Fender Highway 1 Telecaster

A tele is a tele, right?

22 frets, made in the USA.
Vintage 3-piece bridge.
Maple neck.

I play it through a Hot Rod Deluxe. The neck pickup has a mellow sound, great for jazz if I adjust my tone control. The bridge pickup delivers that classic tele twang. Both pickups combined is great for rhythm playing. They quack, but not as much as a strat.
This guitar gives a broad range of sounds, from mellow to twang. But I can always hear that I play a tele.

Setup was fine. It has 0.9 strings, but I will change them later to 0.10s.

People have commented that the finish wears off easily on the highway 1s. It doesn`t matter to me as I like a telecaster with a battered look.
Everything on this guitar is rock solid, a real workhorse. No fancy details that are easy to break.

Never been in contact with customer support.

I have played for 20 years and I have owned some guitars during the years. This is my second tele and it is a defininte improvement from the Mexican standard I sold 2 years ago.
My favorite feature on this guitar is definately the neck. It has medium jumbo frets, is quite chunky, but fast and easy to play. I own two strats and a Les Paul copy and this guitar adds something new to my arsenal.

This is a review of the body only. I'm building a parts Tele using a Highway 1 body, American Series neck, pup assembly from Acme Guitar Works(excellent to work with) with Lindy Fralin blues specials and 4 way switching, and a bridge assembly from Glendale Guitars. I decided to save a little cash and bought this body off of Ebay. I'm wishing I didn't. 4 count 'em 4 frickin pieces of Alder. The holes for the string ferrels look like they were drilled by my 9 year old. They're too big and the egdes of the holes are uneven. They had tape over them to hold them in place during shipping. I see below that others mention that they fall out when changing strings.

With the high end parts I have and the thin finish the guiotar as a whole should sound good, but would probably be better if it wasn't 4 pieces of wood.

Finish is crap, but I knew that and wasn't expecting much, but the ferrel holes make me cringe. I assume these bodies are made by lower skilled workers at Fender (maybe Mexico?) to save additional money and in my opinion it shows. The cavity routes look pretty good although not up to the higher end stuff.

Don't see any problem here

yeah right

I've been playing 30 years. My other current guitars are a G&L Commanche and a 335. This is my first Tele and first project guitar. I did a lot of searching for parts and decided to save $100-200 by going with this body. Will see how she sounds and if it doesn't work out I will sell and get a nice light weight swamp ash body with a lacquer finish. I've played several of these in stores. These Highway One series are bottom of the barrel Fenders. They obviosuly don't get the attention to detail in fit/finish or quality of parts. For the money I'd go MIM or MIJ over one of these. I can't beleive this was 4 pieces of wood and it's touted as an American model. Should be 2 pieces, 3 at most.

It's a Telecaster what more is there to say.

Granted it does sound like a Telecaster due to Alnico magnets within single coil pickups and the correct windings albeit on cheap nasty plastic bobbins.

Action was good, guitar very playable, but then again so is a Pacifica.

The guitar is poorly finished with Fender tryting to kid you that the cheap matt finish will improve the sound. It will fall off in days.

I challenged Fender on the phone and by e-mail on the quality of this product with no response.

As a guitar technician and teacher with 40 years experience, this is the worst case of ripping you off by trading on a name that I have come across. The once great Fender company are cynically devising ways to relieve you of your hard earned by producing cheap nasty variants, using by their own admission non US parts from anywhere around the globe. If you really want the F word on your axe, buy a Jap one or failing that a Mex vintage which are just about value for money, and don't fall for this corporate theft! Better still but high end Yamaha - they have standards.

2003 USA Highway 1,for the buck cant be beat,no need to change the PUs,sound awesome as is,that twangy tele sound,a bare bones axe at a bare bones price

Play this Axe thru a traynor YCV20,15 watt class A,You can pretty much dial in the sound you want,twangy to creamy it is there

Yeah well,i cant add anything that hasnt been said,if you beat your axes then there are better choices,take care of it and it will take care of you.had mine two years the fifnish is like new.

Durability wise it is a fender American made piece,will take all you can give it and keep on ticking,have had no problems other than the cord poppoing out of the jack,a minor adjustment.

Havent used

Also have a 1989 fender Strat/japan dont play much,been stored in original box for 15 years,but in comparison i prefer the tele,i play blues and rock,find the tele better suited to my playing,prefer the control setup to that of the strat,once you play it you will have to admit that for the buck youget a lot of bang

I am reviewing an H1 Tele with 3-color sunburst, one piece maple neck, and other Tele standards. I've owned it for about a year. I really got this as a PLAYING guitar, not for collecting, although I have to say sometimes I find myself just staring at it on the stand. The thin finish actually looks better than the standard finish; somehow, glossy now seems cheesy to me. It's best, most useful feature is its simplicity. Pick it up. Plug it in. Play.

