Model Fender Highway One Stratocaster
Intro Introduced in July of 2006, the upgraded Highway One Stratocaster is Fender’s least expensive American Made Strat, and as such has been highly touted as the obvious answer for those guitar players longing for American Made quality at a reasonable price.
The guitar sports some nice amenities––including a set of suped-up “hot” singlecoil pickups (reverse wound/reverse polarity in the middle position,) a satin nitro lacquer finish, and Fender’s Greasebucket Tone Circuit––though to my mind there are some downsides to the design as well.
While the Highway One Stratocaster will undoubtedly be a perfect fit for many guitar players, especially those prone to high-gain mayhem (these pickups sounds phenomenal with a little overdrive,) I do have to say that the three guitars I played for this review weren’t particularly comfortable in the neck department.
Of course, your experience may vary.
Specs
- Alder body
- Maple neck (modern C-shape)
- Rosewood or Maple fretboard w/22 jumbo frets (9.5” radius)
- A trio of Hot singlecoil Strat pickups w/Alnico 3 magnets
- Greasebucket Tone Circuit on bridge & neck pickups
- Master volume knob and 5-way pickup switching
- Vintage style synchronized tremolo and Fender/Ping Standard tuners
- 3-ply parchment pickguard, fat ‘70s-style headstock, and original body shape
- H/S/H pickup routing and a deluxe gig bag
The guitar’s Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish (no poly here!) comes in Honey Blonde (shown,) Flat Black, Wine Transparent, Daphne Blue, and 3-Color Sunburst.
What I Liked Nice, nice finish… OK, it’s not for everyone, and it certainly brings a unique look to the Highway One, but if you’re at all enamored of a satin finish, and if you’ve been looking to get into a guitar that doesn’t look like it’s been dipped in a vat of gooey varnish, well, this one’s a no-brainer.
In my experience people who’ve never played a Strat with a true nitrocellulose finish tend to underestimate its effect on tone and sustain, but to my ears a nitro-finished guitar sounds richer, with more sonic subtleties, and with just a little more oomph. Of course, that delicate finish tends to scratch easily, but the upside is that you get an instrument that should age beautifully––kind of like a nice bottle of wine.
I also really liked the electronics in the Highway One Strat, though once again, this really comes down to personal preference, and what exactly you want to do with your guitar.
For instance, while the hot Alnico 3 single-coils absolutely pop, and they sound great pushing a tube-amp or pumped through a nice high-gain distortion pedal, I found that clean tones lacked the warmth of a vintage-style single-coil––not a big deal for someone who wants to push their Strat into the heavy shred zone, but a possible deal breaker for those who prefer that old-school Stratocaster squawk.
Another plus is Fender’s Greasebucket Tone Circuit, which modifies the traditional Strat wiring by providing tone control for the bridge pickup instead of the middle, and helps to ease back on the high-end without adding weighty low-end bass into the mix. While I didn’t mess around with this feature a whole lot during my testing (that’s just the kind of player I am… I tend to dial in a nice tone and then stay put,) I can definitely see its uses, and it makes for a great extra touch.
The Highway One’s tremolo worked as advertised, and while I’m not a huge user of this feature I did find the whole thing to stay in tune quite nicely even after judicious use. Tuners work well, too, and of course the Highway One sports a ’70s style oversized headstock––a feature you may love or hate, though I could personally go either way. It would undoubtedly look a lot better (and not so out of place,) in an aged-yellow finish instead of Fender’s current lackluster greyish tint.
What I Didn’t Like Having read rave reviews about this guitar, and considering the sheer number of readers who’ve written me about their much-loved Highway One Stratocasters, I was surprised to find that I personally didn’t like the necks on these instruments at all.
Now don’t get me wrong––as I always emphasize in my reviews, neck shape and comfort is highly subjective, and every guitarist has a different hand size, different neck-profile preference, and a different style of playing––but all that said, the maple modern C-shaped neck on the Highway One Strat (2006 version) is one of the more uncomfortable that I’ve come across… and if you follow this blog you know I’ve been playing a lot of Strats lately.
