Fender Highway 1 Telecaster

Well everbody faimilar with tele features and its already been discussed. I fell in love with a tele playing on my bass playing friends 69 tele and decided I needed to get one of my own beause I didn't want to wear out my friends vintage tele. So based on my friends 69 tele I set out on a quest to find one that played similar with similar features. I must have looked off and on for the better part of 10 years. When I picked up this Hwy 1 in a local shop and plugged it in, I knew right away it was the one. It is three tone sunburst and that's just what I was wanting. It had been previously bought by a metal head and kept for about a week and returned to the shop and traded for a different ax. It was like new condition and completely stock.

The sound of the pickups are actually a little thicker sounding and a little hotter responding than the 69 Tele, but other than that are pretty close. I first tried it in the shop over a little 1-10 fender frontman SS amp that was handy at the time and it sounded great. I'm a DIY tube amp builder and 5F6A(59 Bassman), AB763Deluxe reverb, 5F6A Champ, Allen Accomplice(AB763), Silvertone 1482, Pignose G40V, several tube jellopy amps and a Mesa Boogie 440 Rocket. The Hwy 1 sound great on them all with a little tweaking. I always cut treble and add bass/mids to mellow the tele out. I generally like the AB763 tone for clean and like a distorted sound like Jimmy P got on Led Zep #1 for tele dirty. Soundwise-for the electric guiarist-a tele is a must!

This guitar was perfect right out of the shop. I haven't touched a thing on its settings since 2006 when I got it until I recently intalled some brass compensated bridge saddles/springs/screws where I had to reset the bridge/action but I'm somewhat of a guitar/amp tech and it was pretty easy to get it re-setup just as before. The hardest part was the intonation balancing--take and give you have to do with these vintage type bridge saddles. It back perfect again.

I have played this guitar regularly since I got it used in 2006 on the road, home and in church and it never gave me one second on problems.

I build tube amps and work on all my guitars so I have no need to call fender. No experiacne on customer support.

I'm 61 and been playing since 1964. I've read that Hwy 1's are not really all USA made and some of the parts like the pickups are imported and the body is laminated out of four seperate pieces. I have played with musicians that think if your not playing on a USA made guitar your not a real musician. I think that attitude is silly. A guitar is basically a tool that you use as an extension of your body to project your sound. What ever tool works for you, great! This guitar is an accurate enough reproduction of Leo Fenders original idea and is close in feel and sound to the beloved 69 that got me hooked, so I'm happy. I expect this will be my tele for the rest of my life but if it was lost or stolen I would definitly seek out a tele replacement. The teles construction and makeup produces a feel and sound that is unique and can only be accomplished with a tele. Leo got it right the first time.

Mine (like all) are made in the US of A and is an '07
It has a pretty cheap satin finish on it that get scratched and nicks incredibly easy. I have a bunch of nicks on it and i am not able to say how one of those happened.
Other than that, what it comes with is not too bad. I like the alnico pick-ups, but I am choosing to replace them with fender noiseless and the bridge is a little shotty, but that is because it has one saddle for 2 strings, so i am doing what a lot of others do and i am getting the 6 saddle bridge.

For the money, it has the features you would expect, but somehow the guitar still does not come off as a cheaply made guitar. It just comes off as a guitar that could use some upgrades here and there, you know?

Huge fan of how fenders sound. I do have to say that the rhythm pick up (the neck) is a bit muddy. I think that it sounds real good with the mids and highs, but when it comes to the lows, it just does not sound great. Therefore, i normally play the guitar with the switch in the middle, so i can get a less muddy low, and it really sounds good because with the bridge pickup on, it give the tone a more twangy, tradition fender sound.

Good action, but i have not set it up in a while and now my action is too low. I do not blame that on fender, though. I blame it on my lack of care.
Like i said earlier, the paint job is terrible. i would say the worst thing on the guitar, as a matter of fact. At the same time, what looks cooler thn a fender that i actually worn out from play (not from the factory trying to make it look that way). So in that respect, i guess the paint is not that bad, but if you are looking for a real glossy telecaster, look elsewhere.
Factory set-up was great. It was so good that i wish i could have them set it up for me again...
All of my pickups worked fine. There were no routing errors like there was with my epiphone firebird
Note: don't buy a guitar because it looks cool. Telecaster looks cool, but is great, too.

I would gig with a backup, but only because i would be afraid of breaking s string. I can not see this guitar busting on me anytime in the near future.
It is a moderately simple guitar, so there really is not even that much for it to break, you know? That kind of adds the charm for guitar.

But yeahhhh, back to the finish. It will wear off, chip off, but who cares. Fender's have more class when they start to wear.

Haven't needed it for fender guitar, but needed it for fender amp, and all i need to say about it is i am never buying a fender amp and i sold my old one.

I like this guitar. I mean i like it a lot.
I am a chronic guitar buyer and seller and this is the one guitar that i have not gotten bored with. It has a small neck, but i never get dead strings, it sounds great, it looks cool and it feels so good. It is not heavy, but it is also not light, like some of those ash guitars that fender is making these days.
It does not need any modifications unless you want perfect intonation or you are bored like me and you want to see if you can make a good sounding guitar sound great... and we'll find out soon enough

Well of course it is a typical highway 1 tele in the tobacco sunburst. I didn't want this color but this guitar played a cut well above the rest. Out of my many instruments, this has pretty much become my #1 in Most situations. (which is saying lots due my other instruments are some vintage fenders.

22 Fret Neck (love the extra fret vs my others).
Beautiful satin nitro finish. Satin poly on the neck (fine by me). has a great feel, doesn't have that flatter poly body sound.

This baby suits many different styles, i play alot of sessions with various acts, and it covers well for country/punk/jazz/rock..whatever you need.... you can find the tone.
The greasebucket systems works wonders. and the high octane pickups as they call them, handle gain incredibly.
You can still get the country twang if needed, and the nice blues tone of the neck pickup. just try one, and you won't be dissapointed.

Factory setup was good, might have been setup at the store when it came in.
My fender guy gets these in and sells them as fast as they come in...the highway one strats not so much, but the teles go.
Hardware was great, tuning is very stable, nothing loose, pretty clean and pristine.
The Jumbo Frets are Awesome.

1) I never gig without a backup...no matter what. strings break.

2)it's all pretty solid tough guitar, that i use for live playing frequently, and studio work, and it never dissapoints.

Its a tele workhorse. THe nitro will probably start to wear, but it should just give it a badass vintage look.

Fender is pretty good. My fender dealer has an fender rep in house, and i had to get one strat sent it for a warranty neck before about 8 yrs ago. They will back the lifetime neck warranty.

If you don't have a local rep..i don't know.

I've been playing for over 15 yrs now. Didn't get on th fender bandwagon till about 5 yrs ago. Used to be a kramer shredder...lol and a les paul player, but les pauls continuously let me down with neck problems, and repeated electronic problems. (my 1275 was the biggest pos ever).

The highway 1 is a great universal kickass guitar. The only thing i would probably ever do is install a six saddle bridge, or give the neck a nitro spray. but neither one needs to be done. and i will probably get around to it anyway.

GO BUY THIS THING.

Stock standard Highway tele. 2 pickups, single coil, sunburst with maple neck, Rosewood f'board.
Made in USA.
I will refit the bridge with a 6 string setup rather than the 2 strings per adjuster like it has now. It is very hard to adjust the intonation or get the action just right with the standard bridge.
Tuners could be a bit less sensitive. I might refit these too.

The guitar came strung really light. Rubber bands. Once I got the strings off and put some Tomastik flatwounds on (not the obvious choice for a tele I know, but I am primarily a jazz player.) I was happier with the setup.

Clean sound. Very easy to play. My first quality guitar 35 years ago was a tele. Wish I still had it.
This guitar seems just as well made.
The pots are a little clanky ie, they don't seem firmly seated, they wobble a little. This doesn't cause any problem when playing but I guess it's one of the things they pass over when building a guitar to budget.

No obvious flaws. Action ok but open to improvement.
Factory setup is string em and tune em I think

This guitar is a slab of wood with strings on it. What can go wrong.
The finish will not last; it is a really thin nitro. Looks good new though.

I took the strap buttons off and put strap locks on before I even tuned the guitar.

It came in a gig bag. A luthier friend of mine describes these bags as the luthier's best friend.
Any guitar that is aimed at a professional market should come in a case.

Fender don't want to know you once you have handed over your money. This is from past experience, not this guitar.

Played 38 years. I own a lot of guitars, and so if I lost this one, I would get by without it.
If it were my only guitar I would definately replace it, or maybe upgrade to the American Standard Tele.

This is a 2008 Highway One Tele in Honey Blonde, maple neck. I won't bore you with repeating the details of this guitar as it has been done. It's stripped down feature wise, which is expected for the price. I don't like that it came with a gig bag, and would have paid a little more to have a hardshell case. I will buy a hardshell case for it soon.

I play a variety of music from classic rock, country, hard rock, etc. It's not a guitar for metal, but was never meant to! The sound is great. these guitars are more versatile than you may think. Nice for chicken picking, strumming clean and even with overdrive! i am running it through a Traynor Custom Special 100 stack and it sounds like heaven!

Now it IS a single coil so it ain't all quiet - I used a Boss Noise Suppressor and that takes care if the humming. These are not as noisy as strats though.

The guitar was set up very well from the factory - real low action that I may raise a little. No flaws to be noticed. The body to neck join is not perfect, but better than to be expected in this price range. Some orange peel in the finish on the back of the guitar, but the Honey Blonde accentuates the grain beautifully - the grain almot looks blueish gray through the finish - it's absolutely stunning!

So far so good. No issues at home, jamming or on stage. Quite solid and dependable. Way beyond what I expected in this price range.

Never had to deal with Fender - and probably never will!

Bottom line I love this guitar! I ordered it in and took it home before I played it! Either I fluked into a really good one or they are all nice, I dunno cuz this is the only one I ever played. The neck feels great, the guitar sounds great and the thing is smoking hot to look at - what more could you ask for? I have a lot of guitars, this one is one of my favorites. If this was stolen I would get another one immediately and pray it was as nice as this one.

I LOVE THIS TELE!

It's a tele. I give it a ten because it is a tele the way a tele is meant to be and that is because it DOESN'T have a lot of features.

I like a lot of styles and a tele is a good choice for the stuff I play. It sounds like a tele but better....The Alnico 2's set this apart from most tele's (I think these PU's are on models 2006+). It has a nice attack, more mid sounding than Alinco 5's which I like....distorts well and has a edgy clean sound.

I got it used and the set-up needed attention. The previous owner had it all screwed up but wasn't hard to fix with a few simple adjustments. Even if new you will probably tweak it to suit yourself. I give it a 9 because the Bridge plate is a bit crooked. Otherwise it's a good looking guitar. I have the sunburst with maple board.....doesn't get any better than that.

This is a well made guitar, it will do what you need if you play out.

I did guitar tech work for profit....I don't need support or want anybody else setting up my stuff.

Been playing 40+ years. It's a good guitar. To be honest these things are 900 bucks now. I got mine slightly used for 500 bucks and that's the only reason I own it. I would say it's worth 900 bucks and would choose this over an American Standard Tele. If I had to replace this guitar I would head for ebay first though. I have a feeling most buyers will be hanging onto theirs. This guitar is one I think Leo himself would approve of. It is a well thought out design, it has the best of the vintage world with just enough of modern touches to make it practical. It's a players guitar. It has a nitro finish that will show it's history. The neck it extremely nice. The fat frets make it a good guitar for bends. I like the PU's.....BUT....I may see a set of Joe Barden's in the future...this would make this guitar a force to be reckoned with IMO. I give it a 9 only because I think Fender takes advantage of it's name being on the headstock.

I believe this a 2007 Highway 1 Tele (american made) bought new from Elderly Instruments in Lansing,Michigan.Traded an amp and some cash for it. 22 tall frets which I like very much. I like to have to dig in and small frets are too hard to bend on for me. Solid ash body I think with satin nitro finish over beautiful sunburst stain/white 3 ply pickguard. Maple neck w/skunk stripe and rosewood fretboard. Standard Tele bridge that will accept the ashtray cover if you want to buy one on line somewhere. I bought one but I cant play with it on so I just use it for pictures and put it on between sets when playing a job. It looks so cool with it on. Threeway switch with one volume and one tone control. Not sure what pickups came in it but they are standard tele style and sounded very good. I say sounded because they are single coil and too noisy when distortion is used so I installed Dimarzio Area T pickups which are noisless. The best move I could have made. When I did that the guitar really came alive. Not saying the originals were bad but these are true fender sound only more and no hum. Fender closed back tuners that work very well. No problems tuning even with the three barrel tele bridge saddles.

I play in a 4 piece (two guitars/bass/drums)classic rock band and a 3 piece easy listening band (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/standup bass). This is really the first guitar that covers all styles very well. I wish I would have gotten a Tele 30 years ago. After 40 years of going through different guitars,amps and effects I've finally gotten down to just a Fender Blues jr (15 mighty watts) and a Line 6 M13 stompbox modeler. This combo gives me everything I need and it's easy to carry around. The clean sounds are classic Tele. Rich/full and bright without being spiky or harsh. Putting the Dimarzio's in it gave me the sound I've been looking for for decades. Extremely smooth on distortion settings also.

The action was set too high to start with so I had Elderly Instruments lower it before I bought it. After a little playing I noticed it was too low and buzzing so I had a friend of mine who knows everything about guitars tweek it. It now plays great if you like medium to high action which I do. The only thing that concerns me is when he tweeked it he adjusted the truss rod as far as he could without stripping the threads. If it needs moving again I dont know what will happen. The finish on the guitar is beautiful with the satin nitro.What I like about it is the more you play it the shinier it gets in the wear spots.It gives it a good overall look.
Dont expect it to stay satin in the wear areas.

This guitar is very solidly built. I play hard in the rock band and it stays in tune even with big bends and wailing. Dont get me wrong. I dont abuse anything of mine and take care of my stuff. But I do play hard. The finish seems very good but changes gloss level very quickly. But I like that sort of thing on a classic style guitar.
Everything else is also very solid/electronics good with no problems. I usually take several guitars but only because I have twelve guitars that I rotate and love them all but I have a few times taken only the Tele and been very happy with using only it.

I've not had to deal with Fender directly but Elderly will bend over backwards to take care of any problems. I've always liked Fender equipment (amps mostly / this is my first Fender guitar).

I've been playing aprox 45 years. I also have a Gibson S1 with Dimarzio Virtual P90's and a Les Paul Standard Doublecut,a Fender Highway 1 Strat with Dimarzio Area 61 and 59 pickups and love that guitar as much as the Tele,a G&L S500 with TV Jones Supertrons ,an Epiphone Elite SG with Seymour Duncan 59's,a Heritage CM150 (Les Paul style) with Lindy Fralen's,a 63 Gibson EB0 with Dimarzio,a Rick Gledura prototype with Seymour Duncan Blackbacks,a Saul Koll Gold Top T (can be seen on Koll guitar website) custom built for 50th bday with Seymour Duncan P90 Stacks,a Mike Kauffman Copycaster with Jason Lollar Tele style pickups (he works for Vinetto Guitars),and a David Fitzpatrick (Les Paul Doublecut style)black korina with Dimarzio Virtual P90's and Tone Styler tone control.

I HAVE 2 OF THESE IN HONEY BLONDE, ONE WITH A WHITE PICKGAURD SET UP FOR SLIDE AND 1 WITH A BLACK PICKGAURD I TURNED INTO A B BENDER. NOT SURE THE YEAR ON EITHER BOTH ARE CLOSE, I BELIEVE SOMEWHERE AROUND 04. I ALSO HAVE A PAIR OF HWY 1 STRATS. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST PRODUCT FOR THE PRICE IN ANYTHING MUSICAL. BOUGHT BOTH OF MINE AROUND $450 AND 1 CAME WITH A CASE! THEY SET UP SUPER, GREAT ACTION BUT YOU CAN TWEAK IT LOWER. I DO PLAN TO CHANGE THE BRIDGE TO A 6 SADDLE SO I CAN DROP THE ACTION LOWER AS WELL AS BETTER INTONATION, BUT I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS NOW. NECK IS PERFECT SHAPE SIZE LOVE THE 9" RADIUS AND FENDER IS FINALLY DOING 22 FRETS. USED TO BE MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT ON THIER VINTAGE STUFF. I HAVE MAPLE NECKS ON ALL MINE AND THEY ARE TOPS, FAST, SMOOTH AND WARM. VERY, VERY FAMILIAR FEELING. SCHALLER TUNERS WRE FINE BUT CHANGED THEM TO THE SCHALLER LOCKERS FOR EASIER STRING CHANGES. ALSO CHANGED THE STRAP BUTTONS TO STRAP LOCKS. THEY COULD COME WITH A CASE SINCE A GIG BAG IS USELESS TO ME. LOVE THE SATIN FINISH BUT IT WON'T LAST LONG. THEY CLAIM IT IMPROVES THE SOUND AND MAYBE IT DOES, BOTH OF MINE SOUND BETTER THAN MY FRIENDS USA STANDARD. LOUDER, FULLER, MORE PUCH AND WAY MORE AGGRESIVE.

