Robin bought his Blackmore Stratocaster from MIJFenders.com and has very kindly written this review and allowed me to use it here.  It is extensive and describes his guitar and various modifications he has made to it to suit his personal requirements. It is an unedited and honest view of his guitar and it makes interesting reading. He describes in detail the standard instrument and modifications he's made to personalise it to his requirements. The result of the original purchase and personalisation is a really superb and enjoyable players instrument and a happy customer. 

As with all things relating to guitars, setups and sounds are all a matter of preference, "one mans meat being another's poison"!  For this reason I purposefully do not adjust your guitar, unless it has a fault, before sending it to you, thus affording you the opportunity to be the first person to do your set-up on your guitar. This is something you won't normally get from a music shop,.   Generally all the Fender Japan guitars have a reasonable "generic / please all" type setup. 
Normally most players will adjust their guitars to suit their personal playing style and to personalise the product to their requirements.  

For people who want specific professional set-ups this can be arranged at additional cost before delivery, these services include the provision of a professional Luthiers Certificate for the specific work undertaken. Please email me for details.

Review by Robin Turner

This guitar is a recent acquisition, although I have been on the lookout for one for some time, and this is the first site I have found which can supply these instruments easily. Only a few weeks ago, I was told by a major London retailer that they were no longer being made! ( ed: so music shops don't know it all ! )

There are two versions of the Blackmore signature model on the market, one made in the US custom shop and the other (rather appropriately) being made in Japan. This review focuses on the Japanese version, although I have contrasted the production spec of both instruments where necessary, to highlight the differences. 

Firstly, I should say upfront that this is a superb quality instrument, and in terms of construction, components and attention to detail on the finish it would rank with any other instrument I have ever handled. If you have any doubts about the quality of Japanese guitars this should set them to rest. I believe that all of the Fender artist’s models are hand built, and as soon as you pick up the guitar it positively oozes quality! 

The neck has the classic Fender 70’s large headstock with a discreet facsimile of Blackmore’s signature at the end of the logo. There are two string guides for the D,G,B & E strings, and 6 sealed chrome machine heads stamped with the signature Fender ‘f’ from the seventies. This is also reproduced in a larger format on the rear of the neck plate, which on the Japanese model uses the classic ‘three bolt’ arrangement to secure the neck to the body. The American version of the guitar has a set neck arrangement, whereby the neck is permanently glued in position. Although this is generally recognised as helping an instrument provide greater sustain, it can also make neck adjustments difficult, and given the significant cost difference between the US and Japanese instruments, in my view wouldn’t justify it.     ( ed: The USA Version retails around $4,800 -5,200, which is about £2,500+)

The truss rod is the ‘bullet’ style, providing easy access from the headstock end, and concealed by the attractive ‘skunk stripe’ running down the back of the maple neck. The neck finish is in polyurethane, with an oval profile that sits comfortably in the hand and provides a pleasing visual contrast with the scalloped rosewood fingerboard.  

Scalloping involves shaving away the wood between the frets to produce a curved profile. Blackmore was the first guitarist to use scalloping on the guitar neck, and it may take a little getting used to for players who are coming to it for the first time.    

I have large hands, and so the main benefit to me is that I can get my fingers under the strings easily to control bends and vibrato. If you have a light playing style you may also find that it helps develop speed, as you need to press less heavily to sound a note.  

This instrument features ‘isometric’ scalloping, which means that the profiling is deeper on the high E side of the fingerboard, graduating to almost nothing on the bass side. Additionally, the scalloping changes as you move along the neck with almost none at the headstock end, progressing to full scalloping at the body end. It may sound an odd design, but personally, I find it very comfortable to play.

This differs from the Yngwie Malmsteen signature guitar which also features scalloping. On this model, the neck has full scalloping across each fret along its entire length. Of the two, the Blackmore model would probably be the easiest to adapt to from a standard ‘flat’ fingerboard. The Blackmore neck has 21 medium sized frets with position markers both on the front and upper edge built over a standard Fender scale length of 25.5” (648mm).

The body of the guitar is of ash, which has a nice solid feel to it, and is attractively finished (in this case) in Olympic White, which in fact is the popular cream colour which should deepen over time. There is a three-ply white scratchplate in the standard Fender configuration which contains the master volume, neck and bridge pickup tone controls and the two (yes two!) Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pickups. 

