Fender Highway 1 Strat

MY 2ND REVIEW 1ST ON MY HONEY BLONDE 02. THIS IS ON MY 07 DAPHNE BLUE HWY 1 STRAT. NOT BEING A STRAT FANATIC AND ALWAYS OPTED FOR GIBSONS I AM STARTING TO CHANGE MY MIND. 22 FRETS, ALDER WOOD, SATIN NITRO FINISH, OLD STYLE TREM, 9.5" RADIUS ( I STATED 9" IN PREVIOUS REVIEWS JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY TO NOT CONFUSE ANYONE), FAT FRETS, SUPER FAST C SHAPED MAPLE NECK, OVER SIZED HEADSTOCK, SCHALLER TUNERS, 25.5 SCALE AND GIG BAG. IF LOOKS LIKE A STRAT, SOUNDS LIKE A STRAT, PLAYS LIKE A STRAT, MUST BE A STRAT? NOT SURE WHAT THE FEATURES A GUITAR SHOULD HAVE, STRINGS, P/U'S, TUNERS, NECK, WOOD, KNOBS AND TREM. WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED? MAYBE A HARDSHELL CASE.

I PLAY ALL TYPES OF MUSIC, WHOEVER IS PAYING. I HAVE ALWAYS USED GIBSONS BUT HAVE SWITCHED TO FENDERS AS OF THE PAST FEW YRS. I USE A PAIR OF PRO JR'S AND A DIGITECH RP 14, BUT HAVE USED VARIOUS AMPS ( TWINS, DELUXE REVERB, PRINCETON, CHAMPS, PEAVEY CLASSICS AND STRAIGHT INTO THE BOARD WITH A SIMULATOR. THIS GUITAR SOUNDS GREAT ON ALL OF THEM. P/U THICKER AND DEEPER THAN ANY OTHER STYLE OF STRAT I HAVE PLAYED. WHILE IT STILL RETAINS THE FENDER CLEAN BELL TONE IT REALLY SOUNDS GOOD PUSHED. NOT OVERLY BRIGHT OR TINNY LIKE MOST I HAVE PLAYED. STRAT-O-FANS MAY NOT LIKE IT BUT IT WORKS FOR ME. VERY BLUESY. I WILL BE CHANGEING OUT THE P/U TO HOT RAILS BECAUSE I AM NOT A SINGLE COIL GUY BUT IF I WAS THESE WOULD BE FINE. HAD A US STANDARD AND THIS ONE SOUNDS BETTER TO ME. HOTTER, MORE SUSTAIN AND MORE CONTROLABLE. THEY SAY THEIR THE SAME P/U'S AS THE MEXICAN STRATS BUT THEY DON'T SOUND EVEN CLOSE TO ME. THESE ARE LOUDER, WITH MUCH MORE UMPH. WOOD? FINISH?

