Mass Resonator

The Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster - stripped down & hot-rodded up!

(Check out Part One for our take on the Strat and Tele!)

The new Fender Blacktop Series  has really been an incredibly pleasant surprise!! Here you’ve got classic guitar models (the Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster and Jaguar), souped up with humbuckers (and in the Jazzmaster case, a hum and a single), plus killer fit and finish all at a nice price of $449. While these don’t come with cases, we honestly think they really deliver on every count. These are made in Mexico and might I add, well made! Nice frets, great necks…the burst on the Jazzmaster is great and the silver finish on the Jag – wow! Super sharp.

Here’s Brian’s take on the Jazzmaster:

There are a lot of players that do interesting mods to their guitars in the attempt to find the perfect tone.  Our owner, John Flynn, recently special ordered a guitar with a humbucker in the bridge position and a P-90 in the neck.  I thought, “huh…what a cool idea!”.  Low and behold, the Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster arrives…with this exact pickup configuration!  Fender has really taken into consideration what gigging musicians and players are looking for out of their instruments with the new Blacktop series.  This guitar has a nice, traditional Fender appearance and vibe with a larger med-jumbo fret for comfortable playability.  These guitars have been an instant hit here in the store.  On every level, this is an incredible value.

The Fender Blacktop Jaguar is about as sleek as it gets folks!

Here’s Brian’s take on the Jag:

Yet another ultra sweet guitar in the Blacktop series!!  This killer hot-rodded Blacktop Jaguar HH plays extremely well right out of the gate and sounds like a rock machine plugged into a Marshall half stack we have in the store.  There has been a lot of hype on these guitars and I’m here to tell you that this guitar lives up to it.  Gloss finished neck and headstock, highly polished frets and a great over all weight is something you normally find in a higher priced instrument, but Fender has managed to put together this sweet little guitar under $500!  Don’t let the price fool you.  The only thing cheap about this guitar is the price.  Quality control is set high.  Of course, with every new purchase, Mass Street Music includes a free setup, so if you prefer a different gauge of string, we can set it up specifically per your request.  The Fender Blacktops rock! – Brian S.

These are seriously a lot of bang for the buck and a nice turn for Fender. The only problem is figuring out which one to get…

New Fender Hot Rod Deluxe delivers even better classic sound!

Fender has hit it out of the park on these new Hot Rod III series amps!  First thing worth noting is the new speaker on the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and 2×12 Fender Hot Rod Deville models.  The Celestion 80 GP12P-80 gives this amp a tighter low end, which is great for higher gain settings so it doesn’t get flabby.  This speaker addition also adds a nice richness and sparkle to these amps.  Cleans are more reminiscent of old blackface Fender tones.  The new footswitch Fender includes is built quite a bit better than the previous model.  It’s overbuilt with all metal casing and a stiff rubber material for its sides instead of plastic.  You can toss this thing around in your gear cases for years and have no problems! All around, Fender made great improvements on an already killer amp line. – Brian S.