FSR Blacktops

[Stephen_42]

I have no interest in these whatsoever. Really not a Strat fan at all. But interesting that a dead (or so I though) series has been resurrected for an FSR.

Likely a one off, or can we expect more back-from-the-dead Fenders?


https://www.facebook.com/FenderEurope/v ... &__tn__=-R

[Cpe4spd]

Sorry you never liked the Blacktops. I aways kinda did and they came in different pickup configurations. All were Mexican made and the last year was 2014. I Don't know anything about the new FSR Blacktops your talking about. I will look them up. I believe they were kinda successfel for Fender, so you could see why thy brought them back. I wonder if they come in different models too, like the earlier ones.
So last night i saw this for sale and remebered your post.

[TeenageShutdown!]

Kind of interesting. The Blacktop series seem like they were rejected by purists & embraced by those seeking something “different.” The stripped down simplicity had its appeal, to the ladder, I suppose.

I have a JM HS when they came out in 2008 or so & it’s been a really solid guitar. The humbucker was pretty hot & had mixed reviews. I swapped mine out for a P90 & it was a better match. The bridge is pretty interesting being that it’s a hybrid mustang bridge with barrel saddles that could be adjusted individually in height. Also, the posts are held firm within the cups. I thought this was a great feature that unfortunately didn’t get any credit. Of course the saddle screws need the typical blue Loctite treatment.

[timtam]

The bridge is pretty interesting being that it’s a hybrid mustang bridge with barrel saddles that could be adjusted individually in height. Also, the posts are held firm within the cups. I thought this was a great feature that unfortunately didn’t get any credit. Of course the saddle screws need the typical blue Loctite treatment.

That is the 0081239001 bridge that was on some blacktop JMs/jags/Mustangs (?) and also more recently on the Player Series. It tended to get tarred with the 'import = bad' tag, also because of the cheaper guitars it was on, although not many people have tried it. But it's a height-adjustable bridge with single, deeper string slots than the vintage bridge. I have one and I like it. Although like most import bridges it benefits from shorter intonation screws (16mm instead of 18mm) and saddle height grub screws 6/8mm instead of 10mm; both are M3 and easily obtained on ebay. E-E spacing ~55mm. Very similar to the Warmoth Modified Mustang bridge.

[TeenageShutdown!]

I didn’t have any issues with the intonation screws during this particular set up. It had the typical rattles, but after using the Loctite I’ve had no problem since I was gifted the guitar. Very easy to set up, unlike the regular bridge on my other JM.

[601210]

I like the goofy black-amp-knobs-on-everything aesthetic.

Interesting about the bridge, so they're non-rocking but still use the cup-and-screw design? Isn't that a ticket to rattle city unless the thimbles are made to tight tolerances?

If I remember correctly, these Blacktop offsets came out when there still weren't very many affordable options for a traditional offset so it rubbed people the wrong way. Or at least that's my theory of why nobody bats an eye when they release a non-traditional Strat or Tele but people act like they get personally insulted when Fender releases something like the Blacktop JM.

So my thinking is as long as there's a standard Jazzmaster in low-end, mid-range, and high-end price ranges then Fender can do whatever the hell they want for all the oddballs, but if your only option for a mid-range JM is an HS then I can see why people would be offended at the thought of them.

[timtam]

Interesting about the bridge, so they're non-rocking but still use the cup-and-screw design? Isn't that a ticket to rattle city unless the thimbles are made to tight tolerances?

No, the 0081239001 is a rocking bridge like the vintage style. So as with the vintage bridge, just how much they rock will depend the difference in post OD and thimble ID, which I find can vary both between and within every version of 'rocking' offset bridges. And also of course with bridge height - the higher the bridge, the greater the rocking 'arc' (until the posts hit the thimble walls). And then string friction/down force on the saddles will determine whether with trem action the strings tend to slide in the saddles more than 'grab' the saddles and cause the bridge to rock.

So all in all I think it's hard to say how much any 'rocking' bridge will actually rock in situ.

[JSutter]

The link is dead.

I love my blacktop jaguar. If they made a blacktop mustang I'd have one of those too. Humbuckers and AOM bridges just do it for me.

[leokula]

The link is dead.

I love my blacktop jaguar. If they made a blacktop mustang I'd have one of those too. Humbuckers and AOM bridges just do it for me.

Fender already did it (except for the amp knobs), but called it "American Special".

[JSutter]

The link is dead.

I love my blacktop jaguar. If they made a blacktop mustang I'd have one of those too. Humbuckers and AOM bridges just do it for me.

Fender already did it (except for the amp knobs), but called it "American Special".

I love the American special, except for the price. It's nearly my perfect Mustang.