FACTORY SET UP OK I GUESS, BUT I NEVER LIKE A FACTORY JOB AND SET UP MY OWN. I USE 10'S SO A STRING CHANGE WAS IN ORDER, I LIKE A FLAT NECK WITH NO RELIEF, SO A QUICK TURN OF THE TRUS ROD AND "VIOLA". NEXT A FEW MINUTES WITH THE HIEGHT ADJUSTMENTS AND YOUR IN BUSINESS. NEVER CARED FOR P/U'S SET BY FACTORY EITHER. I LIKE 'EM REAL CLOSE. MANY SAY IT PULLS YOU OUT OF TUNE OR YOU GET HARMONIC OVERTONES. I HAVE NEVER HAD THAT ISSUE BUT I DON'T PUT EM RIGHT AGAINST THE STRINGS EITHER, JUST CLOSER. MANY MAY SAY YOU SHOULD HAVE TO DO THIS OR THAT. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING OVER 20 YR AND HAVE OWNED EVERY BRAND YOU CAN THINK OF AND THEY ALL NEED SOME TWEAKING TO GET THEM TO OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. I PLAYED LES PAUL CUSTOMS FOR MOST OF MY CAREER AND THEY HAD TO BE TWEAKED AS WELL. NECK POCKET NICE AND TIGHT JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER HIGHER END STRATS I HAVE PLAYED. FINISH IS THIN AND NOT GOING TO BE REAL DURABLE, ( CHIPS AND DINGS EASY ) BUT THATS THE IDEA RIGHT? SUPER THIN PAINT TO ALLOW THE WOOD TO BREATH? YEAH, I DIDN'T BUY THAT AT 1ST EITHER BUT AFTER OWNING A US STANDARD AND MY FREIND HAS A US STANDARD STRAT AND TELE AND MY HWY 1 BLEW THEM AWAY. MAYBE THE P/U'S? WELL, NO BECAUSE I CHANGED THE P/U'S IN MY US STANDARD TO HOT RAIL IN BACK AND COOL RAIL UP FRONT LIKE MY OTHER HWY 1 AND THE HWY 1 STILL PRODUCED A BETTER TONE, SOUND, SUSTAIN, CONTROL AND MORE VOL. I READ OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THEM BEING 4 SEPARATE PIECES OF ALDER, WELL I COULDN'T TELL ON MY STRATS BUT I COULD UNDER THE PERFECT LIGHTING, AND I MEAN PERFECT LIGHTING NOT TOO MUCH AND NOT TOO DARK AND RIGHT ANGLE, ON 1 OF MY TELES. I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, IF SOMEONE IS UP THAT CLOSE WHILE YOUR PLAYING AND THEY ARE LOOKING AT YOUR GUITAR TO FIND WOOD GRAIN DIFFERENCES OR FLAWS, YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE SOME LESSONS. ALSO IF YOU GO UP TO 10'S OR FOR YOU BEASTS 11'S TAKE SOME 1000 GRIT SANDPAPER AND CLEAN THE STRING SLOT SO THEY WON'T HANG UP AND GIVE YOU TUNING PROBLEMS. AGAIN A TWEAK YOU WOULD MOST LIKELY NEED TO DO ON ANY GUITAR WHEN GOING UP IN GAUGE AS MOST ARE SET UP FOR 9'S. EVERY STRAT I HAVE PLAYED STILL NEEDED THIS DONE TO PREVENT HANG UP WHEN HEAVY TREM USE IS EMPLOYED

A STRAT IS A VERY TOUGH UNIT AND NO REASON WHY THIS ONE WON'T BE. MANY GUITAR BODIES AS WELL AS NECKS AND HEADSTOCKS ARE AND HAVE BEEN GLUED TOGETHER. WOOD IS STRONGER AT A GLUE JOINT THAN THE WOOD ITSELF. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T BELEIVE IT BREAK A PIECE OF PLYWOOD AND THE WOOD SPLINTERS NOT THE GLUE JOINT. I HAVE HAD GUITARS WITH 3 AND 4 PEICE NECKS FALL AND TAKE A DECAPITATION NEVER AT A GLUE JOINT. WHILE WE ARE ON THE GLUE ISSUE, SET NECKS AND NECKS SUCH AS IBANEZ, KRAMER, BC RICH, JACKSON, CHARVEL, ESP ECT. THAT HAVE THE HEADSTOCKS GLUED ON AT AN INCREDIBLE ANGLE THINK OF THE TENSION AND STRESS AT THESE SITES, NOW THINK OF THE BODY WITH BOOK MATCHING OR JUST HAVING THE "WINGS" GLUED ON. WHICH DO YOU THINK HAS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PRESSURE? THIS TYPE OF HARDWARE HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER NO REASON TO THINK IT WON'T LAST. TUNERS ARE FINE HOLDS GREAT AS WELL AS THE STRAP BUTTONS, BUT I CHANGED FOR LOCK TUNERS FOR EASY STRING CHANGE AND STRAP LOCKS FOR MY OWN SECURITY. FINISH WILL DEFINETLY CHIP AND RUB NO BIGGY FOR ME I PLAY 'EM, NOT JUST LOOK AT MY REFLECTION IN 'EM. FENDER HAS ALWAYS MADE TOUGH ROAD WORTHY INSTRUMENTS

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM OVER GEAR. TALKED TO THEM ONCE ON DATING AN AMP AND THEY VERY HELPFUL.