To be honest with you, I’m pretty sure it’s not the neck shape itself that’s to blame, but more than likely just a rather unfortunate combination of modern C-shape profile, satin finish on the back of the neck (definitely an acquired taste,) a decidedly sticky fretboard (could go away over time, but maybe not) and a set of very large Jumbo-sized frets.
I know, I know––there are folks out there who love huge frets, and believe me, I’m not a fan of those extra-skinny vintage wires either––but I found the frets on the Highway One to be so oversized as to make the whole fretboard feel clunky and almost toyish. Of course, if this is your style of fret then I say more power to ya’, but it’s definitely not my bag, and something you might want to be aware of; particularly if you’re considering purchasing one sight unseen.
In an attempt to be perfectly fair, I actually played three of these guitars during the review process (just to be sure I hadn’t stumbled onto a lemon,) but my over all take on the Highway One Strat’s neck/fretboard/fret combination was basically this: slow, sticky, and a bit difficult to play.
Final Word All griping aside however, the Highway One Stratocaster offers a number of excellent plusses for the guitar player searching for an American Made Strat at a reasonable price, though there are some trade-offs that need to be considered.
Fans of mega-sized frets and big, fat necks may well fall in love with this instrument, as will those who tend to travel in high-gain territory.
The Highway One Stratocaster does some things very well, but it most certainly is not your father’s Strat, so while I always recommend actually playing a guitar before you purchase it (now there’s a statement that would’ve sounded strange ten years ago,) with the Highway One Stratocaster I think it’s a true necessity–– that way you can better judge how this neck works for your hands and fretting style. :: Updated 10-22-2009.
- My Quest For The Perfect Strat
- Sustain For Days… Fender’s Highway One Stratocaster
- Fender Unveils New Highway One Strats, Teles, And Basses
- Prototype For Fender’s Highway One Strat Is Now Up For Grabs
- A Closer Look: Fender’s New Highway One Stratocaster
- Fender’s American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS
- Fender Giving Away An Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Stratocaster
- New For 2006: Fender’s Deluxe Power Stratocaster
- One Red-Hot Rig: Fender’s Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster
- Fender Unveils George Fullerton 50th Anniversary Stratocaster & Pro Jr Combo
- Sneak Preview Of Fender’s Upcoming Yngwie Malmsteen Tribute Series Stratocaster
- Holy Crud! Fender Introduces Digital Stratocaster!
June 5th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Played one of these last week and really dug it, but to be fair, I didn’t play a standard American or a Deluxe to compare it with… which is what I would obviously do before I made any big decisions. I also played a Highway One telecaster as well, but felt the strat was more comfortable to play. As for the finish, I adore it. I actually played a daphne blue one which my wife said looked, well… let’s just say emasculating. I think the Honey Blonde or 3 Tone Burst would be awesome.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
wow…Cary, that’s a strong sentiment against the neck. Did you feel like there was too much finish on the neck? I’ve seen some interesting relic’ing sites that detail some ways to strip off the finish and give MIM strats a relic feel….. I would assume you could do the same with one of these.
I owned a 2003 Highway One for about 20 days, and whilst it felt ok, I just could not get the kind of sound out of it that I was looking for out of the “standard” pickups…also, I never really quite liked the satin finish on the body. I ended up playing about $500 more for an American Deluxe.
Out of curiosity, you’ve played the MIM 60’s Strat model which is approximately the same price as this Highway One. How would you compare the two? Would you go American or Mexican with the same amount of money?
June 5th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Hehe… yeah, that is a strong statement, but it really sums up how I feel about these necks. I’d be shocked to find that there aren’t plenty of others who feel the same way about the new 2006 upgrades (I never got to play the earlier Highway Ones, so I can’t really speak to that.)
Fender has a long, illustrious career of making incredible guitars, and I’m one of their biggest and staunchest fans, but any company can fumble at some point, and in my own humble opinion this is just one of those minor fumbles.
There are certainly lots of wonderful folks who love the Highway Ones, and like I said in my review––more power to them, all that really matters is that they like their guitar––but as research for this series I’ve played a whole lot of Strats, and I think the current batch of Highway Ones is the least impressive in this price range.
