Fender Highway 1 Strat

mine is a 2005, made in USA (by the way Highway one are made and assembled in the USA )22 Medium Jumbo Frets , Honey Blonde, Body Alder, Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Greasebucket? Tone Circuit, (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass)
Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup), Greasebucket? Tone Circuit, (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass) Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo Scale, 3-Ply White Pickguard, Length 25.5? with a Deluxe Gig Bag.

just perfect !!!!! when I play blues or rock !!! this fully does the job !!! I am using through my traynor with my line6 mm4 plus my echo park. it sounds great.....it's stratocaster !!!!!

the factory set-up was good.....but i'm using Strings .010 to .046 in flat tuning (Eb) so it needed to be set-up to my needs. but now it's perfect !!!! the bridge pick up was not enough high but.....with the screew driver.....i took care of that

this is my second main guitar !!!! everything will withstand live playing and recording. hardware is good.......finish good enough even if it's really thin. i love the color

excellent

I've been playing since I'm 12 year old, I own many electrics (les paul, telecaster ...etc..etc...) this was the last missing piece of equipement to fil my needs. If it were stolen or lost, I would you buy it again. but Remember.....this is a USA stratocaster.......like any made in USA fender guitars......there's always good ones....and bad ones......they are hand made......and all of them are really unique. if you try one that you don't like.....try 'em all until you found the perfect one ! but everywhere on the net......the rumours wants to make us believe those are not real fender USA......don't get fooled by the people who feel that a real good guitar should cost over $1000.00 and more. if it feels good to you, this is what is counts.

This guitar was hand-made in Carona California,in 2005, in the same factory as the American Series Guitars. Some of its features are 22 medium Jumbo frets, three sing coil AlNiCo pickups, a maple neck and fingerboard,five way switching, and and excellent Satin lowgloss finish. The tuners are amazing and allow the guitar to stay in perfect tune, however there are not as good as a locking system used in the new American series strat.

A Few gripes are, the pickups are great, but the pole pieces force alot of mid-boost

I play everything form Jazz to blues to metal to classic rock, and this guitar, with the right effects an do all of this. For clean its sounds beautiful and thick, with a sort of vibe. Great. And for metal the pickups scream out the harmonics, and hit you right btween the eyes. Great great sound!!! However, no sound is perfect, as this is not a perfect world, so I have to give it a nine.

The factory set-up, since it is hand made. The action was perfecteverything was perfect. The second I picked up the guitar I knew it was for me. Absolutley no factory flaws whatsoever.

I would definitely use it at a gig, but the only reason I would have a backup though, in case a string broke and I did not have the time to fix it. I think it is built super strong. The finish however is great, and allows the tone to ring through. However, scratches can appear easier if you're not careful.

The warranty is a lifetime warranty, but i have had no problems as of yet.

I just love this guitar to death. I don't know why, it just sounds great. An amazing instrument. The best part was the price. Some great playes have played it, and say the price must have been twice, some even three times what it was worth!!! A great buy if you want a jazz guitar, but don't really want a hollow body because you dont play just jazz, this is the guitar for you. The only players i might not recommend this for, would be players who love their Floyd Rose Bridge.

Corona made, 2002 with 22 medium jumbo frets. I think we all know what the specs are.... Good selector - real smooth. The tuners are spot on, smooth and keep the guitar in PERFECT tune. The neck is maple with a nice rosewood 'board, but needs regular oiling. The gig bag is a bit on the cheap side... These guitars retail at ?900 in Ireland, although I got it for ?650 with a ding on the upper bout. All in all, pretty low spec, but that's a good thing -- less things to go wrong. The features are reliable, which is what matters.

I play mainly rock and pop, using a boss DS1 (a classic) and dunlop wah. I use a Fender Frontman 25R, although am upgrading soon. Without distortion the guitar sounds fluid and bright, excellent for smooth progressions and blues. Messing about with the tone controls gives an amazing variety in tone, from sub-aquatic to crystal. With distortion, the guitar screams like a chainsaw in the bridge, but is fairly well-rounded, with good growl in the middle position. A bit dull in the neck. I like the variety but the thing really needs to be kept above eight to hold onto its tone - below that it becomes really weak.

