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Machine Head coverSmoke on the Water · Deep Purple

Smoke on the Water

Tone for HOTONE Pulze Mini · by @faldy · Single coils · updated 11 October 2026 · Made with AI

Captures Ritchie Blackmore's punchy, biting early-1970s British stack crunch from the Machine Head sessions, dialed specifically for single-coil Stratocasters.

Plays it on your Pulze Mini without changing your saved presets.

On the Pulze Mini

Every block in the order the signal goes through it. Dial these in by hand, or play it on your Pulze Mini above to send them all at once.

DYN

Gate 1

Off
PRE

Boost 3

Based on legendary belt clip preamp

Bass
35
Treble
68
Volume
55
Low Cut
On
AMP

Marshell SLP

Based on Marshall® Super Lead 1959 amp

Volume
68
Presence
60
Output
50
Bass
45
Middle
65
Treble
60
CAB

UK 4x12C

Based on vintage Marshall® cabinet

Volume
50
Low Cut
80
High Cut
8500
EQ

Guitar EQ 1

Off
FX1

Tape Dly

Off
FX2

Room

Mix
18
Pre Dly
10 ms
Decay
35
Low Damp
50
Hi Damp
50
Mod
50

How it works

  • AMPMarshell SLP models the high-headroom, plexi-style roar of Blackmore's 200-watt Marshall heads, running hot enough to break into tight vintage crunch when struck hard.
  • PREBoost 3 emulates Blackmore's Hornby-Skewes treble booster by rolling off flubby bass with Low Cut on and pushing Treble to 68, giving low-output Strat single coils focused midrange bite.
  • CABUK 4x12C provides the authentic response of early-1970s Celestion-loaded Marshall cabs, paired with a subtle Room reverb evoking the Montreux Grand Hotel hallway where the track was recorded.

Tuning

EADGBE

The record is in E standard, low to high: E A D G B E.

Tune your guitar the same way. Or make your version above, say how yours is tuned, and your Pulze Mini shifts it to match.

On the guitar

Made for a single-coil guitar (Strat style).

Main Riff & Chords

NeckBridge123
  1. 1Pickup Bridge
  2. 2Volume 10
  3. 3Tone 9

Delivers the cutting attack and dry snap essential for the iconic opening fourths and driving rhythm.

Guitar Solo

NeckBridge123
  1. 1Pickup Neck
  2. 2Volume 10
  3. 3Tone 8

Switches to the neck pickup to round out the highs for singing, bluesy lead phrasing.

The original rig

Ritchie Blackmore created the iconic Smoke on the Water tone by running a Fender Stratocaster neck pickup through a Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster into a high-powered Marshall Major head and 4x12 cabinet. The massive amplifier headroom and boosted front-end treble provided a tight, percussive attack with articulate crunch.

Ritchie Blackmore (Rhythm and solo): CBS-era Fender Stratocaster, Hornby-Skewes Treble Booster, Marshall Major 200W Head, Marshall 4x12 Cabinet

See the full original rig, with every setting and its sources

Playing it

  • Ditch the plectrum for the intro riff: Blackmore famously plucked the parallel fourths using his thumb and index finger simultaneously to produce that percussive, woody pop.
  • Keep each double-stop staccato by releasing fret-hand pressure immediately after striking, avoiding ringing open strings.
  • For the solo, dig in hard on bending notes; the boosted amp responds dynamically to pick velocity, giving natural sustain without modern fizz.

More tones

Browse the songs

Shared by @faldy under CC BY 4.0: use it, share it and change it, crediting @faldy. Version 1, updated 11 October 2026.