To get back to your question, Rick… yeah, I’d pick the MIM ’60s Strat over the Highway One in a heartbeat. Even Fender seems to be pushing the ‘06 Highway One as being aimed at the high-gain market––so while the guitar has a rather vintage style to it (particularly those colors, and of course that headstock,) it doesn’t seem to be at all built to actually produce classic Stratocaster tones.
I guess that’s what you discovered with your 2003 model as well.
Actually, given a choice I’d opt for the Classic Player ’60s Strat––made in Mexico, designed by the Custom Shop… the only downside is the poly finish, but in the sub-$1,000 price range it’s a really sweet deal.
Provided you’re looking for vintage tone & feel.
June 5th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Cool. Thanks for the review, Cary. My Dave Swisher (thisoldguitar.net) custom telecaster relic arrives on Friday. I’ll be sure to post some pics and do a write up on the forum.
You know one of the Fender secrets I found out recently is that on newer models any sunburst or any “wood” looking finish is actually a plastic laminate that they stick on the body then finish it over with coats of poly….you’re not looking at real wood when you see a sunburst on the top of a new Fender guitar. The tele I’m getting is a genuine ash body with the with real real wood grain showing through the nitro….that’s the way the “really” did it back in the day.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
The pleasure’s all mine… can’t wait to see the photos of your new old Tele.
Don’t make us wait too long! ;)
June 6th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Good write-up Cary! I’m not too picky about necks, though I prefer large frets because I use 10’s. It’s funny because when a guitar sounds especially good, my left hand doesn’t complain and the neck morphs into an acceptable dimension. But when they have poor tone & intonation, guitars start to feel alien to me, and reveal all sorts of undesirable aspects– neck issues included.
When it comes to ergonomic necks, Fender probably trails behind quite a few guitar makers. Jeff Beck switched from Jacksons to Fenders, and Scott Henderson switched to the more Strat type Suhr from his Ibanez model. And I guarantee that both the Jackson and Ibanez had slimmer profile, faster and more “comfortable” necks. But both players were seeking more physical challenge in order not to overplay. As a result, they are more selective about their phrasing choices. Jeff Beck even keeps a higher than typical action and has been known to say something about liking a guitar that fights back. Whatever the case, the guitar’s tone takes priority over the neck. Eric Johnson is another one– I mean, doncha just imagine him playing a Parker?
How ’bout the SRV Strats? Have you ever noticed that nearly every SRV clone type guitar player runs more notes than SRV? Stevie Ray did not burn up and down the fretboard. He was a killer rhythm player, and solo-wise, he had incredible & consistant vibrato that he segued through everything, making his solos sound so fluid that a greater velocity was implied– or perceived. Hence, the copy cats usually overplay SRV. If you’re playing one of his tunes and you don’t have that vibrato, ya gotta fill the space with something– i.e., more notes. The bowling pin neck and jumbo frets of the SRV Strats weren’t intended for Paul Gilbert y’know. But you can sure grab a note, shake it to death and wring out every bit of flavor– which you’d better do on a neck like that, cause if you try to be a shredder, it’s sports injury time.
As for Yngwie on a scalloped Fender neck… well, I’ll just hafta get back to ya next lifetime on that equation, ok.
Anyone who’s taught guitar knows that two common complaints from beginners are: #1) “My hands are too small”– and #2) “My hands are too big.”– of course, referring to their fretting hand.
I respect everyone’s preferences regarding necks, but if comfortable necks were always essential and ideal, we could all just get ourselves a JEM, and call off the quest.
Ya-Yo Gakk!!!
June 7th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Thanks JP, I can definitely appreciate what you’re saying, but I think this is a different issue entirely––I’ve just played a ton of Strats over the last few months, and out of the bunch I think that these have the least comfortable necks.
The SRV felt great in my hands (it’s fat but comfy,) as did the Eric Johnson… the Highway Ones just didn’t. I suppose I could have picked a bad batch.
