Gotoh (Fender style high mass equivalent). Hipshot tuners. I really wish I knew they had lollipops then.
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Fender Blacktop Club
- Thread starter Stranger Danger
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Gotoh (Fender style high mass equivalent). Hipshot tuners. I really wish I knew they had lollipops then.
I just picked up one of the pbass ones. Anyone here substitute their bridge with a Hipshot kicka$$ bridge yet? I'm bottomed out and could still drop the action a bit, but don't want to shim the neck yet.
I have a set of DR Neon Yellow strings I've been thinking of putting on my Aerodyne. Now I have an idea of what it'd look like, so thanks for that.
Details, please! How did you come by such a well-preserved Blacktop? Did you get it for a good price? Inquiring minds want to know!
P.S.: If the Kicka$$ bridge works out for you, I'll gladly throw you some bucks for the original bridge.
I came by it through a trade for another bass that wasn't working out for me. The bass I traded it for cost me $600. So not a massive "deal" like I've seen mentioned here. It came with the case. Frankly the prices on these have gone way up. I wanted an unusual black pbass and this fit the bill. It has its' share of dings. Once again I actually like that.Details, please! How did you come by such a well-preserved Blacktop? Did you get it for a good price? Inquiring minds want to know!
P.S.: If the Kicka$$ bridge works out for you, I'll gladly throw you some bucks for the original bridge.
It had some minor ski jump so I pulled and adjusted the neck. It's pretty flat now, but after setting it up I noticed the bridge issue. I dressed and polished the frets and the new bridge comes in tomorrow. I'd happily sell you the bridge. The neck pocket has pretty deep. I could definitely shim and fix, but I like the murdered out look and brass saddles. Hopefully it sounds close to the same as before. I also sanded the back of the neck with 800 grit paper to take down the gloss. I may roll the fretboard edges as well.
I do wish the pickups we're a little lower output, so I may drop them a bit. The neck is practically jazz bass like. It's less girthy than my other pbass neck. I'll probably need to get used to that. Overall I dig it. I also love tinkering if you haven't figured that out.
@deff; Considering how much the prices have gone up for used Blacktops (recently, $700+ for a $500 MSRP model!), you got a very good deal, especially if it came with a padded hard-shell case. As for the specs, I'm 99.5% sure both the BT Jazzes and Precisions were simply the MIM Standards of the 2011-13 era, but with different pickups*, bridges and headstock decals. It makes me curious what the differences and similarities would be with the current crop of MIM Players.
*: The original write-ups for the Jazzes listed them as having "Blacktop Precision Pickups". Dunno if they were any different than those of the Standard Precisions of the time, but I, for one, would love to see a side-by-side comparison...markings, measurements, VU meter, a demo of one in a normal Precision bass, etc... That'd be cool.
*: The original write-ups for the Jazzes listed them as having "Blacktop Precision Pickups". Dunno if they were any different than those of the Standard Precisions of the time, but I, for one, would love to see a side-by-side comparison...markings, measurements, VU meter, a demo of one in a normal Precision bass, etc... That'd be cool.
Have you used DR Neons before? I bought a set about 13 years ago as an experiment. It turns out, they sound great! But I found I kept losing my fret markers in poor light -- the brightness of the strings just overwhelmed my vision. When I thought I could see them, I was invariably one fret off, so my eyes weren't seeing what I thought they were seeing. So I had to do something about that.I have a set of DR Neon Yellow strings I've been thinking of putting on my Aerodyne. Now I have an idea of what it'd look like, so thanks for that.
Where I was living at the time, my local music store was located near a fisherman supply place. I looked around in there and happened upon some fishing lure stickers. That turned out to be the perfect stuff -- designed to reflect light in low light situations, and with adhesive designed to keep the stickers stuck in harsh environments. I bend the stickers over the edge of the fretboard so they're visible from the front and from above.
My main bass for about 7-8 years was a Warmoth 3-pickup jazz. I put the stickers on about 8 years ago, and only in the last year or so has the edge of one sticker started coming a little loose (the rest of it is still sticking just fine.
DR Neons really pop on a black bass.
I haven't used the Neons yet, but I've tried a few, different DR Black Beauties sets. The first set I had was pretty damn great. Sadly, every time I've tried them since, they just don't seem to have the same "magic" that first set brought to the table. Not terrible, just missing a bit o' top-end, like maybe the coating was a bit thicker and choking off some of the treble? I'm not sure.
I have a set of Dean Markley Nexus black-coated strings on my Aerodyne, but it's seen so little usage that I can't really say much about them, only that they sound a little better than the successive Black Beauties I encountered after that first set.
Someday, I'll try the Neons, I just need to figure out which bass they'll look best on. Probably the Aerodyne, but we'll see. (I dig black & yellow together...it kinda makes me think "DANGER", like Caution Tape or something.
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Interesting. My only experience with the Black Beauties was on a modified Rickenbacker -- beautiful tone with a sparkling top end. I have a bass being built now that will have Black Beauties on it, and I bought several sets in preparation for that. I hope I don't have a similar experience to yours, that would be very disappointing.I haven't used the Neons yet, but I've tried a few, different DR Black Beauties sets. The first set I had was pretty damn great. Sadly, every time I've tried them since, they just don't seem to have the same "magic" that first set brought to the table. Not terrible, just missing a bit o' top-end, like maybe the coating was a bit thicker and choking off some of the treble? I'm not sure.
With the hipshot I can get the action on top of the board if I want. Plus brass saddles!
FYI, I have only used one set of Black Beauties, but I've used dozens of sets of Neons. I've only had one set that didn't give me all the brightness I wanted, and I suspect it was more the bass than the strings.I haven't used the Neons yet, but I've tried a few, different DR Black Beauties sets. The first set I had was pretty damn great. Sadly, every time I've tried them since, they just don't seem to have the same "magic" that first set brought to the table. Not terrible, just missing a bit o' top-end, like maybe the coating was a bit thicker and choking off some of the treble? I'm not sure.
I have a set of Dean Markley Nexus black-coated strings on my Aerodyne, but it's seen so little usage that I can't really say much about them, only that they sound a little better than the successive Black Beauties I encountered after that first set.
Someday, I'll try the Neons, I just need to figure out which bass they'll look best on. Probably the Aerodyne, but we'll see. (I dig black & yellow together...it kinda makes me think "DANGER", like Caution Tape or something.
Irma will be going to the tech after a few more parts-n-pieces come in...she has new pickups and new controls (not pictured yet).
The neck needs reallignment, new neck plate to be installed and action and intonation addressed. And she got a bump in shipping from Guitar Center in W. Springfield, MA so maybe a little attention to the finish. The new pickguard looks good.
The neck needs reallignment, new neck plate to be installed and action and intonation addressed. And she got a bump in shipping from Guitar Center in W. Springfield, MA so maybe a little attention to the finish. The new pickguard looks good.
Pic(s) and a story? You're in! I haven't been assigning any numbers for quite some time, but buried somewhere in the previous pages is a "Master List", but it's way, waaaaay out of date.
I've been waiting to see if anyone else wants to take the reins and update it, but to be honest, activity on this thread is so "Feast or Famine" that there's really not a lot to it.
Yeah, it's been 10 years or about that the blacktop models were release. depends on how many come up for sale and log on here. Probably not many new numbers to add. Still, mods and such are still interesting
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