes treble booster was central to his tone, sometimes placed in front of a Fuzz Face. For echo he used a modified 1960s Aiwa tape deck, found around 1973 after he could not find a tape echo he liked; in recent years it has served as a preamp.

Other effects included a Uni-Vibe, an octave divider and an EMS Synthi Hi Fli. Online gear lists often mix eras and rely on fan research, so exact details should be treated as approximate.