Modded Blacktop Jazzmaster

stilwel · Post by **stilwel** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 12:43 am

Picked up a Black & White Blacktop Jazzmaster about a month ago.

Here's where I started...bone stock.

Swapped for a BWB pickguard:

Installed a WD brushed gold pickguard, Kent Armstrong P90, Staytrem 9.5" bridge, aged-white neck pickup cover and tips.

After going with a WD Tort guard and some off-white witch hats, here's where I ultimately landed:

The Staytrem bridge is the best thing to ever happen to Jazzmasters & Jaguars. If you haven't tried one, I highly recommend it. The guitar just feels so much more solid now.

The Kent Armstrong P90 is a close 2nd in terms of huge changes for this guitar. This pickup has a great range of tones on clean & dirty settings. Such a massive upgrade over the stock humbucker.

I can say without a doubt this is the best Jazzmaster I've ever owned.

Post by **Doog** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:49 pm

SEXY

I love how that P90 looks with the ring, somehow works so well!

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:05 pm

Neat colour combo... Looks like mine!

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:07 pm

Havin'a a tort and black party, in here?

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:57 pm

That does look pretty hot.
I'm still wanting to get one and put a P-Rail in the bridge. The Staytrem is a fantastic idea to go with it.

stilwel · Post by **stilwel** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:16 pm

Ankhanu wrote:That does look pretty hot.
I'm still wanting to get one and put a P-Rail in the bridge. The Staytrem is a fantastic idea to go with it.

A few years back I had a BTJM with a P-Rail in the bridge. Also a great option...but I usually found I was in P90 mode.
From memory, this Kent Armstrong P90 sounds better to me than the P-Rail did in P90 mode.

stilwel · Post by **stilwel** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:17 pm

timhulio wrote:Neat colour combo... Looks like mine!

Nice! I wish my Tort guard had a more pronounced white outline. I think the one I got might be mint green in the inner layer instead of white <sigh>

Post by **Mike** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:23 am

stilwel wrote:The Staytrem bridge is the best thing to ever happen to Jazzmasters & Jaguars. If you haven't tried one, I highly recommend it. The guitar just feels so much more solid now.

100% agree. I have one on my VM Jaguar and it's just great. I'm thinking of getting a 7.25" one for my old Jag also which is currently sporting a 70s Mustang bridge (still get some low E slippage every now and then)

Great stuff!

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:36 am

Mike wrote:
stilwel wrote:The Staytrem bridge is the best thing to ever happen to Jazzmasters & Jaguars. If you haven't tried one, I highly recommend it. The guitar just feels so much more solid now.
100% agree. I have one on my VM Jaguar and it's just great. I'm thinking of getting a 7.25" one for my old Jag also which is currently sporting a 70s Mustang bridge (still get some low E slippage every now and then)

Great stuff!

Yeah, I have a Mustang bridge on my Jag, low-E slips all the time, and occasionally the high-e too. Definitely interested in one of these.
Does the bridge cover fit the Staytrem bridge?

Post by **Mike** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 4:21 pm

I dunno, I don't have a bridge cover. If I did I wouldn't use it anyway, they feel weird to me.

BearBoy · Post by **BearBoy** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 4:30 pm

Bloke on

got it to fit: LANK

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:13 pm

Mike wrote:I dunno, I don't have a bridge cover. If I did I wouldn't use it anyway, they feel weird to me.

Yeah, I bought one, but it doesn't spend much time on the guitar... through that's partially due to the string slippage thing, partially because, yeah, it feels weird. Certainly wouldn't stop me from installing a StayTrem if it didn't fit.

stilwel · Post by **stilwel** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:27 pm

I don't understand why anyone would use a bridge cover. Seems like it would seriously limit your technique....no palm muting on the bridge.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:58 pm

I don't tend to palm mute, but, the cover doesn't limit it very much with these bridges, the string is exposed close enough to the saddle that muting is still effective without being overkill. But, it does feel weird, as you're coming in from an oddly high angle.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:12 pm

WHERE'D YOU GET THE MATCHING HUMBUCKER RING?!?!

stilwel · Post by **stilwel** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:40 am

theshadowofseattle wrote:WHERE'D YOU GET THE MATCHING HUMBUCKER RING?!?!

The Kent Armstrong P90 comes with the ring...which is angled a bit.

For those interested in putting one in a BT JM, you want the version at the link below, which is NOT the RW/RP version. And when you wire it up, you want to swap the red& white leads so that Red is HOT. This will give you hum cancelling in the middle switch position.

http://www.wdmusic.com/WPU900IV_P.html

BTW...you can't tell from the pics, but the P90 is more of a cream color while the JM cover, and tips are Aged White. The witch hats are somewhere between white and aged white. It all got washed out a bit in the picture to look more white.

Closeup of the witch hats.

Modded Blacktop Jazzmaster

Modded Blacktop Jazzmaster

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Re: Modded Blacktop Jazzmaster