Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

T

The Don

New member
I'm not much of a Strat person anymore having ventured into heavier music but a few guitarists keep me coming back to my old strat... more famous players like Hendrix and Gilmour obviously, but more importantly Ritchie Blackmore and Uli John Roth. Having the Scorpions "Tokyo Tapes", I was blown away by Roth's tone and playing. It didn't seem like a typical Strat - less shrill and more open. Is anyone familiar with Uli's tone and his playing?

I've got a nice new neck going on my Strat and I'm putting single coil pickups back in it... I already have a silver Lace Sensor for the middle but I'm looking for the appropriate bridge/neck pickups. I want something hum-cancelling that could capture a sound close to Roth/Blackmore/Gilmour. Now I know they all used stock Strats in the 70's but there's so many options out now it's ridiculous.

Suggestions?
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

Uli Jon Roth has Big & Powerful hands like Jimi & SRV had. In His Scorpion
days He used pretty much a stock Strat To the best of my knowledge.
The only mod i know of was the oversized trem bar custom made for
him by Frances Buschold (Spelling?) the scorps bassist, And Very heavy
guage strings. He used Marshalls that i imagine where stock. There's
not alot written about his gear but he used some kind of rotovibe phaseing
device.I don't know what he used to get that great ambianet tone, But
Blackmore was known to use a reel to reel recorder somewhere in his signal
path for delay. Hope that helped?
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

I got a GREAT Blackmore type of tone using Bare Knuckle Irish Tour pickups ... they are voiced to sound a bit like Rory Gallagher; if you know that tone, then you know what I'm talking about. That buttery smoothness of the neck pickup, but the high end bite and focus is still in tact. Tasty tone. :)
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

I think Roth & Blackmore still sound like Roth & Blackmore even with humbuckers.

As far as the stock pickups they used, i would suggest the SSL-1. If not Duncan, maybe the Fender Woodstock '69 would come close to the stock pickups?

The Scorpions were the reason why i started to play guitar, when i was around 16!
I was very influenced by 80's and early 90's Scorpions, but also listened to the 70s Scorpions with Roth.
When i listen now to the old stuff with Roth, i hear the style (and sound) which even did influence Yngwie Malmsteen!

In my opinion Uli Jon Roth is the guitar player, which is between Hendrix and Malmsteen.
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

I have seen a couple of sites talking about his gear. He used stock strats into a korg space echo into Marshall 100 Super Leads.

Snowdog
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

I think the secret to that sound is vintage Marshalls pumped up with a LOT of gain from a pedal or two. And also a Fender strat with A5 vintage pickups.

My favorite guitarist of that style isn't even American or British, he's Argentinian!
Walter Giardino of Rata Blanca (think Latin Deep Purple). He's got the best strat/Marshall tone I've ever heard, and can hang with players like Yngwie and Blackmore.
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

Gearjoneser said:
I think the secret to that sound is vintage Marshalls pumped up with a LOT of gain from a pedal or two. And also a Fender strat with A5 vintage pickups.
Click to expand...

Blackmore actually used an old tape recorder for a pickup booster! That, a stock Strat (SSL-1 or Antiquity Surfers would get that tone...or better!) and 200 watt Marshalls. Lew
 
Re: Uli John Roth/Ritchie Blackmore tone?

I've never been able to cop those tones very well with the strats I had in the past...When I got my Malmsteen ..BAM...there it was...Blackmore/Roth AND malmsteen. At the time I also had a brand new American Standard Strat in a shootut type of thing and the MI standard had nowhere near the tone/sound.

They (richie/uli) both have a "middy" strat sound..it's more full... still sounds like a strat but it's not as chimey/twangy though...it's more blanced and less scooped...I don't know what Duncans can get ya there, but the HS-3 & YJMs were absolutely perfect.
 
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