Since Blackmore never uses the centre pickup, this has been removed from the guitar and replaced with a dummy pickup cover. The three-way switch provides options for neck, bridge or both pickups to operate, according to your requirements. The other main difference between the US and Japanese models are the pickups, as the American model features 2 Gold Lace sensors instead. I’m not sure why really, as although these are great pickups, they are not immediately associated with the Blackmore sound.

The other hidden modification on this guitar is some slightly different wiring to the volume pot. Those of you familiar with Blackmore’s style will know that he likes to use a lot of light and shade in his playing, and will often reduce the volume to play a quiet and delicate intro before winding it up again for the killer riff. The volume control allows this to happen quite easily, with the essential tone of the pickups being preserved at lower volume. This is not necessarily true on all guitars, and I have a PRS model, which when the volume rolls off is literally unusable, due to the ‘muddy’ signal.

Cosmetically the guitar is very attractive, with nickel /chrome hardware, and the Olympic white body contrasting with the black control knobs and pickup covers. Another welcome addition is the recessed Dunlop Strap locks, which support the strap easily without any irritating protrusions to catch on clothing etc. 

So far so good! What about the set up?

If I have a small criticism of the guitar, it is that it arrived with a less than perfect set up, although to be fair, having travelled all the way from Japan through a variety of environments, this might be expected. This didn’t worry me as I intended to have the guitar set up to my playing requirements anyway, so this was easily rectified.  ( ed: this guitar would have arrived with a factory "generic" setup, which as Robin explains he would expect to adjust. )

When plugged in, the thick tone of the pickups is immediately apparent. The bridge pickup is very usable, having a good versatile rock tone which I liked straight away. I found the middle setting quite warm, which I felt worked well with clean tones, but tended to be a little thick with distortion. The setting I struggled with the most was the neck pickup, which again sounds fine on clean tones, but in my opinion, too bassy with used with distortion.

I played the guitar for a few days, using different amp settings and also through a Line 6 Pod and various foot pedals to get an idea of what constituted a usable sound. In the end, I decided that I would have to change the neck pickup for something with a clearer sound. After some discussion with my local guitar tech, I decided on a Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro, which did the trick nicely. At the same time, I had the three-way selector switch replaced with a five way switch, and moved the offending neck Quarterpounder to the vacant middle position.  

I also took the opportunity to have the guitar set up and the vibrato system adjusted from flat to floating, giving much greater versatility with the bar. When it arrived it was set flat, so that the arm could only be bent one way. The floating arrangement facilitates easy bending both ways, allowing you to either increase or decrease the pitch of the note. 

After the modifications, the changes were immediately apparent. Moving the neck pickup to the centre position had kept its warm sound, but reduced its intensity, making it much more usable, particularly for chords. The bridge pickup still retained its original clear, bright sound, and blending it with the middle pickup in the second switch position produced a warm but bright sound suitable for a more melodic tones. Blending the neck and centre pickups in position four gives a nice warm sound with a bit of edge to it, which makes it suitable for rhythm playing, and the neck pickup on its own has a nice bluesy sound to it, which exactly was what I wanted.  

If you are buying any guitar from new, I think you need to be prepared to tweak it a little to fit your own playing style and get the best performance out of it. Although the guitar played well ‘out of the box’ there is no doubt that having the set up and the vibrato adjustments carried out have really improved the performance of the instrument. ( ed: this is  very valid , every new guitar, regardless of where it's bought, can be improved by setting it up to your own specifications )

Sound is very much a personal thing, and it depends on the type of music you play and the amp and effects set up that you use. Again, the sounds in the original configuration were perfectly usable, but from my perspective have been enhanced by the addition of the alnico neck pickup. Whether you choose to modify it or not you can be confident that the Ritchie Blackmore signature  instrument is a first class piece of manufacturing and like all Stratocasters will cope with whatever you choose to throw at it.

 Now as soon as I can get my amp fixed………

Robin Turner Dec. 2004.

Bio:
Robin Turner has been buying and selling guitars for many years, and is pleased to report that this addiction is now almost under control. After a successful career in business he is in the process of setting up his own online publishing company, and his first book – ‘The Guitar Buyers Guide’ will be available in January.

Robin can be contacted at Bitesizedbooks@btinternet.com