Fender Blackmore Strat/GK-3. Review by Garry Chambers.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ธ.ค. 2024
- Some have been asking about the Guitars I use on the channel.
So starting with the Blackmore strat I will review them.
The Intro video has a little GR-20 in the mix and the last video has a distorted bass GR-20 sound.
I hope you find it helpful.
![ค้าง (STILL) - GEMINI [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ftxx3hk5vkU/mqdefault.jpg)
Lovely to see this ! I bought decades ago but mine was Made in Japan ! Lovely playing Garry !
Gaz, you can get a noise reduction system by ulbrick or dummy coil reverse the phase like Thomas blug does . By cancelling the hum of single coil . Making nice solid sound and sustain without hum
Masterful slide playing!
Thanks.
Subscribed!
Great review, easily the best one I´ve seen. I just recently got to know about this signature guitar and got real interested as I´d like one with a scalloped neck, and this seems nicer than Yngwie´s strat. Great playing BTW as I´ve checked out a few of your vids and man, you rock!
+Nat Jes
Well thank you very much Nat Jes, its great you found it of some benefit.
Gaz.
Whitch pick ups do You used?
Nice guitar, I scalloped the fretboard of a cheap guitar, and it came out very good, but is a little deep, and I wonder if the Blackmore progressive scallop is shallow, because I got so used to the deep one, I'm afraid of buying the guitar and don't liking it. There are no Fender dealers in my country, so, I have to order the guitar by mail, no way to test the guitar. I had to correct the scallop I made, because playing the Highway Star solo, I was uncomfortable bending at the 8th fret, the scallop wasn't deep enough. Can you give me an opinion about the fretboard on these?
See, DIY Saddle Lock tutorial. For a solution to unwanted saddle movement.
I never miss this masterpiece no matter who play..g8 ..thanks for sharing
+Lalmuanpuia Pachuau
Glad you enjoyed it.
Gary please try GHS burnished nickel rockers, i play D'addario for years trust me when I say the ghs BR's are the best longest lasting best sounding string out there I have never broke one since I started using them also, try the new Vega Trem it is amazing and will make Floyd Rose obsolete it also feels even better than the standard Fender trem but stays in perfect tune...keep up the Great work sir I am humbled.
The only thing that guitar will be good for without modifying the pick guard to allow the GK-3 to sit lower under the strings, is slide. You would have to have extremely high action to fit the GK-3 under the strings but on top of the pick guard.
Well done, Garry. Very interesting video, as always.
Really good trick, the aluminium sheet under the saddles, for avoid that the high E saddle slipping out from its original position and cause problems.
Just a question: this aluminium sheet have a sort of side-flanges to permit that all the saddles working/staying in place all together, or is a simply flat aluminium sheet that offer a better grip compared to "steel on steel" grip?
TheSonOfAlerik
Thanks TSOA.
I just found one of those aluminium saddle locks. So I'll do a video on how to make one in the next couple of days.
That outro was amazing
Chris Jimenez
Thanks Chris I'm glad you liked it.
Cool review. Do you also have a mim classic 70s strat as well in your collection? I never had one but played on quite a few of them and they were pretty different from the Blackmore. Which is weird because they should be the same and both are manufactured in Mexico.
DogwithtwoBones
Thanks DWTB.
The natural and sunburst strats are classic 70s mim. The black one is body blacktop mim and neck pawn shop mim.
The neck profiles are all U shape. However the pawn shop neck is 9.5" radius.
No doubt you have noticed that the Blackmore strat feels skinnier as you play play it compared to the mim.
There appears to be a good reason for this. The thickness of the rosewood on the Blackmore strat is quite thin in comparison to the mim strat. The distance from under the fret (not the tang) to the start of the maple on the mim sunburst is .145" from 1st fret to the 12th fret. The Blackmore goes from .115" at the 1st fret to .080" at the 12th. It is skinnier across the fretboard as well. Being around .040" skinnier all the way up the neck compared to the sunburst mim.
The side position markers are inserted into the maple on the Blackmore as opposed to 40% in maple and 60% in rosewood on the sunburst mim. This is something to keep in mind if someone wants to replicate or copy the blackmore neck profile with it's reduced thickness rosewood finger board.
Sorry for the woffle, hope it helps Gaz.
Garry Chambers It actually makes a lot of sense. I just recently profiled the Blackmore neck deeper in addition to the factory scallop and I had to stop before reaching the maple but I wanted to go even deeper to match my DIY extra deep scallop on my sunburst- thats all maple. It's shame though I really like the Blackmore neck but the depth is not enough. I didn't like the classic seventies I tried because of the wider fretboard. Thanks for confirming it, I never had the chance to measure the classic mex so I couldn't compare in such details!
I'm in love with Newtones!
In the past I've also test this guitar and I don't buy it for the high E that escape away from the neck exactly as you say; unfortunely I didn't know your aluminium trick and it would be fine if you explain better (or write here).
