Ritchie Blackmore

This information is from "The Guitar Man featuring RB's Guitars" published by Shinko Music in Japan. This book contains pictures of guitars equipped with the F500T. Introduced as a comment by John “Dawk” Stillwell, who has been in charge of Ritchie's equipment maintenance since around 1975. The F500T was installed in the 1974 Stratocaster, and seems to have been used from around 1979 (Rainbow "DOWN TO EARTH") to 1985 (Deep Purple "PERFECT STRANGERS"). Also, in the "Source", the F500T was introduced in the 1979 article.

"...In fact this Strat changed electrics a couple of times but followed Ritchie into the 3rd Millennium. In 1990 the axe gets a Roland GK-1 guitar synthesizer build in, the Velvet Hammer pickups stayed until 1995. The bridge and neck position were swapped for white Lace sensor “Gold”, which were recoated black. In 1999 the guitar got white Lace Sensors and white knobs. ..."

These pickups are found in Blackmore's signature model of Fender Stratocaster with one in the neck, a reverse-wound version in the bridge and a non-functioning dummy-pickup in the middle (as Blackmore would only use the neck or bridge positions and would disconnect the middle position).

Blackmore has been widely noted as one of the early users of the scalloped fretboard, eventually inspiring guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen to pick up the same idea, further popularizing it in the 1980's.

At the beginning of 1971 a new 71´s sunburst Strat showed up, sporting a four-bolt maple neck with skunk stripe, two-piece steel tremolo, stock pickups and electrics. Like on his old black Strat the tremolo was as well customized to his specification: a heavy custom-made tremolo arm made of steel was fitted and a bigger hole had to be drilled into the steel block to hold the fatter arm. The lacquer of the fretboard was peeled off right from the start. This is the reason why the fretboard looked darkened after only a short time, but the frets stayed untouched. It is possible that Ritchie already tried a rudimentary type of scalloping here. The legendary “Beat Club” session from September 1971 was recorded with this sunburst Strat. The new 71 Strat had a more airy and pearly attack, something that Ritchie really liked and fell in love with more and more. It was used in parallel to his old black one during 1971. In late 1972, this sunburst axe was rather damaged at its headstock. He played this sunburst Strat until early 1973 than smashed it. Blackmore himself said that he played scalloped fretboards since about 1971.