But I’m one of these guys who intentionally runs his action high, and I’m the farthest thing from a shredder––I play nothing but slow blues.
A lot of young players these days really do rely way too much on speed (it’s one of my biggest pet peeves,) but I’m neither young, nor a speed demon.
Anyways, as I say in my review––everyone’s got their own neck preference, and there will undoubtedly be those who absolutely love the necks on the Higway Ones (and more power to ‘em!)––but they just feel like clunkers to me.
June 7th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Honestly, I don’t specifically recall playing a Hwy One and noticing a big difference in the neck. Now I’m really curious and have to go check one out and compare. I really don’t think you’re a whiner. Maybe after I check out this neck I’ll start a caustic rant campaign to have them banned by the FDA or something. Stay tuned…
June 7th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Hehe… maybe we can get a recall going due to cramped finger damage ;)
June 7th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
I’ll secure a personal injury attorney– one without TB.
July 2nd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Neck too thick near the nut for my liking. It tapers off higher up the neck. So riffing in E near the nut, or riffing Texas Flood in F# takes some extra navigational ooomph.
A positive note is that GC was closing out the current Hwy One’s at under $600. The electronics are good. Just look for a lighter resonant one, as you would with any other Strat model.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:10 am
I own a 1989 strat plus I bought new.
I just bough an 07 HW1 Black with a maple neck. I had to order the maple fretboard because I couldn’t find one anywhere.
I think my ‘89 tainted my view of the other Strat necks,
I found I could pick up a Highway one and it felt similar enough to my strat plus that I could play it without a 5 minute ” getting used to it” session. Other higher end or reissue strats couldn’t do that for me.
I also want a more relic looking gutar. My ‘89 still looks brand new. I am looking forward to wearing the paint off the HWY1.
I also want to customizea strat for my personal taste and I can’t bear the thought of altering my strat plus.
The jumbo frets work for me. I am hard on frets so I hope the larger ones will extend time between refrets.
The highway one was not set up from the factory. The action was way off and the neck was actually canted to the side so much that the high E string didn’t go over the pickup’s magnet. I’m still dialing it in but it is much improved. It will be set up in E-flat for now.
I also wanted the new guitar because the strat plus can’t use very heavy strings because they won’t fit into the machined nut.
The HWY1 will obviously fit the heavier gauge strings.
I have yet to really decide on the pickups. They will suffice for now.
I am satisfied witht he tuners although I have read bad reviews on them.
I will comment that the first thing I noticed (unplugged) is the sustain is awesome!
It’s a great guitar for the money.
August 27th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Hi
Like you I didnt like the neck on the Highway one I played so I bought a loaded Honey blond body ,sans neck,and put a 50’s Classic Player maple neck on instead.I had tried one of these out and while adoring the feel and indeed look of the soft V neck , I didnt like the poly finished body at all .It also has a small vintage headstock and a lovely warm tint . I now have a fine guitar though maybe the pups are a bit hotter than I really want but the guitar has a great vibe to it and pups are easy to fiddle around with . i am now trying the same thing with an unloaded HW1 tele body .Great site ,keep up the fine work .Your reviews are much appreciated
August 27th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Hi Martin, glad I’m not the only one who had trouble with those necks––sounds like you came up with an excellent solution though… I really liked the ’50s Classic as well, but like you I just couldn’t see myself owning another Fender with a Poly Finish.
Have you tried the Quieting The Beast mod? I highly recommend it.
Can’t wait to hear how your tele turns out :)
August 27th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I have a honey blonde with a maple neck, and I love it. The neck feels great. Bridge and Neck pickups are noisy (supposedly this is ok for a strat), but the noise cancelling thingy going on at the 3 and 5 position make up for this.
That being said, I have tried the rosewood neck ones at the store, and they were a totally different beast, I did not like the necks at all.
Overall, this is a great guitar :)
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Hi, I am really surprised about this review. I have never seen a neck of a Fender guitar that I liked more than the maple neck of my Highway One Strat with its jumbo frets. There is absolutely nothing “slow” about it … except for the hands of the one who has written this review maybe ;-) …
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Hehe… just one man’s opinion Markus :) Like I always say, neck shape is a very personal preference. Glad you’re enjoying your Highway One.
