How to Get the Blackmore Tone

[tranceracer]

Here's a challenge for the tone gods and demi-gods here.
Does anyone have any suggestions what effects Richie may be using to get this growling throaty tone? (besides the obvious Fender Strat and Marshall stack cranked to 11)    (;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbOKhP2us4E
and the sound on his solo: 1:50 - 2:40

Kill the King intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3ZfrCPKEqM
and the sound on his solo: 1:40 - 3:07

Or what effects from our diy arsenal that can be used to get close?

Thanks!!!

[Marlowe]

One thing Richie does is to preamp his Marshalls with a reel to reel tape machine (seen about 4:10-16 on this video right above Richie's headstock- he sits it on a cabinet):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpgu9wKJVbc

He originally used a Revox, then moved to a Teac I think. I use a homemade EP-3 preamp, but it really doesn't slam the inputs, just provides a nice "nudge".  I believe he still uses it with Blackmore's Night as well.

Hope this helps!

[GFR]

And on Deep Purple records it was Vox, not Marshall. And I've read somewhere that he had the Marshalls he used live wired to sound like a Vox.

I think the tape deck pre (at least at some point) was an AIWA. Search for "From AIWA TP-1011 mic preamp to a standalone pedal" for a stompbox version of it.

[Marlowe]

Yep, you're correct on that Aiwa, GFR. I couldn't remember the brand exactly. You can see it much better in that video at 6:45. He also used a treble booster and his Majors had an extra tube in them.

[tranceracer]

Yea, If someone came up w/ the schemos for a Blackmore in a Box w/ tape delay emulator pedal I'd build that in a second!   ((:

Marlowe, I've seen that vid and love it, but never really noticed the reel tape machine.  Always great to watch it again!

[Mark Hammer]

Around the 1969-71 period, I used a tube tape machine (maybe a Wollensak, maybe a Grundig, it's been a while) as my booster into an amplifier.  Great tone.  I can't compare them directly, and never did, but Blackmore's type of tone (and Clapton's "Sunshine of Your Love" tone) was certainly one I was aiming for at the time.

The trick was that the mic preamp in the tape deck was expecting a much lower amplitude nput signal than the guitar pickups provided (In my case it was a cheap Kent Videocaster).  And of course, the amplifier was expecting a much lower amplitude signal than the line out on the tape deck provided.  So there were essentially two stages of overdrive.

Footage/photos I had been directed to in past confirm that Blackmore indeed used a solid-state Aiwa open-reel machine.  Several years ago someone contacted me offline about whipping up a booster using the Aiwa circuit (the service manual still required a certain degree of knowledge about tape machines to identify what was and wasn't part of the essential circuitry).  I don't know what happened to his project/idea after that.  I also still don't know whether Blackmore fed a guitar signal to a mic input, as I did, or fed the guitar to a line in jack, and essentially used the tape preamp as a sort of buffer and level shifter.

[Marlowe]

I can't recall on what forum I got this, but it was my understanding that he used the mic input. What was never clear to me was whether he was using the tape machine to BUFFER his guitar or using it to PREAMP and slam the inputs of the Majors. I use a homemade JFET buffer and EP-3 preamp and thought all that stuff was bunk until I tried it. Honestly, I couldn't play without the EP-3! It's in between my pedalboard and JCM800 preamp and makes a world of difference in how the amp responds and sounds!

Point is, if he's into the AIWA, I can understand why. However, I have to say it looks  a bit odd sitting on that cabinet. But the results from 1:26 on in that video speak for themselves!

And props to RJD! The icing on the cake!!!

Regards!

[pinkjimiphoton]

according to the guitar player mag interviews with RB in the 70's, he used the reel to reel (an aiwa) as a boost... he plugs into it, and cranks it full and puts that into the front of his marshalls.

it's funny... second thread tonite i see someone swear by the "ep3 booster"...

i have two ep3's, and they don't boost anything at all. unity gain buffer. that's it.

somebody's making a lot of cake off of hyped up mojo based on baloney.

[davent]

Madbean has the Fat Pants which is based on the input stage of the echoplex, suppose to be a great frontend boost.

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/FatPants/docs/FatPants.pdf

[tranceracer]

From what I can tell there's analog delay (probably the reel to reel) and compressed overdrive some kind of chorus/flange w/ distorted power tubes... + a lot of mo-jo!  (;