Hot or Not- Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster HS 3TS

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
http://proguitarshop.com/fender-blacktop-jazzmaster-hs-3ts.html


fenderblacktopjazzmasterhsrw3sb.jpg



Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster


Fender's new and innovative Blacktop guitar series expands the sonic horizon of the classic Fender Telecasterﾮ guitar by powering it with high-gain humbucking pickups.

Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster


Sleek and supercharged, the Blacktop Jazzmaster HS has a Duncan Designed(TM) single-coil Jazzmaster neck pickup and a humbucking bridge pickup, with other distinctive touches including skirted black amp knobs, a Jazzmaster tremolo tailpiece and a lean control layout featuring a tonally convenient single three-way toggle switch. Other features include an alder body, maple neck with 9.5"-radius rosewood fretboard, 21 medium jumbo frets, gloss polyester finish and chrome hardware.

Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Specs:



  • Alder Body
  • Maple Neck
  • Rosewood Fingerboard
  • Medium Jumbo Frets
  • 9.5" Radius
  • Hot Vintage Alnico Bridge Humbucker (Uncovered)
  • Duncan Designed Jazzmaster Neck Pickup
  • Simplified Controls/Switching
  • Skirted Amp Knobs
  • Vintage Style Adjustable 6-Saddle Bridge with "Floating" Tremolo Tailpiece
 
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Ahhh, it's OK, and I briefly thought about getting one of these back in April, but ah likes muh Jazzies with single coils, and I found it's kind of a pain to convert to a Jazzmaster style single coil, unless you get somebody like Lollar, to wind you one in a humbucker mount (pricey!).
 
ellengtrgrl said:
Ahhh, it's OK, and I briefly thought about getting one of these back in April, but ah likes muh Jazzies with single coils, and I found it's kind of a pain to convert to a Jazzmaster style single coil, unless you get somebody like Lollar, to wind you one in a humbucker mount (pricey!).
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Couldn't you just get a regular Jazzmaster pickguard and pickup? I would bet those have a standard route. I popped filtertrons in my Duo Sonic with no routing.
 
Chad said:
Couldn't you just get a regular Jazzmaster pickguard and pickup? I would bet those have a standard route. I popped filtertrons in my Duo Sonic with no routing.
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They have a standard humbucker route. Jazzmaster single coils are a wee bit longer (across the strings) than a humbucker. You'd need to do some routing.
 
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ellengtrgrl said:
They have a standard humbucker route. Jazzmaster single coils are a wee bit longer (acrss the strings) than a humbucker. You'd need to do some routing.
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I meant a standard Jazzmaster route. Fender is known for having one basic route for everything and covering it up with a pickguard. It took them years to get rid of the swimming pool route on strats, all of the musicmasters have 2 pickup routes even though they have one pickup, Fender Lead I have a neck pickup routed even though they only have a bridge pickup, so I would have bet all of the Jazzmasters would have the same routing scheme. That sucks they didn't do that on the black tops.
 
Hot. That is one of the ones my son thinks he might like. He liked the dual humbucker one, but wants the trem, so thinks this might be cool too. I know I think it is.
 
I tried one. I liked it better than the Squier Vintage Modified. But it's just warm to me. If they had dual JM pickups I'd be more interested.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Curious what you liked better than the VM?
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I just didn't like the feel of the VM's. I tried a few at a few different dealers. They just didn't feel right. I prefer the feel of the Blacktop. But it's academic since I really don't need another guitar.
 
Chad said:
I meant a standard Jazzmaster route. Fender is known for having one basic route for everything and covering it up with a pickguard. It took them years to get rid of the swimming pool route on strats, all of the musicmasters have 2 pickup routes even though they have one pickup, Fender Lead I have a neck pickup routed even though they only have a bridge pickup, so I would have bet all of the Jazzmasters would have the same routing scheme. That sucks they didn't do that on the black tops.
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Nope unfortunately, they don't use a standard route with the Jazzies. And, if you want to add the rhythm circuit to a Blacktop Jazzmaster, you also have to do even more routing out of the guitar.

Here are some photos of a Blacktop Jazzmaster mod, done by a member on the Offsett Guitars forum.

Body is not a swimming pool route
jazzmaster001-2.jpg


No Route for the Rhythm Circuit
IMG_4275.JPG


Here's the thread

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=39935
 
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