Fender Highway 1 Telecaster

Others have covered this detail.... mine is the rosewood flavour
I've given it a 10 because a tele is a tele and this certainly is a great tele

I play all sorts of stuff. Main area is rock/blues. Most important factor here is the resonance of the axe. Bright sound in bridge and warmer at neck

Played good out the box. Finish was flawless. As was the workmanship. No problems in frets. Good value for money

Decently made. Won't let one down.

one year warranty...from shop. Never had to go to fender

few years. This guitar has drawn flak about the finish. The light finish makes it sing. Be careful with it. It is a deliberate decision by fender to make this guitar affordable, as the thick high gloss takes many hours to do. I'm happy with the fragile finish that sounds better, costs less on the tag. I tried the squier and the MEX teles, and this guitar sang and sustained much much much better

2003 model, rosewood FB, honey blonde finish. I bought this guitar used from a local luthier/amp tech who does amazing work on both amps and guitars. On this one, he put in compensated brass saddles, replaced the PUPS with Seymour Duncan Vintage Stacks, added a 4-way switch and put a clear finish over the original. With these mods, this guitar is one of the best Teles I've played, although I'm sure I would have been happy with it in it's original form, mainly because of the neck and the light weight of the guitar.

I play mainly blues and/or rock through a coupla old Champs and a 50's Magnatone Troubadour with the following effects: Tokai TC1 Compressor, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Ibanez DL10 Digital delay and an Alesis Microverb. This Tele with this setup works perfectly for blues, country, hard rock and probably eveything else. Sound with the SD's is rich, full and bright{without being harsh}. Not much to dislike.

Set up by above mentioned luthier{Thom Abriel, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada}. Best in the city. Doesn't appear to be any factory-made flaws either. Even in it's original form, it would still be a great guitar.

I don't gig, but it would probably be able to take some abuse no matter where you play it. Teles and Strats are tanks.

Dealt with Fender once, no problems.

Playing for 15 years, drunken jams, noodling at home, still a beginner LOL. I have 4 Strats and this Tele and they all deserve better but I'm a gear whore. I would definitely buy another one, probably the HWY One Texas Tele with maple FB and honey blonde finish for the 50's look. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Brand new 2003 Highway 1 Telecaster. NO FRILLS, NO MODIFICATIONS, JUST A STOCK FENDER TELECASTER. In my particular case I purchased a honey blonde (367) satin finish guitar with maple fingerboard. You can check out all the detailed specifications of a stock Highway 1 Telecaster at the Fender website (www.fender.com). The features that I have been most impressed with are as follows. The maple fingerboard is absolutely perfect! The wood tones really add a natural beauty to the appearance of an already good guitar, and when combined with the medium jumbo frets plays quite well. The stock Tele pick-ups emanate that classic ?Telecaster Sound? most commonly referred to as ?twang?. Well done! And lastly, the Ping Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines are far more user friendly than the vintage tuning pegs found on many Fender U.S. made guitars. Fender purists may not be so inclined to rate the ?standard cast/sealed tuning? pegs with much admiration since they don?t seem to exude the nostalgia of the yesteryear reissue guitars, but from my perspective string changes are much easier with the tuners that come stock on a Highway 1 Telecaster. I also own a Fender Telecaster with vintage pegs?I feel qualified to make the comparison. I was disappointed that this guitar only rated a ?gig bag?! The gig bag was of good quality, but it just wouldn?t protect my Tele to the same standard of a hard case?so I bought an SKB case fitted for a Telecaster at a great price. Lastly, I added a Tele ?ash-tray? bridge cover, which looks very sharp. Bottom line, this guitar is made in the U.S.A., albeit not far from the assembly line in Mexico?but my trained ears swear it sounds MUCH better than the MIM Standard Telecaster counterpart, and YES, I did compare them. This is the bottom line for U.S. made Telecasters, but in my honest opinion, Fender did NOT cut corners to make an affordable yet very solid performance guitar.

The Highway 1 Tele has that ?classic? Tele sound so sought after by professional musicians and vintage collectors. Really sharp, crisp and clean sound characteristics?NOT muddy. If you are looking for that naturally distorted power chord/humbucker sound, look elsewhere! This guitar probably won?t impress a metal/grunge enthusiast. But it can hold it?s own quite well in virtually every other genre. I play jazz, blues, classic rock, and dabble in country?the Highway 1 Tele easily crosses those musical boundaries. I have experienced numerous amplification options from direct to the mixer, to Fender Cyber-Twin, to the simple (but highly effective) Fender Hot Rod Deluxe; and the Highway 1 Tele has performed superbly and shown its ability to work well in most any recording/sound environment. Bottom line: this is a no-frills guitar?it was designed to be simple (i.e., economic) yet sound sophisticated. As such, Fender did succeed!

