Fender Highway 1 Strat

I like the features on this guitar, the body finish is great, it can be polished to a nice vintage vibe. I have the honey blonde model with a RW board. It is an "Upgrade" with a '70's headstock and the biggests frets this side of a Jackson Dinky (really the frets are retardedly huge). Nice full block trem, nice satin neck finish. Many people trash these guitars in thier rating on Harmony which is how I managed to get one for $650 brand new.

Th

This is subjective, the pick-ups are hot but not crazy hot. I replaced the pick-ups with a set of Texas specials - which are also a bit hot (vintage medium hot).

The original pick-ups have a lot of mids for a strat and I must say that the neck pick up did Richie Blackmore bang on.

Yes I agree - these guitars come from the factory set up like crap. Having said that a pro set up does wonders, WONDERS. Once it is set up you will love this guitar - it rocks huge. I needed to get everything set up, action, truss rod adjustment, intonation and a complete fret dressing (don't worry you can dress these frets ten times, they are so big).

I use .011 - .049. When I bought the guitar it had .009's on it, the big frets combined with the medium radius (9.5") and small strings are a bad combination.

Somebody told me that one of the cost saving meassures they use is to skimp on the set-up when they exit the factory - I agree.

Once this guitar was set up, I was impressed - it was better than I expected it would be.

The only reason I rated it as a one was because of the factory set-up.

No problems, tough like my other strats.

I really like this strat, I know you are going to say "you're whacked" when you read this next statement but: this guitar is every bit as good as my '98 American Standard, unfortunatly it comes out of the box like a pice of crap - in addition I hate gig bags, I bouth a belly button case for $58 when I bought the guitar. Yes the pick-ups are a little "racer boy" but they are nothing like a hot humbucker.

As a note, in 2006 Fender made some big changes to the Highway 1, including a bridge with narrower string spacing (2 1/16 string spacing - similar to the MIM Standard and American Series Strats), large 70s headstock, and new darker-sounding Alnico 3 pickups. The newer guitars also have jumbo frets.

The finish is on my 2005 Highway 1 is transparent red, the alder grain is noticeable through the finish. The clearcoat is almost non-existent, it's very thin and wasn't polished to a glossy shine like on most other standard production Strats. It can be polished to a semi-gloss shine using polishing cream and lots of elbow grease.

The body shape is an "Original Contour Body", it looks just like the American Vintage Strats and MIM Classic Strats. The horns are correctly shaped. It is made of 4 pieces of Alder. The wood matching was very nicely done. If you look closely at the MIM Standards and some of the earlier American models the body edges aren't rounded as much as the Strats with the "Original Contour Body" decal on the headstock.

Since it's a pre-2006 Highway 1, it's got the 6-screw vintage-style tremelo bridge with the wide 2 7/32 string spacing. It looks like the same bridge Fender puts on the MIM Classic Series Strats. I needed a guitar with wide string spacing since I play fingerstyle some of the time.

It has the Ping, Fender labeled tuners.

Standard 25.5" scale with 22 medium-jumbo frets on a 1-piece maple neck. 9.5" radius fretboard.

Standard Strat setup - Master Volume with 2 tone controls, one for the neck pickup, the other for the middle. The newer 2006 and later Highway 1's use the 2nd tone control for the bridge instead of the middle pickup.

The pickups are the same as the ones used on the MIM Classic series - they use Alnico 5 magnets and are bright sounding.

This is a back-to-basics Stratocaster.

It has the classic Strat tone - bright, clear, twangy, and a little thin-sounding. The pickups don't have as much detail and shimmer as the Custom Shop '54's I have in a Warmoth Strat.

I use it with a newer model '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, a PodXT, Lexicon MPX-1 Reverb, Hughes & Kettner Tubeman and Tubeworks Blue Tube pedals. Several analog delay pedals, a Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal, and a Boss AD-8 Acoustic pedal.

It is noisier than most other Strats I've used in the past. The middle pickup isn't reverse wound, reverse polarity, so it's not hum-canceling in the 2 and 4 positions like on the post-2006 Highway 1's.

All the pickup positions sound very good if you're looking for a classic Strat sound. Even though it's noisier, I find the 2 and 4 positions sound better compared to Strats with the reverse wound, reverse polarity, middle pickup.

It was set up reasonable well at the factory. The neck is straight with no unusual bumps, the frets are smooth and even across the fretboard, and the neck-to-body fit is tight. Only problems were the rear of the bridge was sitting about 1/4" off the body of the guitar, and the bridge saddles needed adjusting. Plus the saddle's allen screws are way too long.

The clearcoat finish is very thin and scratches easily.

Everything else seems tough like the way most Strats are.

I've never had to contact Fender.

Limited Lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for around 17 years.

I use it with a newer model '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, a PodXT, Lexicon MPX-1 Reverb, Hughes & Kettner Tubeman and Tubeworks Blue Tube pedals. Several analog delay pedals, a Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal, and a Boss AD-8 Acoustic pedal.