September 7th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
The “ashy” look of the rosewood fretboard goes away immediately after polishing. I am a bit puzzled as to why the fretboards on the Highway Ones have this powdery look, but the actual rosewood is nice and dark after a brief polishing with nothing more than an old rag and some lemon oil.
I can definitely see why some people have a bit of a problem with the neck. The 9.5 radius combined with the jumbo (and they do mean jumbo!) frets are a very different feel from any vintage Strat. It took me a while to get used to the feel, since most of my guitars have a vintage (small) fret setup, but after a while I got used to it. A good setup, of course, can do a lot for a guitar and after I had the Highway One set up, it made a huge difference.
I find that the Highway One responds very well to a lighter string setup, 9-42 rather than my usual 10-46. With the 10’s it felt heavy and clunky, as you describe, but with the 9-42 set it gained a good deal of snap and clarity and began responding in a very rewarding way. I am not a big fan of 9-42’s, I find that on most guitars they feel rather slack and loose, and lose tuning easily, but on this guitar they seem to be perfect for it.
I think the Highway One is very unique in the Strat line and definitely is not for everyone. As you point out, it is not at all a vintage Strat, but after spending some time with it I find it has its own interesting character, sound and feel. It is in many cases a modern version of a Strat. In a sense I can see it being something of a version of the 80s Stratocasters, when Fender was just getting back on their feet and tried some innovative ideas. Like those Stratocasters, the Highway One does not please the folks that want a vintage-styled Strat. But, like those guitars, it is still quite a good instrument.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:52 am
i own ( 3 ) 07’s highway ones.i find these guitars to be the best strats fender has put out in a long while. tone, style, and playabilty. i find this strat to be very versatile in modern and vintage tones. this strat is destined for greatness, i also find the high way one strat to be just as good and in some ways even better than the american standard strat. this strat is also way under price i personaly would pay $ 1,200.00 the highway one is that damm good.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Hi Cary
Like you ,I wasnt too keen on the HW1 neck when I played one in a store here in the UK .Instead I bought a brand new loaded Honey Blonde HW1 Strat ,from ebay of course ,and then added an MIM Classic Player 60’s maple soft V neck with a 9.5 radius .what a combo .it plays like a dream and its golden colour tone with a vintage small head stock really makes it special .I may play around with another loaded pickguard featuring standard Vintage style pickups and tones as its an easy drop in .its all part of the fun .My strat is lightweight and so fast to play i feel someone is guiding me along . I agree that the thin nitro paint gives it a fine vibe .So much so that I also got a HW1 telecaster in sunburst and fitted a classic Player Baja neck but thats another story .
keep it up old old chap ,…pip… pip .
November 26th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Howdy,
First off, great series of articles on the search for the perfect strat. I have found this to be extremely informative as I am still fairly inexperienced in what differentiates on strat from another. So a sincere kudos in your efforts.
I noticed that the thread is kind of stale, but I was wondering if any of you fine gents could explain why the price of the HWY1 is a little more now than previously mentioned in some of these posts. I like the guitar enough to really want to buy one (don’t worry Cary, I went and played one at the store first), but if I can find one for less than $750.00 I would be pretty pleased. Are retailers just raising the price for the Christmas season? And, if so, should I just wait for Guitar Center to have another one of their “Crazy-Sale-of-the-Season-for-Seemingly-No-Reason!” sales?