I bought this guitar brand new, it wasn?t in the music store for very long?definitely not long enough to become a scratch & dent special. It was is excellent condition, hardly a fingerprint or pick scratch. I?m not certain how this guitar left the Fender assembly line, but the intonation and action were set perfectly for my standards?not too low, and definitely not too high. I suspect JJ?s House of Music fine-tuned the guitar before it was hung on the display wall?and for that I commend them on extending excellent pre-sale dealership service. I wasn?t certain how much I would like a guitar with just three string saddles (2 strings per saddle), but I haven?t had to mess with the intonation or action at all, the guitar just holds it pitch quite well, even in changes of ambient temperature & humidity. On the bad side, the thin satin polyurethane finish is NOT that flattering. For a more eye-appealing coat of nitro-cellulose lacquer, the costs on the business end would have been much higher, and for good reason, lacquer application is an art. But despite the ?flat? appearance my guitar more than makes up for it in tonal characteristics. Besides, I?ve yet to hear anyone tell me my Highway 1 Tele was ugly!

Fender has a reputation for making guitars that last. I don?t think Fender will deviate from that reputation one bit with the Highway 1 line of guitars (Strat or Tele). Built with economy in mind, my Highway 1 Telecaster is still built quite solidly and is installed with high quality hardware/components.

My Highway 1 Tele has not had any problems since I purchased her almost two years ago. But I have had to deal with warranty repairs on another Fender product that I own (an amp). Bottom line: if you are looking for point-to-point customer support (i.e., from factory directly to your home) you will probably be disappointed. Many reviews exist on this website, in additional to a few others (Fender Forum), that amplify this point. But don?t walk away from a Fender guitar or amp purchase based upon the lack (or perceived lack) of customer support/service from the Fender Corporate Headquarters or Factory! I have always purchased my Fender guitars and amps (3 guitars & 3 amps) from reputable dealers. They make the difference! Buy online if you want a good deal. Or buy from a reputable dealer if you want quality customer service AFTER the sale?which I recommend. You get what you pay for, and in my honest opinion, the extra $$$ you spend at a dealership more than makes up for itself in the long run; especially in the perpetual care and maintenance they will provide for your instrument or amp if you should experience a problem. Fender quality control at the end of the assembly line is excellent, but they don?t catch all problems. I can assure you they are quite interested in honoring their warranty if you purchase a defective guitar or amp?and they do that through professional dealerships all across the U.S.A. As such, I would give my dealers a grade of 10.

I am exceptionally pleased with my Highway 1 Telecaster. This was my FIRST Fender guitar purchase, an experiment to validate the Fender brand name. Previously I was a stubbornly dedicated Gibson guitar fan, having played Gibson?s for over 20 years. Since then I have purchased a Strat and another Tele. Comparing my Highway 1 Telecaster to my Gibson Les Paul Standard is like comparing apples to oranges, so I won?t. Each stands quite well based on their merits. Don?t expect me to exalt one brand over the other?because they are both very good. I also won?t provide you with a never-ending list of amps and effects with which this Telecaster works well. Find your own sound?and then tinker with it! With that said, I would highly recommend a Highway 1 Telecaster to the beginning to experienced guitarist who is on a tight budget and wants a quality U.S. made guitar at an affordable price.

mentioned before... go to fender.com for all the details

i mostly play heavier styles of music... but i didn't buy this guitar for that, i wanted it for different styles (And a diferent sound than my other guitars)
i use it with a 5150 II head and a marshall jcm 900 cabinet or sometimes my small fender cab.
the 5150 is usually a pretty rought sounding head but this fender really cleans it up!! i was really surprised. i absolutely love the sound, it's very bright and quite clean but has a subtle dirtyness to it. tons of personality!! i don't use it for my heavier playing, but i love it for anything else.
i have no problem with the stock pick ups. i think they sound great and don't feed back, i'm most likely never going to replace them.

if this was just a rating for action/fit, i'd give it a 10. it played amazingly right from when i picked it up at the store.
i'm not too crazy about the flat finish but it doesn't look bad. if i had more choice i would go for something else, but this is still nice.

i haven't had this for too long, so i don't have much experience with its reliability/durability... but it looks like i can depend on this.

never had to deal with them...

i have been playing for about 10 years. i owned about 10+ guitars and this is easily my second favourite out of all of the gitars that i have owned.
right now i own a gibson les paul studio, sg special (with tony iommi pick ups) and a esp ltd ec-400. i like using the les paul for my heavier playing but i love the tele for everything else.
if this guitar was stolen or lost i would with out a doubt get the exact same one again.

i wish the finish was more glossy (or if they had more finish choices) and i would have also preferred if it came with the 6-saddle bridge (Which doesnt have the annoying metal pieces sticking out on the sides) BUT i can easily look past those things. they're not a big deal because it plays great and sounds great.
i HIGHLY recommend this guitar.

