This month let's explore Stratocaster wirings that will bring your axe more into the Ritchie Blackmore ballpark. These easy mods are worth trying if you want to get closer to his Strat wiring.
I'm not going to write an essay about all the gear Blackmore has used during his long and outstanding career. The details about his Strats, pickups, amps, and boosters—and let's not forget that magical Aiwa reel-to-reel tape deck—would fill a book. I'll just show you some basic mods to let you explore his pickup configuration. They work with any Stratocaster, no matter the pickups.
For details about the guitars, pickups, amps, and pedals Ritchie has used over the years, I recommend this photo-rich article by Bernd C. Meiser.
There are similarities between all the wirings Ritchie has used over the years. Here are some typical traits:
• He only plays the bridge or neck pickup, but never the two together.
• He never uses the middle pickup, which was lowered so that the pickup cover was flush with the pickguard.
• On some guitars he replaced the unused middle pickup with a dummy coil designed to reduce hum from the single-coil neck and bridge pickups. (I'll explore dummy coils in a future column.)
• His tone pots were rewired for independent control of the bridge and neck pickups.
Otherwise, Blackmore's Strats mostly remained stock, so the basic mod is easy. Fig. 1 shows a simplified version of the circuit.
Here's how to wire it up:
- Remove all the wires from the 5-way switch and replace it with a Telecaster-style 3-way switch.
- Remove the middle pickup and install an empty pickup shell to conceal the hole, or leave the pickup where it is, screw it down as low as possible, and cover the bare ends of its wires with electrical tape or heat-shrink tubing.
- Reconnect the wires of the bridge and neck pickups to the new 3-way switch, and solder a jumper wire from the bridge pickup lug to the lug previously used by the middle pickup. (This prevents a dead zone if you accidentally switch to the middle position.)
- Run a jumper from the output of the switch's first stage to the input of its second stage, and from there to the volume pot input.
- Reconnect the tone controls wires. The bottom pot connects to the next lug on stage #2 below the input lug, so it now operates with the bridge pickup. The next lug remains unconnected. The upper tone control connects to the last lug on this stage, where it controls the neck pickup.
That's it! The remaining wiring stays factory stock.
Drilling deeper.
If you want to get a lot closer to Ritchie's classic sound, you need his famous MTC ("master tone circuit") or a replica. John "Dawk" Stillwell, Blackmore's longtime tech, invented this device. He's still in business. (Visit dawksound.com to learn more about him.)
Much has been written about the MTC. Keep in mind that Dawk created it to meet Blackmore's specific needs, so it's designed to suit his equipment. With different amps and stompboxes, the results vary.
The MTC is a so-called LCR network, consisting of an inductor, a cap, and a resistor. But it's a bit more than a basic a LCR network, which is why it isn't a copy of the Bill Lawrence Q-Filter. It combines an LCR network and a treble-bleed network to maintain treble when the volume knob is rolled back. Dawk still sells his MTC, so out of respect for his work I won't dissect the circuit any further. Whether to buy an MTC or get a faithful replica is your decision.
If you decide you need one of these puppies, installation is easy. The new 3-way wiring stays untouched. Simply remove the tone cap from the circuit and keep the wire connecting the tone pots as it is. Next, connect the MTC's four wires as shown in Fig. 2. The two green wires from the treble-bleed network are connected to the volume pot's input and output. (It doesn't matter which green wire goes where.) The black and red wires are for the tone control. The black connects to ground and the red connects to the tone pots.
Okay, we're done! I hope you have fun with this project. I'll have another for you next time, so until then ... keep on modding!
[Updated 9/24/21]
- Mod Garage: The Infamous Telecaster Neck Pickup - Premier Guitar ›
- Guitar Shop 101: The Great Guitar Cleanup - Premier Guitar ›
- 10 Easy Strat Mods to Improve Primary Tone - Premier Guitar ›
- Guitar Shop 101: “Decking” a Stratocaster Trem - Premier Guitar ›
- 3 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Strat - Premier Guitar ›
- Mod Garage: The Bill Lawrence 5-way Telecaster Circuit - Premier Guitar ›
- Mod Garage: The Bill Lawrence 5-way Telecaster Circuit - Premier Guitar ›
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.