I PLAY CLASSIC COUNTRY TO MODERN ROCK, WHO EVER IS PAYING AND THESE GUITARS DO IT. I DID CHANGE THE P/U'S TO A HOT RAIL IN BACK AND A MINI HUMBUCKER UP FRONT. I NEEDED A LITTLE FULLER TONE AS SOMTIMES I AM THE ONLY GUITAR PLAYER. I USE A PAIR OF PRO JR'S IN STEREO MIC'D WITH AN SM 57. DIGITECH RP 14 THATS IT AND ALWAYS GET HOW ARE YOU GETTING THAT SOUND OUT OF THAT GUITAR? THE STANDARD P/U'S ARE SMOOTHER AND FULLER WITH MUCH MORE SUSTAIN THAN THE USA STANDARD AND THEY STILL RETAIN PLENTY OF TELL TWANG. YOU CAN GET A VERY HEAVY OR CLEAN SOUND EASILY BY ADJUSTING YOUR GEAR (AMP ECT.) WHEN NEEDED. I WAS GONNA GET A MEXICAN MODEL FOR SLIDE BUT GOT MY HWY 1 USED FOR ABOUT THE SAME PRICE AS THE MEXICAN AND LIKE I SAID 22 FRETS, CASE AND ITS US MADE. NO BETTER THAN THAT.

FENDER SET UPS ARE PRETTY MUCH STANDARD ON THIER US MODELS. TERRIBLE ON OTHERS. NECK POCKET TIGHT AND THE P/U ROUTING CLEAN. I LIKE MY ACTION EXTREMLY LOW SAVE FOR MY SLIDE RIG AND STILL LOWER THAN SOME PEOPLES PRIMARY GUITAR. MY NECK COMPLETLY FLAT. NOT ABLE TO DROP IT AS LOWER AS I WANT WITH THE 3 SADDLE BRIDGE BUT WILL WITH A 6. ON A SLIDE RIG ITS NOT AN ISSUE BUT MY B BENDER I WANT IT A LITTLE BIT LOWER, ALTHOUGH IT IS STILL AMAZING AND FAST GREAT SNAP FOR TELE STYLE PLAYING(BRENT MASON, BRAD PAISLEY, AND THE LATE GREAT DON RICH) YOU CAN STILL SHRED BUT NOT AS SMOOTH AS MY STRAT.... YET!

ALL FENDERS ARE EXTREMLY DURABLE AND ROAD WORTHY. I USED MY B-BENDER EXCLUSIVLY FOR A WHILE WITH STOCK P/U'S. NEVER FAILED AND ALWAYS PLEASED. THE FACTORY HARDWARE IS THE SAME QUALITY THE HAVE ALWAYS MADE NO REASON NOT TO FEEL IT WON'T LAST AS LONG OR LONGER THAN ITS VINTAGE BROTHERS. I WOULD NOT USE IT AS A BACK UP FOR IT WOULD BE A WASTE OF A GREAT GUITAR. THEY MAY NOT BE AS PRETTY AS THE POLY COATED TYPE BUT MORE THAN MAKE UP WITH TONE FEEL AND PLAYABLITY. PERSONALLY I LIKE THE NITRO COAT. THE FINISH WILL DEFINETLY CHIP AND RUB IN TIME WITH USE BUT ITS A GREAT GUITAR MENT TO BE PLAYED NOT A FASHION SHOW. IF YOUR GOING TO WORK ON AN OIL RIG DO YOU WEAR A SUIT? THIS IS THE TOOL YOU NEED FOR THE JOB AND YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT EQIPMENT FAILURE. YOU WOULD NOT RACE A GO CART IN NASCAR, DON'T PLAY JUNK WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM ON GEAR ISSUE. TALKED TO THEM ONCE ON DATING AN AMP AND THEY WERE EXTREMLY HELPFUL.

PLAYING OVER 20YR. PLAYED THEM ALL. NEVER THOUGHT I'D STRAY FROM GIBSON BUT THE STUFF THIER PUTTING OUT NOW IS NOT THE SAME QUALITY THEY USED TO. FLIP SIDE FENDER SEEMS TO REALLY HAVE STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE IMPROVING ON WHAT MANY THOUGHT WAS UNIMPROVABLE. LOVE THE STUFF THIER MAKING NOW HOWEVER NOT TO BIG ON THIER IMPORT STUFF. CANT BEAT THIER USA PRODUCTS AND THIS IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AND EVEN BETTER THAN SOME OF THIER TOP LINE STUFF, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE NEW OR USED. ONLY IMPROVEMENT A HARDSHELL CASE.

This is a review of my telecaster as it stands now The Original review is apart from this the most current review.

07
22 frets
5 way switch wired like a strat with one tone knob
seymour duncan 1/4 pound neck, Seymour Duncan 59 middle (full size H.B.), Hot Rails Bridge pickup.
Alder Body Maple Neck
Neck Finish Satin? body piece of **** Nitrocelulose
3 Saddle tele bridge
Jumbo Frets

The guitar before was great and there were alot of things I really liked but when it comes down to it kids want to learn Kerry King not Roy Buchanan and this guitar has a job to do. wired the way it is I have a thick single coil in the neck the fifty nine does everything well, really a nice in between for the Hot Rails and the quarter pound. The Hot Rails is a monster and when I am forced to play Metalica or Some such Monster It handles the task easily. Thats not to say it cant be used for other situations because its tone retains what I would call the heart of a tele bridge pickup.

Properly routed well almost, Finish Ha!, Action spot on. I have downgraded my rating because I routed the sucker. Its not the cleanest but by the same token this guitar answers to the name Tina (as in Tina Turner) she can handle a beating.

finish no way, guitar yes

Hardware is good to go

I do depend on this guitar 6 or 7 hours a day.

The guitar has two distinct followings thats not to say that there isn't some crossover between the two groups but its a fact either your a player or the guy who constantly tinkers with mods and the likes. I guess where Im going with this is you mod a guitar so often nothing has a chance to break or you are willing to take the effort to replace that old pot or redo some of fenders horrid solder work. Unless your neck splits in half you should be fine and if it does get a neck from warmoth hell make it a AAA birds eye maple with An Ebony Board, or AAA flame maple with matching maple Fingerboard problem solved.

The Tele is great, its simple and elegant and for some reason the only guitar I am willing to modify (my only two teles and modded guitars for that matter are this and american deluxe strat o tele with S.D. little 59 in the bridge). I love how you can make a tele your own and it just does what you want it to with no fuss (Just like Tina Turner).

07 American
Alnico 3 pickups (I think)
Maple Neck
Jumbo Frets

Style-Funk, Jazz, Bluegrass, Classical, Neo Classical, Classic Rock all of which this guitar handles well.

Effects? huh funny the amp has reverb and maybe a wah but thats all you need.

60 cycle hum but who cares

This guitar has the biggest piece of shit finish you could imagine. deduct three points here.

The neck and the actual body itself are great and thats why I bought this guitar. The 3 saddle thing is vintage and It can be intonated so no problems there the pickups are dynamite. The neck is great input jack aligned I say top notch on everything else.

Everything but the finish is going to last. My buddy has one from 03 worn away about a quarter of the original finish to bare wood and the rest has somehow lost that ugly dull appearance. To be hohnest I bought this guitar because I like the vintage look and I know in six months Im going to have it(and all without paying the custom shop 3 grand to do it for me).

I am a guitar teacher this is my second telecaster the first is an American Deluxe, Apart from that I have Am Dlx Strat, Yamaha AEX 1500, Ovation 1763, etc etc. The tele is a great guitar with great tone and playability and a classic look to boot. I bought the guitar to do the dirty work and by this I mean take 20 hrs of lessons a weak, play gigs and to generally be abused in the way I wouldnt want my other guitars to be treated and for that purpose it performs amazingly.

Brand spankin Highway 1 Tele. You know the story it has frets (22 Jumbos of) Great new High-Octane Alnico Tele Pickups (2 of), satin finish in black, modern locking machines and hole to plug into. If i was after tons of features i would have bought a Swiss army knife, or anything but a Tele. But I was after a guitar. Its got everything I needed so I gotta give it a 10 here. I know this is going to sound like an add for Fender but I really love this guitar. I compared this guitar to a range of more and less expensive guitars in the shop, Luckily they had a large range, and this one was my first choice, price did not come into it.

I went with a friend who plays way better than anyone I know to try this axe out. We played every Strat, Tele and G&L in the shop. I just handed them to him without telling him exactly what they were and this was the one we both loved the sound and feel of. Wow those strats were noisey too. Single coil hum like you would not believe, you couldn't really put up with the noise some of them made. This Tele is almost silent when not being played, no matter where the selector is set. It has a powerful sound and a huge array of flavours available from only 2 pickups. I love the middle position as I play mainly country and blues but the neck pickup also offers a wide range of colour. the bridge is pure Tele , a real chicken picker. I would have given it a 10 for sound, but I've heard my friends Deluxe B Bender and it is even nicer.

The factory setup was ok but luckily the store I purchased from, Haworths Guitars, has a master luthier and a few guys he's trained. It took them only 10 minutes to get it to what i would describe as beautiful. No buzz and low and fast. i love the feel of the neck too, wide enough for my fat fingers and smooth and fast. Its Rosewood btw. Pickups factory set - fantastic. I've been all over this baby with a fine tooth comb and have found absolutely no flaws. Also love the satin black finish, makes it look sort of vintage but modern, I dunno what it looks like, but i like it.

Can't really comment here because its so new. But i will say it is lighter than some of the other Fenders i tried out and for my back that is a real plus. My friend has a 1980s strat that requires a second man to carry it for you it is so dammed heavy.

Having had a little bit of dealing with the manufacturer i would not ever bother to contact them if I had a problem. Fortunately, however, the retailer, Haworths Guitars, is a top noth dealer with fantastic staff and I'm sure any problems that may arise will be sorted out for me.

I've been playing professionally since i was about 15 and Im now 45. Most of my career I've been an acoustic man and a singer but bI've moved over to the3 electric side of things about 5 years ago. I have a 1969 Guild acoustic - the nicest Acoustic I've ever played, A couple more acoustics , a banjo, Ukelele, A profile Vintage Strat and A line 6 Variax. I mainly record and play for love now days having semi retired from the game 12 months ago. The Tele has been a dream for a while and it lives up to expectations. Now that music is my hobby rather than my profession it is more important somehow that I have the best toys I can get. It leaves all the rest in its wake.

2006 60th anniversary. It has the standard tele features and Alnico magnets. Only extra: the greasebucket tonecircuit.

I'm using it with a 70's Silverface Fender Vibro Champ. This guitar makes it sing in a way I've never heard before. It's a match made in heaven. The sound has everything: it's bright, rich and warm. I can't stop playing!

The finish is great. The neck is as soft as the skin of a baby. Once you oick it up, you will never want to put it down. It's a masterpiece, especially when you look at the price.

It's a tele, it's American. It will be around for the next 50 years.

I give this a 10 because it has everything I need on a Tele without any other junk....I like it simple and this is perfect in that regard..I have the sunburst with maple neck...

This suits my style PERFECTLY...I use a Peavey Bandit (once again a no frills product)....Very little noise, a bit more with mild distortion which is normal for single coils..The sound is what I have been looking for in a tele...Nice mid-rangy bark and a good warm neck pickup which compliment each other very well. I normally remove the chrome cover from the neck on any other tele I have owned (lots of them) but will leave this one as is. I like it....a lot

I bought it used, the strings were changed to 10's which I use anyway but it did need a complete set-up due to the previous owner and really can't comment on the factory set-up. I will say the fret work is superb, I really like the jumbo frets. The finish reminds me of a very nice vintage instrument. The only thing I found that wasn't perfect was the routing for the bridge is visible on the bass side indicating a miss-aligned bridge. This really doesn't bother me but would be unacceptable to most people..Otherwise everything else is perfect.

You could probably use this guitar as a pogo stick with no problem. Fender guitars are solid and this is no exception. Drop a Les Paul and snap goes the headstock. I'm sure the finish won't stand up to a lot of rough playing but I look at this as a plus as I expect some character marks and checking due to the nitro finish and expect it to age gracefully...I like....a lot.

I work on my own stuff....

I've been playing 35 years or so. I own maybe 25 other guitars, haven't counted lately and this is one sweet tele...If it were stolen I would cry then go get another one. I like the simplicity mainly, and the simple nitro finish, it lets the wood sound come through. As far as I am concerned there is not a better tele for any price. It has everything I need and no more which makes it perfect.

2006 HIghway 1 Tele. Daphne blue (WOW, GORGEOUS) with black pick guard, and some non-standard humbucker in the bridge position. Typical tele features elsewise... it has really big thick frets on it, which maybe is standard for this guitar, but my last tele was a 50's reissue with teeny little ones that made it difficult to intonate. My last tele had a bigsby installed after-market, which was novel and very cool looking, but a huge hassle to work with.

It's a tele, with a humbucker! Wahoo. I always use the neck position pickups (or, for some clean stuff, a mix of bridge and neck), and now I can do it without using a noise suppressor. Not sure what the pickup in there is (as it's covered) but whoever put it in made a good choice. It's very dark sounding, but works well for heavier sounds. For clean stuff, esp. with the humbucker, I find myself mixing the bridge and the neck pickup a lot more.

Mine was used, and whoever owned it before didn't hesitate to wear belt buckles with it... there's a decent amount of scratching on the back, but the front looks great. I love the sorta satin-feel and look of it (pus the Daphne Blue is a really cool grayish bluish blend).

Action was great (and the main reason I traded my previous mexican tele for it), although when I picked it up on the shop, there was some weird issue where the G string sunk all the way through the nut at the top of the neck (which caused it to fret at the first fret)... they fixed it up right on the spot though, and I ended up walking out with it, so that's a pretty good testament to how well it played.

Other than the stuff mentioned above, I think it'll suit me just fine. I don't blast my gear, but I don't baby it either... I imagine it'll show some decent wear in a few years, but I'd prefer it that way. Just my opinion.

Good guitar, decent price (esp. used), and one that'll really suit a variety of needs.

2007, USA. Yer basic stripped down USA Telecaster. Comes with wiping cloth, wrenches, and a good quality gigbag. Features are well known, all you need and nothing you don't. Number of features is irrelevant, quality of features is what I look for.

Like everybody else says, great!

Top quality construction. Satin finish just fine, it'll wear and that's OK. Setup wasn't to my taste out of the box, but I always expect to fiddle with any new or used guitar.

Like a rock.

No experience.

You want a basic USA Telecaster? Here's your guitar. You want bells and whistles, look elsewhere..

2006 Highway One Telecaster in whatever brown burst they call it.

Nothing flashy, just what you'd expect.

Quite frankly the sound is gorgeous. Straight off the bat it's been a guitar I've fallen in love with. Very very versatile (which is kind of the point of buying a tele).

I'm currently playing lead in a local rock band, and it just has great tone and is extremely easy to adjust on the fly. Currently running it through a Laney Lionheart combo and the range of sounds is just fantastic. Easy to switch from warm jazzy tones, to something more twangy.

I can't recommend this guitar enough.

Like everyone else, I've never had to fiddle with it. The setup is spot on, the action nice and low, and the quality is superb.

I have had issues with detuning after string bends with the G string (stop sniggering), but I'm not so anal as to be that bothered. That's why I bought a tuning pedal.

The only gripe I would have with it (and I have to stress it's a very minor gripe) is the rather thin laquer that chips quite easily.

It hasn't taken long to give it a "worn" look, for the reasons given above. But to be honest I like that in a guitar, the scratches and dings remind you of some awesome gigs :D

Aside from the finish it's very tough. It's been knocked off its stand a couple of times, but it's still 100% fine. It didn't even go out of tune either.

It isn't drum stick proof though, as I found out.... drummers eh? There's now a sizeable dent beneath the p/up selector switch which makes me laugh everytime I see it. Just be sure to duck any flying drumsticks and your tele will be fine. hah.

Never had to deal with them. My baby has never been ill.

Been playing for about 20 years, owned several guitars (low end squires and such), played many many more, and this is my absolute favourite.

I've played all those expensive Ibanez', and Gibson's, and they're great and all.... they just dont have the character that my Telecaster has. It's just so easy to flip from Jazz, to funk, to Rock, to Death Metal (or whatever you kerrazy kids listen to nowadays) with a quick fiddle of the amp and the tone switch.

Anyone gigging should seriously consider owning one of these. If not as a main guitar, certainly as a backup. I guarantee it will serve you as well as it has me.

I've recently played the light ash telecaster, and the highway one is certainly much better quality. The neck is thinner, and the weighting of the guitar is very balanced. When it's across your shoulder it just becomes a part of you.

Anyone looking for a step up from a cheapy guitar would love this too. At ??400 it really is a fantastic bargain.

Oh, and as my songwriting guitar it's spot on.

You all know the details but I'll just point out that mine is the Honey Blonde, maple fretboard, 2007. This model has the Greasebucket tone circuit which works quite well. I have a 2002 Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster, which doesn't have this feature. I wouldn't say that it's better because of it; it's just different. Other than that it's a fairly standard run of the mill tele. The way a Tele should be.

Awsome. The bridge and neck pups are extremely distinctive; the neck sounds that little milder, the bridge quite a lot brighter. It's very easy to get classic tele tones from this guitar.

