1995 Fender Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster ST72-145RB Olympic White, Near-Mint, Japan MIJ

Up for sale, a 1995 Fender Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster model ST72-145RB in showroom-clean, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original premium padded leather gigbag. This top-tier (and early) example of the “Made in Japan” Blackmore signature ‘70s-style Strat is a rare model, boasting a number of premium features including Seymour Duncan pickups and graduated scalloping on the rosewood fretboard.

A British guitar player who cut his teeth in Joe Meek sessions before joining Deep Purple and eventually founding the heavy metal genre-bending band Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore is a guitar pioneer in every respect, and his signature model Strat reflects the need for easy playability and powerful sounds much meatier than one typically expects. The pair of Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound single coils (the middle “pickup” is not part of the circuit, mounted flush with the pickguard and out of the pick path) deliver Blackmore’s monster tone, with more than twice the power of a traditional Strat single coil. The individually hand-polished 1/4“ diameter Alnico 5 magnets help boost treble sparkle and upper-midrange harmonics, and the high output design of these pickups results in notably beefy chords and vocal-like melodic lines. This Ritchie Blackmore ST72-145RB weighs 7lbs 15oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Shape: Slender C, measuring .790” 1st fret, .925” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Rosewood, graduated scalloping
• Frets: Slender, no wear
• Scale Length: 25 ½”
• Nut: 1.650” (42mm), graphite
• Tuners: F-stamped, Schaller-made
• Serialization: “Made in Japan,” N-prefix
• Factory Markings: Model stamps on neck heel/pocket

Body Specs:

• Wood: Alder
• Pickups: Seymour Duncan SSL-4 Quarter Pound single coil x2 (central “dummy” pickup)
• Controls: Volume, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector
• Harness: Full-size Japanese pots
• Hardware: Synchronized Tremolo with block saddles, jack cup
• Plastics: Three-ply white pickguard, black knobs/pickup covers

The gloss Olympic White finish is exceptionally clean, with just a couple faint marks on the top and lower bout perimeter. The ambered gloss on the neck profile is flawless.

The original leather padded gigbag is included, a premium add-on produced specifically for the Blackmore Strats, along with a set of strap locks for the flush mounted strap inserts on the body.