You know the story. It's a Telecaster, so it's perfect. Made in '04, Blonde satin finish, maple fingerboard.

Sounds just like a tele. Really sharp and clear, with that Fender "chime" when chording.

I bought it used, so I don't know about how it was set up at the factory, but when I got it, the intonation was beautiful, and acion was low without a buzz. This is the easiest guitar to play, and I own an American made Strat and an LP Standard. The fretboard is flat (very little radius), so chording is easy, and the frets are nicely dressed. A ten, easily.

It's a Tele. It will outlast me easily. I love this thing.

Never dealt with Fender.

God bless Leo Fender. I now see why he is often called a genius.

Made in USA in 2004. Body made from Alder. 22 Medium Jumbo frets. Chrome Hardware. Vintage Style bridge. Neck made form Maple, Fingerboard from Rosewood. Included was a gig bag, some tools, one cleaning cloth and a manual. It has a typical Tele String-thru-body bridge. Nothing is missing. So I give 8 points here.

The sound is very good. Very clean and bright. I use it with a 70's Rickenbacker Solid State Amp (TR 7) with both pickups. The sustain of the guitar is the best I ever heard. Solid 9 Points here.

I got it new from a Fender Dealer, but the setup isn't perfect. The action is not too low, but the deep E and A strings are buzzing. If I now turn the action higher the buzzing is gone, but I can't play anymore. Also the guitar is going out of tune every day.
The finsh was a disappointing too. There are some mistakes on the laquer. Someone should send a Rickenbacker guitar to the Fender Quality Control. They could learn a lot.
Pickup and bridge were ok.

Hm. It's a Tele. Everything is absolutely well built.

Never dealt with them.

This guitar is fine. Well built, great sound. But the finish and the setup are really poor. If you can get one without these disadvantages, you have a great guitar for a very low price.

Made in 2003, 3 tone sunburst, 22 frets, maple neck and board, Alder body. One volume, one tone, 3-way selector, the usuals of a telecaster. Two standard vintage style single coil pickups. Brilliant satin finish, has a very vintage look to it. The bridge is a vintage style telecaster bridge, but with stainless steel saddles. Fender sealed tuners. Chrome hardware. Very comfortable neck, soft 'C' shape.

I bought this guitar because telecasters can do anything. Especially for me, I play rock to blues, main influences Radiohead, Chillies, Jimi Hendrix. I found that this guitar helped me alot in the creation of my own sounds, and the sounds of my favourite artists.

I run my guitar through a Digitech Whammy RI, Line 6 Delay Modeller, Marshall Shredmaster, Boss Sd-1 Super overdrive, a Small Stone Phaser, and a Fender Princeton Chorus amp.

The guitar on its own sounds fasntastic, the bridge pickup being the greatest feature. It has a very coherent, punchy attack, and alot of brightness. Bridge pickups are what telecasters are all about, so having a good sounding one is very important. The highway 1 will gaurentee you that. The neck pickup gives satisfying glassy jazz sounds out of it, but at the top of the neck chords can be a bit muddy at times. However find the right EQ and you should be sound. When both pickups are selected you get a very nice shimmery tone, great for funk and jazz chords I find.

I got my Jonny Greenwood sound instantly. The Bends period that is, really.

I think the vintage bridge has quite alot to offer for the sound also, especially the saddles. I want to change them to brass ones one day, apparently they can warm up the tone a bit.

I give this category an 8, due to the slight (very slight, mind) muddy sound with the neck pickup, but I think that can be pretty much sorted with a well balanced EQ, and obviously a good amp.

Pickups are mexican. They can get noisy, however. I think i may need to get some copper shielding.

The guitar is a dream-come-true to play on. I ordered this from www.gak.co.uk, and what happened was apparently there was buzzing on the first few frets on the low E, so they sent it to the Fender factory to repair it. Apparently the intonation, action was fixed, and also the frets redressed. There is very SLIGHT buzzing on frets 1-8 on the low E however, im not sure what the case is with that, but im not prepared to send it back because I have it now, really. You cant hear the buzzing through the amp at all.

The neck is lightning fast, and my playing improved drastically within the first week of the having the guitar. Bending is so easy, and the guitar is very expressive. The action was set, convieniently, to my exact liking. The neck pickup is quite low, i may highten it a bit, itll probably boost up the volume a bit. The bridge pickup is well set-up.

The guitar didnt have any finish flaws at all. All the pots work great, no noise. Same with the 3-way switch. The tuning pegs work great and the guitar hardly goes out of tune.

I give this category an 8 because of Fender not properly fixing the slight buzzing problem, particularly because it took them 2 weeks to do it and send it to me.