The guitar was finished extremely well; the only exception being the output jack was slightly loose. The action is perfect. The setup is perfect. The only change I made was to put 10s on instead of 9s.

It's a Tele. It's a Fender. It's a Tank.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing about 11 years or so. I also own a Fender HWY1 strat, a Gretsch DuoJet Firebird, an Eastwood Airline Town & Country, a Tanglewood TWST28, a Tanglewood TW39, a Fender Frontman 25R, an ENGL Screamer 50 combo, and lots of other stuff like pedals...

If this was stolen, I butcher the person who stole it; I'd eat his eyes and then buy another one. I might actually buy another as it stands. I just love the neck on this guitar... I might also add that in 11 years of playing I've owned quite a few guitars - currently own six and have never instantly bonded with a guitar, until now. The guitar is light as a feather and plays beautifully. I can't believe it's as good as it is - and all for a lousy $640.

My '06 Highway 1 Telecaster is a Crimson Red 60th anniversary model, made in the good ol' USA. Alder body with transparent satin nitro finish. Solid maple, satin polyurethane 'C' neck with 9.5" radius and 22 medium-jumbo frets. Fender-Ping tuners. Vintage Tele bridge with 3 saddles. 3 ply pick guard and Grease Bucket tone circuit.

After-market changes include Fender Vintage Noiseless Tele pickups and the Fender Tele four-position blade switch.

Got a decent Fender gig bag with it. No other fancy features, 'cause it's a Highway 1.

After installing the Vintage Noiseless pickups and four-way switch, this Tele is as Tele as you can get, with a little extra Tele thrown in. The original pickups were by no means 'bad,' it's just that the Noiseless pickups are that much better. And no noise. As far as this guitar sounds, it sounds like a Tele should, you know, wonderful.

Adding the 4-way switch provides the series configuration (in the fourth position) for a better snarl, a better punchiness, a more growly sound as it were, especially if you use high gain amplifier circuitry. A very nice sounding guitar overall, with a lot of sonic capability.

Right out of the box, it needed NO setup or adjustment. I am thoroughly happy with Fender's high quality quality control. There were no flaws, imperfections, buggers, dents, dings, scratches or anything else wrong with this guitar. As it should be.

Since I like a shiny finish, and since the Highway 1 has a satin lacquer finish, I gently, hand-rubbed it with a very fine automotive polishing compound to produce a lustrous, gleaming and shiny surface in no time at all. It now looks like a very expensive glossy finish. Cool.

Fender Telecaster: See; Tough. See; Rock. See; Reliable. See; Impervious. See; Dependable. See; What is a cool electric guitar and why did everybody else copy it and why you want one.

I'd give it an 11.

Fender uses dealers as our personal link to its products and service. My particular dealer is stellar when it comes to helping me. Though I've had no problems with my guitar needing any service or repair, if I needed any, it would be a breeze.

I started playing acoustic guitar way, way long ago. I always wanted an electric, a Telecaster to be specific, 'cause they look retro and cool. So I finally ups and gets me one. I did look at lots of other guitars first (too numerous to mention here), but no other is a Tele, 'cept maybe other Teles. That was the hard part, deciding which of the many Tele models to choose from. The great price, superb quality, nitro finish and no-nonsense, basic basic-ness of the Highway 1 finally won me over in the end, as a true Telecaster should be a pretty basic, straight-forward and reliable instrument and shouldn't cost tons o' dough, dontcha know.
This guitar is wonderfully easy to play and maintain. Musicians I ALLOW to touch it, to play it, are pleasantly surprised and agree it's as good as any they've ever played before. Then it becomes an ordeal to pry it out of their clutching hands. That says a lot for the quality of this Highway 1 . This is no second-string guitar. First class. There is nothing I don't like about this Highway 1 Telecaster.

It is a classic Tele!! Everything you'd expect.

Solid, versatile, responsive, detailed. Simply put, if you know what you are doing... this guitar will make you VERY happy.

I love the finish. Matte, soft... it just wears so well. Feels like it's old and worn in already. Each tiny scratch or bump, or rub mark just makes me love it more and more.

Action was nice right away. Minor adjustments on the g string and it was GOOD to go.

Everything is just solid and well-made feeling.

One of my favorite things about this guitar is how rock solid the tuning is... easy to get in tune... and takes a lot to knock it out. Just awesome.

I am a professional musician. This guitar is played 30 hours or more a week between practices and shows... it has been on the road for extended periods and i've had no problems, no concerns.

I have a Les Paul with p90's that just sits in it's case as a back up that i NEVER need.

I haven't dealt with them on this guitar, but have on other stuff in the past and found them to be your typical customer service experience... I got what I needed and all was well.

I've been playing guitar since 1988... as a 16 year old.

I own a previously mentioned 1996 Gibson Les Paul RUBY w/p90's, a Gretsch BST 1500, a mid 90's reissue Fender Mustang, and about a dozen 60's and 70's japanese weirdo's.

I play through a black face modded 1979 Fender Twin a/b'd with a Musicman HD165 head into a Roccaforte 2x12 open back with redcoats.
I use a tubescreamer when I need a bit of gain.

I love this guitar. It just always sounds good. It is fun to play. It looks awesome and gets better looking with each day.

I was originally looking at mexican tele's but after I played this one, and looked at the price difference... a couple of hundred bucks more for a guitar I would keep 'til I die waws more than worth it.

I am absolutely going to go ahead and get a highway one strat now too.

This is a 2005 Upgraded Highway 1 Telecaster. It is everything you would expect from a Telecaster to be..

This guitar sounds like a classic Telecaster with a hot bridge pickup.
I'm using it with a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401 and a Fender Blues Junior loaded with a Greenback speaker, and it sounds amazing through both amps.
The pickups produces the hum you would expect from a single coil vintage pickup when using an overdrive/distortion - nothing surprising.

The range of sounds you can produce with this Telecaster is huge. The tone controls are very useful.
The neck pickup sounds similar to a Stratocaster neck pickup - very pleasant...
The bridge pickup is very bright, and when used with overdrive it produces those screams you would hear on led zep early recordings... that pickup is significantly hotter than the neck pickup.

The factory setup was perfect.

I compared the Highway 1 to other American models and this guitar is a pure American Telecaster!

I had and still have the money to buy any Telecaster I want, but I don't see why I should do that? The woods are right for me and the sound is there, and that what counts! this guitar is a pure sound machine!

If you want to buy a Telecaster and this one sounds too modern for you, buy it and replace the pickups!

Well I quess you allready know all the specs but I'll list them anyway.

Alder body with Daphen Blue finish
Maple neck and fingerboard with 22 frets
"hot" tele pickups in bridge and neck position
3 way picku selector
1 volume and 1 tone

just the way it should be...

The sound? GOOD GOLLY! Whne I plugged into my small 15w Vox valvetronix I was just amazed! The sound was just what I was looking for a classic tele sound with a little extra punch. I mostly use the bridge and middle positions on the selector but neck PU works also alone just fine.

I play blues, classic rock and sixties "pop" and this is just the sound for that. And if you want to go to the extreme put o a Dunlop Fuzz Face and rock on!

I bought this one mostly becose the finish. I never really liked the "all-shiny-finy-fender-gloss" finishes. Ok the finish is thin and it gets beaten up pretty fast but it doesn't change the sound and that is what truly counts.

The action was good right off the wall I just restrung it and woila!

well it's a Tele. You can hammer it with an axe and the axe braks sooner tahn the guitar. It's a true journymans guitar-

It's a classic like tele with a touch of modern influces.

2006 Hwy-1 60th Anniversary Model with some mods. Satin Tri-color sunburst Alder body, Rosewood fret board, black pick guard, Wilkinson compensated vintage style bridge, Fender Standard neck pickup, Duncan Vintage Lead Stack on the bridge, push-pull pot for single / humbucker on bridge, Fender Locking tuners, Fender tolex HS case.

With the new compensated bridge and both the new Fender and Duncan pickup, I can get the sound I was looking for. A most definite Telecaster sound. Quite a bit of RFI interference, so I lined all the cavities with copper tape and that eliminated most the hum in single coil positions. For amps I use a Hughes and Kettner Zenamp and a Fender Blues Jr. The guitar sounds great through both. Again, IMHO the pickups made a tremendous difference in the overall sound.

Initially, the factory job was "OK". Didn't come near to my US Strat or PRS, which I use as a basis. After three minor fret dressings, and a good polish, I finally came up with action like the Strat. Not quite as good as the PRS, but far better than Fender factory specs. Because Fender offers this guitar as the low end USA made model, I will give it a 9 due to the ability this guitar is capable of with a little attention to detail. The neck to body fit is perhaps some of the best I have seen for a bolt on neck. The resonance transfer from the neck to body is extremely good.

The guitar is very well built with quality components. There was nothing wrong with the hardware I replaced. Simply a matter of personal preference. The nitro body finish is thin, but it seams to have a positive effect on the body resonance. I think Fender did the right thing with the thin nitro as apposed to a poly finish. I don't "gig" anymore, especially frogs, haven't in 20 years, but it is a solid guitar that should be able to withstand any average playing style.

In my 36 years of playing, I have never had to contact Fender for any customer support. So I don't have a clue how good they are on a one-to-one basis.

In the time I have been playing, I have bought and sold a number of higher end guitars. I have owned this unit for about a year now, and it remains one of my favorites to play. It's the simplicity and how it forces you back to your roots that I like.

Three color sunburst with unpolished nitrocellulose lacquer, satin finish maple neck, Fender Hot Tele pickups with three way switch. Fitted with a vintage style Tele bridge sporting three chrome finish barrel type saddles. Machine heads are standard sealed Fender units with chrome finish.

Excellent biting tone in high gain or clean mode. Pickups are noisy with the gain set high but the middle switch position eliminates most of the crackle. The guitar maintains its' bite even with the tone control rolled completely off, which helps compensate for the noise in the single pickup positions. Played through a clean amplifier this guitar sounds as good as it's more expensive brothers, although the pickups are hotter than the classic models. They're also better balanced, providing near equal volume as compared to the '52 Reissue and vintage models. That's a plus in my book.

The maple neck with satin finish is this guitars' best feature, smooth as glass with no friction, and the fret finish is outstanding. Every bit as good as most of the Custom Shop Tele's I've played. The switch tip fell off within days after purchase - so what's new? - one tiny drop of Bondini on the very tip of the switching arm has held it in place for months now. The matt finish body is unusual and very attractive in sunburst, not so hot in Daphne, Honey Blond, or Wine. The black position dots are good enough but are less attractive than the abalone inlays on my Strat 50, they look slightly out of place on the maple fretboard.

The bridge pickup routing is slightly off center and the cavity is visible peeking out from under the bridge plate on the control plate side. I didn't notice this when I bought it but apparently it's not the first time Fender shipped one with this problem. It's a minor flaw and totally inconsequential in the overall picture - there's no apparent effect on the tone and I have yet to hear a microphonic feedback squeal even at club volume. Anyone who thinks exposed cavities are a big problem hasn't yet taken a good look at the new EVH Frankenstein Strat - say what?

The guitar was quite playable right off the rack but I've done some hardware changes and had a complete professional setup job done at Evans Music City in Houston, TX. Guitar tech Mike Juarez did the work and I highly recommend him for anybody in the area. This guitar now has perfect intonation and balance to compliment it's gut wrenching tone. Amazing work - thanks Mike!

As mentioned the switch tip problem was easily solved. Controls feel smooth and solid. Stock tuners are too loose for my taste but easily replaced as detailed below. Some say the nitro finish won't last but who cares? This guitar is easily driven into feedback/sustain with sound pressure and I believe that's due to the light finish. It's a light weight instrument and very well balanced, makes a Les Paul feel like a quad cab truck, with two flat tires... :)

Know what you're buying and you'll never have to call the Geek Squad in Corona. As long as they keep producing guitars like this I won't bother them. For that reason I'll give Fender a 10 in this category. They're an American icon and hope they'll be here a century from now.

A good guitar tech is a great investment - find a good one and get to know him. The payoff is the best instrument you could ask for. Shipping charges alone could cost you more than a complete setup in a good guitar shop.

This is a great guitar at a great price. With some well chosen modifications it can be a totally professional platform. I installed a Glendale bridge with the Aluminum/Brass saddle set. This allows perfect intonation with increased sustain. A major improvement over the stock Fender set.
I prefer the vintage Kluson in-line tuners as found on the Custom Shop guitars from Corona. But I settled on the Schaller locking set sold by Fender. They are highly effective and again a major improvement over the stock sealed units. And they're a drop in replacement that won't require any drilling on that wonderful neck.

The bridge set and tuners are finished in brushed stainless steel which really sets off the matte finish nitro paint job on my guitar.
So I now have a perfect neck, perfect intonation, great tone, and an unusual and handsome finish on a $700 guitar. Cost of the upgrades with installation and setup was about $200.

I played a Custom Shop Tele last week at the GC on Westheimer in Houston. It was priced at $4999 (they're proud of those CS Tele's, even more so than the Strats!). It had really good tone but played like a dog. I'm sure a setup job at Evans Music would help, but the point is - that guitar is priced at $5000! Fender shouldn't let them out of the house in that condition. At all.

I visited Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas last April during the Dallas Guitar Show weekend. They've got a great setup man working there named Clay. I asked him if they had the new '52 Hot Rod Tele and he told me they had received one and sold it in 24 hours. And he told me this... "I called the factory in Corona and asked them why am I paying three to five grand for these CS Tele's when your shipping guitars like the Hot Rod at $1500? " Good point. And I must say that my Highway One plays and sounds every bit as good as the '52 Hot Rod.

3 tone sunburst. Came with a gig bag. Otherwise like the other stock specs listed in these reviews.

It's got a little attitude and I like it. I'm big on the chiminess of a Strat. I have a 50th anni. American deluxe Strat which I absolutely love and thought I needed a Tele to cover country sessions. I thought that was all that a Tele was good for. Man was I wrong, this baby will funk, will rock, will Jazz with attitude. The sound is still bright and chimey in a way I like, but it also has a bite to it - that's the attitude.

I bought mine at Guitar Center. It was sitting by the door with one other sporting a markdown tag because it was a store demo model and had a slight scratch/ding by the jack. I took it home and checked the intonation and it was very close. I love the feel of the neck; it's just like my Strat which I love so much.

I know a lot of players feel that a guitar should be a sculpture of art and I respect that, so I'll say that the fit and finish on mine is excellent (other than the minor ding). For all my years as a musician I've never been up on all the different finishes. My guitar is not glossy/shinny like the Strat, and I really like it. Its finish matches its raw attitude.

All the controls work perfectly and have a solid feel. I especially like the selector. Why does the selector switch on a Paul always feel flimsy?

I gave it a 10, because its not Fender's fault that store customers can't find the jack without dinging the finish.

You know Tele's and Strat's last forever even with reasonable abuse. If you didn't, now you do. Every session player's 20 year old one I've ever saw looked used, abused, cared for, and still sounded sweet and functioned perfectly.

I put Schaller strap locks on it. I do it on all my electrics - I like the accessibility of them, they are great quality, and they are an easy mod for anyone. They are certainly not necessary for this guitar, because it's relatively light.

Gig on to your heart's content.

Yes, I'd buy it again.
I love the neck.
I hate that I waited so long to buy one.
Favorite feature is that it's a great compliment to my Strat.

It's another great tool in the studio with a great sound and excellent playability. I got mine at a great price and it's made in the good 'ol USA which is somewhat rare for the price I paid.

USA Made
Most recent Highway 1 Tele with nitrocell finish/ Alnico-3 pups, 70's headstock and logo, jumbo frets, three-saddle bridge. Mine is Honey Blonde with a rosewood fretboard. I replaced stock white-ish pickguard with a thick slab of tortoise-shell Italian celluoid. No turtles were harmed. I also replaced the stock bridgeplate-saddlles with a Glenrose model. More about that later. Fairly feature-free, it's a Tele, you can't make frozen Pina Coladas with it.

Sweet, sweet, sweet. Two pups and a 3-way switch provides (1) bridge only for Hair-Splitting Treble, (2) neck only for Warm Sweet Pocket and (3) neck and bridge joined to form a More Perfect Deep Well of Shimmer. If I were marooned on a desert island and I could only have one electric guitar, a Tele would be my choice. Oh yeah, and my '66 Blackface Princeton Reverb , electricity, a well-stocked beer fridge and some wimmens. For those that want to remain convinced that a Telecaster is for Twang only, don't search YouTube for Booker T or Sam and Dave footage 'cause it seems that Cropper performed and recorded through his Tele a whole lot (and through tiny amps in the studio). And then there's Roy Buchanan, Robbie Robertson etc. etc. It might look a little weird on stage with a metal band, but blinfold the audience and it would probably sound fine.

I installed the Glenrose bridgeplate/brass saddle and A-B'ed it with the stock setup under strict Laboratory Conditions. Played the stock version plugged directly into a Red-Knob Twin for an hour, while pulling on a beer, then loosened the strings, removed the Fender
unit and installed the Glenrose in about 20 minutes, tightened strings, performed expert field intonation adjustments(OK, within a couple %) and played for another hour, no changes made to guitar or amp settings. And I didn't drink another beer. (Taking notes?) A noticeable increase in sustain, the sound is just...beefier. Yet brighter. Great unit. Glemrose. They have a website. Not a cheap mod, but with as little as the guitar costs, it's a winner.

