Blackmore-style?

Lixarto

I've read a couple of articles over the last few days which mention Mr Blackmore's way of using his (very loud) amps.

Apparently he used to turn them up full and control the overall level from his guitar.

I really want to try this, but my neighbours are shaking their heads already.

Thoughts?

viz

Try it at night.

Lixarto

I may pluck up the courage to try it with my 10w Marshall.

When my wife is out

ddlooping

Lixarto said:

I've read a couple of articles over the last few days which mention Mr Blackmore's way of using his (very loud) amps.

Apparently he used to turn them up full and control the overall level from his guitar.

I really want to try this, but my neighbours are shaking their heads already.

Thoughts?

  I thought that it was the way they did it in the old days. :-/ 

Handsome_Chris

I believe he has also used a modded tape echo to drive his Modded Marshall Majors.

ICBM

Lixarto said:

I've read a couple of articles over the last few days which mention Mr Blackmore's way of using his (very loud) amps.

Apparently he used to turn them up full and control the overall level from his guitar.

I really want to try this, but my neighbours are shaking their heads already.

Thoughts?

It works really well. You need some other stuff though -

A bassist with at least twice as much amp power.

A Hammond organ player with a wall of Leslie cabs.

A monstrously loud but apparently effortless drummer.

A singer who can hit 100dB unamplified, and then amplify him.

And a giant sports hall or stadium.

The guitar will then sit perfectly in the mix.

Try a ZVex Nano. Through a nice big cabinet you get that sort of sound but at semi-domestic levels.

Phil_aka_Pip

I've got  a DP live EllPee somewhere on which IG asks "Can I have some more in the monitors if you've got it?" and then is heard to say "We want everything louder than everything else" ... !

Handsome_Chris

I think that there may have been a bit of bunkum talked about Ritchie Blackmore's guitar sound on here. One thing that I feel is overlooked is that Jon Lord was in part responsible for giving RB's sound the ability to fit in. Enough of my yakking,  I'll hand this over to the people who know a bit more about it.

Leslies indeed. pfft.

Phil_aka_Pip

May I suggest that RB wasn't the first to leave the taps wide open on the amp and control everything from the guitar. EC did it before him; on the other side of the pond I guess JH was doing similar. And they may well not have been the first. Freddie King was the inspiration for EC.

IMO RB sound like RB irrespective of what gear he's using. On the early DP EllPees he played a 335. Then he got into Strats. Now he's using other guitars but he still sounds like himself. And don't I just love it ...

Grumpyrocker

Absolutely love Jon Lord's organ playing on Deep Purple stuff. Probably is my favourite thing about the band's 70s stuff. 

RIP JL

jaygtr

Lixarto;7047" said:

I may pluck up the courage to try it with my 10w Marshall.




When my wife is out

Wives strangely seem to have much more sensitive hearing than neighbours.


:-?

ICBM

Sure, he used the Hammond into Marshalls - he used Leslies too though, often blended together. I saw them in the MkII reunion era, he had a wall of them with the grille cloths taken off and the rotors all sync'ed. Stunning sound.

Leslies clearly audible and rotor visible on one of them speeding up and down right behind him.

impmann

If you actually listen carefully to classic DP (such as Machine Head) the 'distortion' isn't really on the guitar at all. Most of Blackmore's tone is quite low gained - indeed on Lazy the guitar tone is pretty clean for most of it. The grit comes from John Lord's use of Marshall amps with a Hammond... and having one of the best rhythm sections of all time. And then top that with Gillan and, well... it just sounds incredible!

impmann

Oh and when I saw them with (say it quietly) Joe Lynn Turner, before the show started John Lord was sat cross legged on the stage with a soldering iron fixing his own Hammond before the gig... and still took the time to shake my hand and say hello. A true gentleman.