I think the
Blacktop series is one of the best series that Fender has introduced in a
while. The original series itself included a Jazz bass with P pickups, a
P-Bass with humbuckers and a Strat and Tele with alnicos. It’s a really solid
lineup, and if I were a guitarist I would be all over the guitar variations.
However today I’m talking about the bass, specifically the P-bass.
A year ago I was
in a search for THE bass. The one that I wouldn’t have to replace in a long
time and the one that could handle whatever I threw at it. Fender has generally
been the move for me when it comes to 4 strings. I’m comfortable with them, I
know them and I can shred on them. I wanted something a bit different this time
around, already having my traditional Precision and Jazz bases (pun intended)
covered.
I was leaning
towards a couple of Fender models, especially the 70’s Jazz Bass, which is
still on the “I want this” list. However I saw a bass that I hadn’t seen in too
many stores that day and I kind of had to try it. Enter the Blacktop. My previous
experience with humbuckers had been with active 5ers and a Thunderbird. Those
were ok but didn’t really blow me away. I plug this thing in and there it is.
That tone.
I generally try to
demo basses with some covers. I try songs that require different tones and
movement. That day it was “2112” by Rush and “Content”/ “Leaving New York” by
The Picturesque. On “2112” especially this bass sang.
It took me a few
months to accurately compare its tone to something. One day I had the
realization that it sounds like a Rick. It gets that sort of growly purr that
those basses can. This is rad for a variety of reasons. I value dexterity when
it comes to my instruments. I have a variety, but nothing that could touch the
Rick thing, which is a tone of it’s own. I’ve always wanted a Rickenbacker, and
still do, but I don’t have that kind of money readily available. This Fender
can hit that tone, but it does it by still being distinctly Fender. I don’t
really know what “Distinctively Fender” means. The sensation I’m trying to
describe is the feel of a Fender with a tone that was something else, but yet
something familiar at the same time. It
was Fender in feel and sound, but at the same time it wasn’t.
I have basses
that sing, I have basses that growl and I have basses that purr. If I need to I
can make any of my basses go where I need them. However those other basses don't roar on command. I usually
add some overdrive to my tone when running my Jazz or P basses. I don’t with
this one. I don’t need to. It’s such a responsive thing, If I dig in I get the
growl right back. If I want crunch I just need to dig in a bit more and if I want to
lay back I just need to simmer down a bit. It’s one of the most responsive
basses I own.
The Blacktop
series it seems has been discontinued, which sucks. The guitars look rad and
the P-bass is a deadly weapon. I’ve been on the lookout for one of the black
models to mod, hopefully one day I’ll be able to build my “Stealth” p-bass. But
my silver one will be around for a while. It was just one of those weird
occurrences where you find THE instrument.
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