20+ YR VET. ALWAYS GIBSONS AND ALWAYS A TUBE AMP. WELL MY MIND HAS CHANGED ON THE BRAND OF GUITAR BUT NOT THE TUBE AMP. I REALLY LOVE THE NECK, FRETS AND RADIUS OF THE NECK, ALTHOUGH I CAN SEE WHERE A STRAT-O-PHOBIC MAY HAVE ISSUES. THE EARLIER VERSIONS HAD A 7.5" RADIUS WHICH CHORDS OK BUT SUX FOR BENDING. STRINGS FRET OUT UNLESS ITS REALLY, REALLY BROKE IN AND THE ACTION IS HIGH, THE 9.5 IS A NICE VERY FAMILAR FEELING RADIUS BETWEEN THE FENDER 7.5" AND THE 12" GIBSON RADIUS. ALREADY HAS THAT BROKE IN FEEL. 22 FRETS AS OPPOSED TO 21. TO ME THE BEST THING FENDER EVER DID. I ALSO LOVE THE BIGGER FRETS AS WELL. MUCH, MUCH EASIER FOR FLYING, BENDING, TAPPING, HARMONICS AND JUST PLAYING. THE C SHAPE NECK IS ANOTHER FEATURE I LOVE. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A CLASSIC FENDER AND A GIBSON,(NOT THAT ROUNDED 59 JUNK GIBSON IS PUSHING) VERY, VERY COMFORTABLE. THOSE THIN NECKS GIVE ME HAND CRAMPS AND I CAN'T TRAVEL AS FAST ON THOSE BASEBALL BAT NECKS. VERY CLOSE TO A 60'S SLIM TAPER NECK ON A GIBSON. I SAID CLOSE! I PAID A LITTLE MORE FOR THIS ONE BUT I AM STILL GLAD I GOT IT WHEN I DID SINCE THEY HAVE GONE UP A FEW HUNDRED BUCKS. GREAT GUITAR FOR THE PRICE, BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK BUT I WOULD NOT PAY OVER $700 FOR IT OR ANY OTHER FENDER. NOT KNOCKING THEM ITS JUST ME, I WON'T SPEND OVER $1500 ON A LES PAUL EITHER AND A PRS CRACKS ME UP WHAT THEY ARE PULLING DOWN FOR THEM. HELLO PEOPLE ITS A GUITAR!!! ITS WOOD AND STRINGS! YOU PLAY IT, YOU USE IT FOR WORK, AND FUN. IT IS GOONA GET DINGED, PINGED, BUMPED AND BRUISED. I WOULDN'T FEEL NEARLY AS BAD IF IT GETS DINGED AS I WOULD A $3000 OR $4000 UNIT WHICH I THINK IS RIDICULAS. ITS EVERY BIT AS NICE AND SOUNDS BETTER THAN THE US STANDARD. WISH IT CAME WITH A HARDSHELL INSTEAD OF A GIG BAG WHICH I HAVE NO USE FOR. MIGHT AS WELL PUT IT IN A TRASHBAG OR A BLANKET WHICH WOULD BE BETTER. I OWN 4 HWY 1'S, 2 TELES AND 2 STRATS NO COMPLAINTS, ONLY COMPLIMENTS HERE. WOULD BE DEVASTATED IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO IT, AS THEY WILL BE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE. I ONLY BUY USED AND THESE HAVE BEEN HOLDING THEIR VALUE I HAVE HAD TO LOOK FAR AND WIDE AND BE QUICK ON THE DRAW TO GET MINE FOR WHAT I GOT THEM FOR. COULD SELL THEM FOR ALMOST TWICE WHAT A GAVE FOR THE OTHER 3 AND COULD STILL PROFIT A FEW $100 BUCKS ON THIS ONE! THEY ARE ALSO MADE IN THE USA!!!!!!!! REMEMBER WHEN THAT MATTERED? DOES IT STILL? IT DOES TO ME. TOE-JOE MODELS NEVER HOLD THIER VALUE VERY WELL, ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE MAKE SOME VERY FINE INSTRUMENTS I WOULD NOT PAY WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR THEM. KOREAN STUFF IS OK SAME AS THE TACO MODELS FOR A BEGINNER AND THIS INDO- CHINA CRAP IS GOOD FOR A SLIDE RIG AND THATS ABOUT IT! I WOULD NOT USE IT LIVE AND TALK ABOUT NEEDING TWEAKING. YOU CAN GET THESE SOMETIMES USED FOR THE SAME PRICE AS THE IMPORT STUFF NEW! DO YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT? I REMEMBER WHEN JAPANESE STUFF WAS JUNK, THEN IT WAS KOREAN, THEN MEXICO, THEN CHINA, AND NOW INDONESIA THE USA STUFF HAS ALWAYS STAYED TOPS AND HOLD VALUE. BE SMART MANY SAY I DON'T EVER PLAN ON SELLING IT, BUT YOU PROBABLY WILL EVENTUALLY OR TRADE FOR SOMETHING ELSE LATER. REMEMBER IT IS A TOOL, AN INSTRUMENT BUT ALSO CAN BE A WISE INVESTMENT IF YOU PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT. WHAT HOLDS BETTER VALUE A HARLEY OR A HONDA?

