Fender Highway 1 Texas Telecaster

They come in two colours, sunburst and honey blonde. Mine happens to be honey blonde, picked it up based on feel & sound. Both finishes age very nicely, because of the thin (acrylic lacquer) finish. IMHO, teles somehow just look even better with a faded or even damaged finish. Keep in mind, this finish WILL fade/tear, it's supposed to!

Specs can be found on the Fender website. I mention the ones that I think really are pros:

- one piece maple neck;
- ash body;
- vintage hot pickups;
- Greasebucket tone circuit.

and cons:

- non-compensated bridge saddles (intonation!!);
- no straplocks.

Specs are historically adequate, but I personally don't care much about how things used to be. I care about how they???re now.

This is what did it for me.

Make sure you play it before you buy, though. Apparently there's a lot of difference in tone and feel among the same products. One sings and feels amazing, while the other one's 'just a nice guitar'. Fellow reviewers wrote it before, I just underscribe it. You instantly know when you play a guitar unplugged and yet it's singing and providing bells & inspiration.

My main guitar used to be a Fender USA dlx ash tele, which was a great guitar, except for the pickups (SCN). Noiseless came with a threshold for character and vibe. A pickup change would've done, if it wasn't for a splendid studio guitar. Anyhow, she was stolen from my car just before a recording session and was never found again. As I used this guitar for live performances as well, I began searching for a replacement. I tried to get the best of the playability/versatility of my dlx and the real true tone that it lacked.

After trying a LOT of telecasters, which in essence have the tone I want, in a price range of ??? 600,-- to ??? 2.000,--, I picked up one of the available Highway 1 texas teles. I was amazed by the feel of the neck, definitely thicker than a common one, yet very smooth and comfortable. She started singing right away, providing a full harmonic unplugged sound. Amplified she had a raw woody soulful tone, that blew me away before I could think! Was every texas tele like this? No they weren't, two out of six were though!!

Now that I got my tone & feel, there still were two problems. I changed the factory strings to 10's, so I had to intonate the instrument again. It didn't work out properly with the stock bridge saddles, so I replaced them with Joe Barden's, so each string could be set up as I intended. Callahan's bridge saddles should do the job as well, as will others with separate string adjustment. Intonation's fine now!

Next problem, hum..(noisy!!) Every noiseless pickup I tried cancelled the hum as promised, but also cancelled the soul. I guess hum's the price you pay for really raw, soulful tone. Actually, I'm concerned that it's the imperfection of the original pickups that stole my heart. In fact, I think it's imperfection we all love Fender for. It's part of the mojo. Otherwise we should be buying the guitars with the 4+2 machinehead's headstock, I suppose.

For now, I use the stock pickups; they're very touch sensitive and give me that raw indescribable hollow woody tone. I use them with an Orange Rocker 30. Match made in heaven! Recommend the Orange to any tele, though. It just makes the guitar step out a notch. Neck pickup is quite dark. It's very suitable for chordplaying at half volume, slightly reduced tone. Also use it for lead at full volume. Bridge pickup gives you that twangy tele sound, without piercing highs. This pickup screams like a mermaid! Middle is very open and woody, perfect balance of the dark neck and bright bridge, gives a spacey, somewhat mellow typical tele sound, yet with all the attack you're after! Note: even better in a band mix, cuts right through!

Little comment on the Greasebucket tone circuit. Less highs if requested, for in my case jazz or leads, it's the best! No fooling around with your equaliser, just roll off the highs, nothing more!

Rating 9 for hum

Finish was fine when I got it. Changed strings to 10's, so had to intonate it again. After changing bridge saddles, no problems here!

Rating based on original bridge saddles.

This guitar will perform best in a live show, she will make people stop and stare. It's build to last, but I'll never gig without a backup, since string live can't be planned.

Have dealt with Fender with my tele dlx. They replaced a broken pickup within two weeks. No complains.

I've been playing for about 15 years, I play teles for the last 7. After my main tele got stolen, I played every tele in the region of Rotterdam, trying to find that true tone that lacked before, I succeeded.

Note: I played Mexican made, Japanese made, USA standard/deluxe as well as custom shop. Although there's a significant line in quality/specs, there's no recipe for mojo. Find it yourself!

you can find all the features here

http://www.fender.com/products//view_specs.php?full_partno=0113502303&name=Highway+One%26trade%3B+Texas+Telecaster%26reg%3B

Since all features are listed I'm going to talk about the features I like and dislike about the guitar and the reasons why rather then explaining what each feature is.

