NEW! "Blacktop" Fenders [Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster]

[Bacchus]

This is'nt daring to me, its re-hashing old shit. The Fender Performer was daring. The Fender Katana was daring.

Total garbage.

That's what fucked me off too. They've finally managed to release a jag/jazzy that I couldn't give a fuck about because they're so boring and unimaginative.

I hope they never reissue the katana, I like that guitar and they'll probably make it shit too.

[jcyphe]

Why does the fat strat have those big ugly knobs?

Fender yawn. I can't believe how people always come around on the crappy middle of the road stuff they drop.

The specs are nicer in pictures than what was reported, that's a nice color on the Strat but again it's nothing new.

[Dave]

Strat looks shexshay! its the only one that doesn't look totally odd and off-balance or made of cheap plastic. Like the red tele would look ace without pickup rings and a trad bridge plate but otherwise meh......they are boring and the colours and scratchplates look like the colours and plastic of very late entries to the G1 line of transformer Decepticons (i.e. when they were total shit)



SEE!! SHIT!!! THEY SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS!

[Fran]

I'm not sure I get the whole negative vibe about these new Fenders recently.

This was my drunken post earlier in the thread. Still stand by it.
Add to that a gloss neck !!! I don't see what's to really dislike about them... they're offering more offsets / shortscales with sensible tweaks, which I feel would suit me down to the ground. I like the whole range aesthetically. Not everyones cup of tea, but by the sounds of it they've been catering for that market since the 60's. If they're daring, they're too daring and if they play it safe they're boring. It seems a no win situation for them. To me, this range has a nice balance.

Oh, so you have'nt played one then.
Well im sorry Rhys and Owen, i think they look like shit. The Jazzmaster is abysmal, odd pickups? LOL. Only Johnny Ramone can pull that one off, to me this Jazzy looks like a retarded version of that guys in FEEDER, you know... but without the rhythm circuit.
The Jaguar is just insulting.
The other models are'nt worth mentioning, yawn, Strat and Tele variations (we need more FENDER!). This is'nt daring to me, its re-hashing old shit. The Fender Performer was daring. The Fender Katana was daring.

Total garbage.

Why so angry Fran ? These clearly aren't the guitars for you sir, but I reckon there is a market out there for them and Fender is a business.

Don't really get why I can't be excited about these guitars without having tried them ? I could quite easily throw that question straight back at ya.

Also, Mismatched pickups ? All types of pickups can be found on any one guitar nowadays... I again, don't see why this is a problem.

I thought you'd tried a few at the shop where you work.
I'm not angry, just really disappointed. The Strat and Tele have been through the mill many times before so im not too interested in them but i never thought Fender would do the same to the Jaguar and Jazzmaster. One of the main appeals of these guitars is they remained a 'classic' and i think a lot of people had hoped they'd escaped a Fender re-work.
The CP models made sense, they addressed a few issues, offered more options but kept everything in keep of the traditional design. But these Blacktop models just downgrade these two models in my opinion, the Jaguar especially, if you can call it that.
No doubt it will push up the price of AVRI and CIJ models as well, like Highway Ones did with the USA Standards. But like you say "Fender is a business". I doubt i'll ever buy Fender new again anyway but i'm kind of pleased a handful of people seem to like these models. Good luck with them.

[SKC Willie]

Just out of curiosity, Fran.


If they called them something other than Jaguars or Jazzmasters, would you still be as unhappy about them? I guess I ask because the Jagmaster to me seems like a down grade to the Jag. I guess people like it a lot but to me adding that Strat trem was stupid and it was really Fender doing the same thing they're doing now, wasn't it? And that seems to catch on okay without ruining the Jag.

[Fran]

No i would'nt. The Jagmaster is a guitar in its own right.
Still, from a creative point of view i'd be disappointed as others here are.

[Addam]

Stratosphere are already ripping them apart...

[Haze]

dammit, if you wanted to put a jazzmaster pickup in the bridge you would have to route it a bit and fill it up enough to the right depth.

[jcyphe]

Lolz

[Fran]

I know. Its too daft to laugh at. What a scenario. *shakes head*

[Haze]

Im proud of them, they actually did something new instead of using the Classic Player template.

[Mages]

Why are there no pickup rings on the strat but there are on the other guitars?

the strat bridge sits lower than on the other guitars. if you put pickup rings on it, at most you could only raise the pickups to be flush with the rings. so they are stupid on the strat. I like them on the jag and jazzy though. looks wonderfully trashy.

[Justyn]

At least with the rangs on you can swap 'em for the triple shot splitter rings without looking that conspicuous

[Mages]

I got the triple shot w/ PAF pro on my ibanez. ruelz.

[chrismakesgod]

I think i'll get the strat and shove some WRHB in there with a tort pick guard.

I'm not too keen on any other ones though.

[brianeharmonjr]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but the strat has a 5-way switch. Pretty cool.

[Justyn]

Don't 5 way les paul style toggleys exist?

Coulda done that or some kinda splitting for the jag

Heck, I don't really where the switching controls on a jag are anyway. If you were planning on ditching the rhythm circuit anyway what I would do would be to have replace the rhythm circuit switch for mustang switch and just have it work like a regular 3 way pickup selector and then do whatever with the roller knobs.

Cleaner I think

[endsjustifymeans]

Don't 5 way les paul style toggleys exist?

I've seen them, they work wierd... like shifting a car.

[benecol]

Eh? No they don't.

► Show Spoiler

Are you sure you hadn't left the handbrake on?

[laterallateral]

Well here's a first "in the wild" look at the Jazzmaster. (for me, anyway)
Web Page Name

Looks just as gah as the promo pictures suggested, i'm afraid.