The factory set up was okay, although there was problems with intonation and saddle heights. Major buzzing on 'G'. I took the thing to my local guitar store - the guy did a damn good job, but couldn't completely erradicate the buzzing, unless he dramatically raised the action. He brought it up a small bit and the buzzing is greatly reduced, although the problem might be with the nut. The pickups are fine, set up as they should be. The guitar was second hand (it was bought and transported from the U.S. to Ireland.) It recived a ding in shipment and so I got it at a cheap price. Even looking at the guitar causes it to chip. But I think that's okay, don't see the point in paying a bucket of cash for a silly relic finish, buy a highway - you'll have your relic finish in a few months

This guitar will withstand a nuclear war. It's a brick. The hardware is farily solid too, with the exception of the trem arm -- the threads will wear out if overtightened even in the slightest. The finish is not going to last. But I don't care. A fender should look like it was played by a maniac. The strap buttons are not that solid, mine came off - but I do throw my guitar around a hell of a lot. I patched it up and its fine now. I can definitely depend on this guitar, I would use it without a backup if I had to, but what's the point in doing that?

Never dealt with them. Nice website, though...

Been playing for about ten years. I own a couple of tanglewood acoustics, and a rubbish squier strat that I kick from time to time. I've destroyed a few guitars in my time. If it was stolen.... yes I would buy it again, but I'd probably make some modifications. I changed the pickguard on this - a four-ply red moto, goes well with the cocoa colour, and the internal steel plate seems to make the sound sustain a bit better than the plastic. I'd probably change the pickups too: they're good without distortion, but can lack presence. I adore the neck -- it's unbelieavably smooth, the weight is good and it does hold its tone remarkably well, as long as it is kept no lower than eight. I wish it had a better trem block, the strings stick when you want to remove them.

Highway 1 in honey blond with maple neck. Vintage bridge,tuners. New features include special tone controls, 2 string trees. 70's alnico pickups. I am a vintage nut and I find these litte changes a definate plus.

I went out to find a inexpensive strat that has THE sound. I played everything 2-3 times. I played the JV,57 reissue,v neck, 50's classic as well as the expensive ones, 54 custom shop, shur's, and countless others. The salesman told me to try the Hughway one. I never even heard of it, so I did. WOW, what a great guitar. The sound was clean quiet ( just as quiet as the noiseless V neck ) and extremely articulate. I put down a deposit and went to think it over. Suffering from GAS, I read all the posts of other guitars and decided I can spend the extra to get somrthing I would love. I played some of the more expensive ones and then played the HW 1 again. A guy came up to me and said that the HW 1 sounded better than all the rest and that included a $2500 Shur. He said his friend owns 6 stats and likes this one the best. Moral; Your first impression is usually right.

I love the finish, It looks like a very cool closet classic. It playes as good as my 63 olympic white strat. Great see thru alder body,No buzzes. Fret outs, crackling pots or switches. Beatiful, F'n Beautiful

This is a special finish that will need a little care not to harm it but it will really wear in well in time. All the mechanical parts are nice and tight. I know it will serve me well in the years to come.

Fender is well known not to help when you need them or if they will ever return a call. I just bring it to my tech when there is a issue.

A exceptional value. Good at twice the price.I was going to get a guitar and gut it. Putting in Fralin', CTS pots, etc. I am just adding strap locks and start making music and entertaning people.

Highway 1 in honey blond with maple neck. Vintage bridge,tuners. New features include special tone controls, 2 string trees. 70's alnico pickups. I am a vintage nut and I find these litte changes a definate plus.

I went out to find a inexpensive strat that has THE sound. I played everything 2-3 times. I played the JV,57 reissue,v neck, 50's classic as well as the expensive ones, 54 custom shop, shur's, and countless others. The salesman told me to try the Hughway one. I never even heard of it, so I did. WOW, what a great guitar. The sound was clean quiet ( just as quiet as the noiseless V neck ) and extremely articulate. I put down a deposit and went to think it over. Suffering from GAS, I read all the posts of other guitars and decided I can spend the extra to get somrthing I would love. I played some of the more expensive ones and then played the HW 1 again. A guy came up to me and said that the HW 1 sounded better than all the rest and that included a $2500 Shur. He said his friend owns 6 stats and likes this one the best. Moral; Your first impression is usually right.

I love the finish, It looks like a very cool closet classic. It playes as good as my 63 olympic white strat. Great see thru alder body,No buzzes. Fret outs, crackling pots or switches. Beatiful, F'n Beautiful

This is a special finish that will need a little care not to harm it but it will really wear in well in time. All the mechanical parts are nice and tight. I know it will serve me well in the years to come.

Fender is well known not to help when you need them or if they will ever return a call. I just bring it to my tech when there is a issue.

