Fender Highway 1 Telecaster

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!