The one (minor) drawback for me is the bridge. My hand pushes against the lip of the bridge when I'm palm muting and playing a lot of tight stuff like funk, and it can get a bit annoying after a while. Really not a big deal.

I am a restless guitarist who plays many sounds and so I have many guitars. I was addicted to a heavy (Gibson BB King Lucille) sound for a while, then suddenly realized my tube amp wasn't fading; I just needed a guitar that could cut through the thick tube sound. So I got this Tele. As with most reviewers here, I quickly changed out the stock pickups, which have the distracting hum. I put in Bill Lawrence pickups; these are amazing pickups (and not expensive) which are super clean and transparent. The best PUs, IMO. With these pickups, I can hear the quality of the wood, and the sound is stunning. Knowing I would switch pickups to BL's, I paid a bit more for an H1 rather than an MIM Tele just for the quality of the wood and construction. I cannot emphasize how amazing and distinctive this guitar sounds with the PU switch.

The stereotype is that Tele's have a sharp sound best suited for country, punk, etc. True enough if everything on the guitar is dimed. Roll back the tone control, add some crunch, and (with BL or some other noiseless PU) you can get amazingly creamy heavy sound. This is the sort of guitar that just feels right and is easy to grab-and-play. By varying where you attack (over the bridge vs. near the neck) and playing with the tone and amp, you can basically get any tone. Even acoustic-like. This flexibility of sounds rivals the best Strats, and the Tele's inherent simplicity is just the way guitar playing should be. I would just emphasize the importance of changing the PUs.

I think factory setup is over-rated; I recommend getting a book on how to set up your own guitar, as setup will degrade with the seasons and with playing. The parts are flawless; they really show Leo's basic genius. And again, I know the finish will wear more quickly and I even agree that a worn Tele is cool. But basically I like the flat finish and hope it stays as is (it won't).

This guitar exudes quality and solidity. I believe the original Teles were referred to by competitors as "boat paddles". Yup, rock solid.

NA

Oh, I own a lot of gear. Ten guitars, notably a Gibson Lucille, Fender Strat, Italia Mondial (now that's a wild guitar), BCRich Mockingbird, etc.. One tube amp (Apeg G20) and various SS amps. I find myself most often grabbing this Tele, because it is the most flexible guitar. There is something to be said for starting with a sound that cuts through the mix and piling effects on afterward. This guitar does it, and like all great guitars it is addictive to play. The sonic possibilities are all there if you are creative both with your mix and with the guitar itself. Maybe the purest guitar experience.

MY 2003 serial number, rosewood neck, crimson transparent finish. A standard USA Highway One Tele.

I play '70's and '80's pop and rock, plus my own compositions, just for myself, have had small gigs in the past. Was looking for that twangy, edgy sound that is so recognisable from this model guitar, as I didn't own an instrument which delivered that. Certainly got it now! Bridge pickup is bright and distinct, neck pup is more mellow without being too muddy - and I reckon the output is just right. This instrument sustains into next week... You can vary the tone a lot with only small changes of volume and tone knobs, which I like. I did need to re-think some settings on my Peavey amp. Getting to know it now, found the lovely clear, ringing tone really nice to listen too, but more sensitive to mistakes and variations in playing style compared to my other cheaper guitars. Guess I'm getting the experience of owning a better class of guitar, and it's certainly forcing me to be more acccurate with my playing, and pay better attention to my tone. I get the feeling we're going to grow a lot together over the years. I use it clean a lot more than my other guitars, if I'm playing something requiring a fair amount of overdrive/distortion etc will probably grab something else... Is as noisy as any other single coil, certainly no more so, lovely and quiet if I get rid of external sources of noise and hum around the house. Am considering the brass saddles, a cheap and easy way to just mellow it a bit, see if I like that even more...

Bought it in Singapore in 2005, obviously had sat around shop for a while, needed new strings and a buff (not dress) of the frets (did all myself). Build quality seems very high. Neck was still spot on, intonation v-good, slight rattle on A string at fifth fret that isn't troubling me enough that I've adjusted it out. Rosewood fretboard is not as fast as maple, but looks beautiful after sparing application of lemon oil. Neck is quite roomy, medium jumbo frets feel good, as does 9.25" radius and it fills the hand comfortably for chording. That thin finish doesn't bother me, should look the business as it wears a bit. Can't find a flaw apart from the jack being very tight, maybe just needs a touch of lube. If it wasn't for the rattle this would be a 9.5.

Apart from the finish this is a tough guitar. Feels solid in the hand, no fiddly bits. I'd probaly risk gigging with just this.