January 9th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I bought one of the very last 2006 Diamond Anniversay Highway One Stratocasters at GC in Honey Blonde (pre-upgrade model with a white pickguard and the Greasebucket circuit) just as the supposed upgrade model went into effect). I paid only $629.00 for it brand new. The upgrade model was available at the time for $749.00, but I much preferred the smaller vintage style headstock to the larger clumsy late 60’s/70’s style. My guitar is wonderful and to me is actually better sounding and feeling than the upgrade. The paint is semi-transparent thin skin lacquer and is glossy unlike many of the newer HW1’s. You can see the grain of the wood beneath as well. Maybe it’s me, but I can’t stand the look of most of the HW1’s colors. The Honey blonde reminds me of a 1969 or older Strat as colors tended to change over time and I also love the look of a rosewood fretboard as they seem much classier to me than maple on this model of guitar. I wasn’t worried about the pickup upgrade in the newer version as it would have cost me another $125.00 at that time, I used some of the extra cash to buy a Fender soft deluxe gig bag for $39.00 and a nice leather strap for $25. I got the Greasebucket circuit in this 2006 last of the pre-upgrade models and that was fine by me. The Custom Shop Fender Strat Pro from 2006 also had this same circuit, so I figured it had to be good. I did change a few things though, I removed the backplate and saved it (open springs I feel = more sustain), also removed and saved them aside (new) were the Alnico II pickups that came stock – the pickups now are the Fender Custom 69’s for $158.00 on Ebay and are hand signed by the famous Abagail Ybarra who has been in Fender pickup winding department since the days of Jimi Hendrix and even wound pickups for him as well. I removed the HW1 neck plate with the two little tiny stickers. It was removed new and stored, should I ever decide to sell the guitar, but this is a player not a saver. The new plate says Fender Corona CA like on American Strats from the late 90’s etc. I didn’t much like the blank neck plate anyway. I actually wanted one with Jimi Hendrix Logo on it from a Fender 1997 Hendrix Strat but they were going for almost several hundred on Ebay, so I went with the Fender American Standard Plate for around $12.00. I got a Roadrunner Tweed rectangular hard case with the red interior for $50.00 on sale at GC instead of a $139.00 Fender one. I saved all the case candy (tags etc.) though and bought a full set of the 2006 Diamond Anniversay picks to save for the future as well.
February 14th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Excellent series going on here, good comments Cary et. al. I dont know what it was, pure luck, global warming effect, but GC here in Seattle had a few HW1s on sale for $366!!??. This was Nov 07. I bought one “Honey Blond”, only rosewood neck was available. There was a small gap at the back plate so the sales person installed new pearloid front and back no charge??!! then he did a set-up for free??!!and sent me home with a gig bag??!! I went back the next day to buy another one but chose to keep my wife instead.
I like the neck and jumbo frets. For me it’s easier to finger chords as they are less nimble than 30 years ago. I put on some 10’s and can really crank on those jumbos, as noted previously, Jeff Beck said he likes a little struggle from his axe, brings out that raw soul when playing blues.
As for the PU’s, they are vintage enough for me, they ring like bells when clean and you can even get close to metal with these distortion friendly little guys. I was thinking of replaceing them with Texas Specials, but decided that that these “hot Alinco 3’s” are really great. This is a Strat for the 21st century, I respect you purists out there, I learned to play back in the 60’s too. Take this gitar for what it is, which is versatile, fresh, a little edgy and just a damned killer for the blues!
I named my axe “Stone”. after Sharon, with the honey blonde!!! She has an IQ of 172, just like this HW1. For you youngsters, you can get away with spending more for a guitair if you name it after your wife. Thats good for one axe, then name the second one after the place you first fell in love.
Worked for me anyway.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I found this review to be dead on. I actually bought a LTD edition of the Highway One which included Custom Shop 69 pickups and Surf Green nitro finish. I was madly in love with the sound and the look of this guitar but after months of trying to get used to the neck I finally had to upgrade the neck. The neck was giving me heavy fret buzz even after a pro set up and the frets seemed to big. Simply put it was just uncomfortable. I purchased a American Deluxe neck (Ebay) and the difference was like night and day. I also recommend buying Fender/Schaller locking tuners which are amazingly simple to install without a tech and cost only $70 dollars. The Highway One has Ping tuners and they are not high quality. For those of you who are considering buying a Highway One Stratocaster I strongly recommend it, as long as you keep in mind that you may need a neck upgrade. Getting the strat of your dreams means be patient and being willing to upgrade and customize. But it’s worth it!
