Fender Blacktop Strat

Overview

If you have always been into the feel of Fender Stratocasters but not into the sound of single coil pickups, you might want to check out the Fender Blacktop series Strats. The Blacktops come with Hot Vintage AlNiCo Humbucking Pickup that have some pretty sweet chrome pickup covers on them for additional vibe!

These guys are made in Mexico, but the special Blacktop features really give them a bit more of an expensive feel than the standard made in Mexico Strats. One of the main contributors to this more elegant feel is the gloss urethane finish on the back of the neck.

Price – 8.5/10

At $499 the Blacktop Strats are really not that much more expensive than the standard Mexican made Strats. I think that this is a pretty good price especially if you like the feel of a finished neck!

Sound Quality – 8/10

I generally like single coils in the neck position of my guitars, but the humbucker in the neck position of this guitar was quite nice sounding. The alder body on this guitar kind of evened out the tone of the humbuckers and kept them from getting muddy or overly dark sounding. If you are looking for a guitar that is kind of in between the sound of a standard Strat and a Les Paul, the Blacktop series really delivers.

Build Quality – 8/10

The build quality of the Blacktop Strat was pretty standard as far as made in Mexico Strats go, but the special Blacktop features did kick the feel and vibe up a notch. Other than the pickups, knobs and finish on the neck, the Blacktop Strat is pretty similar to the standard made in Mexico Strats.

Features – 8.5/10

• Alder Body
• 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
• 9.5” Fretboard Radius
• Gloss Urethane Neck Finish
• 25.5” Scale
• 2 Hot Vintage AlNiCo Humbuckers
• 5 Position Blade Pickup Selector Switch
• 1 Master Volume Knob
• 2 Tone Knobs
• Standard Tuning Machines
• Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo
• Comes With 9 Gauge Strings
• 3-Ply Pick Guard
• Skirted Amp Knobs
• Maple or Rosewood Fretboard Option
• Colors: Sonic Blue, Black or Candy Apple Red

Ease of Use – 8.5/10

This guitar was easy to plug in and play right out of the box. I did end up making some minor set-up changes, but that is to be expected with any new guitar. I also changed the string gauge from 9’s to 10’s and the guitar handled it very well.

Pros

• Nice even tone! Not too dark and not too bright.
• Great feeling neck
• Nice colors
• Maple or Rosewood fretboard option.
• Cool and unusual Strat vibe

Cons

• No bag included
• Some people might not like the finished neck

Overall Rating – 8.3/10

Even though I don’t normally play guitars with humbuckers in the neck I really enjoyed this guitar. The overall look and vibe is just different enough from a standard Strat to be really unique, but it still retains that classic Strat feel. If you have always loved the way Strats feel but needed the power of humbuckers the Blacktop Strat might be for you.