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Fender Blacktop Club

#241
oysteivi said:
Señor Jazz, Señor Blacktop, and Mr. Precision reporting for duty, sir!

(Yeah, I do like fenders :bassist:)..
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As you were, soldier! ;)

"Number 25" goes to oysteivi. Welcome to The Cabal of Tops That Are Black!

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It's like looking at an obvious sister/brother pair…with the "red-headed stepchild" in the middle. :D

I'll update the Master List at the end of the month. I'm still waiting for a couple of people to send pics (I don't care if they're even crappy cellphone pics) so I can get their numbers sorted out.

Later, All!
 
#242
duke2004 said:
What is the general conclusion on how to deal with the radical tone roll off on the last 1/8 turn of tone knob, while the rest of the rotation of the pot does little to change the tone? Is this a pot, capacitor or just "life with two P pickups" issue?
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My experience is most tone caps work like that. I have never seen one that changed evenly throughout the entire sweep of the knob.
 
#243
duke2004 said:
What is the general conclusion on how to deal with the radical tone roll off on the last 1/8 turn of tone knob, while the rest of the rotation of the pot does little to change the tone? Is this a pot, capacitor or just "life with two P pickups" issue?
Click to expand...

I had the same issue but mine was more with the volume. My solution was dropping in a Audere JZ3 pre-amp. I have been very happy ever since. Reason for my choice? Ease of install and, thanks to my fellow TBers input, the fact that the Audere sounds clear and does not seem to 'color' the tone much at all. I now have good control of volume and a variety of tonal options at my fingertips, just like I like it! As always, YMMV!
 
#244
I have a Blacktop Jazz body in transit from the world of eBay, and a MIM neck that will fit it here at home. I have an opportunity to snag the stock electronics and guard for a pretty good price. I know there are plenty of "better" P pickups available, but here's what's got me thinking:

I think I read somewhere that these P pickups are not like normal P pickups, but have the impedance and output of Jazz Bass pickups. I've also read that the stock pots are 500K. Are the stock pickups --or, more importantly, is the resulting tone-- "different" enough that it would make more sense to choose them for this application over more highly regarded pickups from some other manufacturer? Or would I be better off with better pickups of the normal P stripe?

I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on anything by passing on more expensive pickups --basically, I need to KNOW that I'm not missing out on anything, or I'll just end up spending the extra money-- but neither do I want to buy a pair and then have to solder, unsolder, resolder the stock and flip the new set because the difference was negligible or nonexistent or not positive.
 
#245
RBrownBass said:
I have a Blacktop Jazz body in transit from the world of eBay, and a MIM neck that will fit it here at home. I have an opportunity to snag the stock electronics and guard for a pretty good price. I know there are plenty of "better" P pickups available, but here's what's got me thinking:

I think I read somewhere that these P pickups are not like normal P pickups, but have the impedance and output of Jazz Bass pickups. I've also read that the stock pots are 500K. Are the stock pickups --or, more importantly, is the resulting tone-- "different" enough that it would make more sense to choose them for this application over more highly regarded pickups from some other manufacturer? Or would I be better off with better pickups of the normal P stripe?

I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on anything by passing on more expensive pickups --basically, I need to KNOW that I'm not missing out on anything, or I'll just end up spending the extra money-- but neither do I want to buy a pair and then have to solder, unsolder, resolder the stock and flip the new set because the difference was negligible or nonexistent or not positive.
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Once again I don't think modding before you even put together the instrument much less actually receive it makes any sense whatsoever. Just get the body, put a neck on it and play it like crazy and see if you like it or not. If not then change the strings. If that doesn't work then think about pickups.
 
#246
StrangerDanger said:
Once again I don't think modding before you even put together the instrument much less actually receive it makes any sense whatsoever. Just get the body, put a neck on it and play it like crazy and see if you like it or not. If not then change the strings. If that doesn't work then think about pickups.
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Sorry, I didn't make clear that the new body has no pickups or pots, comes with only the bridge. So I have to buy some electronics regardless, and I have a choice between the stock guts and whatever else.
 
#250
StrangerDanger said:
I'd get Curtis Novak to make me a custom set.
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Thanks! I looked 'em up, and they're a bit on the pricey side for a MIM bass. Optimally, I'd like to stay within, say, $65-70 a pickup, which is safely Duncan & DiMarzio (and maybe used Bart) territory. I may just go with the stock guts if they're still around in a few days when the body gets here and I can see where this is going to go.
 
#253
RBrownBass said:
Thanks! I looked 'em up, and they're a bit on the pricey side for a MIM bass. Optimally, I'd like to stay within, say, $65-70 a pickup, which is safely Duncan & DiMarzio (and maybe used Bart) territory. I may just go with the stock guts if they're still around in a few days when the body gets here and I can see where this is going to go.
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In that case, dimarzios all the way.
 
#256
Hey Guys. I used to own a Blacktop Jazz and foolishly got rid of it. Now I have a chance to buy another one, but I noticed something off about it and wondering if this is common...

I noticed that the E string seems to be in a couple of mm's in from the edge of the fretboard than it should be, also that string don't go directly between the poles of the neck pickup, it seems to be almost centered over the inside pole for the E string!!

Other than that it seems fine, It has all original hardware and electronics and don't seem to be damaged anywhere. ALso all the other strings seem to line up fine, it is just the E string that is different. I wish I had taken a pic of it today.

Any info would be appreciated.
 
#260
Strat Hater said:
I guess no one else has noticed this about the BT Jazz??
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In most of the images I've seen, the strings and neck are aligned properly. These include post-purchase images by new owners, not just "perfect bass" stock photos from the manufacturer. It might be that your bass is in the minority regarding this issue.

Have you tried the Leo Shuffle (see if there's enough slop in the neck pocket to loosen, reposition and retighten the neck) yet? Or, if it's really off and repositioning would bend the screws, maybe you can have it doweled and redrilled.
 

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