A exceptional value. Good at twice the price.I was going to get a guitar and gut it. Putting in Fralin', CTS pots, etc. I am just adding strap locks and start making music and entertaning people.

Mine was built in 2004, has a rosewood fretboard and the standard 3 single coil pickups. has volume and tone controls, for bridge and neck, the bridge is pretty standard, I don't think its mexican, but when using the trem, it will go out of tune.
tuners look like mexican ones.
came with gigbag, strings and a strap.

I play mostly classic rock, so I think I'll change the pickups for ones with more output, on high gain the standard ones are a bit noisy. it has a thin bright sound, but with good amp settings a warmer sound can de found.
when I bought it it was buzzing,so I had it set up properly to make it easier to play on.

factory setup was ok, however the action was quite low, so it did buzz.
pickups were adjusted ok i guess, but I'll swap them anyway so that doesn't really matter to me.
I like the finish, looks better than the plastic-like finishes some other strats have, it also makes for a good sustain. I guess the finish will wear of within a couple of years, but that only makes it look better.

This guitar is a proper built product, the hardware is of less quality, but it does the job, I wouldn,t play it live without a backup. finish will wear off quickly.
I changes the strap buttons for straplock's so I don't have any experience with them.

I have been playing guitar for about 8 years now, and I have owned several strats, but this was gives me best value for money.
If it were stolen I'd probably replace it,while they are so cheap.

This is a 2005 Honey Blonde with a maple neck. You know the drill from the previous reviews. That review that Samuel gave was just about the same experience..( experience...hendrix, uh, yeah..) I had with it. I had always wanted a Strat even before I could play because my idols were James Young of Styx, Trower and Hendrix. I played so many Strats over the years and I just saw this one- looked like Yngwie's a little and I picked it up and WOW the only way to describe it was s m ooo th. I plugged it in and It didn't have that deep roar like Stevie but more of a chungy twang and with distortion, it growled real perty-like. I had $110 in cash and I laid it down, went and cashed a check and laid some mo' down and two days later paid the rest and brought her home.

Vintage, five way gives endless variety from a crisp chime to a Tele chung to that deep hollow quack. Total Strat. I played with my band the first time with it last night. My fellow band members were all drooling and we played back our session over and over! I was thinking I would have to switch back and forth to a humbucker but it did good.

The action was a little high, it had 9's ( I like 10's) but everthing else was right on.

Tank--but the finish seems a little soft due to the unique finish.

don't know

I've been playing since 1979 and also play an Electra Phoenix-who is sad now that the Strat has come and stole my heart, a Kramer, Carvin Ultra-V and a couple of acoustics. I play through a Randall half stack and use a Fender Frontman 15 practice amp. I use Vintage Ibanez pedals, Boss, Arion and Zoom. I would buy another if it were stolen. I love the....well hell, it's a Strat! The fit, finish, feel, sound and looks were just superior to most mexican and American Strats I had looked at over the years and it just said, " I'm a foxy lady..chicka wow wow chicka wow wow ( sorry Samuel). You can't beat the price either- $590 for an Amnerican Strat. Amen

'' By Far the greatest Bolt Necks out there... ''

2 X Highway 1 Stratocasters, Blonde you know the standard shtick, Rosewood Frettboard the other with a Maple Neck ! added Gold plated Kluzon type tuners , 22 Frets etc... and an Anodized gold Pickguard which makes it the prettiest out there ! definitly looks great with the see thru paint !!!!

What a beauty, what a Neck... nothing like it on the market, and I have 4 Stratocasters added to those 2 X HW1's

Greasebuckets !!! Yeah Baby !!!

Well my music style is more experimental which makes it hard to suit any guitar, I had settled on a couple of Jazzmasters and needed something more expressive as I felt the Jazzmaster muted down at times, I walked into the Shop originally intending to buy a E.J Strat, which I had reserved...

Than this one appeared out of nowhere and I just couldn't believe it... it was like Leo up there in heaven had just finished it and threw it onto my lap !!!

The Sound ! Pure 70's Strat, the Hendrix, Gilmour, SRV shtickle that made me dream about those when I was a kid, I started out playing Some Foxy Lady and just froze thinkin... uhhhh shiiiiiiist

I didn't put it back on the racks, told the salesperson to hold it in the back while I try some other stuff, Got the E.J... and yup... the top string fell off... sound was great though ! tried couple of reissues and some relics but I had a feeling...

you know the feeling u get at a party when u meet a girl and uR'e like holly sh... you start talking to her you guys hit it off and then u're friends are dragging u away to speak to other people.. girls...

but you can only think of THAT girl ...

that was the feeling !!! the neck... I couldn't believe that neck... so after going through a couple of Reissues, Mexican Strats, American Strats, American Deluxes...

