Ritchie Blackmore, renowned as the Strat player for many, revealed that he had an intense affection for the Gibson ES-335 early in his career.
The Deep Purple guitar virtuoso played the iconic semi-hollow body throughout the 1960s, during his time with the instrumental band The Outlaws and while supporting artists like Screaming Lord Sutch and pop singer Glenda Collins. Blackmore’s cherry red ES-335, purchased in 1961, accompanied him through the early years of Deep Purple, right up to their groundbreaking 1970 album “In Rock.”
In a recent YouTube video, Blackmore shared an interesting story about acquiring the guitar from Jim Marshall himself. At that time, Marshall was a small businessman selling instruments and equipment from his store at 76 Uxbridge Road in Hanwell, near London’s legendary Ealing Club, where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones first met to form The Rolling Stones.
Recalling his encounter with Jim Marshall, Blackmore said (as transcribed by Guitar World): “Jim was a very affable kind of guy. He knew nothing about amplifiers, yet it’s funny to see today, every band has got a Marshall amplifier, and that was built in the beginning by someone who knew nothing about amplifiers.” He added with a chuckle, “He was a drum teacher. I always find that slightly amusing!”
When Blackmore visited Marshall’s store, he initially intended to purchase a Gretsch Jet Firebird. However, after a persuasive sales pitch from Marshall, he ended up choosing the Gibson instead. Blackmore recounted, “I went there with the intention of buying a Gretsch Jet Firebird. After half an hour of a sales pitch, he said, ‘Forget the Gretsch. That’s a toy compared to the 335.’ I went, ‘But I want the Gretsch. I love the Jet Firebird.’ He said, ‘You’ll appreciate the 335 Gibson much more later in life.’ [So] I walked out with a Gibson!”
The guitar cost him 30 shillings, and he spent another 30 on an amp, leaving him with almost nothing to live on for the week. Despite eventually switching to Strats, the ES-335 remains significant in Blackmore’s history, notably featuring in Deep Purple’s 1970 live performance of “Child in Time” on the British TV show “Doing Their Thing.”
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