There are two main features I like on this guitar, the one piece maple neck and the grease bucket circuit. The neck is really slick and easy to play on and was fitted very tightly to the body. The grease bucket circuit is very very very useful! All fender guitars should use this circuit in my opinion. It allows trebles to be cut with out destroying the tone.

The only feature I dislike is the brass saddles. This is not because of tone but because of the time it takes to do the intonation. The stock strings on this guitar are 9s whereas I pre fare 11s so I had to modify the modify the intonation when I changed to 11s.

The sound from this guitar is brilliant. I have played a few telecasters including American deluxe models and the sound from this guitar meets if not betters them all. The hot vintage pickups are pretty good with both overdrive and clean tones. I play a wide variety of styles which include classic rock, blues, reggae, indie and progressive rock. The guitar meets the needs for all of these. The traditional tele twang is easily obtainable however the grease bucket circuit allows the highs to be cut for less treble without making the tone to 'muddy'. With both pickups selected you can get a really 'biteie' tone which I find good for soloing. I play this though a few stop boxes (a boss turbo distortion, ibanez tube screamer, behringer analog delay, dunlop crybaby and boss chorus pedal) and into a fender blues deluxe amplifier. I find this combination perfect and wont be changing it any time soon.

The guitar was fine to play straight out of the box. The action was low but did not result in any fret buzz and the guitar generally seemed to be pieced together well. The pickups where the right distance from the strings and and all hardware was tightly fitted and problem free.
The satin finish was dull when the guitar was new but as I've been playing this guitar for about a year now the finish has worn slightly which has taken most of the dullness away.

its a telecaster. The guitar basically defines durability.

have never had to deal with them

If your considering getting one, just do it. There are very little guitars I have played that compare, especially for the money.

Hope this review helps anyone interested in the guitar

peace

You don't buy a Telecaster expecting tons of features. It's a rough and ready guitar that's fun to play. Mine is a 2007 two tone burst with the nitro satin finish. The stock "hot vintage" pickups sound pretty good so I've left them in for now. The grease bucket tone circuit is very cool. The body is Ash the neck is Maple, good solid Tele fare. I swapped out the (in my opinion) totally bogus vintage bridge for a fully adjustable American Standard Tele bridge. I know they did it to keep costs down, and tried to make it sexy by using brass saddles, but the vintage bridges just don't measure up. I also swapped the original tuners for Gotoh Magnum Locking tuners. The originals worked fine but the Gotoh Magnums are just easier to load.

I primarily play hard/heavy rock (got a wicked Strat for that) and I bought the Tele due to an increasing interest in blues and twangy instrumental stuff. The Highway 1 Texas Tele sounds GREAT on the clean channel of my 50 watt Carvin 212 Bel Air. With the grease bucket tone circuit I am able to dial in from smooth to sparkly to twangy with ease. You get the single coil hum but hey that's part of the charm.

Fit and finish is nice. The neck radius is very comfortable. The Satin finish is not the most attractive. But it's another way Fender is keeping the cost down so you deal with it.

This guitar is a workhorse. I haven't had any problems whatsoever and don't anticipate any. Heck it's a Telecaster, what is there to go wrong.

Haven't had to deal with Fender Customer Support.

I've been playing for 28 years and have owned and played numerous guitars from high dollar Les Pauls to swap meet crap. In truth I'm a Fender Strat guy through and through but this Tele is a nice addition to the stable. I wanted a Tele that sounded good and was reasonably priced. I have to admit I'm a Made in America kind of guy so the MIM and MIJ and Crafted in Indonesia offerings just weren't an option. Bang for the buck this Telecaster ROCKS.