it is a strat. has all the features needed to play strings p/u's trem everything a strat is supposed to. i have a blue 07 with a large headstock and this honey blonde 02 i believe, with the smaller standard headstock. i had an american standard and sold it after i got my 02. i have owned several strats but never got into the strat seen was always a les paul guy. now that has changed fender has really come around. the stuff coming out blows most of the new gibson stuff out of the water. they are made like tanks and now with 22 frets which was always my biggest complaint on the older 21 fretters since i hit the 22 fret quite a bit during soloing. also love the new 9" radius neck very very smooth and fast. not too bulky or narrow. can't stand the 59 rounded neck gibson is pushing and the necks on ibanez are too thin, i get cramps after a while. weight is great maybe a little light for me since i am used to pauls but its not flimsy feeing very solid. the finish is thin which may or may not contribute to the sound, they claim it does and it definetly sounds better than my us standard did. bridge is old school which is fine with me the pivot point type was fine too but after heavy use i suspect you may have to sharpen the edges like on the floyd rose type trems. i'm not as aggressive with one as i was back in the 80's so i think its fine. this type has been around for ages so why re-invent the wheel. neck is plenty fast and it sets up great. i am running 10's and if the acton was dropped any lower you would not be able to grab the strings for bends, no buzzing at all, although i don't mind some faint buzz this one has none! could come with a case since i think gig bags are only good for tossing in a closet never to use. all my fenders hav maple necks whic i find super smooth and extremly fast and warm sounding.

like i said it is a strat. never cared for any fender p/u's but these were the best ones i have heard. plenty grit and bell tone for ddays. very clean, deeper and fuller sounding than usa standard p/u's. had some reissues and some custom shop 1950's as well as the texas specials. to me they fit some where between the us standard and a texas special. they still have the bell tone of the 50's model but much hotter and deeper. i liked them way better than the p/u's in the us standard. great for country, blues and classic rock they breath very wel and lots of sustain for a single coil. still i changed them out for a hot rail in back and a cool rail up front. perfect have not decided on the center. i us only tube amps (pair of pro jr in stereo) and it is perfect combo. it has plenty umph and growl before but i just needed something a little heavier. i play from classic country to modern rock so the change was needed for me.

i always set up my own guitars and do my own work. this comes with as good a set up as the other strats i have played. neck fit is tight as it should be the trem tension is perfect for 9's which fender seems to put on all thier stuff. some minor adjustment need for 10's. l like my neck totally flat no back bow. quick truss rod tweak, 2 to 3 turns of trem spring claw screws and a few minutes on the saddles with an allen wrench on the hieght adjustment and your good to go. the intonation on both my strats (hwy 1, as well as the american standard i sold, and the 2 hwy 1 teles i have) pretty much on.

this guitar will take plenty of abuse fender has always made very road worthy guitars. will take a fall, and lots of bumps and bangs. the hardware is typical fender no reason why it won't last as long as the vintage stuff. finish will definetly chip and flake but thats the idea i guess with nitro type finish. its an instrument ment to be played not a fashion show statement. strap buttons are standard but i changed them out with schaller strap locks (cheap insurance, i do it on all my guitars). changed the tuners to lockers for quick string changes. i have used this guitar as my main since selling my paul several years back and have had no issues period.

never had to deal with them on gear issues. did call them on dating some amps and they were very very helpful.

i have been playing for over 20yr and most of that professional. i have played them all and this stacks up higher than any for the price as well as most that were much much higher. best strat i have ever owned. only guitar i liked better was my 86 les pul custom which i had for over 20 yr. this is definetly a tougher guitar and now with the p/u change i would put it up against anything out there. like i said was so impressed i sold my usa standard and bought 2 hwy 1 teles and recently another hwy1 strat in blue. i wish it came wit a new style case which i thnk are the greatest thing since sliced bread. they take up much less space believe it or not. if it was lost or stolen i would be devastated and would look for another.

The Highway One is Fender's cheapest USA made Stratocaster.

I didn't like the trebley tone from the low-end pickups.

Very bad action with major string buzz.

The thin paint finish was already chipping off.

As stated in my last post . .

Ok .. I was in two minds with the sound , sounded good for a while till I played an American std , I then spent a week getting stressed and trying to get it sounding like a std ... tut . .

So I now have to say that it does fall short , and the pickups are really not something to shout about..

As mentioned in last post , , but I did finally decide that I didn't like the super huge frets, I even looked at getting it re fretted . this was a real turn off..

Didn't own it long enough , as I took it back after a week..

never used them..

