Fender Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster Electric Guitar Olympic White

Great if you've got longer fingers. Once I got this guitar set up properly, it was awesome! It did take some tweaking though. The neck was slightly out of alinement.

I play it on my days off and for an hour . It has great tone and sounds great playing.

I have to admit that the looks of this axe really caught my eye just seductively lounging on the rack, ( Not to mention the fact that it was the only strat in the entire store!) There was also another guitar I tried and possibly may have bought but as soon as I tried out this strat, I never looked back. Right away the neck felt like it was the perfect size, not too bulky, or too thin, just right. If there ever was a one-size fits all neck this would be a close contender. The scalloped frets took just a few seconds to adjust to but it is really great for doing fast daredevil licks and riffing with ease. The frets were well constructed with even lengths and no sharp ends. I plugged it into a Blackstar HT-5r head & cab (which I also later bought, a match made in heaven) and the tone was IMMACULATELY MASSIVE. (Thank you seymour duncan!) The tone shines playing chimey cleans strats are known for, while retaining heavy overdrive/crunch, or anywhere in between. All the pickups sing without being harsh or overly bright. It stays pretty well in tune just fine despite what any troll tells you even without a Floyd Rose Tremelo bar. A versatile one, this! The only thing that bothered me is that the top and bottom strings were set a little too close to the end of the neck and would sometimes veer off if you did rapid pull-offs, but with the right set-up that can be fixed. Other than that, I was sold. So just for the sound, neck ,and value alone, all-around 5/5. Party on! - Wabba

I have been playing about 35 years, from the age of 15. Blackmore has always been an idol form me, and a chance to town a bit of the Blackmore vibe was irresistable. I am not sure about the person who said the guitar was "horrible," except that coming right out of the box, the factory setup was terrible. But what guitar comes out of the box in perfect playing condition. Word of warning, the guitar will need setup. Also, everything I have read has said the nut is set too high, and that was the case with mind. I took the guitar to my guitar tech and had the nut filed down and the intonation and neck set. After that, WOW! The pickups are powerful and remind me of P90s. There are two. The middle pickup is a dummy pickup, as Blackmore only uses the neck and bridge positions. Expect some of the normal single coil "buzz" when distorting your signal. The real surprise is the middle position with the bridge and neck pickup. It is noice cancelling, and very smooth. In fact, this guitar sounds wonderful clean, and tends to sound best through natural distortions. The neck is why I bought the guitar, as the partial scallop allows you to move fast and furiously on the upper strings, while the lower E A D strings for the most part are unscalloped, which keeps barre chords better in tune. The tremolo is a standard type. As I don't use tremelo at all, I had the bridge set flat. The guitar comes with straplocks, and Fender does not send along the hardware to allow you to attach a strap. I whined and complained to the dealer, who let me have a set for free. The overall workmanship is really good. When I took it in for the setup, I was told that the fretwork was extremely well done, and it was well constructed. The frets are a little rough, but as far as height and level, they need no adjusting. Overall, I am extremely please. Again, remember you will have to have the guitar set up. Whatever "factory set up" is, it is pretty bad. And remember, the guitar was made in Mexico, shipped to California, and then sent to you, eigher delivered to your door or bought at a store, so it will need work, usually a 35 to 40 dollar investment. Once the guitar is setup, however, it plays extrememly well.

The specs are listed above. I have to admit I never thought I would be impressed with a Mexican Strat,boy was I wrong,this is the best Strat I (American included)own.The workmenship is great, fit n finish sharp.If you own just one Strat it should be olympic white. The scalloped fretboard is a pleasure to play (much more useful than the steep scalloped fretboard on the Malmsteen Strat)It sounds just like Ritchie's tone from his Rainbow years ,you gotta love those Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounders.The large head stock gives it great sustain and looks cool too!If you dig Ritchie's vibe you need this axe!!!!!Fender could very well call this "That 70's Strat"

This is a real nice MIM guitar. Finish and craftsmanship is excellent, and some of the best for MIM. Bear in mind this is a "signature guitar", made to Blackmore's habits. The fretboard is scalloped and there are only the bridge and neck pickups, as thats all he uses and the middle pickup is removed just like Ritchie's long time favorite guitar. Take a look before you buy and see if its what you want. Find one in the store, I think you will be pleased as I was. A lot of people gripe about new guitars without giving them time to settle in to "use" and "climate".