HWY-1 TEXAS TELECASTER, I've owned the hwy-1 Tele and now the hwy-1 Texas Tele. Both are very nie Tele's. The Texas Tele is refined to the point of being very close to Custom Shop. I'm talking a 7lb EVEN Telecaster with a very light 52RI TWO-PIECE center seamed ASH body with a Semi-Gloss Nitro finish. That alone is very hard to find on Fender usa? The neck is designed from scratch taking a American Series C and using a 12 inch radius with jumbo frets and Vintage Hardware. Neck has very Low Action is very Fast and is a Medium - Thick C shape. All the hardware is Vintage Fender Tele just like on the 52RI. The pick-ups are designed from scartch from the 52RIS. The magnets are thicker and longer on the TT. The magnets also extend through the Steel baseplate, and extra holes are in the bobbins bewteen the magnets. Whats happening here is the microphonics and high volume squeal associated with the Vintage pups on the 52RI is eliminated. Yet the pick-ups can still Twang. Theyu have slightly more output than Vintage are considerably warmer yet remain all Telecaster Tone. No Ear-Piercing, Ice Picking here. Just great Tele Tone and great versatility at any Volume. I've matched up the neck pup with Seymour Duncans Alnico II and 52. This doesn't need to be changed. I thought I would maybe go SUHR Vintage 60 in the neck. But this stock neck pup is also straight. Clear Clean with a nice Hollow Tone to it. Exceptional for Chord work!
The electronics have the Greasebucket circuit which I prefer over any other circuit Fender has going. The A Standard Delta Tone does nothing for me and I much prefer this.

I love this Telecasters Tone. Its the Tone I have been searching for in a Telecaster. I love Teles and have a Ear-Piercing, Ice Picking Thinline. This is GREAT Blues and Rock and Roll Tele. And man does it sound awesome through Over-Drives.

Tight neck pocket, Light Weight, all signs of the time and effort put into the Quality Control of this Telecaster. This Tele is a SERIOUS bang for the BUCK.

Come - On.......Its a Fender Telecaster

Excellent

Ive owned and played just about every Tele out here including a Vintage 67 I grew up on. This is right up my alley with the features and specs on this Texas Tele. I love it, its very light, Loud, Raw and Edgy, yet not ear-piercing. I simply would NOT give up this Tele. Rarely do I NOT have to alter or changhe SOMETHING on a Fender Tele. This one is just awesome STOCK.

07 Honey Blonde Highway One Texas Telecaster. Same as described by others below- Ash Body, Maple Neck. I love the vintage style tuning pegs, they make string changes so easy.

Into Blues, Reggae, and 90's rock. It sounds great, pickups are clean, full and crisp, but can provide fantastic overdrive when the guitar's volume is pushed up. It's even better with the volume nob down at 4, and the tube screamer is on. The "grease bucket" tone nob is really nice and does as Fender states -rolls off highs without adding lows. So when you turn the tone nob down it sounds less bright, but always clear- no muffled mud. Use it with a Fender Twin, and its a perfect match. Its very much "beefier" than by Strat Plus, but each does its own job. I would more compare it more to my Mustang on steroids, very similar but bigger in every way.

This is where the lower price rears its ugly head! Wow did they cut corners!!! I was very excited about the the thin matte finish, and vintage style hardware. The hardware seems fine, but the finish was not applied well. The surface is uneven, and is much thicker in some spots. All over the face of the gutar there are little hairs and dust/fuzz stuck under the paint. It looks terrible. Hopefully the thin skin will just wear away in these spots. Also around the 12th fret it looks as if someone "chewed" on the fretboard with a saw, as there are deep scrapes in the wood below the finish. I would have thought this to be an abused second hand guitar if all of these problems were not underneath the paint. Shame on you Fender, Leo would cry.

This guitar feels about as solid as they come. There are very few moving parts (no tremello, lock nuts, ect) therefore there are fewer chances of problems. There is great beauty in a Telecaster's simplicity. I think it would with-stand a lifetime of gigs. I would still bring a backup, its tough but not invicible. Although it is versatile it definately couldn't pull a Strat sound.

Ive never had to contact Fender.

Ive been playing close to 15 years, and have played many guitars. I think the Texas Telecaster is a great guitar but I think Fender cut alot of corners, and it should have cost less still. I went for the "Made in America" thinking it would make a better value if I were to re-sell in the future, but I think the "Crafted in Japan" are far superior, for a lower price.

Well, here it is. No frills..period. And it wasnn't meant to have them. It's a workhorse, for people who can't afford to go to the Custom Shop (such as myself). Won't give it a 10 here, but 9 is right, considering the approach Fender took.

Sounds like a dream. Mine sounds better than any other Tele (including my Nashville, my Dad's 72 Thinline, and my American Standard).. I changed the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan Lil 59 and it's dead on now. Won't ever change the bridge pup, cuz it's pure American Tele twang. The overwinding makes it really greasy, which I happen to think is cool. I did get rid of the cheap ass-tray bridge in lieu of a heavy modern chrome one. Sustain is much better and the tone is rich as heck!