Only just got it, hope I never need it.

I've wanted an American Tele since I was about 17 - I'm now 44. I love the tone, the neck and feel, the basic philosophy, the completeness of the package and the history associated with the Telecaster guitar. My other guitars are a Greg Bennet signature AV3 (Les Paul copy) and a Squier Fat Strat, plus a Yamaha APX5 acoustic. I like almost everything about this guitar, if I had to pick something I didn't like it would be that the bottom E string can be a bit overpowering, might be my fault as I've fitted a .046", perhaps it ought to be a .042". If this was lost or stolen I'd get another Highway One Fender in a heartbeat, that only indecision I might have would be should I try a HWY1 Strat next time???

Fender Highway 1 Telecaster in 3-tone sunburst, made in the USA in 2003, came with a padded gig bag. Teles aren't big on features, but I'll give it an 8.

This guitar is fine out of the box. I don't think it needs Duncans, Fralins, or (insert some other boutique guitar pickup maker here), to make it sound good. If you're that picky, than the Highway 1 probably isn't for you, try an American Deluxe Tele. This guitar is a no-bullshit, bare bones Tele. That is the whole point of making the Highway 1. It's supposed to be twangy, noisy and rude...it's a TELE!!! The tone is bright and cutting, just like a Tele should be. There are better sounding guitars out there, but this one does what it was meant to do, and gets a 10 from me...straight out of the box!!

Finish is crap and will wear off in no time, but that's not what I bought the guitar for, anyway. It has a great neck and good frets. The only thing that takes some getting used to is the raised metal frame around the bridge pickup. It makes palm-muting kind of hard, but other than that, no issues. Gets a 7 for the finish.

All of the hardware with last forever, just like a regular Tele. As I said before though, the finish won't be around for long.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 20 years, now. I have a '92 Mexican-made Tele which is also a great guitar, but sounds a good bit weaker than this one. This one also is a bit sweeter with both pickups on. If you can get past the finish, this is a great guitar. Don't be fooled by the other reviews, if you like Teles, you won't need to modify this guitar to get it to sound great. An American-made Tele for under $600? I'm not complaining!

2004 USA. Changed pickups to Pete Biltoft (vintage vibe guitars, www.vintagevibeguitars.com) overwound, passive. Alder body maple fretboard, Satin blonde finish, black pickguard (1 ply) Change bridge to fender w/ brass saddles, 9.5 in radiused fretboard which most players say makes a big difference, I am not disgusted by 7.25 even. Frets are nice, neck is very manageable, not too narrow or thin on profile, but tending toward narrow and thin. Tele features, but string thru body tele sound is main desireable feature.

Okay, out of the box only maybe a 6, a little disappointing. But I have to qualify that with the fact that all teles, even more than strats, but strats too, need to be broken in, in my experience. It had a little something going with the spanking new alnico magnet pickups, wax potted coils on bridge pickup, but weak and faint sounding. I replaced stock bridge (3 steel saddles) to unplated brass fender replacement part, no problem setting up or intonating, tone improved after replacement. I broke down and had Pete Biltoft make me sme overwound tele pickus and they are really great. I have had him make some pickups or me before and was really happy with them, but before I insisted on vintage regular output, this time I went hot. They do what they are supposed to, I was a little worried about the sound with treble rolled off, seemed to not satify like my old tele, perhaps should have changed pots to 500k to compensate for hotter output, but did not. As I have begun to play the hell out of it, it has come in, or I have lightened up. Truly, for the sound I was looking for, I should have just gone with the Highway 1 texas tele and been done with it. the ash is what i really wanted and for hotter output, I know from experience, those texas specials are more than adequate and hold their own against custom boutique pickups. All in all current setup smokes, and as it is played a little it becomes my own, very satisfying now. May have gone a different route, knowing what I now know, but in the end all, it sounds really good through Groovetubes soul-0 30 combo, deluxe, and twin, I also have a highly portable rivera, sounds good, but different story.

Setup impeccible, but I actually changed, nut to graphtech, and bridge day 1. No intonation problems though like most allude to with tele. No flaws. Acrilyc lacquer matt finish is light and will wear. This is desireable or me anyway.

Solid tele, finish will wear, I think that is desireable, use lemon oil for protection. When you hit wood, oil will protect. Will protect finish in meantime.

Never dealt with them. Every guitar player needs skills and a luthier. Everything adjustable on fenders, good, but need to know how to do it.

Been playing 23 years, not advancing in skill the whole time, but play everyday, learn and practice sometimes in spurts. I was close on lite ash tele, debated between both, but something seemed wrong about lite ash Korean guitar, you know what I mean? Prefer ash to alder, should have bought highway 1 texas tele which is ash and had texas specials, but ended up with something great after retrofitting.

