Fender Highway 1 Precision Bass

This bass was made in 2002 in the U.S.A.

Color: 3 Color Sunburst
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple, Modern ???C??? Shape, (Satin Urethane Finish)
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5??? Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets: 20 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups: 1 Standard Vintage Alnico Split Single-Coil Precision Bass Pickup (Mid)
Controls: Volume, Greasebucket??? Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass).
Pickup Switching: None
Bridge: Leo Quan Badass?? II Bridge with 4 Pre-Grooved Saddles
Machine Heads: Standard
Hardware: Chrome
Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
Scale Length: 34??? (863.6 mm)
Width at Nut: 1.625" (41.3 mm)
Unique Features: Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer Body Finish, Posiflex??? Graphite Neck Support Rods, ???70s Headstock Logo,
Strings: Fender Super Bass 7250ML, NPS, p/n 073-7250-005,
Gauges: (.045, .065, .080, .100)
Accessories: Deluxe Gig Bag

The bass is really good, American Precision but not expensive as the Am Standard!

This bass suits for all generes between pop rock and heavy metal. It's more suitable for pick players, as the sound results even more clear. It's got no pickup switch, it's a single coil, so it's not very versatile. Comes good with slap and pop too.
Vintage sound is very sweet!

Not suitable for jazz, old times, country or acoustica, jazz bass needed there!

The action was well set, but I had to change it anyway because I have my own setting. Same for the pickups. Eventually a little truss rod work is required, but no problems there, you got your own brugol included!

This bass can withstand a world tour no problems. It's pretty heavy and nearly undestructible. It may need a little maintenance, like truss rod adjusting (especially if exposed to sudden climatic changes or gauge change), but nothing more. I have used it with no backup for years, no problems!

1 year warranty. never used it.
never knew about a customer support service.

This is the most trustworthy instrument in my rack, been playing it for three years and it still sounds like it's brand new! Pretty satisfying instrument for pop rock, hard and heavy, alternative rock and punk.
If you're looking for an instrument that's very versatile to skip between jazz, fusion, rock, blues and funky, this is not for you, go get a jazz bass or something with active pickups!

2008 usa highway one bass black new

2008 highway one fender precision usa black - brand new

greasebucket tone circuit , american std vintage pickups passive , strange off whitish pink pick guard (replaced with black) , bad ass II bridge , 20 jumbo frets , graphite truss rod , satin finish etc etc

standard sort of precision fair but bad*** II is nice and chunky and welcome addition . electronics are quality with no noise . tuners are solid and hold tune very well

im giving a 7 because pbass features are pretty basic but the quality of them here is great for what they are.

it sounds like a pbass , rounded simple rock tone , but in comparison to my old vintage modified 77 usa pbass its not as dark and warm but has a much cleaner neutral tone. its very nice tone with lots of detail and very little noise . i like it . it still has a nice bit of pbass growl especially on the e string . I have already ordered some duncan qtr pounder pickups but the stock ones would be more than sufficient if you didnt need lots and lots of rock headroom . much more resonant with more sustain than my 77 and that had bad*** I bridge also , that darker tone and heavier wood really sapped the sustain of the old one in comparison to this.

bass was setup by the shop according to the sales guy and it was not bad at all , perhaps a little low for my usual preference action wise with some minor buzz on the open and 1st couple of frets. but nothing too terible. neck is very smooth and fast again with satin finish . faster than my 77 pbass with heavier neck and gloss finish

the satin finish takes a bit to get used to , perhaps black is not the best colour for it , a colour to show through the grain might have been more attractive. its of a high quality and looks nice but your just used to gloss black more than anything so its a little strange.

the construction of the rest of the bass is superb . really its as good as my old pbass and much lighter. in fact i would say its probably put together a little bit better than the 77 although not quite as solid. i have not played the other new american pbasses but this does not feel like a compromise at all and it was as well made as I would expect from any top end usa fender.