As far as electric guitars - a Warmoth Strat with a mahogany body with quilted maple top and multiple sound chambers routed from the mahogany body. It has Fender Custom Shop '54 pickups and an original Wilkinson VS-100 tremolo bridge. This Warmoth sounds beautiful in the neck position but not so great in the other positions.
I also have an Ibanez small-bodied hollowbody guitar with humbuckers that I don't use too much. I also have a Squier Standard Stratocaster which is a decent guitar for the money. The Squier is quite a bit heavier than the other Strats I own and it has a very thin sound.

As far as acoustics, I have a Taylor 414, Martin OM-16 and an Ibanez. I like the smaller acoustics.

I basically needed a lightweight electric guitar with a tremelo bridge with wide string spacing since I play mostly with my fingers and I'm used to the wide string spacing on the acoustics.

I was also looking at the Korean Fender Lite Ash Stratocaster. It had a nice birdseye maple neck with an ash body along with Seymour Duncan pickups. Problems were that it was pretty heavy and the bridge is similar to the American Series Strats' bridge with it's narrow string spacing. Biggest problem was the neck was not straight and a truss rod adjustment didn't help. Buzzing frets up and down the neck. It did look nice though. The Highway 1 looked very plain next to the Lite Ash Strat.

I'm happy with my purchase, it met all of my requirements and was pretty inexpensive for an American made guitar. I really like the neck, it's one of the best I've ever played and the body is very lightweight and comfortable. The sound is better than average but with a little more hum than usual.

Again, this is a back-to-basics Stratocaster.

I played the upgraded model at my local Fender dealer. Most features have been covered by previous reviewers. For me, the following set this guitar apart from others:

Large headstock

Nitrocellulose finish

Hotter pickups

Larger frets

Those are the differences I noticed between the Highway One and a standard strat.

I should also say that some of the reviews of this guitar seem a little harsh. In all honestly, I didn't care for many of the features, but the qualms I had with this guitar were all rooted in personal preference. I don't care for the larger frets, the cheap looking finish, the loud pickups, or the goofy looking headstock. You, of course, might like some or even all of these features. My point is that even though I don't care for this instrument, the Highway One is still a well built guitar.

It seems a little noisey. More so than the Amercian standard and MIM strats I played. Compared to these other guitars the Highway One pickups are on the overwound side.

I played each guitar through the same amp and started with each guitar dialed into the same settings. The Highway One is much louder and more aggressive. Very suitable for modern, heavy rock.

Again, not my cup of tea, but this sound has it's uses for some.

This guitar seemed well built, although the finish looked a little generic and cheap. I had a serious aversion to the large frets, probably because I'm used to vintage sized frets. If I had to, I'm betting this is something I could get used to, however.

But overall, very solid. When holding this guitar, I could not decern a difference between it and an American Standard.

I can't say. I didn't purchase this guitar. Probably it would hold up quite well.

Again, I'm unsure. Dealer support would likely be the key.

I've owned several Fenders and a few G&Ls over the years. I prefer the stratocaster and it's incarnations. I don't care for the Highway One myself, but I think there's a market out there for a strat with it's features. It's a little more stripped down and harsher than other models.

I think Fender has really improved itself in the quality control department in recent years. I also think it's given consumers a lot of wonderful options. This guitar is just another options that some players will appreciate. Some won't.

I do however agree with another reviewer who said a guitar the price of the Highway One shouldn't have to be modified to be usable. If you're thinking of making multiple modifcations to the Highway One as soon as you purchase it, don't buy it. There's probably another guitar out there for you. If you're going to buy this guitar (or any other) I think you should leave it as is, at least for the time being.

I suppose what I'm saying is that I think this is a guitar meant for a specific audience and to achieve a certain sound. Don't waste your money turning it into a guitar it isn't. More importantly, don't upbraid fender or smear the Highway One because it's not the guitar you'd like it to be.

The Highway One series (???2006 upgrade??? )is the entry level into the ???Made in USA??? Stratocasters, but has some features (or parts, at least) in common with the Made in Mexico ???Standard??? models. There was an overhaul to the features in July, 2006 (mine was manufactured in August/September 2007). Note that the minimum advertised price of US $750 is two-hundred dollars less than the American Series, but the Highway One???s can be had on clearance for far less.

You spot these first off (aside from the ???Highway One??? and the American flag stickers on the pickguard) from the large 70's style headstock and decal. They did not go back to the bullet-trussrod or three-bolt tilt-neck design, however. These look like the CBS-era guitars that were in the shops back when I first started drooling over Fenders. The larger headstock has a certain charm, and is certainly the aesthetic effect is more important than adding mass to the headstock.

The body finish is matte or satin (dull) ???thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer??? and you can read all the advertising hype about how it is supposed to age gracefully when thrown in the back of a van night after night of playing in smoky bars (do they allow smoking in bars anywhere anymore?). Plus or minus feature depending on my mood, but the hope is that all the vintage-o-philes will make the nitro a sough-after feature as the years go by. The three-piece ???non-veneered??? alder body had very nice grain figure visible with the sunburst finish.

