Fender News have a short interview with former Deep Purple and Rainbow rocker – now medieval troubadour – Ritchie Blackmore.  The man in tights answers questions about his current Renaissance renaissance as well as discussing some Purple/Rainbow stuff.

Blackmore also talks briefly about the inspiration for the scalloped fingerboard on his signature Stratocaster:

“I had a classical guitar way back when I was 19 or 20. It had a pitted fingerboard, worn out from excessive use so the wood in between the frets was almost concave. It felt right. Then when I went to playing the electric guitar and I wanted to bend a note, I always felt that the fingerboard should be scalloped so one could grip the string easier. I first did this, as far as I remember, back in 1971.”

Check out Fender News for the full story.  I suspect a Fender Ritchie Blackmore Signature Lute may be in the offing.