Hot or Not? Fender Custom Shop Ritchie Blackmore Signature Stratocaster

Scott Powell

Blackmore Wannabe
I have one of the 1997 CIJ models,and I'm going to grab one of these when they become available,. I think it's HAWT

http://www.sonicstate.com/amped/201...-signature-stratocaster-for-2013-limited-run/

[h=3]It's the Deep Purple riff machine straight from the Fender Custom Shop 18-Jan-13[/h]

We bring good news for Deep Purple fans... Ritchie Blackmore's customised Fender Stratocaster has been remade by the Custom Shop, and has been released in time for NAMM for a limited run in 2013. It will be available for one year only, and for once, you will be allowed to play the riff from 'Smoke on the Water' when you test this guitar out in the guitar store.
Here's what Fender have to say about it...
"The Fender Custom Shop is extremely proud to pay tribute to the "anvil" used to forge one of the greatest guitar riffs in rock history, the one from Deep Purple classic 'Smoke on the Water,' by crafting the limited edition Fender Custom Shop Ritchie Blackmore Tribute Stratocaster.
"Limited to 2013 production, the guitar is a meticulously crafted replica of the black Fender Stratocaster Blackmore played with Deep Purple in the early '70s, including the recording of seminal album Machine Head and the band's greatest hit single."
'Smoke on the Water' was released by Deep Purple as a single in May 1973. A major hit, it reached number four on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States and propelled Machine Head into the top 10 worldwide.
The song has appeared on countless "greatest" lists over the past 40 years, including Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time," VH1's "40 Greatest Metal Songs" and Q magazine's "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks."
Deep Purple broke out of Hertford, England, in the late '60s and, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Ritchie Blackmore and co have long been considered a pioneering heavy metal and modern hard rock band.
Once listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's loudest, the band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. More recently, Deep Purple was nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2013.
The Fender Custom Shop Ritchie Blackmore Tribute Stratocaster has a two-piece alder body with a lightly worn Black urethane finish, a '69 "U"-shaped maple neck, 7.25"-radius maple fingerboard with medium jumbo frets, and custom '69 Stratocaster pickups hand-wound by Fender legend Abigail Ybarra.
Other distinctive features include three-way pickup switching, Schaller tuners, Micarta nut, four-bolt neck plate stamped with the serial number and the stylized Fender "F," and a vintage-style synchronized tremolo equipped with Blackmore's distinctive custom ¼" arm.
Each instrument also includes an exclusive rear-headstock tribute decal, certificate of authenticity and orange-line black textured vinyl case with a "Fender Amp" logo.

 

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yeah i'm a fanboi,but dammit its a copy of THIS black strat. I need help , I know
 
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If it was the set-neck 2-pickup model, I'd give it a "hot". This? It's very plain. The only distinctive thing about it (IMO) is the name. This one
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I love a good strat. That one doesn't particularly hot, but I still wouldn't mind giving one a shot just to see what's so special about it.
 
Well, I'm a fanboi obviously, but not a fan of the vintage radius on this one.

Sent from my evil banking lair
 
I got to pricing it today and it's EIGHT THOUSAND dollars.................absurd dosent even cut it,that is fucking INSANE.
I bought my 1997 CIG signature strat for $800 in 2003,and i'll just stick with it
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I reckon the best signature guitars offer specific appointments you can't get elsewhere - this new Blackmore model is going to live or die by the individuality and quality of the CS pickups - I don't see any of its other features as being unique enough... maybe the neck profile too...

My #1 is the SRV sig - which stands out in lots of ways - 12" radius slab board, LH trem, Texas Special pups, wide neck and the horrible 'SRV' pickguard :wink:

Similarly, the Clapton sig has its mid-boost, Jeff Beck's has the absurdly chunky neck, YJM's is scalloped....

Not sure if the Blackmore sig offers enough to make it stand out over any other top-quality Strat...
 
I can't live with that awful headstock. (no, they're not all beautiful. some, like this one are atrocious) Just awful, 8k is laughable.
 
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