Guitar was put together very well at the factory , and Sweetwater provides their own pro setup if when purchased through them.They used round 10s. It was very good, but Gary Gilbert at King Bee Guitars in the Nashville area dressed the frets, set it up with Chrome 11s, cut and installed the pickguard, made a new nut and shielded the entire guitar's electronics. He's the absolute best and a great guy to boot. I give the stock version a "9" only because there was a bit of visible glue in the skunk stripe laminate on the neck near the body. Not really visible to most people but when viewed under an electron microscope...

If the Cossacks had a band they would have played Teles. Very durable slab of wood that gets the job done night after night, and also handy as a weapon when you're retreating back to the van, surrounded by a ragged mob of alchohol-fueled Arkansans who've taken umbrage because you've only played "Freebird" three times a freakin' set.

Backup guitar ? You won't need no stinkin' backup.

I've never used Fender's customer support, then again, this is only the second new guitar I've owned, and I've owned way too many to clearly remember them all. Most problems with instruments seem to arise out of design and expectation, not poor manufacturing. So far, so good.

Hello, my name is _______ and I've been a guitar addict for more that 40 years. (At this point you reply, in unison, " Hi _________, join the club".) Over twenty years fulltime in the Music Industry as a player, performer and finally ( to the collective relief of the session players who recorded with this Mel Bay One-Finger Guitar Chords Institute graduate) producer. What styles? A veritable smorgasbord of styles.

What would I do if it were stolen? I would hire Dog the Bounty Hunter and together we would search the four corners of the World and hunt to ground those responsible for this Unspeakable Crime. And I would probably have to braid Dog's hair some along the way.
But it would be worth it. Really.

The features are all the already mentioned, mine is a 3 tone sunburst with a rosewood fretboard. I actually wanted a maple one but ordered this one because the picture in the store web page did not match the description. No big deal though. It has all the features a tele shoudl, so I give it a 10.

Well, this guitar suits my current music style (reggae, funk, jazz) better than any other I have. I use it with a Tonelab LE, also have a Marshall 6101 (which is nearly worthless for the types of music I'm doing). It has that classic fender sound. Bright spanky, tons of attack, mellow if you roll the volume or tone off. The greasebucket circuit is a very significant even if subtle addition. It does bring a whole tonal rannge to the guitar that few guitars can do. I am totally happy with it. If you want smooth, clear, non piercing cutting clean sounds a Telecaster is the guitar for you. The only thing I don't like is the 3 saddle bridge. It has 6 strings damn it!!! I may leave it as it is though, it depends if I get intonation problems or not.

Well, it came with the usual banjo strings electric guitar ship with and after I put some 11's on it there3 was a great improvement. The volume pot is the only real flaw on this particular guitar. It only works from 80-100%, and it's silent anywhere else. No big deal replacing it but I am giving this guitar a 5 here because of that.

Well, the finish is very thin. If you bang it against anything it will get damaged. For a bedroom/studio guitar I think it's fine though.

Don't know.

I have been playing for 17 years. Own a ESP 901 (from the metal days, it's now my MIDI synth guitar), a epiphone sheraton with SD phat Cats and a stock Epi 56 Goldtop. I Own a Marshall 6101, a Tonelab LE, and a home studio with more stuff I can be bothered to mention. This Highway one is my favorite guitar ever.

It's your standard american tele stripped down. love it though, 2 single coils of course. Standard as far as this category goes.

The really great thing about this guitar is the grease bucket system they use. It won't overdrive quite as easily as a standard tele, but when you push it hard enough it gets a nice muddy, vintage sort of tone to it.

Set up was great right out of the box. I adjusted the intonation to suit a .10 gauge set. Stock is a 3 saddle bridge which I replaced with a G&L brass 6 saddle bridge. (world of difference, trust me)

If you don't want to scuff/scratch it don't buy it. The finish on it is very thin. But then again, it is a tele...they're only more badass if you beat the living hell out of them. Rarely needs any TLC other than a little fast fret, all bolt-on necks need that every couple weeks or so, in my opinion. Even with the 3 saddle bridge you'll have no problem with strings breaking. Unless you play straight up punk rock as fast and hard as you possibly can. In which case, go buy an SG.

I worked for guitar center at the time...I was my own support.

This is the only Fender I own. For good reason. The only other fender I would want is a closet classic tele. Not saying I wouldn't snatch up a vintage tele/esquire if I had the money...but you know how it is being broke. After all, everyone that reads this IS a musician right?

For the price, you CAN NOT beat it for an american made instrument.

Love this Tele. I've been looking for the right Tele for quite a while now and I think I finally found it. Mine is a Daphne Blue model with a rosewood fingerboard. I was considering getting an American Deluxe Tele but this particular guitar has such a good vibe to it and so bought it instead. I did end up switching out the pick guard for something else but past that I love the looks. I am considering putting a set of locking tuners on it down the road, but this thing stays n tune very well as is so I'm still trying to decide whether or not locking tuners would be worth it or not. Past that, this is a pretty straightforward set-up.

Rowdy, rowdy, rowdy. Yet smooth and refined. It all just depends on where you put the volume and tone knobs. This thing sounds great with whatever I throw at it. Heavy tones. Smooth lead tones. Dirt tones. Clean. I wouldn't go to this guitar for metal, but it seems to suit everything else if needed, including hard rock. I've never liked single-coils much, but lately I've been starting to see the light. The bridge pick-up reminds me very much of my vibey Gibson Melody Maker's P-90 (in a good way) yet it isn't noisy like most single-coils. The neck pick-up is very traditional late 50's Tele sounding and very warm and smooth with just the right amount of top-end and chunk. The Greasebucket circuit is extremely cool and I find that I rarely leave my tone knob wide open any more. I like the Greasebucket idea so much that I even modded my American Roadhouse Strat with the Greasebucket. I'm getting tones ranging from Billy Gibbons to Jeff Beck, David Gilmour to Eric Johnson, and recent Buddy Guy to recent Andy Timmons. It is like I found several Holy Grail tones all in one guitar. Would've been cool to have the old style of pick-up switching like an old 50's Tele, but I'm not complaining.

The high E string had a lousy buzz to it once winter started changing to spring. Turns out that the neck had taken on quite a bit of moisture at the local music store where I bought it and the neck just needed a little truss rod relief. A little adjustment there and a fresh set of strings and all was as it should be again. The fret polishing is excellent but not quite in the same league as my Gibson Les Paul Classic or my American Deluxe V-Neck Strat, but the price wasn't nearly as much either. But this Tele practically plays itself as is. Great string bending. Great sustain. Very dynamic response to pick attack and easy to work a one channel amp with. No real glaring faults, especially for the money. Possibly the only thing I would have preferred differently on this guitar would be to have a V-neck instead of the C. I just really like those V-Necks these days, but honestly the neck on this guitar is very comfortable and I can't justify knocking it too much. Again....no complaints.

The finish is thin (as advertised) but it feels broken in as a result of that. A gloss finish on this guitar just wouldn't feel right to me. I'm sure there will be some wearing out of the paint and wood showing through eventually, but I'm actually excited about that. the satin finish sets up the vibe of this great guitar and I wouldn't change the finish for anything else. I'd definitely gig without a back-up. It's a Tele for crying out loud. If I bust a string then I'll just keep playing Keefer style. taking a back-up would be a slap in the face to this particular instrument. Some guitars you just choose to rely on without a safety net. This is that sort of guitar.

I like them OK. I've met the regional Fender rep on several occasions and he is always quite nice and he asks lots of questions about what I like feature-wise, etc (and I'm not a dealer or store employee). Seems to know his stuff forwards and backwards. Past that I've never needed any Fender support, which says something in itself.

Overall this is a great Tele. It does what it does, and it always makes you want to keep playing on it even after you put it down. This strikes me as a guitar that I won't eventually trade off or part with. Well worth the money and what a great vibe!

Its a tele, so everything you would expect- great looks from its satin finsh that wears away a treat- it is thin and knocks easily, but it makes it look like a classic blues machine- which is wat i use it for, that and some classic rock.
In terms of features though, its a tele so it wont get a 10

great sounds from both pups, especially the front one which to me sounds very woody like a strat and the middle position just adds a little extra bite to the sounds which distorts nicely too. The bridge pup was great for a lot of stuff but i took it out on mine and fitted it with a dimarzio chopper t- something id recommend for you rockers that want extra bite.
This tele also comes loaded with the "greasebucket" circuit, which apparently allows you to roll off the highs w/out adding lows- this works very well and is exactly what is needed on a guitar with as much highs as a tele does.
With my chopper t in place, sound definately gets a 10

everything great from the box- people are complaining about sharp frets but on mine they are fine

the finish wont last but everything else will - thats the idea of the highway one, its a workhorse.
everything is solid and works like ir should, sept the switch nob always comes loose, but that was easy enough to fix.

N/A

Unfortunately, fender dont make my version of the highway 1 anymore but its upgrade, which i would have thought would be better as its an upgrade, but still this guitar rocks for blues, rock, country, and pretty much anything except metal- it can handle high gain but you'd look an idiot in a metal band with a tele

Pretty guitar, maple neck, nice matte finish. Classic tele bridge.

Terrible, won't play in tune anywhere on the neck. Had it in the shop twice. I guess its possible the luthier was clueless.

I believe the nut is too high. Otherwise the neck feels fast.

One of the pickups died two weeks after I bought it. The place where I bought it couldn't even tell me where to get it fixed.

The fender website was good. I was able to locate a place to get it repaired under warranty there.

If somebody stole it, I wouldn't miss it. I only play it when I feel sorry for it.

telecaster body with two alnico pickups. Three way switch and one volume one tone chrome knobs. Maple neck and fingerboard. Alder body (very light for a fender). Came with deluxe gigbag a couple of stickers and allen wrenchs. Neck is like a american standard .finish is very light satin in honey blonde. This is the first year made. 2003 in USA.

It sounds the way it is suppose too. twangy enough for country and mellow with plenty of sustain for blues. I play through a vox amp for country and through a fender super reverb for blues. When I play through my Marshall it sounds a little flat so I have to use a ibanez tubescreamer pedal. It tends to be a little noisy for recording. But I won't change that as it is the character of the guitar. It has the vintage telecaster sound. Many of the telecasters today have a more modern sound.

The guitar was setup very poorly from the factory. the worse setup Ive ever seen on a fender product. The frets sliced my fingers and had to be sanded. the intonation was so bad that I replaced the three saddles with 6 individual saddles from a 52 tele reissue. Had to replace the pickguard as it looked warped already. (Cost covered by Music store)

This is a US fender telecaster. Pound by pound the toughest electric guitar on the planet. If I ever get to do a world tour this is the guitar id take.

Never dealt with company. always deal with music store if I have a problem.

Been playing Fenders for 25 years. Also have a strat,squire 51 and Fender acoustic.I find the quality of Fender has dropped. Years ago a wouldn't have had to do all the work to get this guitar to where it should have been from the factory. I compared this guitar to other telecasters but found this one to have the best vintage sound I was looking for. If your looking 50's style tele without the large price tag of the reissue relics or original this Highway 1 is the guitar for you. Just be careful and play a few of them as Fenders quality control is not that good anymore.

Basic Telecaster layout with "grease bucket" circut on tone pot that cuts high frequencies without rolling in bass. Pickups are AlNiCo 3 and are slightly overwound. Also, thin nitro-cellulose laquer finish in some very nifty colors over alder body. All things considered, it is still a Telecaster. If you want extra features don't buy this.

I have 3 other Telecasters and am not new to this type of guitar. I was intrigued by the articles and buzz surrounding this one, and thought it would be a nice backup to my others. It has actually filled a "hole" in my sonic pallate, sitting somewhere between the Deluxe and the Standard Telecasters I also play. I find the bridge pickup leans more toward the Broadcaster range with more output, definately not thin sounding. The neck pickup is more Strat-like to my ears, but doesn't push the amp into break-up as quickly as the bridge does. It tends to stay cleaner up through the volume knob until wide open, when it gives the tubes a little extra shove. I don't notice any more 60 cycle hum than I would with any other single coil equipped guitar. If you cant live with it, there are options such as extra shielding (which I wish Fender had done a better job on this guitar) or one of the noiseless pickup options widely available. I really enjoy the overall tone quallity of this insturment. It still retains the twang factor, but the top end feels different than a traditional Telecaster. I run this guitar through smaller/med-size Fender amps (Deluxe, Silverface Princeton and Blues Deville). For my ears, it really shines with the smaller amps. On the floor, I use Radial Tonebone Classic and Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive for extra grit. I also have a Boss compressor and Visual Sound H2O at the beginning and end of the chain respectively. It does not react as well as the Tele-Deluxe to higher gain settings from the pedal board, but for low to medium gain stuff it has a nice brisk quallity that any "roots" or "acid-country" player like myself would enjoy.

Pulled it out of the box, stretched the strings out and gigged the same night. The neck pickup needed raised ever so slightly to balance better with the bridge, but that was the only setup issue. As with any American made Fender guitar (even this one), the quallity was good out of the box as it should be. I really dig the finish (matte black) and the other color options on the Highway One insturments are really cool too. If you are looking for a guitar to stay mint for ever, this is not your best option. As previously stated, the thin laquer finish is going to wear quickly. Mine is wearing at the top (elbow) corner after only 6 shows. Cool!

Always take two guitars to the bar. One to play, the other to crack the drunk that spills a drink down your amplifier over the head with.

Dig it!

2005 model, satin sunburst finish, string through body, fender tuners, rosewood fretboard. Along with the guitar came a fender gigbag(real nice one by the way). Basic tele features really. I dont buy guitars for the features on it, but for the quality of 'em, and in thruth i don't really trust all of that digital, electronic mambo jambo. Oh and this guitar also has some kind of special cirquet called "greasebucket" that doesn't add bass when you turn down the treble. Handy. Not a lot of features but good ones, don't need to fly to the moon when you've a nice earth. Or something like that.

Hmm this is where the highway really shines. I mostly play harder rock, like Led Zeppelin, Guns 'N Roses, Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys but also a little "popier" music like Beatles and Oasis for instance. This thing does it all. When i first bought it was on the lookout for something that had a nice clean tone but didn't fall trough when you add gain(cough"strat"cough). And this thing does it. Of course i don't rock as hard as 60's SG and it don't have the magnificent cleans of a vintage strat, but it has something neither of the can, BOTH! This guitar aint as twangy as most telecaster, but it doesn't bother me. I'm not that much of a twang fan anyway.
I use with a Boss DS2(soon to be replaced by a ZVEX Fuzz Factory)-> Marshall Bluesbreaker Pedal set for boost-> crybaby->Fender Blues Junior. Admitted the distortions in this rig aint a bragger, but the cleans is another matter. I've got almost AC15 like cleans(I.e. holy grail IMO).
The guitar gets quite a bit noisy with distortion and booster engaged. This is strangley avoided by touching any metallic part of the guitar with a finger.
Rythm on this baby rocks, on bridge pickup a little distortion and turn of the highs and you've got a classic tone like noone of your friends.
It's a perfect match for me, there are no dislikes on my behalf. I can't complain on the distorted sounds, as the distortion units i have SUCK! A solid 9

Everything as I like it. Medium action, poor strings but hey easily replaced. No flaws no errors. This guitar is definitely the easiest playing guitar ever! So it's nescecary to have i a higher action than other guitars or there would be no challenge playing:)

The finish on this guitar is very(!) thin and i chip easily. some would say shite i say PERFECT!. Makes the thing look used. Seems steady. I've always had the thing about telecaster, they seem to be able to take a beating. I would definitely be able to could on it. Who knows it may even outlive me.

Haven't dealt with 'em.

I've played about three or four years(stopped counting). What can i say this baby is perfect! The only thing i wish it had was as sister. Then i'd have two. I chose it because of the fantastic value and tone nothing else really

Standard fare for a Tele. No surprises.

Very bright sound. In fact a little too bright at times. It doesn't have nearly the warmth & twang of my '73 Tele but it is useful as a backup. Clean sounds are this guitars forte. It does not react well my Maxon OD-808. The 60 cycle hum is slightly louder than my other single coil guitars. I'm thinking of changing the pickup to Barden's or Kinmann's.

Where do I start? The fit & finish out of the factory was nothing short of a disaster. The fret edges needed to be filed and recrowned. (It did it myself). I had to cut a new nut (tusq) as the slots were too low. The neck pocket is not as tight as it could have been, reducing sustain. Fender doesn't make them like they used to.

The jury is still out on this one as I've had it for a couple of months. I never gig without at least 3 guitars.

I've dealt with Fender in the past with vary results. They usually pass the buck back to the dealer.

Had the guitar been described accurately I would have never bought the guitar, as I had to put in considerable effort to get the guitar in playing shape. Fender's fit and finish is nowhere near what it used to be IMHO. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy a G&L ASAT.

This guitar is fine. Do you know how to play?

I play what I play.

Some of you complain about the finish. What is that? I banged it around playing every night and even got a girl to chew on it and I can't get it to chip well. And she's Romanian from Transylvania. I'll have to use a hammer to get the paint lookin good. By the way...a ten for all Eastern European women!

