Schecter F500T

Schecter · other

The Schecter F500T is the bridge pickup Ritchie Blackmore's guitar tech introduced him to, installed into his 1974 Olympic White Stratocaster from around 1979 through 1985, spanning Rainbow's Down to Earth album through Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers reunion. Rather than wiring the pickup for full output as designed, Blackmore's tech tapped it for a lower-output configuration, connecting only the inner half of the bridge pickup's coil and the outer half of the neck pickup's coil to bring in extra bass response, a custom modification distinct from how Schecter shipped the pickup stock. This tapped F500T setup became a defining part of the tone behind Blackmore's trademark white, big-headstock, scalloped-neck Stratocaster throughout that era.

• response
• bass
• specific tone
• signature tone
• fundamental
• hard rock
• rhythm
• lead