all the accessories , tuners , bridge , electrics , straps feel solid and of good quality and they are . the finish may not stand up to punishment , have to wait and see . bass feels extremely well constructed and despite its light weight you can feel its very sturdy. I have no doubts it will stand up to 30 years of playing like any other fender pbass

never used . I cant see what could really go wrong with it apart from some serious neck issue that I couldnt fix easily myself

ive been playing off and on for 15 years . ive previously owned a multitude of basses include the review reference custom 77 usa pbass. currently have a warick rockbass 5 string (nice but totally different to pbass) and a squire vintage modified pbass. compared to h1 the squire is pretty awful and what made me seek this out. many have said the squire is not far off the mex pbasses . if thats the case the h1 would be the minumum entry pbass . rig is currently ampeg preamp , hafler power amp , hartke quad (bad quad) and a focusrite compressor (awesome compressor). accoustic , rig and direct to desk/recording sound of the bass is excellent

for the money this is an excellent bass. the price I paid brand new walk in from a store including the gig bag was very competitive , considerably less than a normal us pb . locally many people were selling 2nd hand usa pbasses for more than this and some jap pbasses were of similar price ! to me thats a real bargain . I dont consider this any less a bass than my other usa pbass. in 30 odd years this will be every bit as much a classic as my old 77. if your worried the h1 is not quite up to the normal usa pbass level you will be totally satisfied if you get it . I am not even sure where the compromises are to reduce the price apart from the finish . I'm certainly happy with the hardware and electrics . hopefully it just gets even better with some careful upgrades . maybe that satin finish will even grow on me!

Basic P bass setup. American made Highway One bass. This one is a 2003 model released before they included the BadAss bridge with the bass. Mine is daphne blue with a white pickguard. I give it a 7 because although it has few features they are all solid.

I play alot of blues and rock bass and this highway one suits it perfectly. I have also played it in various other styles including punk, funk, jazz and latin and it still sounded good. The slap sound is decent, It can get a little muddy on the E string but other than that's it's fine, I don't usually slap anyways.

The stock pickups are pretty good through my Fender Rumble 100 combo amp and also sound good through a Yorkville XM200C combo amp. The only problems I have with the sound is that there is a slight hum when too close to my amp and that with the tone rolled down too much the E string will get really muddy.

This is the best feeling bass I have ever owned. I can't comment on the factory set up because I bought it used but when I got it had been set up wonderfully.

The finish is that thin Highway One finish that gets damaged easily and although I like the daphne blue a lot and would hate it see it wear away the satin finish does feel really nice.

This thing is a tank. I have gigged numerous times without a backup and am not afraid of it failing me. The hardware seems pretty good I haven't had any problems with it yet. The only thing I did was replace the strap buttons with Schallers. but even before that they seemed pretty solid. I haven't had any problems with it at all.

Never needed them.

I love this bass. I have been playing for several years now and this is one of the best sounding, best looking and best playing basses I have ever played. I have no regrets at all about buying this bass.

2007 Fender Highway One Precision Bass. Sometime in '06 Fender upgraded the Highway 1 series and started spelling it Highway "One" instead of "1". The upgrades include a factory-installed Badass II bridge, and also the Highway One basses now have the graphite rods inside the neck for extra stability...just like the American Standard series.

Features are as follows:

-Made in USA
-4 String
-20 frets
-Maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard
-Alder body
-One passive "standard vintage" split-coil alnico pickup
-One volume, one tone knob
-White pickguard
-Vintage style open gear tuners
-Thin satin lacquer finish...mine is in 3-tone sunburst
-70's style headstock decals
-Badass II bridge
-Deluxe gig bag included

Basically the standard P-bass Features with the Badass bridge thrown in.

The sound is classic Precision bass. That gritty, fat, heavy, meat-and-potatoes bass tone. I play in a 4-piece rock band and the bass I have been previously using is a Cort B4 with active Bartolini electronics. I got kinda tired of always messing with active EQs and batteries and wanted to try a "back to basics" old school, passive tone. Its a P-bass, so there isnt much tonal variety...but the beauty of it is that the precision tone will work well for almost any style of music. My current rig is a Tech 21 LM300 head with an Avatar 212 Neo cabinet.

The factory setup was so-so at best. The action was pretty high and the intonation needed a little tweaking on the E and G strings. To be honest, this was a bit irritating...I would expect a $300 import bass to need some tweaking but not a USA made Fender. Anyways...once I had it professionally set up by a tech, it played like a dream. Nice medium-low action with no buzz.

As far as the hardware, everything is quality. Good fret work, solid tuners, etc. Everything feels solid and well put together. It has a nice weight to it and when played unplugged you can really feel the notes resonate through the bass. I had owned a Standard Mexican Jazz Bass a few years back, and it was a decent bass but didnt feel nearly as solid as this one.

The bass in general has a nice 70's era look and feel which gives a pretty cool vibe.