July 1st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I have the highway one tele (same excact neck) and the neck is one of hte best I ever had the pleasure to play with.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
i have the highway one upgrade 2007 this strat is simply one of the best strats out today. vintage/modern tones this strat does it all and some.
tone/feel/playability the highway one upgrade walks all over the american standards past and the new 2008 american standards. the highway one is simply superior over the american standards. i have been playing strats a long time and i’ll tell ya the highway one upgrade strat is just a great/awesome all around strat.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
It seems the very things you dislike about this guitar I love… The C neck, the 91/2 radius, the jumbo frets, lightweight body, the finish… This guitar is like it was custom made for me. The only changes I have made are DiMarzio Area PU’s and Graph Tech saddles, nut, saddles and trees. I Love the Fender Hwy Ones…
August 20th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Wow, I cant believe the review I just read about the neck on the HW1. I never really liked strats until I played my friends HW1. Ive always thought the necks were narrow and thin like a twig. I have always played Gibson Les Paul’s so i love a thick chunky neck you can hit homeruns with. When I picked up his strat, it felt better than any other neck Ive ever played on. I had to go out and buy one after I played his. It is now my favorite guitar to play. Its a 3-tone sunburst that I upgraded to mint green pickguard, Lindy Fralin Blues Specials, 500k pots to open it up wide, and I locked the bridge. This guitar is sick as heck now. I am now trying to find someone who is selling one of these necks so i can build another strat. Best Strat ever!
August 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I completely disagree with the review. I found the neck to be perfect. It’s Jumbo frets got me thinking that I’ve been missing the boat. Actually, the big frets made the guitar seem more machine like or more preciscion. AND, the bends are fantastic. I could do wide vibrato up and down the neck with equal tension. Very rare!
My ability is around the first Paul Gilbert instructional tape. I can do all the stuff he shows you, although I can’t do his very advanced string skipping stuff. So I can play decently. So take my advice everyone!
I have no idea what it sounds like! I did not try it through an amp. So there!
December 13th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Great review. I love these guitars. For me, Highway one are the best products fender makes. These are meant to be ancillary guitars for people who ordinarily play high gain guitars. The frets, electronics and price all target the product for a certain segment of the market. These are meant to be fenders for Ibanez and ESP players. I think most traditional/vintage purists will stay away. But I was amazed by the way they SHRED and absolutely drop bombs when playing rythem. I have a strat and am considering the tele as well. Oh and I chose one over a an EJ Strat and a US deluxe. But thats just me.
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
the fender highway one strat is the best prodution strat
and just as good as some custom shop strats hands down.
its great to see there price increase from $750 to $900 and $950
thats what you will pay. the list price is $1,130 and its still
under priced. the highway one strat is one of the most versatile guitars
period out there today. its a brilliant old school strat that puts the new american standard to shame. i recomend the highway one to pro musician. this strat will become a classic and highly sought.
tone versatility/sustain/feel the highway one strat cant be beat!
February 28th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
correction the highway one stratocaster sss will list
as of march 1st 2009 $1,230 you will pay $974.98 and worth
every penny and more.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I want to say this was a well thought out and thorough review! I know you’ve gotten a ton of this so far, but I’m not sure how the neck was such an issue. I recently sold off an American Deluxe Jazz Bass. It has the exact same satin finish on the back of the neck as the Highway One Strat. I find it slick and fast! I should note that I own a 2007 Highway One Strat – except I have a maple fb. I’ve had mine for over a month now and I can’t put it down! When I was trying out Strats, I actually A/B’d it against a 2008 American Standard Strat. I played the Hwy 1 and thought it was ok. Then I plugged in the AS and I thought “wow, this one sounds better!” After I played it for a while I plugged the Hwy 1 back in. I realized that the AS didn’t actually sound better – just hotter – MUCH hotter. I ended up liking the Hwy 1 better and I feel and the nitro finish was the selling feature for me. Now that I’ve had it for awhile I have no regrets. Hwy 1 Strat is one of the best player guitars I’ve ever laid my hands on!
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:30 am
I have an 06 Highway one. I happen to like the matte non-glossy thin finish they have. Mine has began relicing already 8)