???Parchment??? colored knobs, pickup covers, switch and trem arm tips, and three-ply pickguard are all a touch darker than traditional white, but not ivory like ???aged white.???

The tuning machines are Fender/Ping which look almost identical to the Fender/Schallers (except for a flat head screw instead of Phillips, and a slightly different angle to the base of the knob). The machines are not staggered in height so the headstock has two string trees (American Series Strats since 2000 have staggered machines and only one string tree).

The neck has 22 frets, instantly distinguishing it from Made In Mexico Stratocasters which have only 21. The neck profile is not noticeably different than the American Strats.

The fingerboard radius is 9-1/2", with a 1-11/16" nut width, like all the modern USA Strats.

The neck plate is blank (without the ???Fender??? engraving) and does not have a micro-tilt underneath (not an issue since the neck did not need shimming to get the action very low; just something to note that is on the American Series that is not on the Highway One). The trussrod, which is adjusted from the headstock, appears to be a bi-flex (two-way).

The frets are jumbo (real big, measuring .058" in height instead of something like .039" on medium-jumbo wire on the American Series or MIM) and will take some getting used to, but its a feature of this line that is quite noticeable. Actually the jumbo fret wire it makes it easier to get your fingers underneath the strings for bending notes. On the other hand, when fretting normal notes, if you press too hard it???s almost like a scalloped neck where you can stretch a note out of tune unintentionally.

The vintage style tremolo bridge has stamped saddles and six screws holding it to the body, as opposed to the rectangular block saddles and two-point trem operation of the American Standard bridge (OK I know it???s really a vibrato, but let???s give ole Leo a break on the terminology). The 2006 upgrade has a steel block instead of zinc which is supposed to add sustain. With a little adjustment of the original three springs the bridge works fine with .010 gauge strings.

The string spacing at the bridge is narrower for the ???06 upgrade, which Fender says is to accommodate the larger frets so the strings don???t slip off the edge (curiously, the new string spacing is the same as my ???97 American Standard two-point tremolo bridge).

The pickups are unique to this seri

I like to think that what I play is blues, but then again those tones have evolved over the years. The rosewood fingerboard colors the tone a lot, but an even bigger factor here is the pickups. The overwound Alnico III pickups are meant to be more high-gain friendly while still retaining the high end when played clean. I agree. Overwinding gives more midrange at the expense of highs, and at the same time the weaker Alnico III magnets help to retain high-end sparkle. The overall output is not weak at all, and the guitar is comparable in volume to my Texas-Special equipped Roadhouse Strat. The Highway One is still recognizable as a Strat even when played through the high-gain dual-rectifier patch on a modeling amp (without the brittle sizzle that you can get with single coils in that situation), and still puts out the rockabilly sparkle and snap on more traditional Tweed or Deluxe settings. For the tube-purists out there, I also note the guitar is lovely when played through a class-A thirty-watt EL84 combo with plenty of reverb, clean or dirty. Incidentally the Lindy Fralin Pickups Web site mentions that the ???54 Stratocasters had Alnico III, apparently the Alnico V magnets came later, so these are not far off from the Fender heritage.

The Greasebucket tone controls work nicely, rolling off treble a little sooner than stock tone knobs without getting mushy when turned all the way down (never understood why jazz guys do that...). Both tone knobs have the Greasebucket circuit (two capacitors and a resistor instead of just one capacitor) although Fender advertised it in the context of being added for the bridge pickup. What they???re talking about is the tone controls are connected to the neck and bridge pickups, not the middle pickup. The Eric Johnson signature model is wired the same way. This way you have a tone knob to control bright neck pickup (whereas the vintage layout would not have any tone control on the bridge pickup), and you never have to worry about both tone controls coming on at the same time (as you would in position 4 of a regular setup).

The body happens to be lighter than my ???97 American Standard Strat, which may have a greater factor in livening the tone so I really cannot verify the hype about the thin-skin finish letting the wood ???resonate??? or ???breathe??? (not that there isn???t some truth to this legend, but as a woodworking hobbyist it doesn???t make sense to me from a technical standpoint). At any rate the Highway One body seems to resonate when played un-plugged; you can feel the body vibrate against your ribs.

The matte lacquer finish on the body is nice but not what I dreamed of in a sunburst Strat. You can let it age on its own, where it probably will take on some shiny areas where you handle it more, but I opted to buff it out. There is a touch of orange-peel texture in the finish which is not an issue if you leave it matte, but then again the nitro did take well to being polished. I used dedicated woodworking compounds but I believe some people have had success with auto polishes. The grain of the alder body is very nice, showing through the amber and red parts of the sunburst. The neck finish is a clear satin polyurethane which feels great out of the box.

Construction is just about flawless. The neck is perfectly aligned (better than my ???97 American Standard) with good string spacing and plenty of room so you don???t pull the E strings off the edge. The factory setup was obviously done with attention, even though the truss rod needed to be tightened (which is to be expected on a new guitar).

The factory action tends to get a little high as the neck flexes in shipment and display, so the treble strings were higher off the neck than the base strings on this particular guitar. Also with the action so high, the pickups are a little far away from the strings and this makes it hard to imagine the true sound just by playing them in the store. Never met a guitar that didn???t need a little tweaking to bring out the full potential.

