I was in a Guitar Center this week looking for a Squier bullet for a Christmas gift.

On the wall of Fender something caught my eye immediately, a beautiful Sonic Blue with mint green pickguard, rosewood neck, HH Stratocaster with very non standard volume and tone knobs.

Now it's been a while since I have looked at the Stratocaster product line on the Fender main page, as I have not been in the market for a new MIM or MIA. So this particular guitar was a strange a pleasant suprise. I was in love instantly. I was totally unaware that this was a new product line called "Blacktop" the sales staff at GC did not know either. They just thought it was some un-named special issue.

Well for $450.00 I could not pass it up. So now it is mine, and I think I love it more than my MIA standards. Of course at that price you will have reasoned that this is a MIM guitar, but cast aside any doubts (if you have any) This guitar is really nice and great sounding and heres everything I can report:

The neck is formed very well and not too thick and not too thin, the finish is the classic clear amber and the rosewood is smooth and pretty. All in all it's nicer than the neck on a typical "MIM standard" It absolutely feels and looks every bit as nice as my 2008 MIA Standard.

The body coat is flawless and the sonic blue shade is correct.

At first I was puzzled by the retention of a 5 way switch on this 2 pickup guitar. But upon playing it I noticed it utilizes split coil wiring so in position 2 and 4 you get the same single coil sound that you get from your regular strat. This is a useful feature and Fender did well to include this. The sound is wonderful humbucking and single coil either one.

The control knobs are non-standard Fender. The knobs are held on by set screws and the volume and tone pot shafts are not splined so reverting to standard Fender knobs is not possible as they would fall off.

I have not noticed any failure to hold tune, but I have not had this guitar for only a few days.

My only criticism of this guitar is that Fender choose to utilize the thin alloy type tremelo bar. I tend to prefer thick steel bars, however, despite this its really a nice sounding instrument.

All in all this is really a fantastic instrument for the money and I think Fender has done is self really well to come out with a well made HH Stratocaster at a price most folks can afford. It was not until this morning when I was able to access the Fender website that I discovered my odd guitar was a "Blacktop" and there were many others like it. Personally I woud have to give it a 5 star ***** rating.

To Fender I would suggest expanding the American Standard Line of Stratocasters to include a HH standard model also, retaining the split coil feature.

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I remember when we were free!

Sounds nice, the spilt coil feature is pretty cool.

Show us some pics of the beauty.

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2010 American Special HSS 3TSB
Marshall MG15FX

pics please....

Yes, Yes, Yes,

Pictures make your thread more appealing.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

Congrats on your new baby. And we need pics

Sorry,

I have never been able to upload pictures from my computer to the Fender site. I do not know why but it's the only place that I have trouble.
I will try again this week.

Aside of that I have to say this particular Blacktop has become "the one" I really love this instrument and if I could only have one strat this would be it.

There is something special about it, it has a quality that I really connect with and connects with me. I am sure you all have particular guitars that just "are right" or are "more right" that your others.

OL

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I remember when we were free!

This guitar doesn't really split the coils does it? I thought it played inners and outers like my ibby. If it truly splits that would be pretty cool.

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— did that sound like something?

I don't know exactly what to call it, or how it is works specifically, perhaps someone here does, but I do know in position 2 and 4 you get a distinct single coil sound.

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I remember when we were free!