We’re closing out the month with two last-minute entries into our Road Ready Replica Series: The Blackmore and The Malmsteen! These Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen replica guitars are paired together because of the many similarities between Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen, even though these two men are separated by many hundreds of miles and a couple of decades. These similarities have not gone unnoticed.
Like all It’s Your Guitar instruments, these Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen replica guitars are hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind!
Similarities Between Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen
- Heavy metal guitar heroes
- Speed demons!
- Play Stratocasters with scalloped fretboards
- Heavily influenced by classical music
- Have played with philharmonic orchestras
- Routinely smash instruments
- Flashy showmen
- Prone to fits of drunken rage
- Struggles with weight issues
- Unsung in the guitar hero pantheon
Who Is Ritchie Blackmore?
Ritchie Blackmore is a founding member of Deep Purple. And a founding member of Rainbow. And a returning member of Deep Purple. Now he plays medieval madrigals. Yeah, he’s a bit of a strange bird, but you can’t deny his influence on the world of rock guitarists. Is there a more definitive rock riff than “Smoke On The Water?” Blackmore isn’t mentioned along with contemporaries Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page but he should be.
Blackmore was one of the first guitarists to incorporate the scales, modes, and phrasing of classical music into rock ’n’ roll. His solo on “Highway Star” paved the way for a legion of neo-classical fretboard shredders. But Blackmore was truly unique…and troubled. He doesn’t seem pleasant to work with, according to the many singers he has hired and fired over the years.
It’s Your Guitar: The Blackmore
Regardless, Blackmore’s playing style blew me away when I was a young man discovering the guitar. We choose this white Strat-style body with black pickups, echoing the guitar Ritchie often played in the 1980s with Rainbow and Deep Purple.
Of course, a Blackmore guitar wouldn’t be complete without a scalloped fretboard. By removing wood from between the frets, Blackmore was able to achieve wild bends, and exaggerated vibrato. It takes some getting used to, but once you go scalloped, you (may) never come back!
Note: This was our first attempt at scalloping, and we went a bit deep. Deep enough to knock out the fret markers for everything below the 15thfret. Sorry, we screwed up. Also, we had to add our own side fret markers. Don’t worry. It looks cool!
The Blackmore features a replica of Ritchie Blackmore’s signature on the headstock. The guitar is outfitted with Alnico V pickups — no cheap ceramic magnets here! These pickups sound great and deliver all the classic Fender tones, from chimey to soulful. Plus, these are similar to the type of pickups Ritchie Blackmore actually used, not the ones found in the over-priced Fender Artist Series!
IYG Blackmore SPECS:
- Body- Basswood
- Controls: Master Volume / Tone / Tone
- Neck- Maple with Rosewood Fingerboard. Hand shaped, sanded, and rubbed with tung oil finish.
- Fingerboard Radius- 12”
- Frets- 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
- Pickups- Classic triple single coils with and Alnico V magnets. Modern five-way selector switch.
- Tuners- Six-in-line
- Scale Length- 25.5””
- Width at Nut- 1.66” / 42mm
- Average Weight- 8- 8 1/2 lbs.
Who The F**k Is Yngwie Malmsteen?
Following in Ritchie Blackmore’s scalloped footsteps, Swedish metal god Yngwie Malmsteen was a major influence on me as a fledgling teenage guitarist. Yngwie played fast and flashy (like Blackmore) but with a technical virtuosity that was unheard of in the 1980s.
Also like Blackmore, Yngwie proved difficult to work with, was prone to drunken fights, and was obsessed with writing an elusive pop single. He was skinny, got fat, then got skinny again. He has jammed with orchestras (like Blackmore and Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord.)
It’s Your Guitar: The Malmsteen
IYG’s Malmsteen is a replica of Yngwie signature axe — a ‘72 yellow Stratocaster with a scalloped maple neck. Like Blackmore, this guitar also features period-appropriate Alnico V pickups. These pickups sound amazing and capture all of the vintage rich tones that made Strats of this era famous. A replica of Yngwie Malmsteen’s signature graces the headstock.
Plus, we’ve got the “Play Loud” sticker! Fender doesn’t have that! What good is a Malmsteen replica without the “Play Loud” sticker! No good!
Malmsteen SPECS:
- Body- Basswood with “Play Loud” sticker!
- Controls: Master Volume / Tone / Tone
- Neck- Maple with Maple Fingerboard. Hand shaped, sanded, and rubbed with tung oil finish.
- Fingerboard Radius- 12”
- Frets- 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
- Pickups- Classic triple single coils with and Alnico V magnets. Modern five-way selector switch.
- Tuners- Six-in-line
- Scale Length- 25.5””
- Width at Nut- 1.66” / 42mm
- Average Weight- 8- 8 1/2 lbs.
Why IYG Is Way Better Than Fender
Sure, you can go out and buy the official Fender Artist Editions of the Yngwie and the Blackmore, but they will cost 4x-5x the price of our Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen replica guitars. You don’t want to take something that costly out to a gig! Our instruments are built to be played!
Frankly, the Fender editions will play and sound better than ours…but they won’t sound 4x-5x better! Plus, ours are funkier–warts and all–than these mass-produced instruments. We built these by hand, with love! Like all of our instruments, they are signed, one-of-a-kind originals!
IYG presents The Blackmore and The Malmsteen! 
There are 5 springs beneath that trem plate! Malmsteen needed it to offset her set of medium gauge Elixir Strings. 
It’s weird looking beneath your fingertips when you play a scalloped neck! The Malmsteen…it’s your guitar! The Malmsteen is ready to rock! 
Look at her! She’s gorgeous! 
Play Loud…sound advice! 
A replica of Yngwie Malmsteen signature graces the headstock! 
A look inside The Malmsteen’s wired pickguard. The Alnico V’s sing! 
Roc gets a feel for the Malmsteen. 
Ritchie Blackmore’s signature on the headstock! Cool AF! 
A close look at the Blackmore’s deep scallop. The Blackmore summons Ritchie’s adventurous spirit! The Blackmore is a “reverse tuxedo” beauty, full of class and sass! 
The Blackmore gets cheeky! 
A few of the frets took a beating during the scalloping process. That’s why The Blackmore is priced a bit lower than the Malmsteen. 
The Backmore 
Rocco digs The Blackmore! 
Rocco and I signed the interior cavities of The Blackmore and The Malmsteen, as well as the Far Eastern luthier who crafted the bodies. Good job, East Asian stranger!
are the strats for sale?
yes! The links to ebay and reverb are on the left side of our home page!
thanks
R & R
there are no strats or teles for sale on ebay or reverb. will you be listing more on there?