Ok ,, the old friend that I thought I had found , turned out to be the local bunny boiler ..lol..

After owning this guitar for a week and I played it every day , I found that I liked it less and less , till the point that I had to take it back..

I ended up really not liking this , I wanted to like it as I loved the finish , except the over sized 70s head stock , ( 70s was a rubbish and cheap time for fender why go bk)

For me I really wanted another strat , and this didn't have a strat sound or did it feel like a strat, , I think this guitar is running on the name.


I added to the money and got a American standard . .

This is a 2008 Highway One Stratocaster, which as 2 alnico pickups, 5 position toggle, thin laquer finish, and a maple neck with jumbo frets. Also has the "Greasebucket" circuitry that is one if the nicest features - see Sound category for more on this. All the traditional goodies in a Stratocaster are included.

All I can say about the sound is "Wow!" The alnico pickups really like distortion much more than my American Standard strat! The greasebucket circuitry allows me to roll off treble without adding more bass - and I must day I love that! I run it mainly though a Traynor Custom Special 100 Head and Traynor 4 x 12 cabinet and this combination gives me all the sounds I need.

Action is ok, a little high for me but i haven't changed it yet. Some small nibs of dust in the finish but because it is a nitocellulose laquer finish the factory could not denib and polish as it would made the area polished glossy. It's on the back of the guitar so who cares. Fretwire is satisfactory as well is the bridge and tuners.

I use this guitar as my #1 at gigs. I bring a backup but have never needed it and am sure I could do without a backup. Should last a while as it seems to be relatively good quality. The finish won't last as it is a thin coat of laquer - something that was done intentionally for tone and to give this guitar the classic "aged" look very quickly. It will wear, scratch easily and check - I can't wait for that to happen!

No opinion.

Been playing over 22 years and have an American Standard Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Paul Reed Smith SE Soapbar and an Ibanez RG350DX besides this Highway One. I LOVE the jumbo headstock and maple neck with the jumbo frets. The sound of this guitar is great and if it were stolen I would immediately replace it. I will never sell this guitar. Don't overlook this guitar if you are in the market for a new guitar.

2007 MIA, flat black Nitro finish with maple fretboard. SSS, Alnico 3 pick ups. C-shape comfortable maple neck, jumbo frets,... Very basic guitar, just what you need, no thrills, As a matter of fact, I can't think of any features you'd need more!

I play some blues, some rock and a variety of styles in between, and this is exactly what this guitar is made for. It's so versatile, with the tone turned down you can even produce a very jazzy sound. For the moment I'm playing through a Roland Cube, but maybe in the future I'm looking to purchase a Fender tube amp. I really like the position switch in 5th and 6th position (neck and neck & middle) clean, dirty, or my favourite, with the tube screamer. This guitar sounds a bit warmer then the US Standard and that is exactly what I like about it!
Can't give a 10, not for any guitar. Whatever this guitar can't produce, a good amp and some pedals can!

The guitar is nearly flawless, though I'm considering lowering the bridge and putting some extra springs in the back for more tension. I guess this will be necessary if I'm going to try some heavier strings (0.10 in stead of the 0.09 superbullets that came with the guitar. The neck is perfect curved, nice rolled fretboard edges and dito frets!

If this isn't a reliable axe, no guitar is! It feels, and it is, real solid. The nitro finish is thin and could wear off easily, but for me that's no problem, on the contrary. It feels like I could depend on it during life gigs though I don't do gigs (I'm a guitarhero in my own living room).

I depend on the goodwill of my own GC, I never buy online. If there's a problem with my guitar I like to bring it to the person who sold me the guitar. I had a problem with a previous guitar and mailed several times to Fender California .... no request! So I decided to phone them, and they were very friendly and helpfull, so I think they just can't handle all the mails coming in. Help and information is more then suffici??nt available on the Fender website ( manuals, forums,...)

