“I bought one of Eric Clapton’s old Strats for £60. That was my initiation into playing a Strat”: How Ritchie Blackmore ended up buying his first-ever Fender Stratocaster from Eric Clapton

Ritchie Blackmore is up there as one of the most iconic Fender Stratocaster players – and it turns out his affinity for the Strat first began way back when he purchased a particularly notable example from a fellow electric guitar hero.

As Blackmore explains in the new issue of Guitar World, he once bought an unwanted Strat from Eric Clapton – for a rather tidy price, we should add – and it just so happened to be the first Stratocaster he’d ever owned.

“I was in Deep Purple in 1969 and I was living in Acton, London,” recalls the Deep Purple icon. “We were all in the same house, the whole band, and Eric Clapton’s roadie came by the house because he knew one of my roadies, and he brought a Strat with him. 

“I think it was black. So I said to him, 'Do you want to sell that guitar? It looks interesting, and I wanted to try out a Strat.' He said, 'I’ll sell it to you for £60.' I said, 'Okay, you’re on.' So, for £60, I bought one of Eric Clapton’s old Strats that he obviously didn’t want because he gave it to the roadie.”

In hindsight, that’s a pretty darn good deal, considering one of Clapton’s other Strats – the revered ‘Blackie’ model – sold for $959,000 at auction in 2004.

As Blackmore goes on to confirm in his Guitar World interview, that exchange was his “initiation into playing a Strat”. Before then, he had been playing a Gibson ES-335. 

Emmaretta (1998 Remaster) - YouTube

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Might Blackmore’s current collection of guitars look different had Slowhand’s roadie not swung by that day, or would the Deep Purple maestro have found his way to the Strat some other way? It’s impossible to say, but the exchange clearly had a profound effect on Blackmore’s approach to gear.

Clapton’s old guitar was used on the track Emmaretta, which featured on 1969’s Deep Purple, but because of its bowed neck, Blackmore would soon upgrade his Strat stock by purchasing two new models from a store in London. 

Strats would continue to play a key role in ensuing Deep Purple records and, of course, Blackmore’s own style. Indeed, Strats were used on some of the band’s most iconic cuts, including Smoke on the Water, and Blackmore would later work with Fender to produce a signature model.

Pick up the latest issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct to read the full feature on the Stratocaster’s 70th Anniversary, which includes interviews with Yngwie Malmsteen, Buddy Guy, Alex Lifeson, Rebecca Lovell and more.