Well...its a Fender so it should make it to hell and back and still be in tune. I am confident that she will withstand the test of time. The Satin finish they put on these to cut costs is pretty thin, so it will probably get dinged up as time goes by. But im not too worried about it...it should age gracefully and have a nice "relic" look someday.

I have been playing guitar and bass for about 7 years...bass being primary instrument for the last 5. I own or have owned in the past various gear from Yamaha, Peavey, Fender, Crate, Behringer, Hartke, Tech 21, etc. I am happy with this bass and it is a pretty nice deal for an american-made instrument.

2006 MIA P Bass vintage pickup,satin honey blonde finish in nitro,satin finish neck,graphite reinforcement rods,BadassII bridge,maple neck,rosewood fretboard,alder body,medium jumbo frets,vintage style tuners,gig back,tools,cloth included.

Beautiful live and recorded sound,sits well in the mix.The Greasebucket tone circuit works as advertised,lowers treble without boosting bass.Excellent sustain,minimal dead spot 6th fret G string,but far less than most basses.Pretty much a one sound bass,but it's THE sound.

New instruments always need a setup,I did it myself in 10 minutes.Needed intonating,pickup and neck adjustment.The truss rod rattled for about 30 seconds,then settled in.Assembly quality is top notch,everything tight,no slop in the neck pocket (unlike the late 70's Fenders that I used to sell at the time,terrible sloppily made boat anchors.I can't believe that they are now collectible!)Nice C shaped neck,B width (between a vintage P and a Jazz).

It's a P Bass,what's gonna break?

Limited lifetime warranty against defecs in workmanship.What does that mean? Hanen't used customer support.

I am a guitar player,needed a bass for tracking,and the occasional sub gig.I've been on the lookout for an instrument that spoke to me for years.I've been in instrument sales for over 25 years at retail and wholesale,I've repped some really reputable bass gear in my time,been playing for 35 years.I don't like active basses,though I have sold literally thousands,they sound too "produced" out of the gate,and either get lost in the mix,or eat everything else.A passive P Bass that is deep,even,and plays well is the Holy Grail for me.I didn't have a purchase in mind when I bought it,it just called to me from the wall.Weighs about 8-9 lbs,resonates like crazy,I'm in love.

2006 MIA,20 frets,4 string,honey blonde,1 vol,1 tone w/greasebucket circuit,graphite reinforced neck,BadassII bridge,American Vintage p/u,passive,maple neck,r/w board,long scale,big frets,came with tools,cloth and gigbag.

I've sold literally thousands of basses in the last 26 years,having worked at a major retailer,and two prominent bass gear manufacterers.I've recorded dozens of basses in my home studio,and I could never get a sound to sit in a track to my taste with active basses,they sound great on their own but take up too much space in other instrument's ranges.So the quest has been on for years for an affordable,good sounding,easy playing passive bass.I found it.Deep warm sound,doesn't get eaten by guitars (or eat them),greasebucket tone circuit works as advertised,trims highs with no added bass.Surprisingly minimal dead spot on the 6th fret G string,as compared to many basses where the dead spot can cover up to 6 frets.

Action from the factory was OK,I made it great in about ten minutes.Trussrod resonated until I tightened it 1/4 turn.Finish is thin and fragile,as advertised,but who cares?Hadt to play with the pickup height to even out the A string.

Will withstand live playing,won't look like new in a short time,but it's a cheap way to get a relic.Solid hardware,love the Badass (I have since the 70's),good tuners,solid strap pins.

Five year warranty,no claims yet.

I've been a guitar player for 35 years,this is my second bass,the first,a Peavey Foundation,was OK,but the ex left with it (to sell it cheap) 15 years ago.This bass does exactly what I want it to,no more,no less.One of the best recording basses I've come across,no EQ,no compression,it makes the track.Live it's very comfy,about 9 lbs,hangs on a strap nicely,and resonates through the strap and against my belly like few others.Stays in tune all night (I don't play hard,you get more bass and less twang with a lighter touch).It was an impulse buy,it shouted to me as I was walking by a wall of about 70 basses,and I've learned to listen to that voice when I buy an instrument.My friend has the 1st series Highway 1 Strat,and that too is an exceptional instrument.

Made in America. Standard scale length. 4 string. 1 passive pickup with volume and tone control. Special nitro cellulose finish. Badass Bridge. C neck. Gig bag with truss rod tool.

Sound is basic P bass. Makes a good bottom. Very warm with allot of power for a passive rig.

Bass was set up right from the factory, Observed no defects.