The frets (again, huge) were very nicely finished with a polished bevel and really no file marks to speak of. The action could easily be set as low as 3/64 treble and 4/64 bass after a little work on the trussrod and saddles, but of course out of the box the guitar needed a complete setup (not that it wasn???t playable in the store, its just the nature of the beast). The nut was surprisingly very nicely done, with fairly low slots but without a lot of excess material above the strings/in between the slots.

The rosewood fingerboard was dry and light (almost ashen or chalky in some spots) but this was instantly fixed by an application of boiled linseed oil (my dressing of choice, seems like it does not need renewing as often as the lemon-scented mineral oil that seems to be popular) and buffing with a rag a few hours later before putting the strings back on. Nice dark chocolate colored rosewood with a good feel (except the high frets put your fingers further away so you don???t feel the wood as much). The maple neck is finished in polyurethane apparently with no stain, so it is very light and bland when new. On the other hand, they avoided putting on the fake orange ???vintage??? tint found in some lacquers.

The vintage style trem works very smoothly and fairly reliably as far as coming back to pitch when the spring-claw screws are properly adjusted for your string gauge and action. You can dive-bomb almost until the strings are totally slacked (assuming you???d want to do that), and with the bridge floating the recommended 1/8" off the body you get a little more than a full step pull-up, or at least a more natural flutter when pushing the bar down and letting it float back up. Can???t say it sustains like a hard-tail but it???s very nice indeed.

I, too, did not like the Ping tuners which felt as if they were getting tighter or looser depending on where each post was rotating. In fact the A string tuner felt like a spot was grinding as if one of the gears was not cleanly machined. Replacing them with Fender/Schallers was an improvement.

Detractors who are afraid of what might or will happen to the finish should simply wait and check in with us after they???ve banged the guitar around for awhile (one reviewer criticized the durability and hadn???t even purchased one!). I have seen photos posted on bulletin boards of heavily used Highway One???s that wore or chipped here and there where you would expect an abused instrument to take some knocks after a year or two. All I can say is the nitrocellulose topcoat will show scratches but first the matte finish will show some gloss where your arm rests. I rubbed mine out with woodfinishing polishing compounds and the gloss and color of the finish are beautiful, as is the alder wood grain showing in the three-tone sunburst. With it in a glossy condition, it does show scratches more easily but the color and depth are wonderful.

Fender Customer Relations were very responsive and informative by email when I had a problem getting the correct trem arm and wrenches. They did pass the buck to the store for failing to keep track of the accessory kits when they unpacked the gig bags and hung up the guitars. They did, however, verify he correct part numbers for the trem arm (same as the Made In Mexico Strats), bridge saddle wrench (ditto), and truss rod wrench (same as the other USA models). Another email asking for .pdf???s of the parts lists and wiring diagram was answered within a day - with the information I requested.

I have not had any need for warranty work so cannot comment on support when it really counts.

My black Strat with a maple neck (???97 Roadhouse Strat, American Standard with stock Texas Special pickups) was my go-to guitar until I saw every Strat onstage at the Experience Hendrix show had a rosewood neck (except for Buddy Guy's blonde with a maple neck). Never saw so many Marshall half-stacks cranked up to eleven. That got me thinking a rosewood neck Strat would behave a bit more under high gain situations and the Higway One certainy fits the bill. Great sound, if you get the action and pickup height set properly before making a judgment about the tone. Great vibe. Two points off for the less than perfect tuning machines, which can be fixed in a matter of moments.

This is a review for a 2005 Highway 1 Stratocaster.

As a note, in 2006 Fender made some big changes to the Highway 1, including a bridge with narrower string spacing (2 1/16 string spacing - similar to the MIM Standard and American Series Strats), large 70s headstock, and new darker-sounding Alnico 3 pickups. The newer guitars also have jumbo frets.

The finish is on my 2005 Highway 1 is transparent red, the alder grain is noticeable through the finish. The clearcoat is almost non-existent, it's very thin and wasn't polished to a glossy shine like on most other standard production Strats. It can be polished to a semi-gloss shine using polishing cream and lots of elbow grease.

The body shape is an "Original Contour Body", it looks just like the American Vintage Strats and MIM Classic Strats. The horns are correctly shaped. It is made of 4 pieces of Alder. The wood matching was very nicely done. If you look closely at the MIM Standards and some of the earlier American models the body edges aren't rounded as much as the Strats with the "Original Contour Body" decal on the headstock.

Since it's a pre-2006 Highway 1, it's got the 6-screw vintage-style tremelo bridge with the wide 2 7/32 string spacing. It looks like the same bridge Fender puts on the MIM Classic Series Strats. I needed a guitar with wide string spacing since I play fingerstyle some of the time.

It has the Ping, Fender labeled tuners.

Standard 25.5" scale with 22 medium-jumbo frets on a 1-piece maple neck. 9.5" radius fretboard.