No problems. I play out every night. It works.

What? Who cares? If it breaks I'll fix it.

This guitar is better than the American standards I used to play. I hate thick plastic paint. My guitar is a workhorse. I play it. I love it. It gets beaten up. I like it. Why even change the pickups? Just get a good amp!

satin finish, die cast tuners, maple neck, sunburst, 2 single coil alnico pickups..3 way selector, vol/tone knobs..GORGEOUS

mine is a 2003...sunbust body, maple neck..you know the rest..marked on headstock made in usa..i am a blues player, but currently playing in a classic rock/oldies band..i use this guitar with a rivera r55-112..the single coil alnico pickups do the trick for me..the tonal variations between the 2 pickups is quite varied for the stuff i do, which is pretty much everything..i can do a rendition of horace silver's song for my father, or i can do girl from ipanema on the bass or middle pickup and fingerpick and the guitar sounds great..it is clear and articulate and to my ear can duplicate an acoustic type sound..when i drive the british channel of the riv, using the treble pickup, boy, does this guitar sing..to my ear, it covers just about every sound you can think of that a guitar and an amp can create..i do not use any stomp boxes, so to my ear, the guitar is not noisy, although it does exhibit a bit of a warm ac hum..i like everything about the way this guitar sounds..i would rate it a 10

i bought this guitar sight unseen through the mail from a big chain store..it took me 3 attempts though, for me to find the right highway 1 for me..first one had some bad damage at the butt of the guitar..to my eye, it looked like a factory cover-up..2nd try..the guitar just did not feel right, and the neck joint was sloppy..3rd try..the guitar looked and played fantastic right out of the box..i like the matte finish..mine is starting to get shiny, i guess from playing it a lot and sweating all over it..it gets hot down here in florida..the screws that adjust the saddles are a bit high..i thought about cutting them down, but i've gotten used to them and they are really no bother..otherwise, i have not turned one screw on the guitar..the intonation is nearly dead on, the action is as good as it gets..the neck feels like it was made for me..no problems..so discounting the 2 bad ones i returned, i would have to rate this category 10

it is a fender..i used to throw my strat into the air on stage, sometimes i missed catching it..i would drag it around and beat it with my guitar strap, other than re-tuning i never had any problems..i do not do that stuff anymore, so this guitar kind of gets babied a bit..this guitar would survive just about anything you could do to it..built like a tank..the hardware seems heavy and well plated, and should last a lifetime..pots are smooth and quiet, switch is smooth, acurate and quiet..i would definately gig without a backup, and i can count on this guitar being there for me, everytime i reach for it..rating 10

my few contacts with fender actually yielded results..they are a big company, but if you are patient, i think you will be able to find your way around them and find that their support is A-1..from my own personal experiences, i have to rate this category 10

i have been playing profesionally since 1972..that is a long time..i have played and owned gibsons, prs, musicman, mesa boogie, fender, danelectro, supro, silvertone,martin, dobro, etc..etc..i have earned a living playing music, and i figure at this point, i know what i am doing..i love this guitar..it was not as costly as an american std tele, but that is a good thing..the sound of this guitar is clearly pro..there are certainly better sounding, fancier guitars out there, but for the money, this is a nice guitar..it covers every aspect of the music i play, which covers folk, blues, jazz, rock, pop..the guitar retains the original design that leo fender developed in the 1950's..it is a standard of the industry, and i could not imagine a better guitar for the money..i rate it a 10

The features of the Highway 1 tele are well known to the readers. This was my 1st purchase of an electric guitar in many years. I have owned mostly high end acoustic guitars including Martin's, Taylors and one custom, luthier made 12 fret Dread. My guitar has a maple neck and a satin, 3 color sunburst finish. The Fender gig bag was included and I plan to get a hard case to replace it. It looks and, more importantly, feels great. It is a basic, straightforward Telecaster.

It sounds just like I would expect a maple neck Tele to sound. Very bright using the bridge pup, nicely mellow in the neck and full in the middle position. I have to say that mine also sounds great acoustically, with no amplification. I can noodle around watching television and hear and feel it without driving my family crazy. I play the guitar through a '74 Princeton Amp. I think they were made for each other. The "Greasebucket" tone control seems to do what it claims. Frankly, as a mostly acoustic player, I don't have enough experience with other electrics to compare it to others.

This is where I do have some experience. As I mentioned I have owned some pretty nice acoustic guitars. Frankly, I always looked down on electrics as just an assembly of plastic parts and wires. My Highway 1 Telecaster is beautifully made. The neck is perfect, the body nicely finished and all parts seemed to be of high quality. It came equipped with 9's and I replaced them with 12's. The shop adjusted the action and intonation and it has played perfectly in tune since. I can only say that, in my opinion, it is as nicely made an instrument for it's type as my '94 HD-28. I was not able to find any flaws in it's construction and I am pretty picky. Considering it's price I think it is a bargain.

The guitar is built like a tank. I did have one problem with it a few weeks after purchase. One day I plugged it in and it's output ( volume ) dropped by about 75%. I thought the problem was my amp, but it turned out to be a wiring issue that was corrected when I took it back to the dealer. I haven't had any problems since. I have heard some complaints about the finish being thin and subject to wear. I can't say that I agree with that. I think it looks great and with reasonable care should last well. I prefer the soft satin finish to a slick, shiney and "sticky" finish, especially on the neck. After you play it for a while it wears in and gets a bit brighter. For those who are rougher on their guitars it will "relic" well. I have no reason to think it is not reliable except that any electronic part can someday fail.

So far the dealer has covered anything I have wanted, including set up and repair, under warranty. I have not yet attempted to contact Fender other than to register the guitar on line.

I have been playing since 1965. I try to keep my music life simple so I currently own a '94 HD-28, Fender Jazz Bass a Yamaha Classical and the Highway 1 Tele. I have sold off more nice guitars over the years than I want to think about. As I approach my mid 50's I have concluded that guitarists should spend more time and money on learning music and less on the hardware. Just my opinion. There is nothing about this guitar that gets in the way of playing music. It is a comfortable, well made and fine sounding guitar.If it were lost or stolen I'd buy another one without hesitation.

standard strat, not versatile really

Horrible way to much treble on the bridge pick up, just a nasty cheap tacky sound

action was horrible my first guitar which was #20 and second hand was nicer to play. When your playing it feels like you have to work so hard to get very little out of it

ok nothing special

crap

do not buy this insturment ite at first but do not be fooled its a pile of shit and fender should be embaressed for making such a poor quality instument

Ash body, maple neck, greasebucket circuit, 21 frets, you know the rest..

I'm a blues/rockabilly player and feel I have an excellent ear for tone when it comes to Tele's. Greasebucket circuit lets you roll down the volume without losing treble which is cool. Pickups are no noisier than other single coils. The bridge pickup is dark with a lot of mid range, the neck pickup is slightly gritty, and the best sound seems to be in-between with both pickups. This doesn't really suit me and I will be changing over to Roy Wrap pickups immediately. On the good side, this guitar plays excellent, I have 3 other Tele's to compare it against, with one being a Custom Shop Gatton. Bends are fabulous with no dying notes, due to the Dunlop 6105 frets. Fretboard almost feels like playing a Les Paul with the 12" radius. If it weren't for the pickups, I'd give this a 10 for everything else it has.

Setup from Fender had slightly high action, neck pickup was adjusted too far from strings, finish was perfect, could not find any construction flaws. Neck has rolled fingerboard edges which feel great. Neck is very nice feeling, not too small but also not a baseball bat like the Gatton.

Solid ash body with sharp '52 contours should hold up very well, don't care if the finish wears, to me that's cool. I bought the Fender Tweed case from Musicians Friend the day I got the guitar, I never consider keeping a guitar in a gig bag. Would use on a gig without a backup, although my Tele's are all configured differently, some with Bardens, Texas Specials, Roy Wraps and I like to have the whole arsenal with me at all times.

Never dealt with Fender.

Been playing 25 years, other guitars are '92 Gatton Tele, 86'Made in Japan 52'Reissue Tele w/Bardens and Vintique control plate, an American Series Tele w/ rosewood fretboard, Gibson ES 335, Ibanez ES175 copy, Fender Custom Shop Bass Breaker amp, Fender Pro Junior, Ampeg SS150 combo. I use a Fulltone OCD, Barber LTD, and Radial Tonebone for overdrive, a Keeley compressor, Boss DM2 analog delay, a POD 2.0 for recording and EH Holy Grail reverb pedal. Once I change the strings to DAddario 10's, swap out the pickups and change over to a black guard, I'll feel like I have an excellent vintage Tele. It really is that good of a guitar.

not many features,then again all you'll need!
Alder body,rosewood neck,basic and perfect really.

I play country/pop/rock and this axe is IDEAL!
Stick it straight through a Marshall and it's show time.
plenty of twang without loseing the rock crunch.
Bright without being harsh.

Not much finish but to my taste I prefer it!
Good action,off the peg playability!
Maybe I got lucky but I've never needed to adjust anything!

I Gig in confidence,every time,I keep an old Les Paul to hand just incase but never needed it...The LP is great but time for the new recruit.

Don't know,never needed it.Being from the UK not likely to get it anyway.I bought the tele on a trip to Florida for $600 got a hardshell instead of a gig bag for the flight home.

Been playing over 20 years,I own :Peavey Falcon,Gibson Les Paul Custom,Fender Tele Highway 1,Takamine accustic,various bits and pieces,must mention my Marshall JCM2000/4x12 rig,everyone should own one! (when you just have to upset everyone in the whole street,accept no subtitute!).If it were stolen I would sell my Television to get another one! I really do rate this guitar,and in the $600 {#360} range it has nothing to fear!

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!

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.

Satin lacquer finish Alder body, Satin Polyurethane maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, standard Tele pickups, 3 saddle vintage style bridge, truss rod adjust at nut. Standard vintage Tele setup, nothing unusual here.

The sound was bright, bright, bright. Part of this was the Mexican Tele pickups; plastic bobbins, and no metal plate on the back of the bridge pickup. The steel saddles made it brighter as well. I replaced the saddles with brass ones, this tamed the high end quite a bit and should be a standard feature on this guitar.

I replaced the bridge pickup with a slightly overwound Broadcaster Reissue, and installed two Texas Special strat pickups in the neck and middle position. This pickup setup sounds fantastic in this guitar, probably the best I have owned. The neck and body in this guitar are outstanding.

The body finish is very thin and easily chipped, so don't buy this guitar if you want it to look pristine for a long time. Other than this, the construction and part quality are excellent. The neck on this guitar is magical, very low action with perfectly shaped medium frets. The guitar is also extremely light, as light as my SG. I think this helps the tone as well. All hardware is high quality, with the only problem being the string ferrules fall out when the guitar is restrung (a little superglue would fix this though).

I have gigged with this guitar quite a bit for several months, and haven't even broken a string. Everything has worked perfectly with no problems at all. Very dependable.

No opinion.

I have been playing for 25 years, and needed a Strat-like guitar for a beach/R+B gig, but I hate tremolos. I have never owned a Tele but liked the sounds, so I tried to find a rosewood fingerboard Mexican Nashville Custom (which is the least expensive new Mexican or US Tele with a rosewood fingerboard). After playing nearly every Tele in the store, this Hwy. 1 Tele just sang to me from the first note. I had to rout it a bit to get the pickup configuration I wanted, but it was very well worth it.

I give the guitar a 9 as it has turned out to be wonderful, very light and responsive, and the neck is pure magic. I can't think of any improvements. It was too bad that the pickups and saddles were so lame, but even with replacing these the guitar was worth it.

The finish is very fragile, but if you don't care about such things, please try the guitar. Have you ever had a guitar scream "Buy me!!!" when you first played it? This one did to me, over anything else in the store. I would definately replace it with another if stolen.

My tele is a 2003 tele (according to the serial number), alder body with maple fingerboard. If you never have told me the body is 3 piece, I wouldn't have known, It really doesn't show.I wanted it in 3-color sunburst, but the only new guitar the store had was in blonde. It's still a beatiful guitar. Everything is standard tele, which is the best.

It sounds just like a tele. Even me, who never played any brand name guitar, new it sounded like a tele, because the sound is so familiar from CDs. I managed to sound on it like The Eagles, Steve Katz, and even Robert Fripp (and he played a Les Paul!). It is quite clean, in the store it had absolutely no noise, plugged into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I use it with a Frontman 15G, so it is a bit noisy, but almost all noise comes from the amp.

Everything was just fine, and it was factory setup because the salesman opened the box in front of me. The E-A-D strings buzzed a bit. More importantly though, just like other reviewers here, the routing for the bridge pickup showed. It's really not a big deal for me, you can barely see it. Just like a certain reviewer, I think it doensn't damage the guitar's appeal and beauty. It does add some sort of grace to the guitar. The neck was beautifully finished, it's just so smooth to the hand. The body finish was really good, too. I really like it, it isn't shiny and glossy. Overall, this guitar was pretty well made. It's just a shame that the allen wrench for the saddles was too small.

It seems to me there's not much to go wrong on this Tele. I think it will last a lifetime. I intend to play it until it becomes a "Relic". The finish is thin, so it'll become a Relic quite quickly. I don't want a finish that's good to last, because the sound would be heavily damaged.

Never needed them.

I've been playing for 3 years, and this tele is my first "good" guitar. It sounds great, it's built well, and playing it is really fun. Here in Israel, the prices of electric guitars are really high. 3900 Shekeles are about 861 Dollars, which is even more than the list price of Fender! And that's after a 10% percent discount!!.But It's still a great value. I'll upgrade it though with Kinman pickups, Graph Tech saddles, Strap locks, and other things. I fell in love with my Tele.

basic guitar mine is a 2002 model it was in the store fore 2 years and a bought it.

very nice sound super

the action was shit to high for me.adjusting was no problem,now very nice.the finish sucks one hole and one scratch. i think it is poor.the factory finish sucks.the music store a bought it is verry prof. thy give me a 25% discount.

super its a fender

i dont no

a have been playing for 20 years now.super guitar if stolen a by a new one.the finish sucks it is not the store its folt.quality control at the factory sucks.see other reviews.sorry for my english a am from belgium.

2004. It's a telecaster with all the standard tele features. Mine is Honey Blonde with solid maple neck / fingerboard. Has a satin finish which looks great and will probably wear quickly, which I also love. Very simple guitar, it has what it's supposed to have.

The sound is perfect for me. It;s very rich and sounds awesome both clean and overdriven through my early 60's Gibson tube amp. There's a little noise when I run it through high gain pedals. But there's always noise when I do that no matter which guitar I use.

The action was perfect for me, off the shelf. No flaws, finish is just about perfect.

Seems durable, finish will probably wear quicker than thick laquer.

Never had to call. Came with limited warrenty and no warranty card.

I've been playing for years and this has become my number 1 player. I love this guitar. I love it so much, I want to buy another to use for open tunings. I was interested in a 52 RI but I don't like the 7.5 rad. neck, the thick laquer gets sticky and the frets are too small. The Hwy 1 has everything I wanted in a classic vintage Telecaster, but with better frets, neck and finish. It's a pleasure to play.
I play mostly overdriven blues and some of my other guitars are old early 60's Harmony Rocket - great sound - played through an early 60's Harmony tube amp bought at the same time. Also have a Jazzmaster knockoff and Epiphone ES-335. My amps are all early 60's tube amps, such as Gibson and Silvertone. The amps from that era were great and this tele sounds awesome through them. I new when I first played it, it was exactly what I'd been looking for. This guitar really deserves a 10. great to play, sounds perfect and looks awesome.

Neck says 2003, body says 2004...Rosewood neck, Butterscotch finish,
super fragile matte finish (this is, by far, the most easily damaged
finish I've seen on a guitar). Mine came with a modern 8 hole 3-ply
pickguard but all the advertising from Fender shows a vintage, 5 hole guard. 22 frets, cool - BUT you can't remove the pickguard to adjust the neck pickup without removing the neck! The pickguard is locked between the fretboard and the neck pickup. The 9.5 radius fretboard is cool (one of the main reasons I wanted a Hwy 1) and the pickups are surprisingly good. Modern truss rod which is much easier to adjust than the vintage setup through the bottom of the neck.
(another key feature in my purchase decision)

Sounds like a Tele, through a Classic 30, Modded Blues Jr or Vibrolux, it sounds great. I might change the neck pickup to a Tom Anderson stacked coil pickup that I have in another Tele and like alot.

The factory setup is the standard deal, stinky strings and higher action than I like. The pickup adjustments were pretty far off the mark, way too strong on the bass side. Easily adjust tho, and now it's fine. This Tele is on the lighter side, but not super light (too bad). I think the nut might be a little to high as it is.
The intonation was off, but easily adjusted. I'm changing to
compensated saddles anyway. The input jack socket was a little loose
(standard for a Tele. I polished the Frets and oiled the rosewood neck and now it's fine.

Bullet proof (just like a Tele) except for the finish.

I've had good luck with Fender in the past.

I've been playing 20+ years, I play out regularly and have several
Teles and Strats (plus others). My favorite guitar was a '59 Esquire that I purchased in 1966 for $100, it was stolen in 1995 and I've been looking for a new favorite from then to now. I like the features
on the Hwy 1 Tele (except the finish), I seem to keep coming back to Tele's.

made in 2003(or maybe early 2004)-standard vintage tele setup,medium large frets. this one has a maple board...