Bass is tough and simple. everything about it is heavy duty. No backup required.

I have been playing guitar for 4 years, just started playing bass at church this year. Bought a Hofner 500/2 but it was very limited, also have a Mexican Jazz, It can't hold a candle to the Hwy 1. I played tons of bass's and I had an unlimited budget. The Hwy 1 was the guitar with "the sound". I suggest to anyone playing a bass with no amplification 1st. The Hwy 1 is much louder unplugged than anything else It is the same way plugged in. It cuts through the mix.
- I have owned allot of guitars in my short career. Many were very expensive. the two I have settled on are a Martin D 28S and a Fender P Bass. Kinda what conventional wisdom sas. these 2 instruments set the standard.

This is a very simple instrument. There are no real bells and whistles to speak of. You've got your single passive pickup, you've got your volume control, and you've got your tone control. And coming from the world of 5- and 6-string instruments, active pickups, and more knobs than an old Moog synth, I've never been happier with a bass. I'll give it a "9" because it's got everything it needs to do its job.

This thing sounds HUGE. The words that come immediately to mind are "warm," "fat," and "organic." My band's songs are a mix of punk, pop-rock, and alt-country, with a strong dance sensibility, and this bass always seems to sound great.

I bought it used at the Guitar Center, but whoever owned it first took good care of it; the pickguard still had the plastic wrap on it. It was setup with very low action, which isn't the way they usually come new. I haven't found any noticeable flaws or defects.

I've used it on a bunch of gigs and some recording sessions, and it's never given me any problems. Fender's got a reputation for building tough instruments. I gig on it all the time without a backup, mostly because I don't own any other basses.

Never had to deal with them, so I can't say.

I've been playing bass for 6 years, and I've been playing guitar for longer (and my Strat is the first and only electric guitar I've owned). I've been through Ibanezes and Warwicks, and this is my favorite bass of them all. If it were lost or stolen, I'd mourn for the customary amount of time, find the guy who done it and exact a horrible vengeance, then go looking for another one just like it.

Mine is a 2004 Highway 1 in Daphne Blue. Made in USA (the best part). Here are the specs for those who don't know what a Precision bass is.

MODEL NAME Highway 1 Precision Bass
SERIES Highway 1 Series

BODY Alder
NECK Maple, Modern C Shape,
MACHINE HEADS Standard
FINGERBOARD Rosewood, (9.5 Radius/241 mm)
NO. OF FRETS 20 Medium Jumbo Frets
PICKUPS 1 Standard Vintage Alnico Split Single-Coil Precision Bass Pickup (Mid)
CONTROLS Volume, Tone
BRIDGE Standard Vintage Style 4-Saddle
HARDWARE Chrome
STRINGS Super Bass 8250M NPS, p/n 073-8250-006, Gauges: .045, .065, .085, .110TW (Taperwound E)
PICKGUARD 3-Ply White
SCALE LENGTH 34 inches(864 mm)
UNIQUE FEATURES Satin Lacquer Finish, White Dot Position Inlays
WIDTH AT NUT 1.625 inches (41.3 mm)

As far as features go, it's a P bass. You get 1 pickup, 1 volume and 1 tone control. For myself and hundreds of others from the 50's till now, that's all you need. What it does, it does well. You get all the features you need and none you don't.

The Fender Highway 1 basses borrow heavily from the successful formula of the Highway 1 Series guitars. They have a unique finish, namely a high resonance, low gloss, satin nitrocelluose lacquer topcoat applied to the neck and body that is said to improve tone and sustain by letting the neck and body ring out (vibrate) more. You really can feel the body and neck vibrate from one end to the other as you play the bass so maybe there is something to the lighter finish. The sound is pure Fender, fat bottom end with well rounded mids. Treble is a bit weak as it is on most P basses in general due to pick up location but they will still get pretty bright with the right strings. I use Rotosound RS66. I play mostly classic rock, rock and blues rock so a P bass fits right in with my style. The pickup is somewhat brighter tham my older P basses but still sounds great. I replaced the stock tone pot with a Fender "no load" pot which removes the tone pot from the circuit when open all the way and lets the pickup go straight through. Very nice! If you do this make sure you use the capacitor that is in the bass NOT the one that comes with the no load kit as it's for guitar and makes the bass way too bright.

Most P basses I've owned have always recorded great and I expect this bass will be the same. This thing thumps good with any amp I own. Sounds really great through my Peavey Firebass 700 and a Hartke PRO1800 single 18". Huge vintage soul or classic R&B bottom end. If I add my Hartke VX410 cabinet and roll on some highs it kills for hard rock or metal.