Standard Strat setup - Master Volume with 2 tone controls, one for the neck pickup, the other for the middle. The newer 2006 and later Highway 1's use the 2nd tone control for the bridge instead of the middle pickup.

The pickups are the same as the ones used on the MIM Classic series - they use Alnico 5 magnets and are bright sounding.

This is a back-to-basics Stratocaster.

It has the classic Strat tone - bright, clear, twangy, and a little thin-sounding. The pickups don't have as much detail and shimmer as the Custom Shop '54's I have in a Warmoth Strat.

I use it with a newer model '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, a PodXT, Lexicon MPX-1 Reverb, Hughes & Kettner Tubeman and Tubeworks Blue Tube pedals. Several analog delay pedals, a Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal, and a Boss AD-8 Acoustic pedal.

It is noisier than most other Strats I've used in the past. The middle pickup isn't reverse wound, reverse polarity, so it's not hum-canceling in the 2 and 4 positions like on the post-2006 Highway 1's.

All the pickup positions sound very good except for the bridge pickup alone. Very thin sounding bridge. Even though it's noisier, I find the 2 and 4 positions sound better compared to Strats with the reverse wound, reverse polarity, middle pickup.

It was set up reasonable well at the factory. The neck is straight with no unusual bumps, the frets are smooth and even across the fretboard, and the neck-to-body fit is extremely tight. Only problems were the rear of the bridge was sitting about 1/4" off the body of the guitar, and the bridge saddles needed adjusting.

The clearcoat finish is very thin and scratches easily.

Everything else seems tough like the way most Strats are.

I've never had to contact Fender.

Limited Lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for around 17 years.

I use it with a newer model '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, a PodXT, Lexicon MPX-1 Reverb, Hughes & Kettner Tubeman and Tubeworks Blue Tube pedals. Several analog delay pedals, a Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal, and a Boss AD-8 Acoustic pedal.

As far as electric guitars - a Warmoth Strat with a mahogany body with quilted maple top and multiple sound chambers routed from the mahogany body. It has Fender Custom Shop '54 pickups and an original Wilkinson VS-100 tremolo bridge. This Warmoth sounds beautiful in the neck position but not so great in the other positions.
I also have an Ibanez small-bodied hollowbody guitar with humbuckers that I don't use too much. I also have a Squier Standard Stratocaster which is a decent guitar for the money. The Squier is quite a bit heavier than the other Strats I own and it has a very thin sound.

As far as acoustics, I have a Taylor 414, Martin OM-16 and an Ibanez. I like the smaller acoustics.

I basically needed a lightweight electric guitar with a tremelo bridge with wide string spacing since I play mostly with my fingers and I'm used to the wide string spacing on the acoustics.

I was also looking at the Korean Fender Lite Ash Stratocaster. It had a nice birdseye maple neck with an ash body along with Seymour Duncan pickups. Problems were that it was pretty heavy and the bridge is similar to the American Series Strats' bridge with it's narrow string spacing. Biggest problem was the neck was not straight and a truss rod adjustment didn't help. Buzzing frets up and down the neck. It did look nice though. The Highway 1 looked very plain next to the Lite Ash Strat.

I'm happy with my purchase, it met all of my requirements and was pretty inexpensive for an American made guitar. I really like the neck, it's one of the best I've ever played and the body is very lightweight and comfortable. The sound is better than average but I may install a set of Fender Custom Shop Fat 50s or 57/62s just to thicken the tone up a bit. Maybe a Callaham bridge block as well, though it doesn't need it.

Again, this is a back-to-basics Stratocaster.

I have the upgraded 2006 model, 3-tone sunburst, nitro finish. Jumbo frets, and they are JUMBO, 22 frets...etc you know the specs.

The pickups are allright, not your typical standard pickups, a little darker, but they can sound clean if you don't attack too hard. I was running it through my fender blues jr, and the pickups are just too sensitive to my playing at least. Tone is obviously subjective, but I really like a strat with noiseless pickups, I guess that's just my cup of tea...

Oh my, this is where it gets terrible. The guitar's action was actually too low at the store, had some bad buzzing. The pickups weren't adjusted correctly. I thought I'd tune it up myself, but guess what? The allan wrenches for the saddles weren't the correct sizes in the bag, seems the highway one has a different size that's not so standard. The cut on the nut was terrible, the low E wasn't set in correctly and had a small crack that I didn't notice until later on. Also I wanted to put some relief in the neck with the truss rod about 3 months later, and the truss rod is semi-stripped. I never touched it, so either it came from the factory or the store messed it up...

The tuners are absolutely horrible! Worst I've ever seen on a fender. Blocking the trem helped but still, they are terrible, end of story.

This guitar has been frustrating since the day I brought it home. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't quite figure it out since I was learning about electric guitars at the same time. (I'm an acoustic guy)

I think the Jumbo frets and the terrible tuners are it's weakest points in general. The finish is nice, the pickups are subjective, so they almost got it right. The neck is comfortable, but those frets are like road speed bumps, maybe I just got a huge lemon.