I just got back to the counter and bought 2 Blonde Highway 1's, one Rosewood , one Maple.

The Maple Neck got broken on a trip to Talahasee, I was flustered as hell... got the money from the airline company and got a 57 American Reissue Neck from a Local store, the neck isn't as good as the Highway 1 but heck... I thought the 57 Neck was a close enough fit as I needed something comfy.

I've ordered a New Modern C neck with the configuration of the Highway 1 from the Fender Company in Maple, they will give the Maple a Vintage finish as per my request ! hopefully I'll post links to the pics !

Also found out the Pickups are Fender classic 70's, I've ordered a set in case one of 'em decides to play the ol Demagntized trick on me !

This Guitar is flawless, the one I got was a dream, and just utterly crushed the Deluxe and Classic Mexican series I tried...

the neck is unbelievable, smooth and just liberating !!! I feel I can play faster, more precisely ! Still use the Jazzmasters at times but they are starting to ... eh taper off ... I may order a custom pickguard with one Jazzmaster Pickup cut and put it on an affinity Squier that I'm gonna put the 57 Neck on ! that'd be nice !

this Guitar I believe is an excellent compromise of all the best features of everything in the Strat Series from Fender !

Got Home and the first thing I did was adjust those gorgeous pickups to get more tone out of'em, they responded great, Both the guitars got an Anodized Gold pickup installed on them, and I had to adjust alot of the action as the Lower Frets had too much clearance !

Excellent !!! like a brick !!!

Called Fender !!! Excellent Customer service .. a bit slow overall though

Great guitar, Great quality ,

Standard strat features no special switching or fancy bridges just bog standard strat which of course means its pretty feature laden for a ancient design. Cheap satin finish which is to be honest what sold this guitar for me.

It sounds like a classic strat as heard on many millions of recordings since the 50's. Pickups hiss like a rattlesnake through a loud amp but that doesn't bother me its what single coils do in standard form, accept that and theres no worries. For what are probably cheap pickups they produce all the Hendrix / Trower / SRV tones you could wish for through a good valve amp. The thin finish adds greatly to the overall sound producing to my ears a more dynamic / breathier sound than heavily laquered strats.

It came with a very low action and buzzed a little but i was expecting to get it setup anyhow so it didn't unduly worry me. I raised the action myself to suit my requirements and the buzz dissapeared completely so i didn't require a proffesional set up after all. The fingerboard edges are rolled and this produces a beautifully played in feeling, i just can't put this thing down it feels so good. Finish is very thin and easy to scratch and rub away.
To me this is not a problem and i can envisage having a relic strat in about 1 year just from normal playing and a few years down the line it will resemble a Rory Gallagher strat, cool. If you like your guitars to be in pristine condition don't buy one of these.

Its a strat and won't break unless you want it too and even then youll have to try bloody hard. Gig it, eat your dinner off it, go sledging on it and it will still work fine.

Never had to bother them.

Been playing 26 years and this is one of my most played guitars, i own 9.
My first strat was a 70's reissue from the mid 80's and it was an absolute dog, i didn't touch another fender for 15 years. So even if youve had a duffer before from a company don't rite them off.

highway 1 honey blonde strat, alder body, rosewood neck, I swapped the tuners for locking sperzels, swapped pickups for emg single bridge and noisless fender customs for middle and neck, rewired bridge pickup for tone control

originally sounded very tinny and thin , not voiced well at all, the new pickup set-up mentioned above improed this incredibly, very warm and versital tones now. My main rig has been a 78 gibson sg for years, but rarely pick her up anymore due to the mods done on this strat..also own a jackson soloist.
I run marshall amps only
the only effect is crybaby
mostly i play rock/blues and classic metal

out of the box it was aweful! i have never seen any other guitar come home so poorly, once again, after some attention i finally set her up to fit my expectations.
finish is awesome, i love the lack of plastic looking paint, sounds so perfect playing simply acoustic

very tough guitar..solid! i am sure the paint will wear prematurely and that is fine with me...strats always look better worn

no opinion

I truly love this guitar, but as i have listed , i made quite a few mods getting to this point...pretty damn good value for the money.
like most great things in like ..they must be built not bought.