I admit it, I'm a rookie, I play for little over a year now but I'm very devoted (h??h??h??). My son started playing guitar and he infected me with the "virus". We've got an Epi LP and some kind of patched up strat (bought on ebay as a Mex strat, but it was a fraud, broken trusrod, squier body,....)BUT when I decided I was going to buy a brandnew strat, I drove hundreds of kilometres to all kind of guitar centers to try all the strats that were available in Belgium (and a piece of Germany and the Netherlands) So I almost tried them all, I guess there is no strat (except for the very expensive ones which I can't afford anyway) that I haven't tried thoroughly. This HWY 1 is, for me, a better sounding, better playing axe then the US standard! I really love this guitar, I can't look at it without picking it up and playing for a while, it feels and sounds so good, I can't put it down!
It might be psycologically but I feel that I'm becoming a better player much faster then with previous guitars. If you feel you're improving fast, you get highly motivated, so this axe is very very important to me! try one, you won't regret it

USA S/S/S Stratocaster-2006 model. USA Alnico III pickups- tone controls are for neck and BRIDGE pups only (better anyway), Alder body, maple neck w/ rosewood fretboard- big 70's style headstock and logo, 22 frets. Satin Nitro semi transparent blonde finish- almost beige. Traditional strat tremelo with big, resonant trem block. Mexican style fender "ping" tuners. Huge frets. features are just great for us that really like to beat up a guitar. Not a display piece (though maybe a cool relic 30 years from now), 100% tool/player.

This is not your father's stratocaster. When clean, you do not get that really quiet boingy quack or light bite, you get huge chimey sustainful single coil sound that is just very well balanced. Great for more modern types of rock or indie rock/pop. It can do surf, 50's/60's/70's rock & R&B too, but chimey delay and reverb laden alternative rock is where this Strat shines the most. Light overdrive and high gain are also very very nice. Like I said, very full and well balanced with musical tone, not just the boinks pops and twangs that traditional strats are known and cherished for.
Output is actually quite hot, not sure of exact values.
I used a 71 Twin reverb and a tweed blues Jr with it with a TS9DX for distortion/overdrive exclusively and the BOSS DD 3 and DD 6 with plenty of reverb going.

Baught it used (stupidly don't have it anymore). First owner had 10s on it, switched it to 9's- worked better for me, tiny bit of fret buzz however if you hit it just right- I think most guitars do this any way. when I bought it, it had some substantial wear on the armwrest (you know where I mean) even after only a year of use. fret ends did have a tad bit of sharpness to them- can be fixed. Everything else seemed very very solid, actually the best strat I ever had or played (I've had many).

Stayed in tune very very very well. The finish will come off very soon, but this actually is a good thing as a player's guitar- you want the least amount of finish between you and the wood anyway- better resonance. I did gig with it without a backup twice and it withstood my crazyness. All hardware seemed extremely solid performance grade- just like a great tool.

again, i am stupid for not having it anymore.

90% of all merch I have ever had from FMIC has been awful, they really need to overhaul that company and make things much much simpler and of higher quality- like Gibson USA. The Highway one series seems to encapsulate that notion a bit for those of us that actually view these guitars as tools and not some shiny Icon to be worshiped.

Playing for close to 16 years. I have a very nice 2003 SG Faded- my #1- that is getting better and better with use (Gibson's answer to the highway one series), a Gibson SG Classic (p-90s), 72 Fender Telecaster Custom RI MIJ. Have owned many many guitars over the years including several other strats. I just recently scaled back my gear quite a bit and in the process discovered how indespensable this HWY 1 Strat was. I AM getting a brand new one after Christmas- a sunburst S/S/S with rosewood fretboard. That's also another good thing about these guitars- lots of color/ configuration options.

Favorite features: the more you play it, the better it gets- the best guitars have this soulful quality. You won't find this on a MIM standard. It's just in this whole other category of Strats, there is no theme to it- like "standard" or "custom" or "signature" or "limited edition", they just make them all the same, just like the old days in Fullerton. Almost like the workingman's Standard Strat.

This review is for a Fender 2008 Highway One Stratocaster. Features are pretty typical strat stuff with some nice differences. . . 22 frets, 9.5 inch radius on the fretboard. . . tone roll off for bridge (treble) pickup. Pickups are darker sounding and designed to better handle distortion. . . No case included, just a cheap gig bag (which I'm not a fan of). The finish is thin and low gloss, which I really like. It has a moderately worn in look, which I love. I'll probably change out the pickguard, b/c I'm not a fan of white pickguards with the sunburst finish. I got a really nice dark rosewood fingerboard. After looking at some in stores, I notices quite a few that had a very anemic light brown fretboard, which I was weary of.

I'm a blues guy and love playing Hendrix and SRV type stuff. I played this guitar for about 10 hours through a friends early 60's brownface princeton before posting this review. The pickups are ok, but like other reviewers mentioned they are a bit noisey (even for fender pickups). They don't have that strat sparkle that I love and they react a bit differently than other strat pickups I've played (texas specials, vintage 57's and 62's, John Suhr pickups and some misc. Dimarzio pickups). They aren't necessarily bad, but if you're looking for classic strat sounds, I'd look at replacing them, or going for a different guitar. I will definitely change them out once I get some more cash.