The pickup are fine but not for Fender clean sound because they have an high output; I have only one of it on my '74 strat.
Anyway good video and long live rock'n'roll!
Vigilius60
Thanks Vigilius.
The other thing about this guitar is that the neck is slightly skinnier that standard MIM 70s strats and the rosewood is thinner as well.
I'll see if I can explain it when I do the saddle lock video.
Garry Chambers Thanks!
+Tales Bernardi
Thanks Tales, I'm glad you like the channel. The video is already up its called DIY saddle Lock.
hello again Gary, please need your advice, i am willing to buy a quarter pound to fit in the bridge position, my question is, what you recommend, the SSL-4 or the SSL-7, i personally i like the shape of the staggered SSL-7 as well as being with more output.? please need your advice. thanks again.
+mywave inwoods
Hi, I like the flat ssl-4 as my pick sometimes gets stuck on the staggered style ones. However you are putting it in the bridge position so your pick will probably not go back that far as you play so the ssl-7 seems ok to me. Which ever way you go you will have tons of output.
thanks alot Gary, rock on, please upload more videos about ritchie blackmore, if possible some scales lessons, thanks again
+mywave inwoods
I'll see what I can do. Lightening killed my last pc a month ago, we have built another one, just waiting on a new audio interface as it took that out as well.
gooog luck gary, thanks alot for your replies, rock on
Doesn't sound like Ritchie. His sound is much cleaner. I don't understand how people don't see it. His sound is unique and the most powerful in an industry, even Don Airey said he never heard such an amazing sound
Quick question: Is the "dummy" pickup just for aesthetics (ie completely out of the circuit) or is it a proper dummy coil designed to reduce the dreaded 60 cycle hum? Apparently Dawk wired them in on some of Blackmore's guitars, on others he didn't. Thanks.
Hi. I have never had the pickguard off to take a look. Sounds like you know more about it than I do.
Ritchie had his deactivated I believe. He just uses the bridge & neck.
Hi Garry, I was wondering of the installation fo the GK3 is easy on a strat ? thank you :)
If you have the instructions from Roland you should have no trouble at all.
The strat is one of the easiest to install the GK3 system on.
Just take your time, read the instructions and you should be right.
There are some videos on youtube you may like to check out as well.
thank you ! yes indeed i think it is easy , thank you :))
Can i use any programs like Kontakt, Sample tank with the GK-3 or i need a specific controller to work with?????
Hi. I have no experience with those programs. You may have to do some research.
You may also consider checking out Fishman Triple Play system as use by Jennifer Batten as she has used both systems.
Thanks Garry! have a great day, keep up your good work
💜💜💜
What song is in the intro ???
Difficult to Cure.
Garry Chambers thanks m8 amazing playing bytheway
Thanks Nick Nine.
i have 3 scalloped neck strats and i find that the scalloping makes the fret size a moot point. i have a big headstock 1976 maple neck ash strat (ala cal jam) that has vintage frets i hated. once i had the neck graduated scalloped (by shred city luthiers) i no longer even noticed the frets. So i really believe fret size is pretty meaningless with the scallop.
thx for the vids!... Also, if you are interested, i had the pickups in my white made in japan 1994 blackmore strat pickups changed to lace sensor gold, then to dimarzio injectors... the dimarzio injjectors, by far, kill the other 2 i had in there...not in
output, in tone and responsiveness - they are very reasonably priced and just sound great with any amp i use. highly
recc....so much my other 2 strats got them as well. They clean up great with the gtr volume.
And if you are interested pt II, the blackmore tone circuit is called the "MTC tone circuit" ...its googlable, a couple guys out there make them as drop in mods.
+livingabovethe12th
Great to hear your Strat experiences. Thanks for the pick up info, I'll look into it.
Any chance of some video demo's of your Strat's.
Gaz.
+Garry Chambers Hey G - just had a poke around your whole channel - what fun and interesting vids! ..I just subbed. I don't have the means to edit videos right now and as a touring audio engineer, time is hard to find as well. I emailed you a pic of my 4 scalloped neck strats all with the blackmore style graduated scallop. So if you would just like a peek as them, there is a pic in your email. Thx for the vids!
+livingabovethe12th
Thanks for the sub. I just noticed your comment. As I said in my email, your collection looks similar to mine.
Sounds like an interesting job you have there. Maybe take over a guitar at sound check.
+Garry Chambers well i am a touring engineer so my "kids" all stay at home when i am gigging. when i am off the road is when i have my visitation rights!
+Garry Chambers also, i am pretty far along as a player but i have been picking up some stuff from your vids,,, i really enjoy your playing and you really are a fantastic guitarist. it really fun when i run into something i can really learn from. so, thx u!
he"s Australian nuff said!!!!!
9:38-9:43
I think is a very expensive guitar for one made in mexico, there are other better guitar for the same price....
Dani Garcia and what's the problem with mexican guitars.