Well I'll have to revisit this question because I'm taking it under warranty this Friday to see how they'll fix the cracked nut, and stripped truss rod. The store I bought it from has a 2 year warranty on top of fender's. Really I hope they just give me in-store credit because I just don't want it anymore and want to wipe my hands clean of this mess of a guitar.

I've already picked up a Fender Deluxe Player's that is soooo much better than the highway one, it's not even funny. When I played the deluxe, I felt right at home with a guitar, it just took 6 months to find out how one's supposed to feel..

It's a strat 2002 teal

I play mostly Rock and blues 50s to today I use Fender solid state,Fender tube,Gibson tube and Marshall with mostly reverb and or tube screamers and wah pedals of different brands and qualitys sounds good to me and the people I play around.I have a American series, this guitar does not sound as loud as the American but make no mistake this is a good sounding insturment the pickups are just not quite as hot as the American seriies.The HIghway has a rosewood neck the American series has maple

I do not know how the guitar was set up from the factory as it was set up at the store I bought it from the thin finish had a couple of flaws in it from being handled at the store,you had to look closley to find,everything else was fine.I like the look of the guitar and like the idea that the finish will check in time.Feels good to the touch.

Its a Fender American made should outlive most coustermers.

Dont know

Been playing sence the mid 70s. If it were stolen I buy an other and would keep looking for this guitar for the rest of my life.I love her been playing her for 3 years now only bought the American series to round out my Strat sound and options. I also have a Gibson SG witch I also love and a Gib Les Paul also a fine insturment the thing is their tools for diferent jobs or platforms for diferent travels this is a good guitar If your looking for a strat and dont have a lot of cash try one strats are vrey versitle for most kinds of music.
I love the finish the sound the feel and the play ability. A hard case from the factory would have been nice, oh well.

2007 model (post-upgrade) USA-made Highway One Stratocaster, daphne blue nitro finish, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, alder body, three single-coil Alnico pickups, standard bridge, 9.5 radius neck with jumbo frets (and they are NOT kidding about that, they're big!). C-shaped neck with satin finish, a little chunky but not uncomfortable. Standard Strat controls with the exception of the second tone control, which is wired to the bridge pickup. The middle pickup is wide open. The Highway One includes the "Greasebucket" circuit which rolls off highs without beefing up the lows, and it does what it says on the package. Overall the standard Strat setup with a few exceptions.

The number of horrendous reviews for the Highway One is disconcerting. From the way some people talk, you would think that the Highway Ones are only marginally better than buying an Agile Strat copy. I'm here to remedy this and tell you the truth. The Highway One is not a Custom Shop model, but it does not deserve the merciless ragging it gets from so-called Strat enthusiasts.

The Highway One has darker pickups than most other Strats. For my money, I like this. They are not ear-piercingly shrill, and they get a classic Strat sound. I find the stock pickups a lot less noisy than the Stratocasters I've had in the past - significantly less noisy, actually. They're not noiseless, but they are not noisy at all.

Overall I would say the Highway One pickups give a well-rounded sound that covers a lot of Strat bases. They seem a bit biased toward a rock sound, so to speak. There is a bit less of a "twang" than the vintage Strat sound and a bit more midrange. For me, this is good, because I find that Stratocasters - especially in the bridge pickup - can be ear-piercingly shrill. This doesn't happen with the Highway One. If you are looking for a 1950's Strat sound, go elsewhere. But I do want to make it clear that for most players who are not fixated on having their Strat sound exactly like a vintage model, these pickups will do well. They have a medium output and to my ears, good tone - a bit more rounded off than the vintage sound, but still clearly a Stratocaster.

The complaints about lack of warmth and sterility that are in other reviews are simply not true. It is true that if you want the typical pingy, brittle, 1950s vintage Strat sound, these won't get it. If you want fullness, warmth, and a good Strat vibe, the Highway One will get you there.

The action took some tweaking. No guitar comes well set up from the factory, and everyone needs to adjust for their individual tastes. That being said the factory-set action was decent. I lowered it a little and did some setup for the 9-42's I like. I felt the need to bring the pickups up a little bit, but not much.

The body is finished in a non-glossy nitro blue, and if you look at it dead on you can see the wood through the finish. I don't mind this, but again, it's not a very "vintage" looking finish. The blue is less intense than it would be in a thicker finish, but I like it. The guitar is not at all heavy and compares well with my Gibson SG Special Faded, which is a very light guitar. It may be a few ounces heavier but not much. I'm skeptical about the idea that the lighter finish adds to the resonance of the guitar, but I have to admit that overall it seems to feel more resonant and the sound does seem to have a bit more air than on more heavily finished guitars. This is highly subjective, though.

The hardware, nut, etc. is all good solid stuff. The nut could use some lubrication but appears well cut.

The maple on the neck is not stained at all, which gives it a pale appearance. This doesn't bother me, but does freak some people out. I have read reviews of the Highway One where people complained about the rosewood fretboard. Mine did have a dusty feel, but an application of lemon oil cleared that off and revealed a nice dark piece of rosewood that plays well. The edges of the frets were well rounded.