It's a little rounder/fuller sounding than other teles but still has a nice snap...the sustain is quite good also in comparison with other 'planks' i've tried or owned. in the store i played thru an old super reverb,i use a deluxe reverb or a BF bassman (both older models)...also plugged it straight into a protools mbox with great results.

setup is pretty good and the intonation is ok also-i use compensated saddles on teles a lot but i may not have to with this one...the 'cheapo' pale yellowish satin finish is rather nice looking(i'm not big on glossy/shiny finishes anyway)- cheaper guitars than this have better looking fret work though-it's like they were not polished at all which is kind of weird...they feel good and play properly at least

not much that will break on here...yes i would and do use it without a spare(sometimes).

i had a LP jr i traded for this-i am a fender person although the jr sounded great...i have had 3 other tele style guitars(2 G&L's)and while this one is not quite as fancy as those or others i have tried/seen it plays and sounds great and feels just as sturdy-the fret thing is a minor pain and somewhat appaling but the bottom line is that one CAN MAKE MUSIC WITH IT without having to replace a bunch of stuff right away...cool!

I got a new Highway 1 Tele in red with a rosewood fingerboard.

Feature-wise, it's a standard tele pickup and control set-up. The bridge is a vintage style 3 barrel saddle. The saddles are chrome plated steel? Something. They are also straight across so the tuning compensation cannot be exact.

3 piece alder body.

I bought this guitar because I have a thing for Teles. This was a complete impulse buy. MF has this model listed for $600 and here my local store had it marked down to $419! What was I supposed to do???

I was REALLY surprised with the pickups. They sound wonderful! I was not expecting them to sound as good as they do. Very crisp, snappy response, balanced well across the spectrum.

They are, however, very prone to the dread 60 cycle hum. I'll be replacing them with some Kinman AVN48s.

The guitar is very resonant, sounds like a Tele ought to sound.

The Highway One is a no frills model. Still, this guitar was nicely assembled. I always mod the hell out of guitars but here's one I'd be happy to gig with right out of the box. The frets aren't fancy but they're finished correctly. The set-up and action are good. The intonation is as good as possible with the non-compensated saddles.

Mine came with a pretty big scratch already in the top. I'm sure that was music store damage.

The finish on the Highway One is one way Fender kept the cost down. It's growing on me. I have a feeling it's not going to be durable at all but Fenders seem to welcome the abuse. Lots of people pay extra to have them beaten up for them already.

Teles are indestructible guitars. I haven't ever played anything that felt as solid and road-worthy. I never bother to bring two guitars to a gig. All I need is a Telecaster.

As mentioned, the finish doesn't look like it'll last but to me this is not even an issue.

Never dealt with Fender directly. I always mod my guitars anyway so I'm sure the warranty is immediately voided.

I've played for two decades at least. This guitar brings my Telecaster total up to three. Besides the Teles I own a frankenstrat and a couple acoustic guitars.

What do I love about this guitar? I love how sweet it is without any mods for the low price. It's an American made instrument for under $450 new. You can't argue with that.

just stock setup i think, two pickups, nothing fancy until you plug it in. plus it came from the store with the action in perfect place.

It sounds great, better than any guitar ive owned, I had an Ibanez electric of the same value, that one didnt sound like this. Although one thing i do notice is a very sensitive pick up, mabye thats good , I am not, but if you do anything other than play the guitar it will amplify that noise- like touching the guitar hard in certain places,

the finish is great but i can notice that the guitar was made from more than one piece of wood, as apposed to my Mexican tele that is made of one peice, who knows if this is better or worse? I am sure i will think about it alot only when i look at it, but other people should be looking at it, i should just play it.

well, i believe the pick up near the bridge.? or bottom of the guitar DOes NOT WORK. it came like this from the store, I will have to find oout whats up, only the left and middle settings on the knob work. I am sure its nothing but i almost dont care that much to give it back for awhile, actually it pisses me off because it did work and does alittle bittle, but I love her anyway.

havent called them yet, it looks like they didnt get a rating but I am sure they wont screw me, It came with a lifetime warrany (Limited) thats great because something will go wrong, like it already has.

I like this guitar alot, It would be cool however if they made the bridge or whatever area is the bottom of the strings, it looks cheap and the allen wrench screws for the string holder things scratches your hand. And i stink on the guitar, youd think i would be happy

Mine's a late 2003 or early 2004 American Highway Tele with a blonde finish and a maple fretboard. I do like the modern tuners as opposed to Fender's vintage on this particular guitar. No flashy features, not needed.

This guitar really does sound great. The pickups are not that hot (I understand they make a texas special model Highway for those that prefer that route). Personally, I have traditionally been more of a a humbucker fan but lately I have been playing this and a strat. I get some great, shimmering well defined rhythm sounds with this guitar through 6V6 tubes. I find myself enjoying clean reverb sounds a playing Jeff Buckley-type riffs with droning open strings. It is great to bend strings on a non-trem guitar and not send the other strings out of tune. Of course these guitars are well suited for blues/country/rock. It will shred with a Metal Zone, but these pickups won't drive your stack to death metal by itself. A very useful addition to my set up. No gimmicks, no trends.

My tele plays like an absolut dream. It was perfect in the store. But, I can't give it a ten because I played 4 similar telecasters in the store. One was identical to mine in color and features. The others needed a little attention. They did not play nearly as well as the one i walked out with. After playing a number of Highway Strats and Teles, I would recommend that you play yours in a store before you buy. I have seen highs and lows in this line and, personally, would be more cautious ordering this guitar through a mail order house then i would be ordering effects and such. I am sure the others could have been set up nicely, nut with so many fine guitars out there who has time to fuss with it. If I buy a brand new guitar it better play well out of the box.

It is a solid little brick. There is not a lot to go wrong. Good snug joint. Good finish. Have had no wiring issues. (It still has that little black cap on the tele 3-way selector that everyone steals from the music stores for some reason).

I have been playing for about 14 years now. I've played a lot os "super strat" types (floyd rose/high output humbuckers) and a number of amps (fender/marshall/carvin/mesa). Lately i've found the single coil sound very rewarding (i also play an American standard strat i've had for a few years). This tele marries up nicely to a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. Solid little workhorse.

I am considering another. I was thinking while shopping for a tele that i would let a local tech put a B-bender in it. Now i don't want to change it. It handles the sweet jazzy stuff well enough that i am encouraged to put a hotter single coil in my strat.

It has been my own experience that often the more you pay for a model of guitar, the greater probability you have of getting a good one off the line, but there are always freaks out there. There are always lemon taylors and PRSs, and conversely every now and then you will find a well built genuinely playable Squier. The Highway line is a quirky mid priced little guy. You are going to get some good hardware on that and there is nothing wrong with the materials. If you are patient shopping for these and play a few before you decide, you can reward yourself by getting a great value on an american strat or tele.

2004 Highway 1 Tele, USA made. 22 fret, solid top, 1 tone, 1 volume, 2 single coils (neck has a metal cover).

Body is alder, neck is 1 piece maple (maple fretboard is not a separate piece) with a walnut skunk strip where the truss rod was installed.

Passive, "vintage" tele pickups

"Standard" Fender tuners (non-locking, I believe the same as used on other USA models).

Neck is a modern "C", 9.5" radius fretboard. Medium-Jumbo frets

Comes with gig bag and a couple of allen wrenches.

Overall, I bought this guitar for it's simplicity, so it does not have as many features as other guitars, but that is part of it's charm.

My style is blues/classic rock/country/alternative. I don't generally use a lot of gain or effects (usually a little slapback echo on chicken pickin, sometimes an overdrive to boost solos, sometimes a wah, but that's about it), as I want my playing to shine through. However, I do use a GNX3 and/or Line6 POD 2.0 to plug right into the mixer, so I have a wealth of effects/amp sounds available, I generally stick with a Fenderish tone somewhere between the old Deluxe Reverb and Bassman sounds.
This guitar sounds great for my style, although probably the lowest output of all pickups I have played with over the years. The bridge pole pieces are flat instead of staggered, which seems to give it a little more compression and a little less twang than other tele's I've played. The lower output pickups mean that I usually have to turn the gain up a little more than with over guitars that I have used, but I don't fault the pickups. The pickups have that nice, transparent tele tone that is mellow in the neck, great rhythm in the middle, and fairly twangy at the bridge (more on that later). With careful manipulations of the tone/volume, more tones are available than I need.
I'm very particular when it comes to my tone, and I expected this guitar to be a little twangier than it was (maybe it's a little mellower because of alder vs. ash body and flat pole-piece bridge pickup?), so I changed the tone cap to a 0.01 uF from a 0.05 uF, which made it brighter and twangier. That was more a personal preference, as I like my tone to be very bright when the tone knob is all the way up, then back off if I want to smooth it out. I also added a bypass cap to the volume knob to keep the high end from muddying up when I back off on the volume.

Anyway, as tone/sound is sooo subjective, I don't fault the guitar for not being exactly what I wanted stock, I was more interested in getting close and having a cheaper vintagey guitar with a thin, hard finish that would let the wood breath. I do love the tone, both before and after my mods...

I won't judge the factory setup, because I switched the steel saddles over to brass and up'd the strings to 11's almost immediately. The finishing is pretty good, the neck pocket's tight, the fretwork is pretty good, the nut is cut well. The finish is a honeyburst blonde, and it has that great vintage vibe. No flaws that I found, then again I spend most of my time playing it and not looking for imperfections.
I did have problems with the set screws that allow for saddle adjustment digging into the palm of my hand, which I haven't had be a problem on strats I've had/played with the vintage bridge. I ended up replacing the set screws for some button heads of the same size, and now my hand doesn't get chopped up when I get a little to aggressive. No crackling or switch noise on the electronics side, although I did replace the tone cap (see above) and slightly modified the volume circuit.
Other than the saddle adjustment screws, nothing I was unhappy about as far at fit, finish or action.

I have seen plenty of Fender teles that are much older than I that are still playing and sounding great, so durability is not a concern with me. I haven't broken any strings on it, but always keep extras when I gig (I don't bring a backup guitar however). The finish is thin, and I like a guitar that has playing wear, so I hope that the finish will show the hours I put into playing this particular piece.

Been playing about 7 years, have/do own G&L S-500, a US Fender Strat, a Mexi-Strat, a '72 Thinline Tele reissue, an Epiphone Genesis (converted to lap slide), a Martin 000-28, Martin HD-28, a few other guitars that don't deserve mentioning. I have also had a collection of stomp boxes and a couple of tube amps (Fender Hot Rod deluxe the better of the amps I've owned) although now-a-days I use amp/stompbox modellers for the convenience in a live setting and the variety of tones available. This is my favorite guitar that I currently own, I think as I get better at the electric guitar, my guitars and setup gets simpler, and playing is more enjoyable.

I chose this for the finish type and because it was American made, and I think tele's are great for pushing my playing to new heights (no where to hide when you play a tele, it's simple enough that your skill or lack thereof are readily apparent, whereas other guitars I've played are a little more forgiving and have features to hide behind, but not as fun to play). With a tele it's a fixed bridge, couple pickups and my hands, and my playing better be spot on or it will get noticed.

Great Guitar!!! i love the 25.5 inch neck! it gives you great action and the pickups are awsome right out of the box. Theres not much to say besides the fact that it kicks a**. Does anyone know why people obsess over srats. I like tele's way better.

It can suit any style you can play. I personal play lots of metallica and this guitar can go from Fade to Black all the way to Master of Puppets. This guitar can do it ALL.

Not one problem at all. There wasnt a finger print on it when i bought it.

This is the only category that gets less than a 9 only because of the finish. It looks amazing, but it looks thin and will probably wear off quick.

I think this category is a waste of space. It can vary from great to not so great depending on where you bought it and all the people that had a bad expierence will give it bad ratings and make the guitar look bad. I hate this category

I have been playing a pretty long time and ive played my share of gibsons, fenders, and every other brand but this really stands out as one of the best ive bought

Manufactured in 2003.
3 tone sunburst.
Fender USA pickups which I tested versus a Fender '72 Tele Custom which squealed at volume/gain levels that the Highway 1 Tele had no problem with.
Tuners are excellent and tuning stablility far exceeds the recent Gibsons I have tried and dismissed.
Tone controls have a lot of variation too. This is basically what the USA Standard Tele would be if it kept to the original design.

Sound is classic Tele. The bridge pickup is very bright but can hold it's own when overdriven and of course you have the tone controls to vary this.
The neck pickup is more akin to a 335 than a start neck pickup and combines very well with the bridge on the middle setting, so you can get an in between crunch sound.

The action was superb straight off the wall in the shop. Nice and low with hardly any fret buzz at all.
The nut was cut perfectly in the factory.

The stability of the tuning and the wide variety of the tones means that this would be an excellent guitar to use live. Its biting sound would also allow the guitar to be heard above the band.
I will fit locking strap buttons.
It looks very solidly built and I have found this to be a consistent trait with Fender guitars. My gripe has been with Gibson's where the finish is blemished with the tiniest knock.

N/A.

Overall if you are in the market for a quality Telecaster and were wondering whether the Highway 1 would be significantly "worse" than the USA Standard then don't.
This is a class USA built guitar with quality USA pickups for Mexican money.
P.S. I know I've taken a swipe at Gibson's twice here and that's just because I have recently owned Gibson guitars which have not met the high standard of Fender.

All the features are listed below. This is a basic player tele. Mine appears to be solid. There are a few things I wish it had come with.
1. Brass saddles-it is a telecaster. Brass saddles are a must on a tele IMHO.
2. I wish that the fender logo was the old style logo.
Everything else is perfect.

I play rockabilly and Clash style punk. It works great for this. It is not a high gain guitar, but it sounds nice when pushed. Through my 63' Vibroverb RI it has great twang and punch. The middle postion is full and punchy. The neck pickup is jazzy and very fat sounding. My only problem is the bridge pickup. It is a bit on the harsh/brittle side. Some like this type of tele tone, but I like a bit more body in the bridge position.It is not horrible sounding, just not to my taste.
A big feature that I think makes this guitar, is the satin lacquer finish. The thin finish alows alot more resenence. You can tell the difference without even plugging it up. The thick modern poly finishes just rob some of the tone. This guitar moves when it is hit hard. I think that the wood will probably age better with the lacquer finish also.

Finish is transparent and satin. Mine is light blue, and the wood grain looks great through the finish. The fretwork is good, a little on the square side, but playable. I would say, all in all, that this guitar plays better off the self then most.

I know the paint will rub off eventually. I think it will look cool with that played look. I am comfident that this tele will hold up for years of abuse. It is solid.

Never needed help

Not to sound over the top, but I am COMPLETELY happy with this guitar. It sounds good,plays nice, and is solid. The lacquer finish to me gives this guitar that extra push. The neck is a good medium thick C-shape. I would reccommend this tele to players. It may not be the prettiest guitar, but I think it would serve a real picker really well.

Hope I helped, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I think you have all the details of a Highway 1 Telecaster already so I'll skip this part

Right off the wall this was a very nice sounding guitar. I like to play them without going through an amp for a bit and everything resonates beautifully. Plugged in, the pickups were good but a bit noisy to my ears. They do sound fine but I replaced them with Fender Noiseless pickups which are basically stacked humbuckers. Now the noise is gone and it has all the sounds you'd want from a telecaster but with a bit more richness. I think a telecaster is an extremely versatile guitar - great for rock, blues, country and metal and the Highway 1 doesn't disapoint.

Everything was done really well straight out. The fret work is very nice and i like the medium jumbo frets a lot. All the finish work was perfect on mine and is clearly very well made. Mine has the 3-tone sunburst finish and is really beautiful in the satin finish. Action was fine but no one should judge a guitar based on the factory set-up. Even though it was very playable, I still had my luthier adjust it to my liking and it is now perfect for me.

Everything seems really well constructed. I may change the pots as I think they could be a bit sturdier. I think the cost savings on the guitar is likely in the electronics - which is a perfect place to save $$ because I wanted to customize it with my choice of pickups etc to begin with. But nothing is flimsy at all on the guitar right from the factory.

Haven't needed any.

This is my perfect electric. I couldn't ask for anything more at all. This is the first guitar I've had where I no longer felt like I needed another. I get every sound I want out of it and I play all styles (not well but...). I highly recommend the Highway 1 line and particularly the Telecaster. It's a tremendous step up from the Mexican telecasters which are a great bargain. I think Fender cut production costs in the right areas with the Highway 1 line since I knew I'd want to customize the electronics anyway.

2003 model. 22 frets. Alder body with light finish. 3 saddle Tele bridge. Fender non-locking tuners. Maple neck/fretboard. Vintage neck style.