Plain, simple thing: A vintage-blond finished, USA made Tele with rosewood fingerboard..
What more to say? Came with a gigbag, including tools for main setup. Simple as simple can...

Very nice, twang sound. The stock pickups were very nice and twangy, though I changed them to Seymour Duncan vintage stack (bridge) and Fender vintage noiseless (Neck), in order to avoid the SC hum, and be able to play even harder styles. Though, in country/blues/rock fields the guitar really shines.

The setup was fine. Although I usually put on .11 strings, I preferred a .10 set for this Tele, in order to perform regular and behind-the-nut bends and pedal steel effects easily. Playability is - I put it simply - fenderish. The finish is simple satin (a common mark in the highway-1 series, in order to minimize costs), though very nice one. The neck has a similar natural finish, and feels wonderful.
A minor replacement that I made are the bridge saddles. The originals have been replaced by Rockinger brass harmony saddles. These are tele saddles, like the originals (3 pairs), but a little beveled against their main screw. So, the saddlepairs (e-h, g-D, A-E) are not parallel anymore, but in slightly different length to each other, so that you can setup harmonics much better in your Tele.
All controls were as they should be...
This guitar is really a plug-and-play thing!!!

Apart from the finish, everything seems to stand a long time.. The finish already started showing worn spots, but I really like it! Soon I'll have an almost relic tele for less than 600 bucks! But - this must be clearly notified - this is the only thing to complain (???)

I haven't use that yet...

25 years in guitars, taught guitarbuilder, have had enough axes... Now I am 41, but still practicing, learning, giggin'. Originally a blues/rock guitarist, I went pretty much through jazz/fusion in the last years, and since about a year I am also very deep in country, it's a kind of music that sounds really happy and optimistic, agianst the blues/rock things. That's why I purchased my overall first tele... I looked a little around, but, I knew it from the scratch, since I didn't want to give a fortune for a tele, the highway-1 was for me THE solution!
Other stuff I own/play: Rory Gallagher Relic strat, YJM strat with EMGs DG-20, self made alder strat, also with EMGs DG-20, Gibson Les Paul standard, and a Variax 500, so - apart from the Variax - pretty much traditional axes. Amp setup is not that traditional, cause I need a lot of sounds, and cannot carry lot of amps. Therefore, I use either a Hughes & Kettner ZenTera, or a POD XT Live, and that's it.
The highway Tele is a perfect expansion to my rig. As realizing on rehearsals, I will not use it only on Coyntry things, but also on blues-rock (Aerosmith, Stones, etc.) and pretty much with Slide... If stolen, I would replace it with a similar, since I think that, for the money, you can't beat the Highway-1 series, at least for what I go for... The only thing I wish it had (but that's for all Tellys) are the harmony saddles. All in all a nearly perfect, almost 100% USA-made axe... And for that price...

Its a georgous guitar, very simple yet so versitile! you know the drill by now... Mine is honey blonde, maple neck... came with gig bag and that cool fender cloth!

well, it sounds like a telecaster, because it is a telecaster! the bridge pup can achieve a really big raunchy sound when suited up to a decent amp... these babys were built for valve amps, they just bring the guitar to life! i use the neck pup for funkyriffic chops, and with more gain, gets a great lead tone! i never really use the two blended, it always sounds a wee too muddy! if you roll off the tone a tad on the bridge pup, it tames the twang slightly! but twang is what i was after, it really cuts through the mix, without sounding "piercing"

Hmm, well heres my niggle! the factory set up was somewhat poor! i had terrible fret buzz on the 1st 2nd strings... i didnt check the intonation, because i send it for a service at my local store, now it playes like a Mo'Fo! the finish is just remarcable! ive had mine about 4 months, and allready its starting to look about 10 years old! what will it be like in a years time? If you dont dig the vintage look, then get a standard tele, or even a mexi if cost is a factor!

theres not much this axe cant do, it never seems to suit up to thrash or heavy metal... grunge would be the heaviest it could handle! I play pop rock, and its just perfect! its a great songwriters guitar, the neck is comfortable and the guitar is perfectly balanced! i swear it talks to me "pick me up, play me"! I would use this guitar in any situation, live or studio! its all solid and sterdy as all tele's are!

i havnt contacted them... i might inform them about the crap set up.

well, im actually from england, and i bought this when i was on "vacation" in the states... i saved my self a ridiculous amount of money, that ive put towards getting the highway strat next year! Do yourself a favour and buy this guitar! i have about 7 guitars now (fender/gibo/gretch/ibanez) the tele is my main work horse! and it actually cost me the least!

if it were stolen, id be a man on the edge! be warned!