NGD fender blacktop telecaster HH

[twotimingpete]

I got this a couple weeks ago, actually, but it's my policy to give an opinion about a new guitar after a little time has passed so I can talk about it with a little more perspective.

Got it from sweetwater, this is the particular guitar:

 

I hate to keep saying how great things are, because not all that long ago I was reporting on how great my new classic vibe was. But I like this more. The build quality of this blacktop is completely out of this world. It makes the classic vibe start to seem flawed, because on this, the notes ring out forever, even if you bend. It's solid beyond belief. The neck is also a bit chunkier than the CV which I find myself liking. 

I think I've become used to putting up with a certain amount of fret slop/buzz/fretting out on sub-$1k guitars, so I've become blind to it. On this guitar, now it could easily be the case that I got lucky, but there's no fretting out. As I said, the notes ring for a ridiculously long time even if you bend hard.

The guitar is also visually beautiful to look at, much more so than I expected. I had plans to find a cream or white pickguard, but having it now I really dig the black. It's a really sharp looking guitar.

I also have to mention the belly cut. It has a strat-style bellycut, which may not be on all the telecaster models yet, but it's filtered down from the american deluxe to the american standard and it's pretty much the way of the future for Fender.

Negatives:

I'm not a fan of the amp style knobs, which is just a preference thing and easy enough to change. The only somewhat legitimate gripe is that the pickups are pretty dull sounding. They can do the job, but it takes a lot of effort to find a way to make them sound presentable. They have a strong tendency to sound kind of.. lifeless, and too dark. I'm going to need some much brighter, more lively humbuckers or maybe some humbucker sized p90 style pickups.

Overall I don't think I could recommend the blacktop enough. I've been through a number of standards that I always thought were good, but this one takes the cake. It's visually understated yet sexy, its design is a very smart, pragmatic combination of features, and it has outstanding construction. All of this means it could really be a great guitar for just about anyone to own and great for anything you want to do with it.

[DeepEnd]

Congratulations and Happy New Guitar Day. I'm in agreement on the knobs; they just don't look right. It needs regular metal knobs. As for brightening the tone, I don't know if you'd want to do this on a brand new guitar but higher impedance pots should help.

[kayd_mon]

That's a looker, for sure. HNGD!

[billybilly]

Belly cut and man sized neck for the win!  I'd change the knobs, like you, I think they belong on an amp.