Fender Highway 1 Jazz Bass

Your ususal jazz set-up: 2 volume and master tone controls, alder body, maple "c" shape neck with rosewood fingerboard, standard machine heads, the standard 20 jumbo frets, 2 Standard Vintage Alnico Magnet Jazz Bass Single Coil Pickups & vintage style bridge. The difference between this and the standard US is that a) it's cheaper but made in the US b) the trussrod adjustment is made from the headstock end (surrounded in brass) c)you don't get the string thru bridge and d) it doesn't have the stealth switch (places the coils in parallel). All of which I was more than happy to settle for, especially with the price! It came with a funky deluxe gig bag- which I parted with at the music shop to get a hefty discount on a hardshell. It comes in the following finishes: 3-Color Sunburst,Daphne Blue, Crimson Transparent, Honey Blonde all in Satin Lacquer Finish). As usual the sunburst requires more $$ out of your wallet... I was hoping that I could get in natural but I settled for the Crimson Transparent- it's a beautiful deep red that exposes the grain quite nicely.

I had a friend who always said "how the hell do you get that tone?" and it diddn't really matter what bass I was on, it'd sound pretty much the same (except for the reeeeeeaaaalllllyyy exotic wood basses or the basses that were so cheap they resembled something you wouldn't even use for firewood). This bass gives me that same tone coming from my pads but adds in the genuine jazz growl that i've fallen in love with (...making my girlfriend rather jealous hehe). With 2 rounds of pre-amping (from my amp and my Zoom 506II) I can do almost anything... of course it will always be a passive bass and will always have single coils, but you can still do a fair bit if you've got the gear.

P E R F E C T!

I've had a few sound techs (although I am a sound tech..anyway) come up to me and say that this jazz has a slightly funkier tone. And I said, yeah... jealous yet? hehe. As the other review says- the thinner finish pronounces the bass sound quite nicely with that added resonance and sustain. I know this bass will definitly last, just from the feel. What more can I say? it's a Fender, it's US made.

I played the new US Standard and found that the tone slightly differed (probably due to finish)... the sustain did last longer (string thru) but I use a fair whack of compression which holds my sustain longer. The one thing which Fender must we congratulated for is finally jumping on the parallel wiring option. There's an "invisible" switch at the centre of the colume pot that moves between series and parallel wiring. It's amazing how fat it can get! but then, i said... "my wallet isn't $3249 (AUD) thick." Then I played a Mexican- normal jazz tone, just not built as well. It diddn't feel cheap, just not as good. So my wallet and preference settled for the Highway 1. I don't want this gorgeous bass stolen or even borrowed! I want the tone to come through in the years ahead on my journey through this beautiful world of music. I am thinking of putting in a switch for the series and parallel option (but i'm not bugging to do it), but I love it just the way it is now :). All I have to say is that it's great that Fender have finally produced a product like this- not compromising on quality and construction but not making it so expensive that it's impossible to buy.

What features? This is a Tele.

Sounds exactly like what I hoped it would sound like. It airs up nicely with the Fender Blues Jr., especially for the way I use it. Clear, twangy, each note is individually articulated even in a full chord. Double stops ring out loud and clear. Single notes have a bell-like quality. Very even string-to-string volume and tone balance. Great for single note phrasing. 3 position switch really gives 3 distinct tonalities from the pick-up array. Volume rolls on and off evenly. When the V control hits the full on stop I hear bit of a microphonic "click" through my amp. Tone pans from bass to treble evenly. With too much reverb and heel muting it reproduces some really neat cowboy and surf record sounds. The maple fretboard compliments the simple layout and color of the guitar...plus it sounds snappier with a bit more briliance that the RW fretboard models I tried. I'll reserve a 10 for any guitar that can do it all.

Action came out of the case a tad high for my liking...but it was perfectly playable and EZ to adjust. Intonation was dead nuts on. This absolutely refuses to go out of tune. Pretty nice tuning pegs on this model. There are only a few things bolted to the slab and they all are well fitted. Neck joint and pocket are perfect. The two highest side dots (fret markers) are partially obscured by the neck pocket...might bug some people. I got the honey blonde...I love this finish...it is matte with a hint of grain peeking through. It looks like I have a really old faded Tele with no scratches on it. Neck is wider than I am used too...but the fretwork is first rate...nice "played in" feel especially if you like to wrap your thumb around the neck to cop the E string on barre chords. The saddle adjusting set screws scratch the heel of my hand. No obvious flaws anywhere.

This would definetly be something that you could play out with. Finish, while pretty, looks vulnerable...not as tough as the "deeper" finishes that are buffed out to a gloss. I don't expect anything to go wrong. This is a simple guitar and the design has been perfected over the last 50 years.

My dad bought his Tele from the same store in Irvine, CA. I trade there often for strings and incidentals. I went in for a mandolin string 75 cents..and spent 600 bones! They gave me a square deal, up-grading the gig bag to a really nice aftermarket molded case. Helpful. Freindly. Local.

Playing 39 years. This is my 2nd Fender and my 1st Tele. I had a Strat in 67'. I presently have a dreadnaught, classical, electric and a bass. Now the Tele...this model fills an obvious niche. Amps are a Princeton Chorus (analog) and a Blues Jr.. My favorite thing about the guitar is it's fundamental simplicity, everything I hear coming out of it originates from what I put into it...there are no bells and whistles. I love the old school appearance coupled with a sound that is still relevant to the styles of music I like to play.

US made Jazz Bass. 3 tone sunburst finish in a lighter satin finish, almost matte, not as glossy as the standard J bass. This is a good thing to me because I don't like the thick glossy finish on the new US basses. It will also wear well, I think. Chrome hardware, similar to US standard, and same electronics. Basically the same bass as the American Standard at almost half the price.

It sounds great! Like a Jazz bass should. The pick ups are fine. I may switch to Antiquity pick ups down the line but these are fine for now. The Lighter finish gives it a louder ring with more sustain than the Standard. It really does. I compared side by side. It sounds great through my 1973 SVT rig.

Nice action, comfortable neck and light body. Neck pocket is tight, tuning pegs are smooth. Everything is perfect.

Just bought it so I don't know how it'll hold up, but it's a Fender so I'm sure it'll be around for a while. Finish as I mentioned is thin, but that's good in my opinion. It'll look old in a year.

Never contacted Fender but I'm sure they're very nice.

Great Bass, right price. Pick one up if you want an American Fender Jazz but don't have a ton of money to spend. I love mine.