Re: pickup for Blackmore tone
I play in a Deep Purple cover group and I use 2 guitars - both use SSL-3s at bridge positions - a) on one guitar I keep my original Fenders at middle and neck as that was a major part of his sound (I know, he hated his middle pup and removed it from later models, but still...) - and b) on my other guitar I use Di-Marzio HS3 for middle and neck as they do more rock than glass... I use that guitar fior later songs - from the 80's onwards - yet at that time his sound came from straight Fender pick-ups and VERY LOUD Marshall Majors (any plexi will also get that sound) - he had it as early as 1971 in 'live in Scandinavia' and 1972 'made in Japan' was the same concert yet he just nailed so beautifully by that time - 1974/77 he was still using that winning team, although he then dabbled with over-wound quarter pounders. With the 80's he turned to pre-amps, an early JCM 800 and never used Fender pups again..
I love natural saturated distortion from a plexi - my Peavey 5150 does this too but it is even more of a brown sound - (like an Engl - not too glassy). Blackers was as clear as glass and 'quacked' a lot and also loved the clean side of pickups as much as the brown - go for the SSL-3 as it is a killer and get a Marshall - turn the gain down and turn the amp up full!!!!!!!!!ot
f course theres the modded Major,booster,tape delay ect.But if you had one pickup to get ya close,what would it be?Right now I have a set of Texas Hots,which im growing to like more and more,but they dont quite do it.Thanks for any input!Jason