Let me just start off by saying that before I even plugged this thing in I replaced the bridge pickup with that of a Seymour Duncan STHR Hot Rails for Tele pickup. Now this guitar sings! I play just about everything but mostly rock/blues/fusion jazz. Some influences are Audioslave, U2, Steve Miller, Tool, Pink Floyd, Clutch, Johnny Cash....and the list goes on. With this pickup, I can get that crunchy distortion, with a good pedal, anytime I need it. My setup is as follows: Tele>Crybaby Wah>Digitech Hot Rod Dist.>Line 6 Delay Mod(effects loop)>Fender Hot Rod Deville. With the distortion through the amp with the neck pickup, I can get a really sweet, bluesy tone for some good solos. The middle position has a little more highs, but also good for blues. The bridge position (Seymour Duncan) does really well for sharp, cutting highs on soloing and some nice crunch for rythym. On clean channels, all pickup settings sound wonderful. Full, not thin, good for all ryhtyms. I can just about mimic the bright, chimey sound of The Edge, from U2, with my current setup and this guitar. The only thing I can say that I don't like about the sound is the output of the neck pickup. In contrast to the SD Hot Rails, the neck pickup seems a bit quieter. Maybe I just have to raise it a little. All-in-all, quite a versatile guitar. I love it!

From the factory, the action was a bit low. The E-A-D strings were buzzing a little bit, but a minor adjustment fixed that. Very easy to play. The neck on this thing is just buttery! As for everything else, it all worked like it should; new! No complaints.

I haven't had to deal with the Fender company directly, but dealing with the authorized repair centers has been an ease. I have had nothing wrong with the Tele, but when I got my Fender Deville, a reverb spring was broken. I just took it into an authorized repair shop and they had it done in a day, no charge (under warranty).

I've been playing for over 10 years. I've owned a number of guitars (Les Paul, SG, Ibanez SZ, Ibanez SQF, Squier Telecaster). This guitar is by far my favorite. I really never thought I would own another Tele, but after picking this one up, I knew I had to have it. If it were stolen or lost, I would definetly buy another one. The only thing I can say I wished it had was the Hot Rails pre-installed. I love the look, the playability, and the sound all around. I am one happy camper!

Well dsescribed already. Mine's maple neck/honey blond. Pity you'd have to take off the neck to adjust the neck pup height. You can't get the scratch plate off as the overlap of the fingerboard and the pup itself lock the plate ( duh )

I think it has almost the right recipe of features to get a classic tele sound: Thin finish, pressed steel bridge etc..but, that bridge pup is way too shrill. I've changed it for a SD APTL-1 and have changed the bridge pieces for brass ones. How come it wasn't supplied with brass? With those changes it sounds very, very, good. Ironically the standard neck pup is very good as it is. This sounds better than the two American series Teles I've recently owned and is way cheaper. Great sound, full and clear through a Hot Rod Deluxe with a boost from a Boss OD 3 and a CS 3 compressor. Now, it sounds perfect. Why that bridge pup is such a cheap-o is a mystery to me.

Crimimal: Routing for the bridge pup can be seen by the bridge plate ( another 'duh' ) The set up was good. Action and playabilty are fine. I'm expecting the finish to start falling off soon but the trade off is a looser natural sound.

The tuners will last. The finish won't but no problem. You could gig with this but I wouldn't gig ever without a backup.

This is the best value Tele out there at the moment apart from the bridge pup and thin steel bridge pieces and the visible routing and the difficult to adjust neck pup. I've been playing Teles since 1976...This is as good as the best of them. I'd buy another. Despite the imperfections it's a very, very good guitar.

Standard Tele features. Solid wood, USA made, although I think a lot of the hardware is the same as the Mexican Standard.

The pickups in this are the same ones used in the Mexican 50's and 60's reissues (I think Fender calls them their "Classic" series). Says they are vintage single coils and they sound pretty good. Close to a vintage sound and definitely has that (I hate this overused term) "twang". At first I didnt like them but I changed the bridge saddles to compensated brass ones and it made a world of difference. Now I like the pickups. I play a kind of "Americana Pop" and it suits me really well. Playing it through an Ampeg R-12R Reverberocket, which is an amazing amp in itself so that probably helps out with the tone a lot.

Set up fairly well from the factory but intonation was out a bit. Also, it came with 9s which are pretty thin for my taste and I have lead fingers so I tend to bend whimpy strings out of tune easily. Everything looked good EXCEPT for the neck joint. There is a considerable gap which I think should be better in a American made Fender. I can live with it though. The finish on this is really cool. Thin and non-glossy I stuck a black guard on it and it kind of has a 52ish vintage vibe to it without the cost.

If you know of the Highway 1 series of Fenders, you know that they have a very thin satin-like finish. If you want a durable finsh this is NOT it. You can actually scratch this finish off with your fingernail. I like it though because it resonates well and I expect it to "relic" really quickly, which I think is cool. The guitar as a whole should hold up nicely since it's fairly well made.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing way too long to be this crappy. I have about 10 guitars and this is quickly becoming my favorite. I always wanted a nice Tele with a vintage vibe and except for the $1200 52 reissue this one is about a close as a new Fender gets. Probably Fender's best value they have going right now. This is actually my 2nd HWY1 Tele. The first one I got by trading an acoustic to a guy but it was sunburst and I really wanted the Honey blonde so I sold it and bought the one I wanted. The burst was really nice but I had my heart set on the blonde.

2003 HWY1 Tele
Serial Number indicates built in 2003.
US made. 22 frets Rosewood board
satin finish skunk-stripe C-shaped maple neck
Truss rod adjust at the headstock, one string tree B/E
Chrome T/V knobs, 3-way switch, stock passive S/S PUs,
'Fender' sealed tuners (exactly like my Am Strat)
Ashtray bridge assembly with 3-piece saddles w/strung thru-body setup
Satin Lacuqer 3color sunburst with 3 piece alder body, fat body but not heavy, very comfortable for a non-sculpted tele body I have to emphasize
>>> The satin sunburst finish on this guitar is REALLY BEAUTIFUL.

Note: The reason for multiple wood body pieces in NOT for sound or construction, it is because it is cheaper than a one-piece body of solid alder. (That may help explain the price differential between the '52 solid Ash body or a one piece alder Strat and this guitar.) However, on this guitar, the pieces were very well matched and you can hardly tell it is not a one piece body. I believe on colored-over bodies the paint will cover pieces that may have very different grain patterns - almost butcher-block appearance. But that is okay because you will never see it anyway and it will probably be sonically correct.

I play a little bit of everything from old standards to country to rock'n'roll, (no metal or fusion tho), so this guitar fits my style. My main guitar is a strat (see the '95 American Strat review by BobbyC). I go direct into a Fender Deluxe or Marshall valvestate. This Tele has a harder-edged sound than my strat and does not have the versatility that the strat offers, but it does nail down the funky, 'honky' country sound and is pretty effective for Rock and Roll tunes. For live gigs it sounds very good and is easy to play.

I have noticed early on that this guitar has tremendous sustain. I am not sure but it may be combination of the alder, the neck, the light body weight, and probably the thin lacquer finish for sure. Maybe just plain good luck too. It has more sustain than my strat. It really sings.

However... I have noticed a very subtle problem that seems to come and go when I am playing either PU, sometimes there is a hint of noise or distortion 'riding on the note' even with a 'clean' amp setting (Fender Deluxe using bright channel). It is not a hiss or crackle, it seems to coincide when a note is played. You have to be in a quiet room to hear it. Can anyone tell me if this is a problem with the PUs? Have you experienced the same noise? When played through the same amp setup, my strat does not have this problem. Again, I do not believe it is overdriving or distorting the amp, it is noise generated by the PUs themselves as a note is played. If this persists I will have to swap out to after-market PUs. Thus 7 rating.

Guitar had 9s so I switched to 10s. The action is very good.
Action and fit is basically perfect and no adjustments were necessary. I like the C-shaped neck it is fat enough to keep your hands from tiring but thin enough to enjoy. The fret board seems just slightly wider than my Am strat, but since I like to fingerpick too, this is a plus. I belive it has a 9.5 radius and bending high up seems to work okay.

Again, the 3 peice alder body was well matched and the satin finish on this guitar is SPECTACULAR - really!

When changing strings I noticed one flaw - behind the first fret under the high E string, there was a section of rosewood that was not filed or sanded very well and has a 'ridged' rough spot. However, it is not a problem as you never feel it when playing the guitar. It was just a small flaw that might have missed the inspection. Thus have to give it an 9.

This guitar appears to have the same tuners and neck as my '95 American strat. If it holds up like my strat I will be pleased. It may be too eary to tell since it is brand new. I do expect the body to get dinged due to the thin satin lacquer. Too early so have to give it an 8

I have never contacted them. Their website seems to be okay.

My initials are 'BC' which could also mean 'before Christ' so I am about as old as dirt. I have been playing on and off for a long time. I have several other guitars mainly Epi Sheraton II (ES335) and a Fender American Strat that I play out regulary.

Buying this guitar was the happy ending to a 'love affair'. I had seen it in this shop over the summer and had played it several times. The action, fit and finish were superb. I finally had the money and it was still available so I brought it home and played it out that night. I have since discovered a possible subtle noise problem with the PUs, but the finish and neck alone are enough to warrant the purchase. With new PUS this would be a 10+.

One thing I love about the Tele is simplicity. You plug the thing straight into an amp and it is totally up to you and your ingenuity to play music. One volume and one Tone, three settings. You and your guitar. (You have to admire Danny Gatton and Roy Buchannon and what they did with the Tele mostly direct into the amp.) In the current age of computerized midi files and effects, to me there is something refreshing about that. When I am playing out, I find that most the time I need a good tone for chording and a good lead tone for leads. While going back and forth, I do not want too many knobs and buttons to get in the way, I want to concentrate on the choice of notes I am going to play. To me the Tele takes the art of guitar playing back to its roots.

What do I miss? I suppose I would like a tremolo bar because I use it some on my strat, but I will sacrifice it to get the string-thru-body tone and sustain of the Tele.

In spite of the fact that I may have to replace the PUs. I will still give this guitar a 9

If anyone has any comments or suggestions about the PU noise, please contact me at weblazer@cs.com. Thanks in advance.

2003 Highway 1 Tele. Mine's beautiful sunburst w/maple board. It's really just basic Tele features. The "vintage" features include 2 vintage single-coils and three saddles (steel, I assume?). Most all the other features are "modern:" flatter radius (9" or so I think?), med jumbo frets, modern tuners, alder body. Came with Fender gig bag.

It sounds like a Telecaster should: twang, sweetness, and raunchiness. The bridge pickup is a "10" clean; I'd rate it more of a "7" or "8" w/gain. Don't get me wrong, sounds great; but can't do "crunch" like a humbucker equipped guitar. May eventually put a SD Lil 59 in just to experiment. Single-coils are of course a little noisy, but not overly so. Tone and vol seem to work well.

Very impressive. The fret ends were just slightly rough on the edges (could be due to fact I'm in humidity-less Colorado), but all else PERFECT. It has an airtight neck/pocket fit, which is VERY important to me. Have no idea if it impacts tone, I just think it looks like crap when a bolt-on has a sloppy neck/pocket fit. Mine body doesn't have as much grain showing as some of the others I've seen, but that's okay. I love it! Mine is also light-to-med weight, which I also prefer on a Tele.

I believe it'll hold up well. If not, backed by Fender's warranty (limited lifetime?).

Dunno.

Awesome. I love this Tele! I really like the "matte" style finish. It's obviously not for everyone, but I dig the looks. I would like to see the Daphne blue in person, that one looks cool in the pictures. This is a great value in an excellent quality American-made axe. Go out and get yourself one!

My Highway Strat is good so a real US Tele will make my gear complete.
I bought it in a shop in Rotterdam and compared it with an "Amarican Telecaster". I could not discouver any differance in the sound that will make me pay more for the "American Telecaster". The Amarican was also not build very nice, the nut was not good and the body finisch also not nice, i think it was too long in the shop. But this pointed me just more in the direction off the Highway.
So i bought the Highway Honey Blonde with maple fretboard.
I also ordered a black pickguard and an original bridgecover to look it original vintage.
The neck is very good, real US. The body is made off 3 peaces Alder, i think 3 peaces is very importend. The mid section holds the neck and bridge on one peace, i think this is importend for a good sustain. This is where the US shows the difference compared to the Mexican witch often is made off 5 to 7 peaces wood with a veneer cover (i dont like that).

This guitar rings like a bell! As play songs off Lou Reeds "Magic and Loss" my Tele sounds the same as Lou on the record and i think Lou's guitar is more expencive than a Highway.
The good sound comes from the good body and thin and soft laquer i think. (See Stevie Ray Vaugh and John Frusciantie, there strats have or had no finish at all, the bare wood resonates best).
The Highway serie profits from this issue.

Nice build, good wood and hardware, nice finish.
Only the nut needed some work to adjust the action.

US Fender, need to say more?

Life time Fender warrantie and good support from the shop.

Play a few years on a Fender Strat an Ibanez AS73 and an acoustic Yamaha.
I would buy the same Highway.
But beware off poor wood, look at the rear end off the body too see the parts.
Better than an Mexican, better base material, cheep finish but i see that as a purpose.

2003 Fender Highway 1 Telecaster (made in the USA)
22 frets
solid top
volume, tone and 3 way selector controls
two single coil pickups
Alder Body
Satin 3-colour sunburst
Strung through bridge
medium jumbo frets
Maple neck and fingerboard
Gig bag included

Im not limiting myself to a style, I bought this guitar to find my own sound, Im getting closer to it, and all I need now is a different amp and effects, so Im pretty happy with this guitar.
It has 3 very distinct sounds, from a bright twang from the bridge, to a mellow sounds with both, and a clear, crisp sound from the neck pickup.
Distortion on this isnt realy for metal or anything where you want high gain unless you use a pre-amp. I dont like my distorion pedals with my old guitar anyway so I cant comment about it coz I wont like my distortion anyway, but my overdrive pedal sounds a lot smoother on this guitar. If youre using a DS-1 it get noisy if you turn distortion past 3 o clock, on my SD-1 I can turn everything right up and all I get is amp buzz, no feedback, but plenty of sustain.

the setup from factory was realy good, could do with less string rattle and the higher strings are a bit tight, but Im gonna get it set up once it gets worn in again anyway so Im not bothered.
The top is lovely and smooth, has one scratch, but its absolutely tiny. The bridge pickup routing sticks out from under the bridge, but as the guy bellow said, personality.
The neck is as comfortable as any other neck Ive played, but the sides are so nicely rolled you can barely feel the frets.

It looks solid, should be able to withstand a lot.

1 year warranty for some things, lifetime warranty for other things fender could be blamed for.

I love this guitar, I bought it to take with me to college, and I expect to be picking it up when I walk on stage during glastonbury *dreams*

Suits me great coz I didnt want anything stereotypical.

Built in Usa, numerically it has telecaster classic features... but sure of excellent quality : 22

comfortable medium jumbo freats (against 21 freat of vintage tele), fluent maple neck screwed to the

(alder?) creamy white body, basic volume and tone control, sturdy three way selector (bridge PU,

bridge&neck PU, neck PU), two mellow arnico pickup (like vintage ones), lacquer body with classic

white pickguard, vintage three-saddle type bridge, Fender tuners... well I think that's all folks...

Well, there's everything you need on a telecaster so I think I'll rate 10 this category :)

I've owned this guitar only for a day... and I already love it...
I used to play an Epiphone Les Paul Model and a Gibson The Paul and this guitar is totally different
from them. Really creamy sound, expecially from the neck pickup, ideal for blues and country but also for slow piece where you can nearly make this guitar talk... An extraordinary dynamic is its main feature and if you have a particle of feel, this guitar will show it.
Thin sound with really delineated bass (which I really like), with typical amount of treble of telecaster. However all strings are well balanced in volume so with your amp eq you can easily tame its brightness.
If I wouldn't have made use to play Les Paul-like guitar with their loud pickup signal I use to create walls of sound my band likes, I will rate this category 10 : compared to my Epiphone Tele pickup signal (coming from single coils) is really softer but I think the "problem" can be solved installing an HOT ROAD minihumbucker PU at the bridge and changing string (I usually use .11 against .09 mounted on HIGHWAY TELEs). However, despite its pickup power with my JCM800 and with a Cry Baby this night during trials I was able to obtain all the feedbacks I wanted (better than with my Epiphone) so I really satisfied by this guitar.

I used to play with quite high action so I like this tele.
Then its maple neck (despite what lot of people say about maple necks)is really fast and fluent for my taste so action is not a problem for me, obviously if you are a shredder (but I don't think you would choose a tele) you probably will have to set up it.
Pickups height is ok... You could have some trouble changing neck PU height due to the presence of the Pickguard who (looking at the guitar and reading a review) is probably quite hard to remove...
My HIGHWAY finish is ok even if I think that AMERICAN STANDAR TELE have a better one (but better finish isn't worth its price)

Due to its simpleness it's quite sturdy and I think It can live forever if I don't make it fall like I did to my epiphone :
I installed two Schaller strap security locks to avoid any damn...

I've bought it in the Music Store I collaborate with, so I will rate this category 10!

I'm the singer and the guitarist of the Ashclay, a grunge band in Italy (www.ashclay.com) and I've been played for 4-5 years.
I'm really satisfied of this guitar even If I've played it just for a day... Its price, discounted, is good to be in Italy (on the price list its priced 1118 Euro) and with it I got even a good solid case, a fender strap and two Schaller strap security locks...
Maybe is too early to say it, but if I lost it I would probably buy another one (Would my mum think the same?)

