Riff Tone

Black Night

Deep Purple

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (late 1960s, likely 1968-1969, maple neck, rosewood board, stock single coils)

AmpMarshall Major 200W head into 4x12 cabinet (likely Celestion Greenbacks)

PickupsFender single-coil (stock, late 60s Stratocaster)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

boostHornby-Skewes / Aiwa Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster (or Aiwa TP-1011 reel-to-reel preamp as boost)

Notes

Studio recording, 1970. Blackmore used a Fender Stratocaster with stock single coils into a Marshall Major 200W head, often boosted with a Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster or Aiwa TP-1011 reel-to-reel preamp for extra gain. No evidence of other pedals or effects for the riff section. Settings estimated based on era, amp, and genre. No evidence of reverb or delay on the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

British crunch with biting attacktight and percussive rhythmarticulate single-coil clarityslightly compressed, focused midrangeaggressive pick attackdynamic response to pickingclassic rock riffingraw, direct amp toneupper-midrange emphasisno audible reverb or delay

Difficulty

The riff is iconic but not technically advanced; the challenge lies in the shuffle groove, tight muting, and maintaining consistent attack and timing.

Sources

Catalinbread turns a shade of Deep Purple with a two-pedal box set for exploring Ritchie Blackmore's tone | MusicRadar Ritchie Blackmore | Equipboard Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple and his Rainbow revival | Guitar World Ritchie Blackmore Gear/rig | The Gear Page

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account