Blackmore rocking a Superstrat in 1974?!

[Sirion]

So, I happened to come across this interesting photo on a FB group today:



It looks like Blackers is using a humbucker in the bridge position here. But what is it actually? It doesn't look like quite a regular-sized humbucker, but what little can be seen of the shape suggests that it was produced by somebody rather than being a homebrew. Any ideas?

[LoveMyIbanez]

Looks like a Firebird pickup.

[Mincer]

He used humbuckers up until the 4th Deep Purple album, and he had a better sound for it, too. His guitars didn't last long, so my guess is that it was a quick experiment that he smashed about 10 minutes after the photo was taken.

[beaubrummels]

Looks like a Gibson mini humbucker with the cover off. If so, it would be two Melody Maker singles oriented to make a humbucker. It can't be a Firebird pickup because you can't take the cover off Firebird pickups without destroying them, and there are no slugs or filisters in a Firebird pickup.

David Gilmour also had a humbucker in his black strat about that time as well.

[ICTGoober]

Looks more like 2 lipstick pickups to me. Anyone notice the plate or block behind the whammy?

[vinta9e]

That's an interesting subject. My take on it is, the first instances of "strats with humbuckers" were popping up from time to time in the 70s but "superstrats" as a template, a coherent idea in sound and style, as a way of life emerged between Eddie Van Halen's, Wayne Charvel's and Grover Jackson's work. Mr. Floyd Rose deserves a mention right here as well.

C/J paved the way to build them, EVH paved the way to play them and the rest is history.

[Securb]

I think Wayne Kramer was the first SuperStrat in the late 60's

[PFDarkside]

The trem looks interesting too. Are you sure it’s 1974?

Also check out the batwing part of the pickguard extending above the neck.

[Mincer]

Blackmore did experiment quite a bit with Strat modifications in the 70s (amp mods, too). But I think it was all in service of chasing the tone in his head.
His tone in 2020 isn't nearly as good. I am a huge Blackmore fan, btw, but I don't like the sound of his newer ENGL amps.

[idsnowdog]

Looks like a Gibson mini humbucker with the cover off.

Gibson Deluxe style mini's are also held together by the cover like Firebird pickups. A Deluxe style pickup has a hollow bobbin with one row of screws and then a blade for the other coil.

[Sirion]

The trem looks interesting too. Are you sure it’s 1974?

Also check out the batwing part of the pickguard extending above the neck.

As sure as I can be when finding something online. According to deep-purple.net it was taken on 15 May 1974. And yes, I have no idea what is going on with the trem either. It almost looks like they've attached it with plywood!

[Mincer]

He probably ripped the trem out. In 74 he was destroying a lot of guitars. The ones he destroyed were *usually* pieced together from parts and just had to hold together for one song at the end of the set.