I absolutely love this guitar. I had a Squier Stratocaster before this guitar, and it was great, but no guitar I've ever played can do what this one does. First of all, it's got well balanced humbuckers that have a range of tones. The neck pickup is pretty mellow and almost has something reminiscent of a Jazzmaster-type sound, but when you switch to the bridge pickup you have a harsh, loud, fat thick sound that only a bridge pickup humbucker can have. The parallel position offers a range of tones that is easily managed by the tone knob. As for the looks, this guitar is perfect. I remember the first night I had it, I kept waking up and looking at it, because it looked so much better than my beat-up old strat. If you would otherwise buy a Les Paul or the Blacktop Telecaster, I'd say so with this guitar, because it looks totally cool and sounds amazing. Great work Fender!

mcvred owns this item

I own this guitar and it really is excellent for any genre

Benactonbond owns this item

Only the shape and 24" scale length connect this guitar with a vintage Jaguar, but those two similarities are enough of a draw. The offset body makes for comfortable play while sitting and the short scale is easy for those with smaller hands.

Comparing the Blacktop HH with a 60's Jaguar would be a waste of text. Just looking at the two side-by-side will be enough to convince viewers that they won't sound anything alike, and they don't. Instead I'm gonna compare this guitar with its two immediate, humbucker-equipped, predecessors; the Special Edition and the Classic Player HH. I own all three and each is a different cat.

The Blacktop trumps the Special Edition in almost every way. Most importantly, the pickups on the Blacktop are better. Its Hot Vintage Alnicos are louder, brighter, and offer greater string definition than the Dragsters found on the SE. The only things lacking from the Blacktop found on the SE are a high-filter switch and a matching headstock. Now, I know what you're asking: "What about all the controls that are missing on the Blacktop?" Except for the filter, they are functionally still all there. On old-school Jags, at any time, half of the controls are non-functional; which half is dependent on the position of the rhythm/lead switch. If you take all the controls on a vintage Jaguar and subtract half of them, you come out to roughly the same number that are on the Blacktop if you count each position on the toggle switch.

Unfortunately for the Blacktop, it compares rather unfavorably to the Classic Player HH. The Blacktop's only advantages over the CP are its price and its bullet-style headstock, which makes the truss rod easier to get at than the CP's vintage adjustment point at the bottom of the neck. Fender rewired the old Jaguar controls on the Classic Player HH to utilize them better which increased its ability to model sound in ways not possible on a Blacktop. The Blacktop's lack of a tremolo system will also be missed by some. Finally, although the Hot Vintage Alnico pickups have about the same output as the Enforcers installed on the CP, the Enforcers are better balanced.

So there you have it. The Blacktop HH is a comfortable, functional guitar at a modest price. Its streamlined controls make it an excellent entry-level Jag with enough power and versatility for years of play. Those new to Jaguars will love it, but veteran Jag owners will enjoy other models better. For those interested in a humbucker-equipped Jag with the cash to afford it, seek ye the Classic Player HH.

oninoyakamo owns this item

My first electric I owned is this guitar, I love everything this guitar has to offer from the feel of the jags weight to the tone. It is a mean guitar. I was impressed.

wingedpinscher owns this item

The weight, the feel of the neck, the short scale, the stop tail, the humbuckers, everything about this is great...except the tone control. BUT, it is easily remedied by using a lower value pot for the tone. I used a 100K(didn't have any 250K lying around to try) and it gives you more control over the tone instead of having the abrupt switch to muffled wet blanket sounds. You still get that muffled tone, but you can ease into it and you still get those great chimey tones going the other way with it. The only other thing I think that would make this guitar better would be a coil tap. But it may not make that much of a difference, I've yet to try that. I've had no problem with the switch that some people seem to have. Mine is a FSR from GC in Sea Foam Pearl with the bound neck. It's a great guitar at a great price, my only regret is not buying one sooner.

Dr. Satan owns this item

I bought this instrument because I wanted a good quality instrument, but at a decent price. The instrument is nicely balanced, and just feels right. The neck is smooth and easy to play. To my ear it sounds great. That said, the instrument has two flaws. The three way switch is poor quality. The Tone potentiometer is completely useless and has absolutely no effect on the instrument. It would have been much more "cool" if it just had a single volume knob. Aside from these two flaws the guitar is great. If you don't agree....Turn it up!

rflindall owns this item

I have the FSR version of this but basically the same guitar. For the money this instrument is brilliant. I have another Japanese Jaguar which really gets it's ass kicked by this. Perfect for the player who likes the look of the Jaguar but hates all the fiddly and endless control on a classic model.

Darlison owns this item

I picked up one at my local GC, mainly based on it's looks. I was pleasantly suprised at the playability and comfort of the body. I bought it because I wanted a guitar with humbuckers. The PU's on the guitar weren't really the sound I was going for. Not that they are bad, just not what I wanted (They are better suited for high gain applications, which I don't do). Overall though, the guitar is a great value and see myself keeping it for quite some time

schwerve owns this item

Simply, this guitar is fender's "monster". With thick and heavy sound also the aggressive tones make this guitar awesome and roar like a monster. I recommend this guitar for metal player who want to have a heavy sound and aggressive beauty fender tones, but this guitar also compatible with any music genre and it is depend on you too. Easy to use and player friendly. And the first reason I bought this guitar because the jaguar design, sexiest guitar design ever.So, buy Fender Blacktop Jaguar, train your skill and be awesome.

luthfireal owns this item

This was the first Fender I'd bought about two years ago. Although I would've enjoyed the classic Jaguar switches and a more reliable nut on the head stock this guitar has done nothing but good for me. I got this bad boy in Sea foam green and with the right the tone of this guitar provides a very nice boost to any players repertoire. I strongly recommend this guitar for any players in the alternative, indie, rock, funk, or jazz genre, although this could be used in any genre with the proper work. Overall this guitar is definitely a must have!!!