The guitar is made for playing live and hard. Havent gigged it yet, but I can't wait until I do. The hardware do seem they will last a long time, probably the lifetime of the guitar. The finish looks like it could become a relic within five years, but do not be put off by this. Of course you can look after it, and the finish wont wear off. All it is, is that if you banged the guitar around, the finish will come off a bit easier because the Satin lacquer. But the guitar has tons of character, and looks beautiful.

I replaced the strap buttons with Schaller locks. Brilliant :)

I can very much depend on it, wherever I play. With playing live, I think it is always risky to play without a backup, but this guitar will give all I want it to, and alot more.

I did not appreciate Fender's slow and unsuccessful attempt on my frets. But they have given me a brilliant guitar which I absolutly adore. I'll just get a technician to fix my fret buzzing.

I have been playing for 4 years. I don't regret buying this guitar at all, I think at the price and the quality it is, it is fantastic. If it were stolen or lost, I would use my holiday savings and buy another. I compared this guitar to an American series Telecaster. The american was a bit more punchier and darker sounding, but I didnt have the budget for it anyway. I guess the main thing that attracted me to the Highway 1 were the vintage features on it. Only thing I would have liked it to have would have been a better quality neck pickup, but not even that is a major concern at all.

2004 Dakota/Cherry Red with 3 ply white pickguard.this one has a rosewood fretboard.tone and volume knobs.old 3 barrel bridge,new sealed tuners

this is a good sounding guitar.the satin finish resonates good,but with steel frets and steel barrels it's a little bright.great with light overdrive.however, it just doesn't sound as good or as versatile as my american series stratocaster.

the satin finish deducts points.don't know how long it will last.it does resonate good.it is the second best playing guitar after my strat.came set up perfect

this thing is never going to break!it's a telecaster come on!

haven't had to talk to them.

this thing is awesome.it's american made and i paid $500,Brand New!The music store also gave me an american series nylon/leather strap,no tax,and a soft case,NOT A GIGBAG!One of the best values out there.

2003 sunburst, 22 frets, came with nice Fender gig bag, The finish is kind of dull and scratches easily. Made in the U.S.A. should have came with a hard shell case. gig bags suck no protection.

I can get Scotty Moore sounds from this to Joe Perry sounds. I use it through a Fender Twin Amp, a Marshall JCM2000 TSL, a Marshall 62 Bluesbreaker reissue, and a Peavey Special 212. I have a Korg Toneworks AX100G effects pedal. This guitar sounds great through all these amps

This guitar was perfectly set up when I received it better than my almost $3000 Les Paul. the action was remarkable.
finish seems like it could wipe off with a wet rag but it looks sort of vintage worn which is nice. No flaws what so ever I bought a mexican tele and took it home what a piece of crap I took it back the next day and traded it for this for a couple of hundred dollars more and got a flawless non buzzing smooth playing instrument which I love. I originally wanted a reissue 52 tele butterscotch finish but honestly the highway one has superior playability over the 52 reissue at half the cost. I am going to buy another highway one and have it refinished like a 52 butterscotch reissue which is beautiful.

I would never go without a backup on any musical equipment.

N/A

I have been playing for 25 years. I also own a Fender 2003 American Deluxe Fat Stratocaster, a 2003 Gibson Les Paul 1960 Classic, A Fender Highway 1 Jazz Bass, Tokai 335 copy, Tokai Love Rock, Tokai 1980 Springy sound stratocaster, and a fender American Standard telecaster I just won on ebay to arrive soon. I would buy this guitar again but in the new texas pickup version. This is my first telecaster and is now my favorite type of guitar.

Standard Tele features, with a thinner finish than American Series, vintage hardware.

Stock, it was about a 7 or 8. Not bad, but a little too plain. Bright, as any good tele is, maybe a little too bright with stock pups. About a week after I bought it, I had Lindy Fralin make me up some ungodly terrific pups, had a custom control plate (with 4 way switch, a must have), and locking tuners. Now, for less than the price of an upper ent Tele that sounds like all the others, I have my perfect blues guitar. I'm taking a point off because the stock sound was not a 10, but not bad.

Very well made overall, neck is not as great as the American Series Strat I used to have, but pretty good nonetheless. The satin finish is great, it wears quickly, but looks don't matter too much to me, only sound and feel.

I've had it about a year now, it gets abused like any performing guitar. But it has held up well, the finish is leaving rather quickly, but doesn't look terrible, just "relic" as Fender puts it.

Read the other 2000 bad reviews on Fender support.

This tele is one hell of a great value... I used it as a platform to customize. It would be fine for most people in it's stock form, a good value even for that. But to have a good body and neck, and the ease of "hot rodding" a Fender, this guitar is great. You don't have to pay a grand or more for bells and whistles that really don't mean too much if you like to put aftermarket stuff on, it makes a great basic axe to build on.