Blackmore's first guitar was a secondhand Spanish type which he since replaced with Stratocasters and Gibsons. Recently his solos have been pushed forward in Deep Purple's overall sound which has been recorded in the normal studio settings as well as less orthodox places such as when their album, Machine Head, was made in a hotel corridor in Montreux, Switzerland. RB-I had classical lessons for a year. That helped, because I learned how to use my little finger. A lot of blues guitarist play with only three fingers, and so they can't figure out certain runs that require the use of their little fingers.
Classical training is good for that.
RB-I would say it shows up most in the music I write. I play a lot of single notes, and that's not classical. He's very good at it. I remember him from a long time ago, and he's always been good. But he's not the kind of guitarist I can listen to.