Here is where I was pleasantly surprised, typically fender guitars come set up pretty badly, but mine was great! The action wasn't overly low, but it allowed my hands to dig in really nicely under the strings. The large frets took a couple of hours to get used to, but now that I more comfortable with them I barely notice them. The neck contour was fantastic (I'd say a "c" style contour). With the nut width being the 1 and 11/16th width, I found it really comfortable for rhythm, chording, etc. and when playing my hands didn't get too crowded on the upper frets. After I blocked the trem, the action seemed to be a little lower now its perfect! Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the 60s necks, this isn't one of them, and I don't find it as fast as those necks, but it played well and with the satin finish feels really comfortable in your hand.

I'm pretty sure the finish will check and scratch pretty easily (I'm noticing some light nicks in mine already). Fender definitely tried to cut corners by applying a lighter finish and not adding a glossy top coat. I'm not overly thrilled with that, but since i already new that was the case going into the purchase I'm not really upset about the product at all. It has a really cool vintage vibe, which I'm a big fan of. It will definitely wear over a year or two, but since you can buy a custom reliced strat for three times as much, It will be kinda cool to have a guitar that reliced from my own use. Other than the finish of the guitar everything else seems solid. Buying a case will definitely help in protection (I don't trust gig bags. . I had a bad experience with my first guitar and a gig bag), but the hardware all seems like it will hold up just fine. I'd trust gigging with it w/out a back up, but since I break strings semifrequently, I always like to have a back up.

N/A

I've been playing for 10 years now and owned several fender guitars (American strat, telecaster, jazz bass) and several acoustics (taylor 710, larrivee d9) This is a fine guitar and will last for a long time. The finish will check and fade, but that is fine by me. I'm planning on replacing the pickups and pickguard in a few months and buying a sturdy case. This is by no means the end all of strats, but with a few upgrades it should last me until I can save enough cash to get another fender. I'm still hoping to add a few more to my collection over the next few years (57 and 62 hot rod) and maybe a custom shop strat sometime in my 50's. . . its a cheaper mid-life crisis than a harley or boat). As I'm in my mid 20s now I think it will be a fine guitar for me for a few years and then I can keep on upgrading my gear as time, money and the economy allows.

Highway one upgrade , sunburst with rosewood on maple neck . All the other features are as is ..

ok , i have been playing since I was 8 years old and now 30 , In that time I have owned something of every thing . I currently own Mia 52 tele (my all time fav) , 65 reissue jaguar, 98 jagstang . .and now this

I am playing through a vox ac15 with grovetubes . .

the sound is not a vintage strat , nor a standard but is not far from them either , has a slightly darker side which I think makes for a nice setup . I have owned 3 strats 2 mia and 1 mim and this is like a old friend but with a bit of attitude ..

When I played this in the shop I look through the action , it was a fair and standard set-up , but not to my liking ..
Once I got home , I locked down the bridge as I dont use the trem , I set the action fairly low but not the lowest I have seen , tweaked the truss rod as there was a little too much relief for my tastes . fitted some regular slinkys , the alternation was all good ..
Once I got this set up for me I was happy. .

The finish was good nothing to complain about, could not see the join in the wood, and I really did look hard, if I didn't know better I would say it was one peace , I like the nitro finish , if I didn't I would not of bought it . It had a dusty/chalky fret board ,which I cleaned off .. the fixing on the jack plug was loose , but have found that on many guitars..

I think that some of these will age better than others , I think the more naturals ( sun burst , honey blond ) will age better and the blue and reds will be the worst..

I think the sun burst will deff look like a modern classic with out being reliced ( I really dont like relic-ed guitars I would not take my new car and smash it up so it look old.. ) Think some of the coloured highway may have the danger of just looking tatty.. ( there is a diff )

I would gig with this with out a back up , in fact I have and do ..

It is a very personal preference on the finish ..

have no probs

Ok when I got this guitar , I was in two minds I wanted a strat I really like retro stuff and I could not make up my mind over this and a classic player 60s mim strat.

I played them back to back and they both had good points , I could not fault the highway , it is as it is made for just that it is not trying to be something else , It does every thing what it sets out to do.

The 60s mim classic player looked nice but I was let down on the finish , the neck was way out and I felt it was poor more like the Mexico's of the past. was just rough work, not even close to a jap..

The highway one seemed well built as do all the Mia fenders I have played and owned.

