The Sound of Ritchie Blackmore can be Reproduced with a Single Effects Pedal [BSM]

“I'm a Ritchie Blackmore fanatic.”
I wonder how many tens of thousands of people there are in the country. I, like many, have been a fan for many years.

I have seen (or listened to the sound leaking out of) every Tokyo show when he came to Japan, own a vast collection of live recordings, and own several autographs. I decorated the walls with stage costumes used on stage and I played live with a maple fretboard and a white Rose Strat. Of course, I improvise according to the live recordings. Even if Ritchie makes a mistake, he never plays the same way as the album.

■ What is BSM pedal made in Germany?

⇒ BSM List

BSM effect pedals (hereafter referred to as “pedals”) are for such freaks. If I'm wrong, they are of no use at all to guitarists who are Michael Schenker fans. (But if BSM were serious, they could make a pedal that has a “wah pedal half-stopped sound”.)

BSM makes pedals specifically for certain artists. Rory Gallagher, Tony Iommi, Brian May, and Ron Wood ....... And, by far the largest number of products are those that pursue the sound of the great Ritchie Blackmore.

Moreover, starting with a modified reproduction of the Hornsby Skewes treble booster made in England that was a favorite of Deep Purple during their second period, to a specialized high-power pickup sound used in the early 1980s when Rainbow's eyeballs were glowing on stage... Each era has been reproduced separately, which makes “believers” who are considering purchasing the product worry.

The BSM is even more powerful when used with a good quality amp. The BSM is particularly well suited to the natural sound of tube amplifiers.

■ Encountering the BSM

About 15 years ago, I was looking for a good quality overdrive for a high-end sound, such as a pedal made by the late John Landgraf.

However, Sound House did not carry the Landgraf at that time, so the staff told me, “I recommend the BSM treble booster for Marshall. Especially at higher volumes, they work well together.”

So I thought, “Wouldn't it be better to have a level rather than a model with just an on/off switch?” I chose the HS CUSTOM which has one knob. The guitar is a fully custom-made Stratocaster with an EXTRAD tiger maple neck and a custom-colored swamp ash body (with Lindy Fralin Real54 pickups) made by Fuji Strings, which has recently been recognized as FENDER JAPAN's best guitar maker, with a “crunchy” sound. When I turned up the level a bit, it sounded just like Deep Purple's classic album “Live In Japan”. At least that's what I thought. The sound pressure, luster, and distortion unique to vacuum tubes cannot be produced by ordinary pedals. As one would expect from Ritchie's sound.

*Note) [HS] is a reproduction of the circuit of [Hornsby Scuse], so there would have been artists who used this kind of circuit. Therefore, it is hard to say that it is a completely original sound. HS CUSTOM] is a reproduction of Blackmore's treble booster.

I would get the Landgraf Dynamic Overdrive next, because the HS CUSTOM does not have much variation in tone. This is a great pedal. I bought it 14 years ago and still use it to this day.

■ Hooked on BSM

Recently, however, I have been wanting to play Richie's sound. His sound is unique and different from the royal strat sound. I was looking for a BSM [RPA Major] on the net, and found it in stock.

So, I searched for a BSM [RPA Major] on the Internet and went to several music stores that seemed to secretly have them in stock, and managed to get one. When I first played the sound, I thought, “Did I make a mistake? But after reading the instruction manual, I found the sweet spot. As soon as I found it, I felt an electric shock running down my back.

The BSM [RPA] is a pedal that reproduces the distortion using the AIWA tape echo booster from 1974. With level on the left and equalizer on the right, it can create a fairly wide range of sounds among BSM products. The RPA Major has even more distortion.

When the RPA was released in 2009, it was priced at 102,900 yen in Japan. Even if you look for it cheaply on the Internet, it is currently priced at 70,000 yen including tax. Moreover, as of April 2023, new units are on order. Is it worth it?

■ Awesome Features About BSM

When you want to play live in Richmania with minimal gear, BSM is great. As I mentioned earlier, Marshall or Engle amp, natural or high power guitar pickups, ...... instead of the AIWA booster? No need to worry about any of these things.

■ Why one BSM is all you need

It is true that there are songs that require wah pedals, phasers, octubers, etc., based on the image of Blackmore's sound that guitarists who have been playing Ritchie for 30 or 40 years or more have created.

However, the basic distortion = Marshall amps, a booster using an AlWA tape deck, and a reverb to add flair to the beautiful melody. The reverb will come on naturally in a concert hall, so in effect, all you need is a tube amp such as a Marshall and a booster.

However, it is not so easy for a guitarist to create the distorted sound of Ritchie.

One day, when I visited a nearby music store, I connected a BSM [RPA Major] to a [FENDER BLUS JUNIOR] and tried it out, and to my surprise, I heard the sound of the 1977 album Rainbow On Stage. The veteran sales clerk, who had seen Rainbow's first concert in Japan, was convinced and started to play “Greensleeves”. I had goosebumps.
I admit that there are those who say, “Distorting an amp with a pedal is not for connoisseurs!” However, the BSM instruction manual clearly states, “Please use the clean or crunch channel,” and “Do not use the distortion or high-gain channel.”

In other words, I am going to reproduce the Blackmore sound with a clean tone clean amp. Can you understand my one complete comment from here?

Unfortunately, the internal base of the pedal is covered by a plastic cover, so you can't see the carefully selected parts that I was particular about. There is space for batteries, but as is the fate of boutique effect pedals, they are closed with screws only, so I rely on an external power supply. Fortunately, the power supply is center-negative, so it is easy to supply power.

According to the manufacturer, the parts are handmade with the best possible selection of parts. Therefore, they say, it is costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, they work hard to reproduce the sound of Blackmore's pedals. There is no other pedal maker like them!

Currently, I searched for new stock on the Internet, but could not find any in the Japanese market.

Most of the products are not yet in stock even at Sound House. On top of that, given the global situation, they expect it to take at least a few months to arrive.

However, .......

If you are a guitarist who only has about 10 minutes to set up at a show and can't carry much equipment, definitely buy a BSM! With a guitar and a BSM, you’ll become Ritchie Blackmore!

[RPA] [RPA Major] If your guitar is not a pure Stratocaster but has a single coil pickup, you can still try to get Ritchie's sound with an AIWA deck as a booster.

Sound House is the cheapest place in Japan for new products.

We should definitely try to get it here at the lowest price.

If you think that you want to buy it, don't hesitate to place an order because the quantity of distribution is extremely small! If you are a Ritchie freak, you will not regret it.

■ Recommended BSM Models

The HS CUSTOM for pure distortion with the Marshall of ‘Live in Japan’ fully upgraded with vacuum tubes.

For the distortion sound of the Rainbow trident era (Richie, Ronnie, and Kozy), I recommend the RPA.

For a more distorted sound, I recommend the RPA Major.

Specifically, the sound image of the live version of “BURN” and “KILL THE KING”.

■ Ritchie Freaks!

Wishing you all the best at your gigs and recordings!
Be as loud as you can!

BSM / HS-CUSTOM

HS with volume.

BSM / FIREBALL

This model is a reproduction of Hornsby Skews treble booster from 1967 to 1969. It has a sound similar to that of the Fireball album.

BSM / RPA

This model reproduces the sound of the AIWA open reel tape deck used since 1974.

BSM ( BSM / RPA Major)

A model with even more gain than the RPA.

BSM / RPA Full Quarter Booster

This model reproduces the sound of the period when high-power pickups were used.

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