The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

[astrozombie]

First thing up, the bridge pickup. I had no idea how thin and middy the stock humbucker sounded until I put in the P-rails that Immortal Six generously sent my way.

as promised, pics!

It's upside down... I wanted to get a twangier rail tone.

the pickup has done wonders for the guitar's tone, the series mode on the p 90 is HUGE and warm, the opposite of the stock humbucker.

the P 90 is a great alternative to the humbucker sound, it's still thick but isn't as warm.

the rail tone is AMAZING, on it's own it's just what I wanted from the pickup.

the middle position (remember i have a neck single coil) is so convincing you'd swear there's a strat pickup at the bridge.

the parallel humbucker tone cleans up the humbucker sound nicely.




what's next?

in the order I'll get the parts:

-locking tuners
-tremolo baseplate with locking button
-pickguard
-mastery bridge

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Awesome, man.

And again, super cool of I6!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Well done, AZ and I6.

I must say, it is very brave of you to persevere with stock Jaguar saddles.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Well done, AZ and I6.

I must say, it is very brave of you to persevere with stock Jaguar saddles.

they are a cross between the mustang saddles (single groove) and jaguar saddles (each one is adjustable).

they are not AS bad as the other ones.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Very cool. I'd love to play that guitar.

Good idea flipping the prails, too. I bet that rail with the shorter scale would give you a good dose of fender janglyness

 

[dr. ad]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

^ +1

do update us once you're better acquainted with it?

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Very cool. I'd love to play that guitar.

Good idea flipping the prails, too. I bet that rail with the shorter scale would give you a good dose of fender janglyness

the Jazzmaster isn't short scale, it's the same as the strat and tele.

here's a comparision with the jaguar (which is short scale)

notice the placement of the bridge, etc.

also, notice the bodies aren't identical (!!!)

Jazzmaster is blue, Jaguar is red.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

^ +1

do update us once you're better acquainted with it?

we're pretty good friends right now... I guess it's better to talk about the p rails and the jazzmaster after another gig.

gear feels one way at home, it feels really different live.

I heard things in my Jaguar I hadn't heard before, the guitar was blasting through a mesa stiletto towards thousands of people, lots of dynamics, I heard the guitar bloom, so to speak.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

I have a buzzstop mainly for added sustain on my Blacktop Jazzmaster and the main issue I have is the back lip of the bridge itself the string touches and the bridge setup itself as the saddles can't be flatter with the bridge raised without issues.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

I have a buzzstop mainly for added sustain on my Blacktop Jazzmaster and the main issue I have is the back lip of the bridge itself the string touches and the bridge setup itself as the saddles can't be flatter with the bridge raised without issues.

the blacktop jazzmaster doesn't need a buzz stop, the strings have a greater angle than the tradiional placement of the assembly.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

:headbang:

We need CLIPS!!!

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

:headbang:

We need CLIPS!!!

I played the guitar through a marshall JCM2000 DSL today.

tried the p rails in every postion

holy ****

ill see what i can do in terms of clips

 

[Fusion1]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

I still prefer the sound of the buzzstop installed. The even greater break angle makes a difference in a positive way.

the blacktop jazzmaster doesn't need a buzz stop, the strings have a greater angle than the tradiional placement of the assembly.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

I still prefer the sound of the buzzstop installed. The even greater break angle makes a difference in a positive way.

do you use the trem?

 

[Fusion1]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Yes I use the trem all the time. I mainly bought the Jazzmaster for the unique Jazzmaster pickup, as no other pickup can get that sound, and when clean and using the neck pickup using the tremelo is a unique sound you cannot get from any other trem. My other guitarist has a sweet 68 Jazzmaster and he recently bought a 80s US Strat and while he likes the differences he misses the tone of the Jazzmaster pickups and the tone of the trem and the tuning stability the Jazzmaster offers. He's talking about sending his strat to get a Jazzmaster tremelo and adding a Jazzmaster neck pickup.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

Yes I use the trem all the time. I mainly bought the Jazzmaster for the unique Jazzmaster pickup, as no other pickup can get that sound, and when clean and using the neck pickup using the tremelo is a unique sound you cannot get from any other trem. My other guitarist has a sweet 68 Jazzmaster and he recently bought a 80s US Strat and while he likes the differences he misses the tone of the Jazzmaster pickups and the tone of the trem and the tuning stability the Jazzmaster offers. He's talking about sending his strat to get a Jazzmaster tremelo and adding a Jazzmaster neck pickup.

he should be talking about selling the stratocaster and adding a Jazzmaster guitar.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

He likes some of the strat differences but does miss the pickups of the Jazzmaster. I'm thinking he might try adding 1 jazzmaster pickup (probably in the neck) and he'll still have JM tones as well as strat tones. His other main concern is the strat trem. He HATES it! It really doesn't suit him or our music as well as the sound of the Jazzmaster trem. His main guitar for 25+ years is the Jazzmaster. He has others but that is his favorite. I think he is getting used to the strat but just wants it more in the vein of a Jazzocaster or StratMaster hybrid.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

sadly the jazzmaster upgrade thread is no longer operational due to an impending sale.

thank you for your attention gentlemen.

 

[HerrFlick]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

similar situation:want to swap the bridge pickup but maintain the characteristics of the stock one (nice cleans/aggressive dirty tones at same time) but without the muddiness?!?should I go with the SD JB?any suggestions?

 

[kingp]

Re: The Official Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster Upgrade Thread

similar situation:want to swap the bridge pickup but maintain the characteristics of the stock one (nice cleans/aggressive dirty tones at same time) but without the muddiness?!?should I go with the SD JB?any suggestions?

I replaced the stock humbucker, in my Blacktop Jazzmaster, with the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB. I love this pickup! My next move will be to find a suitable replacement for the Duncan Designed single coil in the neck. I'm thinking of getting an Antiquity II neck pickup.