I love the finish and the fact it is not a standard or a vintage or trying hard to be a vintage but falling short. it is only trying to be a highway one and it does this very well.. lol..

I am getting used to the huge frets .. still unsure about these .

as I mentioned before I love retro guitars and sounds but found this a refreshing change.

I really wish it had a hard shell case rather than a gig bag , but I will prob buy one ..

2007 US HWY1 SSS Strat, flat black nitro finish w/rosewood fretboard and stock p-ups. Check the Fender webpage for more details on the upgraded HWY1 models.

Likes: Jumbo frets which allow a looser grip on the fretboard and make bending notes easier. 2 hum-cancelling positions due to the RW/RP middle pickup. Nice build quality with no rough fret ends etc. I've read that a few people out there have been less than satisifed but mine's fine.

The fretboard was a bit dry and chalky but some GHS Fast Fret solved that problem in a matter of minutes.

No real dislikes except where noted otherwise. No frills, but I don't need them.

I play 70's rock/heavy rock thru a JCM900 4500 (50W Dual Reverb Head) and a JCM800 4x12 cab w/ G12T-75s and Celestion Vintage speakers (older version of V30). As with any non-noiseless equipped Strat there's quite a bit of hum when the amp is moderately to heavily overdriven. With the HWY1 I have a choice between 2 hum-cancelling positions and 3 regular ones. The hum-cancelling works fine and reduces the hum to that of my humbucker equipped Gibson SG.

The sound is a bit too bright with the tone knobs on 10. My JCM900 amp is bright in itself though and the speakers in the cab are too (especially the G12T-75s). If you run the p-ups too hot (close to the strings) the low end sounds a bit boomy. The "Greasebucket" tone circuit works very nicely and doesn't add low end. The stock p-ups have a more modern voicing than I'm used to and to me the p-ups are the main flaw of this model. They're not bad but they only come close to the "vintage" Strat tones. If you're looking for a true vintage tone you might be disappointed - I use the tone controls and that works fairly well. A new set of p-ups could also be the way to go and that would virtually eliminate any flaw on this guitar IMO. I already have an EQ in the loop, so I can tweak a lot of parameters and get a good bell like sound.

What I like about single coils and Strats in general is the variety you can get from using different p-up combos. This is true for the HWY1 aswell - stock p-ups or otherwise.

Bought my guitar used so no opinion on the factory setup. I didn't tinker excessively with it but obviously I needed to adjust some things to suit my preferences. Way better workmanship than on my '95 MIM Strat which has quite a bit of fretboard finish on the frets. No paint smears, no f**k-ups.

I put some pencil graphite in the nut slot (G string) to eliminate the string "grabbing" I experienced. A nice and cheap solution. Since the guitar is flat black I really can't see the wood but it feels slightly stiffer than on my MIM Strat. The finish is nice and it'll be interesting to see how it will age.

I don't see why this guitar wouldn't work fine in a live setting. The standard tuning machines could be less trustworthy than the ones available on the after market though. I recently changed strings so that could be why I need to check my tuning more often. Other than that, no problem so far. The finish will age and wear sooner than a PU finish but that is to be expected and since Fender never made that a secret that's all good and fair. Besides, guitars should be played instead of DISplayed! The strap buttons are good and I've never had a problem. I'd gig this guitar without a backup, but since I have two guitars I'd still bring a backup just to make things easier.

I'll knock off two points for the possibly less than great tuning machines.

Dunno 'bout warranty. No contact with Fender so far.

Been playing for 13 years. I also own a Gibson SG Special w/f which is a good guitar once you get it setup properly - like any guitar. I also have a vintage Selmer amp head ('64 50W Treble n Bass) which I haven't used with the HWY1 yet. I got the HWY1 at a good price but I wish I'd paid more attention to the p-ups. I still would've bought it though, since I love the 70's headstock, the finish and the build quality. A new set of p-ups would be the only thing I'd probably ever change.

I don't like the look of Jackson, Schecter, PRS and other guitars. Too damn glossy - they look like modern plastic cars. I'm a Gibson, Fender and possibly Gretsch and Hagstrom kinda guy so it was an easy choice for me. I wanted a US Fender and that's why I bought it.

I wish it had 5 springs on the vibrato/trem block instead of 3. Just a minor thing. I don't use the trem arm anyway.

All in all a good quality guitar with minor issues. If you like the stock p-ups it's a GREAT guitar. Pick up a used guitar - you'll save money and still have a good guitar if you've taken the time to play it and check the overall condition.