New Fender "Black Top" basses

[ggvicviper]

I tried out the P at Sam Ash yesterday. I found it on the rack, and apparently the employees didn't even notice they had it. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, I loved it. Only thing I didn't like was now the jazz knobs & double humbuckers on it made it look like some pawn shop project, but it sounded and felt GREAT. It had a brightness and thickness to it, with plenty of growl. Also just felt like a good p-bass. Thought the build quality was good a well, just like their other stuff from the Mexican factory.

I'd say they're worth the look. I actually don't understand why they're cheaper than the MIM Standard Precisions. They're both made in Mexico.

 

[nattiep]

I tried out the P at Sam Ash yesterday. I found it on the rack, and apparently the employees didn't even notice they had it. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, I loved it. Only thing I didn't like was now the jazz knobs & double humbuckers on it made it look like some pawn shop project, but it sounded and felt GREAT. It had a brightness and thickness to it, with plenty of growl. Also just felt like a good p-bass. Thought the build quality was good a well, just like their other stuff from the Mexican factory.

I'd say they're worth the look. I actually don't understand why they're cheaper than the MIM Standard Precisions. They're both made in Mexico.

I tried one yesterday and I wasn't fully impressed. I just couldn't get a tone out of it that I liked and I was surprised it had a jazz neck on it.
I guess I'm just spoiled by how my rickenbacker sounds.

 

[wagdog]

Thanks, I was wondering about volume loss. Is the bridge pup significantly quieter than the neck pup?

Yes. I tried one yesterday and was severely disappointed. Not only was the bridge P noticeably quieter (to the point of being 'why bother') but the controls worked poorly too. The neck volume behaved almost like a toggle, either full on or mostly off and the tone control worked like a volume too. Roll off the tone and the volume would roll off too, a lot. I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't.

On a positive note, I played it through a Rumble 350 with the matching 12" speaker. Nice, very very nice little rig.

 

[dgce]

I tried one yesterday and I wasn't fully impressed. I just couldn't get a tone out of it that I liked and I was surprised it had a jazz neck on it.
I guess I'm just spoiled by how my rickenbacker sounds.

Wait a minute. You're saying the P bass $$ had a Jazz style neck on it?

 

[nattiep]

Wait a minute. You're saying the P bass $$ had a Jazz style neck on it?

As far as I could tell. I'm not totally familiar with Fender's but the nut width felt like my jazz did and not like the Tony Franklin I picked up afterwards.

 

[Kurtmon]

As far as I could tell. I'm not totally familiar with Fender's but the nut width felt like my jazz did and not like the Tony Franklin I picked up afterwards.

That makes two of us

 

[dgce]

As far as I could tell. I'm not totally familiar with Fender's but the nut width felt like my jazz did and not like the Tony Franklin I picked up afterwards.

Interesting. I had been thinking all along of how cool it would be if the Blacktop P had a) a maple finger board and b) a Jazz neck. One out of two ain't bad (especially given the price).

 

[Stranger Danger]

Again, the p has a p neck and the j has a j neck.

 

[seungkoo]

I have a blacktop p coming mid week so I will take specific measurement pictures and post it. Maybe fender decided that they have too many jazz necks on shelf and put them in or it's just a placebo effect others are having. The difference between 1.5 and 1.675 Is very marginal to me so I see where people can be mistaken.

 

[guy n. cognito]

I cannot believe some members here who insist on spreading incorrect information. Guys, go look at the Fender website. The Jazz has a jazz neck and the P has a P neck. Once you play one, you won't be confused (well, if you actually have a clue on the topic.)

 

[Stranger Danger]

I have a blacktop p coming mid week so I will take specific measurement pictures and post it. Maybe fender decided that they have too many jazz necks on shelf and put them in or it's just a placebo effect others are having. The difference between 1.5 and [DEL]1.675[/DEL] 1.625 Is very marginal to me so I see where people can be mistaken.

FYP

 

[dgce]

I cannot believe some members here who insist on spreading incorrect information. Guys, go look at the Fender website. The Jazz has a jazz neck and the P has a P neck. Once you play one, you won't be confused (well, if you actually have a clue on the topic.)

Well this is what I thought until I heard differently on this thread. The Blacktop basses haven't arrived in my neck of the woods yet so I can only go by the Fender site and what info regular folks post.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Well this is what I thought until I heard differently on this thread. The Blacktop basses haven't arrived in my neck of the woods yet so I can only go by the Fender site and what info regular folks post.

Yes, and on the website, it shows that the J has a J neck and the P has a P neck.

 

[nattiep]

the P has a P neck.

That's cool and all but I picked one up and it felt just like my jazz bass. If I'm wrong due to lack of experience with Fenders.. well so be it. But to me it was nothing like the actual P bass I picked up right after.

 

[dgce]

Yes, and on the website, it shows that the J has a J neck and the P has a P neck.

and yes, a guy who actually played the instrument said otherwise which is why I asked him to verify just in case I misunderstood what he was saying. A perfectlly reasonable question given the circumstances.

 

[guy n. cognito]

and yes, a guy who actually played the instrument said otherwise which is why I asked him to verify just in case I misunderstood what he was saying. A perfectlly reasonable question given the circumstances.

Well, I wasn't really criticizing you, but another member further up who has now been spreading that rumor in two separate threads. It's confusing to members like yourself who have yet to handle the instrument.

I've handled the P. Trust me, it has a P neck (a fairly chunky one, at that!)

 

[nattiep]

Well, I wasn't really criticizing you, but another member further up who has now been spreading that rumor in two separate threads. It's confusing to members like yourself who have yet to handle the instrument.

I've handled the P. Trust me, it has a P neck (a fairly chunky one, at that!)

Well if that's the case I'm surprised I didn't hate the neck as much as I thought I would. Like I said before, I play a Rickenbacker most of the time. A 70's one with a teeny tiny neck. The only reason I wanted to try a P is the neck's nut width. It's closer to my Rick than my jazz. The only downside is front to back thickness causes my hand to cramp.

 

[dgce]

Well, I wasn't really criticizing you, but another member further up who has now been spreading that rumor in two separate threads. It's confusing to members like yourself who have yet to handle the instrument.

I've handled the P. Trust me, it has a P neck (a fairly chunky one, at that!)

Good to know. And no offense taken. Its easy to get misunderstood on these things. I'll just be happy when both the P & J Blacktops come to western Mass.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I suppose it is within the realm of possibility that Fender released these p basses with jazz necks but it seems highly unlikely. If they are thinner front to back than other p basses then that makes sense as that seems to be a trend lately and not an unwelcome one either. But what defines a jazz neck vs a precision neck is nut width not thickness.

I can see how this may be confusing for some. I recently played a Lakland 4401 for the first time and I would have sworn up and down that it was a jazz neck. But in reality it was 1.6" nut. Which puts it in between the jazz and precision. Do you wanna know how I know that? I checked the specs on their website. Whenever I try a bass for the first time, I check the published specs before posting an opinion.

Btw, I really dig that 1.6" nut!

 

[nattiep]

Well what I was getting at with the neck wasn't just thickness. my fingers were cramped up around the nut. They're not like that on my Rick and I know the Rick and the P bass are pretty close when it comes to nut width.