Out of the box great. I was deployed to the Gulf when this sucker came to me, and I fell in love with it. No changes made at all for about 6 months until I got back to the states. I loved it before I made the changes, but love it more now. I didn't adjust the action at all. I liked it the way it was, and set up the new bridge the same way.

Reliablity is not an issue. It's my main guitar. Use it all the time. I don't take any other guitar with me to gigs, just extra strings. That is pure confidence.

One note here. the finish is thin, granted, but its supposed to be. I don't want my guitars to look brand new. I like 'em to look played, and this one will too.

Never dealt with 'em.. No need...period.

Overall, the best guitar I own, bar none. I love it, and if I was offered $1500 for it, I'd turn it down. It's just a simple, great playing, AMAZINGLY good sounding guitar. If it were stolen, I'd cry for a long time. Then file it on my homeowner's and buy me another one just like it. Price was good, I paid retail $839, but I'd have paid $1000 or probably more. I can't say enough good things about this guitar. Buy one today!

It gets a 10 because of its beautiful simplicity. They didn't try to stick any unnecessary crap on this just to market it. It's a Tele through and through and with an ash body, which is what a Tele should have. I didn't even consider the non-Texas Highway One. Who wants a Tele with alder or whatever the heck it is.
I changed out the pups for Fralins. Other reviewers have mentioned the finish, but that is one of my favorite things about this guitar. One ding in a goldtop sticks out like a sore thumb, but one ding in this beauty adds character, so after a few years (or months, depending) she'll be nicely worn-in. She won't look beat, she'll look played. Plus, the thin finish allows the ash to resonate.
The best thing about this guitar is the sound and playability. Sound is described below. The playability is unbelievable. The one piece neck is so smooth and very thin. I didn't have any of the lacquer problems others describe.

Sounds unbelievable (based on the Fralins). All three pickup selections have a different and unique sound that is actually usable, which I have not found to be the case with many of my other "better" guitars. I think my favorite is the neck position, not bassy, just deeper, and very clear. I have never had that kind of sound from a neck pickup before. The closest I have gotten is with my P90s. This guitar is very versatile. Run a TS or a fuzz box and you can do the Zep thing or play it clean for a country/rockabilly thang. Sounds great thru my 59 Bassman RI and my Blackface Champ. I almost hate to use any effects with it as I like her to be "unencumbered" so she can really do her thing.

Setup was nice out of the box, but I'm very picky so I had her setup at the shop and now she's perfect. The bridge doesn't pose too many problems, given there are only 3 saddles. The action and intonation are fine.

This thing is a beast, but doesn't feel like a beast. She's very light but you can feel that she's very strong. This guitar will last me for the rest of my life.

I sold my Les Paul Standard because I couldn't go from playing the Tele to the Les Paul. It was impossible. The neck, the sound, the vibe. The Les Paul handled like a dump truck and the Tele handles like a Lamborghini (I've never driven either, but you get the point). I would not change one thing about this guitar. I'm just amazed that it sells for between $700-800. If you played this at the guitar center, without knowing the price, you'd think it was $1,000 easy, and I would have payed at least $1,000 for her without batting an eye, and probably more. I'd say that if you're considering a Tele, you must try The Highway One Texas. I don't know what more anybody could ask for in a guitar.

Ash body, maple neck and fingerboard. USA made. Vintage hot pickups. Sting-through body, 3 brass barrel bridge. Its a telecaster, you know what it is!

"Satin" finish, as it is a highway 1 series.

I leave no mark for features, because this is a minimalist's guitar.

I play a lot of rock and blues, but nothing too heavy. This guitar is actually fairly versatile. The three switch positions sound very different. The bridge pickup has that classic Tele honk, the neck pickup is thick and fairly dark, and the middle position is a great combination of the two - thick and bright at the same time. I find that this neck pickup is a bit too dark on its own, but sounds awesome in combination with the bridge pup, so I'll keep it.

I was concerned that the ash/maple combo might be too bright, but its actually just right for my amp (Marshall AVT100). Great note clarity clean, but I have found that it cannot really handle my amps gain very well, and starts to get muddy with distortion (though you really shouldn't be playing metal with a telecaster!).

Pickups are noisy, but that was expected as they are singlecoils.

Bottom line, beautiful chord sounds and tight, punchy single notes.

I bought this guitar new over ebay. I was amazed that when it arrived, it was not only very well set up, but in perfect tune! The tuners hold the tune very well - way better than my Gibson SG which cost twice as much. The action is great.