There are some minor issues with the edges of the fretboard, which are rounded but not "rolled off." It's not the cleanest-looking work on very close inspection, but running your hand up and down the fretboard there are no snags and no protruding fret tangs. The fret height seems to be even all the way around.

One of the issues that many people seem to have is with the size of the frets. And they are huge, no joke. If you're used to vintage size frets, or even medium frets, you may find yourself pressing down too hard and sending the note sharp. A light touch goes very far in playing the Highway One. Remember that you're only trying to get the string to reach the top of the fret, not get your finger on the fretboard itself. The large frets do make bending quite easy.

The bridge is your standard 6-screw Strat bridge with a nice steel block underneath. Unfortunately, after many years of trying to use standard Strat trems and following the gurus' advice to the letter, I am still unable to find a regular Strat trem that will return in tune and the Highway One is no exception. This is a reflection on me, and not the guitar. After trying manfully, I gave up and blocked the trem. I guess I'm not cut out to use the Strat tremolo. Your mileage may vary!

The one real problem I had was the Ping tuning keys. I didn't like the way they felt and they didn't seem terribly stable on the G and B strings, so I replaced them with Fender/Schaller locking tuners, which slotted in with no modification at all. After this, and blocking the trem, I had no tuning problems. Again, your mileage may vary; many people find the Ping tuners to be quite adequate.

The sustain on this Highway One is quite good. A Strat will never sustain quite as well as a guitar with a hardtail bridge, but even without the block when I was trying to use the tremolo, I had no problem getting a good sustaining tone.

Overall the guitar has a workmanlike appearance and a workmanlike feel. That's not a put-down. It's not a custom shop job, but it is a clean, basic, well-made Stratocaster with a good sound and a good feel once you get adjusted to the very large frets.

The guitar will certainly withstand live playing. The thin finish will wear off eventually, which is what Fender intended according to their company info on the Highway One. They intend for you to "relic" it yourself. Personally I have never understood the "relic" thing, but if you take care of the guitar the finish should be fine. (Don't put it on a cheap rubber-coated guitar stand, though; that may react with the finish.) The hardware, strap buttons, etc. are solid and reliable.

This is certainly a dependable, solid guitar. I'd use it on a gig without a backup. Everything about the Highway One indicates it's a keeper and something you can play without worrying about.

I have never used Fender's warranty, so I can't comment on this. I've never had anything go so badly wrong with a Fender that I felt the need to send it back. Maybe I've been lucky!

I have been playing for 30 years and I own quite a lot of gear - Gibson SG, 1959 Fender Jazzmaster, Rickenbacker 330, and lots of other stuff. I really am amazed at the negative reviews the Highway One Strat gets, and I don't think they are fair reviews. I have played vintage Fenders. The Highway One is not a vintage-styled Strat. If that's what you're looking for, you would be better off buying one of the MIM 50's, 60s or 70s models, or paying more money for one of the American Standards or Hot Rod Vintage models.

That being said, the Highway One is not just for "modern" players, either. It covers a lot of bases sonically, and it's meant for people who don't have money to throw away but who want something that is American made, and is better than the standard MIM models. The reaction against it by some people is mystifying.

The satin finish on the neck may be throwing people off, perhaps; the more rounded pickup sound, the fact that the neck is not tinted and the body doesn't have a glossy finish may be throwing them off too. But the concentrated hate that gets thrown at the Highway One from some corners is entirely and completely justified. It's not a Custom Shop, and if you can afford one of those get it. But if you are a working player, and you don't have a lot of money, and you want a reliable, straightforward Strat that sounds good and plays well, and sounds like a Strat should, the Highway One is an excellent choice.

I should start by saying that I liked the description and the list of features that the Fender website lists, and that's why I sought out one of these guitars. I have a 1956 time machine Custom Shop strat that I absolutely love, but, to be honest, I get a little nervous anytime it's out of the case. I wantd a guitar I could take to gigs and play without obsessively worrying over a potential dent or scratch.

So I drove over a hundred miles to find a large Fender dealer so I could play a few of these (I also wanted to find a dealer who would sell me the guitar I happened to play in the store; what a concept, huh, Guitar Center?).

I don't know how Fender has marketed the Highway One, but this guitar seems to be a nice melding of modern features and vintage vibe. On the modern side, the Highway One has a reverse wound middle pickup to cancel hum, jumbo frets, and a tone control over the bridge pickup.

On the vintage side, the Highway One has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish and a classic 70's headstock and decal. Of course, maybe Fender hasn't realized that the 70's was the decade when they built a reputation for poor quality control and terrible customer service, so maybe the 70's throwback nature wasn't the best choice. But I digress.

Finally, the most notable feature of all, for better or for worse, is that the Highway One series are made in the USA.

I play blues and classic rock, and occaionally, when I feel like embarrassing myself, jazz.

I play through a Blues Junior at home occasionally, but mostly I use a forty watt Trayner tube amp. In the store, while I played the Highway Ones, I used a Blues Junior.

I made a bad joke about the poor reputation Fender built in the 1970's. I think that reputation is pretty well repaired by now, but if the goal of the Highway One was to bring that reputation back into the spotlight, then, let me say, mission accomplished. Highway One? I call it Highway Junk.