My bass is the Daphne blue and I can tell you that the finish on the body is thin and shows the wood grain through it much like the older Blonde finish Fender used in the early days. The neck is satin finish and has a nice smooth feel to it. The bass is lightweight due to the alder body and your shoulder will thank you after hours of playing. Fit and finish of all parts on the bass is very good and shows the craftsmanship of an American made guitar. Neck to body fit
is almost seamless and you get the feel of a glued in neck. The fretwork is very good. The edges of the frets are dressed nicely with no snags or rough spots and the frets are level throughout the length of the neck. Fender did a great job with the neck on this bass. I was able to get the neck adjusted and lower the bridge saddles to get the action real low with no major buzzes or rattles which can sometimes be a problem with roundwound strings. Tuning keys are the open back gear units that Fender uses on their current basses. They are smooth and precise with no flat spots or hang-ups. Slotted posts make stringing painless and hold the strings tight around the post. I've since replaced the stock bridge with a Badass II which IMHO makes any Fender bass come alive. I also have a 60 Precision and will probably replace the tuners on the Highway 1 with the older style vintage reverse tuners. Partly because I feel they look nicer but mostly because I've gotten used to the reverse keys and sometimes find myself cranking the new keys backwards from habit. A minor thing I know but hey I'm "old school" and stuck in my ways.

I had another minor beef with the protective peel away plastic that protects the pickguard. They mount the pots and jacks over the pastic so when you peel it away the plastic gets caught up under the tone pot nuts. I had to remove the knobs and pickguard so I could get the nuts off the controls and get the plastic off. A pain for sure but the upside is that I got a chance to see that the underside of the pickguard is well shielded to stop noise.

I've seen other reviews here that blast American guitar quality but this bass is dead solid from one end to the other. When you can get a bass home, spend an hour or two setting it up to your style and then take it to the gig that night and use it, that's quality! Whether it's USA or Import. Hey folks, import guitars cost less cause the LABOR is cheaper, no other reason. Quality comes from experience and still IMHO the best craftsmen are working for the USA companies.

I also own a 1960 Precision and it's still playing great. Why should this bass be any different? It's a Fender - it will be here longer than I will. I have no problem using this bass anywhere anytime without a backup. I've owned my 60 for over 30 years with 15 years straight roadwork and it was my only bass. It never failed me and I see no reason why this bass will ever fail short of an accident that destroys the bass.

No need to contact Fender yet but they have always been right on top of any problem I had in the past (which were few). I think the warranty on the new basses is one year. I don't plan on having a warranty issue. Hey it's the same bass they have been making for over 40 years. I think you can safely say Fender has worked out any bugs by this time.

I've played over 30 years. You can't go wrong with a Precision bass. Even players who don't play Fenders have at least one P bass laying around "just because". It's the real thing, sure it pretty much is a "one sound" bass but that sound is "the sound".

If you are moving up from an import or starter bass or just want a second instrument and are looking to buy American, take a moment and look at one of the Highway 1 basses. The price is right for American craftsmanship retailing at $899.99 but they are selling on the street for about $649.00 with a padded gigbag included.

If lost or stolen, I would run out and get another one the same day.

You can all go to Fender's website to get all the exact specs.
This bass however is limited in features if you are looking for a bass that has a full 3 band eq and whatnot, this is not your bass then. I got sick of dealing with the problems that arise with active electronis, so I "dumbed" my bass down. Great move on my part.
**Features rating is low for this one because by its nature it just doesn't have any.**

This bass is loud and punch. With a new set of DR High Beam strings this bass sounded amazing. All notes on all frets are clear. Full chords come through warm. Can fit a wide array of music styles.

Neck looks and feels great. Frets aren't perfect but they play well and no buzzing. Finish is a beautiful satini honey blonde, love it. Pick up is set perfect from factory along with action and neck relief.

Fender's are generally made like Sherman tanks. This holds true with mine. It has weight to it but not heavy. It's very sturdy.

Haven't had to deal with them, so I don't know

Great bass all around. Sounds amazing, plays great. This has replaced a $900 bass I've been playing for 3 years. That has turned into my back up. I absolutely love this bass. Best investment I have ever made. Will probably replace the pickup with a '62 Vintage P-bass pickup. Not that there is anything wrong with the cirrent pickup but might want a more vintage P-Bass sound to it in a year.