Simon McBride Reveals Why He Had to Mod His Amps for Deep Purple, Explains What Makes Don Airey So…

A new chapter in Deep Purple’s history began when Simon McBride stepped in as the band’s guitarist, succeeding Steve Morse. While both guitarists are exceptionally talented, each brings a unique style, which means new members must adapt to the iconic band’s classic sound. This is why McBride had to make adjustments to his ENGL amps to fit Deep Purple’s signature sound.

In a recent interview, McBride, who now has one album with the band, spoke about the challenges of “competing” with the Hammond organ. He and keyboardist Don Airey work to recreate the powerful sonic dynamic that Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord originally established.

Is it tough for a guitar player to “compete” with the sound of a Hammond organ in the band?

“Yeah, because Don is so incredibly loud,” McBride joked. “He keeps asking me, ‘Am I too loud?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah!’ The Hammond organ and the guitar sit in a similar frequency range, which is one of the reasons I got ENGL to tweak my amps.”

“I wanted to bring out more of the lower mids in my sound since the Hammond has a lot of high mids compared to the guitar. But the frequencies are still close, so I needed something that would help me cut through a bit more.”

“But that’s really part of Deep Purple’s sound – the guitar and Hammond playing together in unison, creating those iconic riffs. That’s what makes it so powerful. Take ‘Smoke on the Water,’ for instance. The guitar riff sounds great on its own, but when Jon Lord’s Hammond kicks in, it suddenly becomes big and meaty. That’s always been Deep Purple’s signature sound.”

“I believe that combination of the guitar riff with the Hammond playing those lower parts is key—because Don does the same thing Jon Lord used to do. He runs the Hammond through a Marshall stack, or something similar, distorting it and giving it that signature growl.”

“It’s an incredible experience when Don’s playing, especially with two Leslie cabinets and a Marshall stack going at the same time. It’s like, ‘Wow.’ Don is an amazing musician, an incredible player. He does things with that Hammond that I can’t even begin to understand. It’s as if he’s squeezing every ounce of life out of it. It’s such a unique sound, and I’ve heard plenty of other Hammond players, but no one can replicate it. I suppose it’s all in the hands.”

Currently, Deep Purple is promoting their new album, *=1*, which marks the first release with Simon McBride as their guitarist.

 

<div  id='HB_Footer_Close_hbagency_space_105030'>
 <div id='HB_CLOSE_hbagency_space_105030'></div>
 <div id='HB_OUTER_hbagency_space_105030'>
<div id='hbagency_space_105030'></div>
 </div></div>