The four Highway Ones I played certainly weren't noisy. In fact, they were terribly thin and brittle sounding. Even when experimenting with the greasebucket tone controls, the pickups sounded extremely sterile. Some of the worst pickups I've ever heard.

I believe these pickups are particular to Highway One models, so it's possible I just have an aversion to them. I do love the single coil sound, however. I love the sound of american standard pickups, and even pickups from a good MIM strat.

I can't speak to the set up from the factory. I went to CA House Music because they do a fine job of setting up their guitars. I suppose it's possible that they forgot to set up every Highway One in the store (but not likely). I think I could have pressed two quarters together and slipped them between the neck to body joint. If you're looking for sustain, that isn't the way to get it.

Also, the nitro finish looked more cheap than vintage to me, something akin to heavy paint on an old barn. I didn't try it, but I had the feeling that if I pressed my palm into the body and made a few circles I would have had an instant relic job on my hands (literally; ba-ta-ding!). So if you're looking for a finish that'll begin chipping the day after you buy it, here you go. Maybe the poor finish is there to make it seem like you play a lot, since, if you're stuck with this guitar, you won't want to play at all. You might even contemplate quitting.

But here's the good news! It stayed in tune better than some of the MIM strats I played (but not most of them).

I can't comment on the reliability or durability since I didn't buy this instrument.

My guess is that it isn't reliable or durable. This guitar sounded cheap and felt even cheaper. Drop it three inches onto carpet and it might very well explode into dust.

Can't comment on the customer support aspect either. With this, Fender might be getting so many calls they're leaving the phones off the hook.

I can say that I had a American standard series years ago and Fender wasn't particularly helpful with a pickup problem I had. The dealer I bought it from eventually took care of it, however. When it comes to Fender, from what I've experienced and heard, dealer support is more likely than manufacturer support.

Overall, every Highway One I played was a piece of junk. I think many guitar players listen with their wallets as much as their ears. Sure these guitars are more expensive than those made in Mexico, but they certainly aren't better instruments. Unfortunately, the selling point I found for this guitar is that it's made in the USA, and that's a shame.

Another reviewer claimed this was a great guitar if you put in the necessary modifications. That's probably true of this guitar, but it's also true for any guitar with a decently playing neck. Call me crazy, but if I spend almost 800 dollars for a guitar, I shouldn't have to make modifications for it to be servicable.

This wasn't a wasted trip, however. I played two Classic Player strats, a 50's and 60's. They were both great and far superior to the Highway Ones and even the American Standard strats I played (not the American Deluxes, though). So at the end of the day I bought a Classic Player 60's strat. It cost fifty dollars more. It isn't made in the USA. But the pickups are the custom shop 69s, and the neck felt much better and smoother. It sustained and stayed in tune. And most importantly, it didn't feel like a piece of junk.

So if you really have to have a USA made strat, save a little more and grab an American Standard or American Deluxe. You'll end up saving a lot of money on upgrades and you'll have a much nicer piece of equipment.

Upgraded 2007 Highway One Stratocaster in 3-tone sunburst finish. Smooth and light satin finish shows the wood grain of the alder body. Vintage Synch Trem (6 screws) with a steel bridge block. 3-ply plain white pickguard. Alnico 3 hot pickups with tone controls wired to the neck and the bridge pickup. Reverse polarity for the middle pickup (no hum in 2 and 4 position) Maple neck and fretboard. Jumbo sized frets. 70's style large headstock and decal. Standard ping tuners. 22 Frets. American made. S/S/S pickup config.

The Alnico 3 pickups gives a very modern sound. It sounds great with high distortion, and it's not as noisy as many other single coils. Very versatile sound sacrifices hotter sounds as in Tex-Mex's. I'm running it through a Boss ME-50 guitar multiple effects processor, and a Marshall MG30DFX. Neck pickup is very clear and bell-like, and bridge pickup is twangy, just like a normal Strat should be. Great guitar for blues, classic rock, moder rock, jazz, pop, etc. Very, very versatile guitar. the lighter finish lets the wood breath which also contributes to the sound.

Minor adjustments were required to get the feel that I wanted. But other than that, it was set up great. The nut is giving troubles though. Strings stick or slip in the nut causes great inconveniences when using the tremolo. I suggest putting some lubricant (graphite) to help smooth it out.

Seems like a very durable guitar. I'm looking forward to the finish wearing off and making this guitar look vintage. The strap buttons are huge, and my frequent playing seems to have no effect in wearing anything off.

I've talked to Fender before, and they've been great in answering questions. They seem friendly.

I've had this guitar for a little over a month. It's been holding up great and it's still sounding great. I've always loved the 70's style decal and headstock and the light satin finish makes this guitar feel weightless. I love the versatility and the durability. I wouldn't necessarily exchange. I would mod it out maybe a bit, but I can settle with what it is now. Of course I wish it had locking tuners and a 2-point American trem with an LSR bridge, but that'd be asking too much for this cheaper in price guitar.