2003, USA Made, Maple (head adjust) 9.5" Radius, "C" shape, 22 (medium) Fret Neck, bone nut, 2 or three piece Alder Body, (Honey blonde, satin, no gloss finish) Standard Telecaster Pickup Configuration, 1 volume, 1 tone control, 3-way pickup selector, two single coil waxed flat pole pickups, I believe the bridge plate has been borrowed from Mexican Telecasters, it's made of thicker, heavier metal than the "52" reissue plate, plus it features three 60's style steel saddles...strings through bridge & body, Fender / Ping (Chinese) tuners. Included bag full of paperwork, allen wrenches and polishing cloth...I passed on the cheap gig bag, so I saved $40. I fell in love with the weight and neck on the guitar, but most all of the hardware will be replaced.

Although it sounded great unplugged, I didn't care what it sounded like plugged in, because I knew I would be replacing the pickups. When I got home, I pluged it into my Victoria 45-410T, (Bassman clone) and sure enough, you get the 60 cycle hum and buzz, which is just no good for recording. The other thing I noticed was that after tuning the guitar with a boss tuner, the guitar would not stay in tune up and down the neck.

I bought the guitar because I wanted a light Tele body with the 9.5" radius, Head Adjust neck. The first thing I noticed was that some knuckle-head at Fender put one of the screws in crooked that holds the control plate, plus the guitar had a finish ding in the body, (it's really hard to get a perfect guitar from Guitar Center..the guitars are handled too much). However, since I was looking for the lightest Tele possible, these were faults I was willing to live with. Fret and nut work on the neck was great. The body is routed exactly like a 50's tele should be, with the wiring channel and the truss rod adjustment channel, (this was a bonus).

Fender can put these guitars out cheaply because they put a bunch of cheap, Chinese and Mexican parts on them...my feeling is though, that it's a great guitar to customize with high end parts. The guitar is a great value, especially for a novice player, but if you've got a few years under your belt, you're going to need better parts. I would say, if you're going to be playing out a lot, you're going to have to install some better parts.

The guitar has a lifetime warranty if you don't change anything or turn any screws on the instrument. I've never had to put Fender to the test regarding a warranty, but I would imagine they would steer you to the dealer you purchased the instrument from and the guitar would be repaired locally, hopefully by someone with more than 5 minutes of guitar repair experience.

I've been playing guitar for about 25 years and love Telecasters. If you're into Telecasters, be sure to pick up a book by A.R. Duchossoir entitled "The Fender Telecaster", it's worth every penny. I also own an Ernie Ball Albert Lee and a Rickenbacker 370 12 string, amps include a Victoria 45-410T, a 1967 Fender Blackface Vibrolux and a 1962 Gibson Ranger. This guitar is a "must have" for a couple of reasons, #1, it's made in the USA, don't waste your money on Mexican, Korean or Japanese crap, ...it has a great neck featuring a "head adjust" truss rod, (you won't have to take your guitar apart to adjust the truss rod) 9.5" radius and lightweightweight 50's style body. The 9.5" radius neck is a much better way to go, because with a vintage 7.25" radius neck, you can't stretch your strings above the 12th fret without having the strings bottom out on adjoining frets, plus the neck isn't covered with heavy lacquer which will drag down the speed of your freting hand. My advise would be to get to a store where you can compare several of these guitars at the same time, then choose the lightest one. My upgrade parts list includes: Fender Schaller locking tuners, (great tunders, plus the mounting holes match up, which means you don't have to drill new holes) set of Joe Barden Tele pickups and Joe Barden (Gatton modified) bridge plate with angled brass saddles, (Angles saddles is the only way you'll be able to keep the guitar in tune all the way up and down the neck) Jay Monterose "Vintique" neck kit (with heavier neck mounting plate) and Vintique dome top heavily knurled knobs and last but not least a Fender black pickguard.

It's a tele so there's not a lot of special features here..
Highway 1 Tele
Crimson Transparent,(Satin Lacquer Finish)
Alder body, maple neck ( Modern ?C" Shape with Satin Polyurethane Finish), Fender/Ping Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines. Maple , 9.5" Radius (241 mm) fingerboard with 22 Medium Jumbo Frets. 2 Standard Vintage Style Single-Coil Tele Pickups with Alnico Magnets (Neck & Bridge) scale length 25.5" (648 mm) width at nut 1.6875" (43 mm) controls:master volume, master tone. Vintage style 3-saddle strings-thru-body tele bridge pickup switching:3-position blade (position 1. bridge pickup, position 2. bridge and neck pickups, position 3. neck pickup). Chrome hardware, 3-ply white pickguard . Comes with fender super 250l, nickel plated steel strings, (.009 to .042),
Mine came with a case (not a fender case though) I didn't get any wrenches nor a users guide. Which shouldn't be that much of a problem if you've had some experience with setting up guitars. They should have been included though! This has ofcourse nothing to do with fender but with the shop I bought it from.. since they trew in the case I didnt make a fuzz about it..
Ooh yeah.. most importantly it came with a very cool Fender bumper sticker and a sweet Highway one sticker!

Overall a very clear and crisp sound (it has a light body).. virually no noise. The telecaster sound can go from blues to country to modern britpop and everywhere in between (whereever that is.. )
I run it trough a Roger Mayer Voodoo-vibe into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
unfortunately the stickers don't add to the sound....

Action was a little low and I prefer 011 instead of 009 strings, but that's a matter of personal taste. The fretwork is exelent and the neck is very comfortable. The paintjob was also done well. So overall it looks really good..... especially with the Highway 1 sticker! The only flaw it has is that the cavety for the bridge pickup shows from underneath the bridge(there's a hole of ~1mm at the lower site of the bridge where the pickups is) I've never seen this before , not even on cheapass korean guitars! It's not really a problem but it just looks strange. But the way I see it is that these little production erros ad charater to the instument :)

I've had my other fenders for years .. never had a problem with any of them...so I'm gonna stick with this for quite a long time i think

It's Fender we're talking about! Ooh well at leat you get the stickers!

I've been playing for about 8 years, I own a lot of guitars but the ones I pick up mostly are my fender Strat and my Ibanez Jem... and this one. The bottom line is this: if you're looking for a good allround guitar this is not it! If you're looking for a metal monster, again, this is not it!
If youre looking for a (nice & affordalble) telecaster you should give the highway 1 chance!
Great guitar for the money! If it were to be stolen i'd get a new one, no doubt. Why pay more for something that doesn't sound or play or look any better!? Besides: dont forget about the cool stickers!

I have a 2003 in Satin Honey Blonde with the maple fretboard. I have always found that Fenders with maple fretboards play better, as they have a smoother feel than the rosewood. I particularly like the feel and profile of this neck because my fingers seem to stay where I want them better than with some other neck profiles. The fretwork was finished flawlessly on this Tele. I agree with the reviewer who lamented the lack of the ashtray bridge cover. Teles always look unfinished without them, so I have ordered one, and hope it fits! A case would have been nice, but for the price, why quibble?

This is a very versatile guitar. With a little experimentation, it will produce a wonderful variety of tone. It will Tele Twang, but it will also mellow down. I like to finger-pick James Taylor on the neck pickup. I am running it through a tiny Ibanez amp, which makes all my guitars sound good.

I received this Tele from Musician's Friend in the box, and I don't believe the box had been opened since it left the factory. And so, it was very well set up-the strings were rather low, but pickup height was fine, and the neck looked good. The sixth string intonation could use a tweaking, but you can't expect a guitar to travel half way across the country without some adjustment. Finish on the body and neck are flawless. I like the satin finish. In the Honey Blonde, the color is almost a pale canary, but that's ok. All the pieces fit beautifully, but be warned, if you want to change the pickguard it is a very tight fit around the neck.

I would recommend Strap-lock buttons. This is a good solid made guitar, rugged, yet not as heavy as some Teles.

Have not dealt with Fender. But this guitar was made with pride, so I have confidence in it.

I have been playing badly for over 30 years. I have bought and sold dozens of guitars, but this is the first one that I have sat up all night and played. It is just so comfortable, and sounds terrific. In my opinion, with electrics, there are Rickenbackers, and everything else. But this Fender is a stand-out in quality construction and sound. It has got to be the best value out there. Get one! I bought it sight unseen, unplayed, and I could not be happier with it!

The Highway 1 is a typical Telecaster, made in the U.S., with some interesting features. Most notable is the satin finish on the body (mine is sunburst). The finish makes it feel like the guitar was built around 1955 and has had the gloss played off of it. It's just dynamite. The bridge is the vintage three-saddle type; unfortunately it didn't come with the bridge cover/ashtray. That and a pair of flat-top knobs would really add to the vibe of this guitar. About the only bonehead thing they did with it was to use an American Standard neck, one piece with 22 frets and maple fretboard. It feels and plays great, but I think they would have done better to use a vintage-style 21-fret neck. As it is, the fretboard extends over the pickguard, which makes pickguard removal very difficult. It wouldn't be an issue except that the bridge pickup (in true vintage fashion) is mounted to the body, so that you have to remove the pickguard in order to adjust the pickup height (which I immediately had to do; mine was set too low from the factory). The American Standards have the pickup mounted to the pickguard. I may do that too, although I prefer the way it looks now. The Highway 1 came with a good Fender gig bag and two allen wrenches. One is for the truss rod, and the other is for adjusting the height of the bridge saddles. Which is to say, it would be if it were the right size for the screws. But it isn?t. (Hey, at least they tried!)

It may sound funny, but I didn't even plug this guitar in before I bought it. I was so blown away by the look and feel of the guitar that I didn't really care what it sounded like. If the pickups sucked, I'd replace them. Well, believe me when I say, suck they don't. It uses vintage style pickups, and they sound fantastic. They?re plenty bright, but not obnoxiously so, with just the right amount of mids. And they warm right up with the tone control. Exactly what I was looking for.

Like most Fenders, this guitar came with 9?s, which I can?t stand. The setup was pretty good, but I?ve since replaced the strings with 10?s and readjusted everything. As I said before, the finish on the body is gorgeous. The neck, I believe, is also supposed to have a satin finish, but it doesn?t feel very satiny to me. But, it?s not objectionable.

C?mon, it?s a Fender. I expect this guitar will last a long time.

I?ve never had any direct dealings with Fender, although dealer support (multiple dealers over many years) has always been good.

I?ve had a thing for Telecasters ever since a friend of mine showed up one day with a new candy apple red Esquire. That was around 1967. So of course my first quality electric was a Tele, purchased in 1971. Since then I?ve gone through a variety of different guitars, including several Strats, but the basic functionality and simplicity of the Telecaster has never lost its appeal. When I bought the Highway 1 I had actually gone out to look at Standard (made in Mexico) Tele?s (which is another reason why I expected not to like the pickups). I wasn?t really interested in the American Standard; there was just no way I was going to pay over $800 for a Telecaster. Well, once I saw this guitar I couldn?t pass it up. I think $600 is just about the limit of what I would pay for a Telecaster. That being said, however, I think Fender has done a pretty good job.

Basic electric guitar....2 single coils, 3-way selector, T&V knobs.

Biting treble to mellow bass. Bell-like single notes. Excellent string to string volume balance. Does't go into heavy saturated OD, but does break up nicely for bluesy tones. A very clean sounding guitar with excellent twang.

Action a bit high for my taste, but perfectly acceptible for an assembly line guitar. Perfect intonation from the factory.
Honey blonde semi-transparent lacquer...matte finish, not high gloss...flawless application. Looks like an old Tele with a faded finish in great shape. I love the color. Maple neck/fretboard.
Nice fret work. Frets don't dig into my thumb when I wrap a barre chord.

Seems incredibly solid...like a piece of lumber. So simple that not much could go wrong. Design has been perfected over the last 50 years. Back in the day I had other Fender stuff that was very durable. This probably will always be played in the den or at the cabin.

Limited Lifetime warranty. Pretty standard for a guitar in this price range. Dealer up-graded me to a molded case.

Playing 37 years. My first Tele. I am really pleased with this. I have a dreadnaught, classical, electric and a bass...all Guilds. Also an imported banjo and mandolin for messing around. I play the accoustics and elecdtric through a Princeton Chorus. The electrics through a Blues Jr. Both sound good yet different. I'm liking the simple sound of the Tele through the BJ more and more. Some effects too.

2003, USA Made, 22 Frets. Maple Neck, Alder Body, Standard Telecaster Pickup Configuration, Satin Laquer sunburst finish, Three saddle string through bridge, Schaller tuners. I figured that I would upgrade the bridge to American individual saddles, but after playing this for a while there doesn't seem to be a reason to.

A blues and tone machine. Y'know when you plug in a guitar and you get exactly the sound you were after? This Telecaster did that for me. I play through a Roland Blues Cube 30W and use a Crybaby Wah, Boss Distortion and Boss Super Chorus. Very quiet, especially for single coil PU's. Full range of Telecaster sounds and for a bolt-on neck it sustains and sustains and sustains. It tunes up effortlessly with my KORG LED tuner because it holds the note for so long. I've never had a guitar do that before.

The guitar was tuned down a step so I had to retune it when I got home. I thought it might really tweak out the intonation but it was spot on. The neck is very precisely finished, medium jumbo frets, rolled edges, perfect nut, it's really well fit into the neck pocket. I prefer rosewood fingerboards, but this maple neck is easy to move around on and not as tacky as most that I've played. It should only improve with age. The Alder isn't as good a choice as Ash for a sunburst, but if they used ash it wouldn've cost $200 more because of the extra steps to seal the wood. That being said the sunburst is perfectly applied and the wood grain is very clean for alder. The finish is satin lacquer and is quite thin. Even for the most careful handler you will mar or dent the finish at some point. Be careful of rubber guitar stands, they will react with the lacquer finish. 10 years from now the lacquer will have aged, chipped, checked and mellowed and really have a lot of character.

The guitar itself is a beast. The hardware is stamped steel, chrome plated, tuners are sealed Schallers. Totally dependable, stable and solid guitar and construction. The finish is the only potential drawback for some. I prefer lacquer and believe that a guitar should show its age. This one will. If you prefer a poly, waterproof slab to withstand a nuclear winter buy the Mexican reissues. If you want the better guitar step over to the US Highway 1 Telecaster.

Limited lifetime warranty, plus one year on pickups, wiring, etc. I can't imagine what is covered for the lifetime since everything will eventually wear on a guitar. Fender is hit and miss for service, but my local shop is great. This is the sixth guitar that I've bought from them and I will continue to return for more.

I've been playing poorly for 20 years. I own a 1987 Squier MIJ Strat (still my favorite guitar,) a 1998 Squier Affinity Telecaster (currently in pieces, getting new paint and a Bigsby Tremolo,)a 2000 DeArmond M75, a 2001 kit strat from Saga, a 2001 Johnson Tele, a 2003 Essex LP and this new Telecaster. I fiddle with and modify the cheap guitars and play the Squier and now the Tele for most of my stuff. I traded in my Squier Standard Telecaster to upgrade to this. I compared it to the Mexican Standard, Mexican 50's reissue, Japanese Paisley and American Series. For my purposes it was equal to or superior to them all. The American Series has a more durable finish, stainless six-saddle bridge and bi-flex truss rod, none of which are crucial to me. I love that this guitar will age quickly. It already looks incredible under stage lights, as if it's been there for 20 years soaking up sweat, smoke and the blues. It will take me some time to get used to playing a maple neck again but I need maple if it's really to be considered a Telecaster. Six-saddle bridge may be on the horizon but not yet. For me, this is the best value in the entire Telecaster line.

Brand new March of 2003 production HW1 Tele, US Production or assembly or something..it's not really clear. Rosewood board, traditional 3 saddle steel bridge, standard Tele PU configuration.
Late 50's Blond (read whitewash) style finish . Schaller style "Fender" diecast tuners..Includes GB, wrenches (most of which don't seem to fit much) and the usual paper work.

TWANG!!! that what it does and it does it well..if you are looking for a good Honky Tonk guitar with the action set low and slappin' the frets this is your baby..a dead on late 50's eary 60's twang box..mine has RW board and is still a treble buster..not recommended for those looking for that early "P-90" Broadcaster sound or for rock or blues use..a country guitar pure and simple. Sounds great thru a Deluxe 'Verb RI...OK thru my SF Princeton..like crap thru any SS amp.

Not bad...not good.. Better than the MIM Standard..not up to American Standard "Standards"...About the same as the high end Mexican stuff with out all the fluff and buff. OK PUs (wax potted lead). good pots, switch, bridge(steel)..crap saddles (will be up graded to brass...) good finish, nice neck..OK set up, but really needed to be shimmed so the saddles could be raised enough not to dig your hand.

This one should be around for awhile...

Lifetime warranty. hope I won't need it.

This is my second Tele..and not a bad deal for the $$..similar story to my Faded Finish Gibson SG... both of these fall down in the little details and have quicky factory set ups...a few more $$ and a bit of time turned both of thes guitars into really nice players. The 5-600 price point is one I'm comfortable with for a US electric..its been awhile since both of these makers has produced a domestic pro level multi PU guitar at that price point and they obviously need to get some of the bugs worked out. If you like to work on your own stuff these can be a lot of fun..if you want something awsome right out of the box you should look elsewhere....Think of these as a preassembled kit guitar of great quality... sorta like a entry level domestic Pick -Up truck... Solid basic quality that will get the job done..but with a bit of TLC....Look out!