My Fender Blacktop just arrived!

valvestate · **Posted:** Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:26 pm

Wifey surprised me with a delivery of a Fender Blacktop Stratocaster for Father's Day! :lol:

with my American Standard 2010

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My initial impression after using it live yesterday. Action seems to be a lil high for my taste and the bridge is 'floating' which I don't prefer, it goes out of tune too much (is this normal?) but perhaps due to the string not bending yet? It's all stock at the moment... but the TONE... :shock:

it's really awesome for an MIM! I was reluctant about the volume drop that I heard with some people here but I find it really useful to achieve a cleanish sound for wah-wah. Sound is surprisingly full. :twisted:

I'm planning to visit a guitar store someday to have the string height remedied but I'm worried about the tuning. Overall, I'm very very pleased with this guitar. Great value and tone!

Robinstrat · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:02 am

Welcome and congrats.
You have a great wife. Enjoy both

Can anybody tell me, please - why in the world is that guitar called Blacktop?
It should have the black pickguard, right?
Deck the trem and the strings will be lower to the frets. Just screw(2 screws) out the claw in the trem cavity a few turns.

Cheers,
Robin

valvestate · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:48 am

Robinstrat wrote:

Welcome and congrats.
You have a great wife. Enjoy both

Can anybody tell me, please - why in the world is that guitar called Blacktop?
It should have the black pickguard, right?
Deck the trem and the strings will be lower to the frets. Just screw(2 screws) out the claw in the trem cavity a few turns.

Cheers,
Robin

Thanks so much for the kind words.

I believe it is called the Blacktop due to their first models

image host

rapaul76 · **Joined:** Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:35 am **Posts:** 95

Great wife and really nice guitar! Congratulations!

How do you find the gloss neck after paying the satin finish on the American Standard?

shimmilou · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 7:32 pm

Hi valvestate,

Beautiful! Has a nice vintage look to it, and the blue with RW fret board is a perfect combination. Congrats.

I have the black with maple neck, decked the bridge, added locking tuners, great guitar, great sound.

valvestate · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:47 pm

rapaul76 wrote:

Great wife and really nice guitar! Congratulations!
How do you find the gloss neck after paying the satin finish on the American Standard?

Thank you so000ooo much!

I would honestly say that I still prefer the neck of my Am Standard which feels thinner but maybe I'm just imagining it with how I feel the hold of the neck since, I haven't had the chance to lower the action of the Blacktop. This is also my first time to have this kind of 'shiny' neck... I like it, still getting used to it though.

shimmilou wrote:

Hi valvestate,
Beautiful! Has a nice vintage look to it, and the blue with RW fret board is a perfect combination. Congrats.

Thanks a lot shimmilou! Yes, I've always wanted a Sonic Blue colored guitar! Though this is really light blue compared to what I saw with Classic 60s(?) and Highway 1 but, it's all good. I like it that even the back cover is mint! Is it easy to change the knobs for normal Fender type? I'm thinking to match it with mint/ aged knobs.

shimmilou · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:10 pm

The pots are solid shaft, and the knobs have a set screw, so the "normal" knobs won't work, need a set screw type knob. You would have to change the pots to the split shaft type, or somehow modify the normal knobs to fit.

paul_f · **Joined:** Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:37 am **Posts:** 68

Wow! Nice strat and obviously a great wife too. Lucky guy.....

Toppscore · **Joined:** Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:16 am **Posts:** 2337

Valve State! Great looking axe and trim! Get your wife's profile painted on the body :lol:

I've not tried the HH Blacktop. I have been planning on getting the
Fender Jaguar HH for some time. Both the Blacktop HH and the Jaguar HH's are next
to each other within Fender's pricing structure regarding factory shipped HH guitars.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Classic-Player-Jaguar-Special-HH-Electric-Guitar-3-Tone-Sunburst-/110853945169?pt=Guitar&hash=item19cf68f751

They should be a great guitar.
MIMs are wonderful. Especially dedicated product lines like the Fat Strats,
The Classic Jaguars and the Blacktops. MIM has a good reptuation.
Since you are the original owner, you will have a lifetime Fender warranty.

Take care. Toppscore

valvestate · **Posted:** Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:48 pm

shimmilou wrote:

The pots are solid shaft, and the knobs have a set screw, so the "normal" knobs won't work, need a set screw type knob. You would have to change the pots to the split shaft type, or somehow modify the normal knobs to fit.

oh.....

There goes my idea to completely change the look of it to a Classic 60s! Perhaps in future upgrade of this then.

paul_f wrote:

Wow! Nice strat and obviously a great wife too. Lucky guy.....

Thank you so much paul_f!

She can't resist the price I got it from.

Toppscore wrote:

Valve State! Great looking axe and trim! Get your wife's profile painted on the body :lol:

HAHAH ! Good idea!

Toppscore wrote:

MIM has a good reptuation.
Since you are the original owner, you will have a lifetime Fender warranty.

Good to know! My first MIM! Before, my fellow 'Pro' bandmate suggested never to buy any MIJ/ MIM guitars... it should be MIA all the way. Though, I'm not complaining with my American Standard, but I wondered if I just purchased the MIJ Strat and the Highway 1, I was eyeing 3 years ago will make a huge difference... just a thought.

Thanks a lot guys.

Toppscore · **Joined:** Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:16 am **Posts:** 2337

valvestate wrote:

Toppscore wrote:

Valve State! Great looking axe and trim! Get your wife's profile painted on the body :lol:

HAHAH ! Good idea!

Toppscore wrote:

MIM has a good reptuation. Since you are the original owner,
you will have a lifetime Fender warranty.

Good to know! My first MIM! Before, my fellow 'Pro' bandmate suggested never to buy any MIJ/ MIM guitars... it should be MIA all the way. Though, I'm not complaining with my American Standard, but I wondered if I just purchased the MIJ Strat and the Highway 1, I was eyeing 3 years ago will make a huge difference... just a thought.

Thanks a lot guys.

Right now, MIA MIM & MIJ are ALL good. MANY times the price you pay for an MIM or MIJ
is so far south of an MIA, but the half-priced cheaper MIM/MIJ's play soooooo much better.

Tell you band members to keep buying MIA while you take your savings and
invest in gold before it hits $9,500/ounce and MIM/MIJ all the way to the bank.

Take care. Toppscore

moochy13 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am **Posts:** 937

your 'pro' sounds like an uneducated ill informed snob.

nice guitar though, i was looking at the exact guitar but with the maple fretboard, and i thought i had got over wanting it. then you had to post these pictures and make my wallet sweat......

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