The finish is probably the worst feature in the guitar. Fender sells these guitars so cheap because the finish is much cheaper than the American standards. This doesn't affect sound or playability, but the finish looks like it will scratch and fade easily. This doesn't bother me, but keep that in mind when you consider this guitar.

Also, I find the bridge to be somewhat uncomfortable to play on, as I cannot rest my picking hand there without accidentally palm muting. Them's the breaks when you buy a telecaster.

The guitar looks very solid and trustworthy. As I mentioned, the finish will scratch and fade quickly. The strap buttons are of good quality, and the tuners are excellent.

8/10 for cheap finish.

Lifetime warranty, but will only cover things that will never break (electronics and hardware).

I've been playing for 6 years. I also own a 2000 Gibson SG '61 Reissue. That is also a great guitar, but this telecaster has a much nicer clean sound and better tuners. I got a very good deal on this guitar (about 20% below retail), but I would say it is a good deal for the full retail price. People gripe about Fender quality, but I am more than happy with this guitar.

Love the sound, playability, and look. Dislike the (minor) hum of the pickups.

This guitar plays and sounds like an American standard, so if the cheaper finish doesn't bother you, I highly recommend it.

Based on the '52 Reissue platform - '52 style Ash body, one piece maple neck, vintage hardware, 5-screw pickguard. But major differences - notorious thin acrylic lacquer finish, overwound Hot Vintage pickups, and chunky C-profile neck with 12" radius. The neck and pickups are not offered on any other Fender product (though the profile and radius is similar on the '72 Deluxe Reissue). I can't give a full 10 on features because it's a Tele which is not a feature laden guitar....just perfect simplicity.

Ok, I hated the stock pickups. The bridge pup was dark and lacked clarity and the neck pup was muddy. They went almost immediately. I've put in Fralin Blues Specials and can not be happier. Best sounding Tele I have...my favorite out of six I have. I play through small and mid-sized Fenders - 2 Musicmaster Bass amps, a Tweed Champ clone, and a SF Pro Reverb. Sounds different yet awesome in each. My score is based on the pickup change...the stock pups would get a 3 at best.

If you buy this guitar it will likely be for the way the neck feels. The thick C profile is very Les Paul like. Comfortable and enables a good set-up. I didn't encounter the problems others had with the frets being overly covered with finish. But then again on the initial setup I finished the frets a little. Best Fender neck ever, IMHO. The finish is thin, but will age nice I'm thinking. If you don't take care of it you'll have a relic in short order. I also replaced the tuners and bridge saddles for Grovers and Callahams. But the originals were fine. This guitar was more than adequate right out of the box.

Well, the finish is delicate...otherwise it's your basic Tele tank.

N/A

I've been playing for over 30 years - rock, classic rock, alt-country, power blues. The past few years I've really been drawn to Telecasters. I already had a parts-Tele that had the Hwy 1 Texas Tele neck so I was already sold on it. My motivation for getting this guitar was to get one cheap used and upgrade some things to where it would be perfect in my mind. I put another $250 in to it after purchase and feel that it's worth it many times over. I've had it 6 months now so the ether of newness has worn off. It's a killer guitar...my number one.

2004,blonde ash body with maple neck,jumbo frets, brass string saddles and texas hot pickups.vintage style tuners. Came with gig bag. Made in USA and I bought it new for $1000.It looks like a NOS vintage telecaster.It has every thing you need in a telecaster.

I play rock,blues some jazz and country. I play it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb 65 reissue and it sounds great. Bridge pickup alone with full treble is as bright as any guitar I have heard. Neck pickup alone has a nice bluesy growl and with both pickups on it sounds like my 64 stratocaster.

The factory setup was fine but I always setup any new guitar to my preferences and adjust the intonation and change to my perfered strings.The Finish is the worst I have seen in 35 years. It is discribed as an acrylic laquer finish,implying the tonal gualities of a laquer finish but it began to flake off with normal wear revealing a polyurethane finish beneath.I scraped the rest of the topcoat off giving it a natural ash look.The neck was awful, with a thick layer of finish on the frets which has sloughed off with play leaving an irregular margin between the frets and fingerboard.

It's a telecaster, you can drive in fence posts with it!

I have been playing for 35 years. I have a stratocaster and two Gretsch guitars. I have had: Kent, Gibson,Framus and Hagstrom guitars as well.This is my favorite guitar of alltime. It fells great , plays great and sounds terrific. It is suprizingly vesitile