i love them all , but why havent they ever made a white Highway 1 ?? hmmmm

My HWY 1 is lighter than the BC Rich Warlock I had. To me it is not heavy, but it is solid.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Heavy Strats would be anything considered over 9 lbs. Average weight for Strats coming out of the production factory at Fender are now around 8-8.5 lbs. That's still heavy by older standards, as Strats from the early 60's back to the mid to late 50's came in regularly at 7 lbs or even lighter.

Some of the light ash models are under 7, and I own one of those. The tone is dry and delightfully 50's in nature. Gorgeous quack and really responsive feel, very sensitive, and detailed tone. To me, the 1954 -1959 Stratocasters are the watermark, that's what you aim for in tone, weight and feel. I also have a 1962 in alder and it is 6.9 lbs. The 50's one is lighter than that by several ounces.

Wood is not naturally aged or dried today. Mainly it is kiln dried, which leaves a lot of moisture, sap and weight in the bodies. That's the problem, and finding light guitars is a holy quest today. Most that I see are heavy by my standards, and very heavy by true vintage standards. People just don't know any better, so they play boat anchor weight Strats, and wonder why their shoulders are tired at the end of a set.

Weigh a strat before you buy it. If it's over 8 lbs, leave it for the 14 year old kid who's mom and dad will buy it for him " just cause it's a Strat..."
They collectively don't know the difference, and I could care less if they do.

I however know better, and refuse to play "boat anchor Strats". I will pay big money not to have to. Will, have and don't.

This is all real good info. But, other than finding possibly a light ash Strat, what else are the options besides buying a Pre-CBS model?

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Kiln Dryed wood can be dryer then naturally dried as well it can be more controled to what moisture level the wood will be taken down to. Naturally dried wood is determined by its enviroment and the lenth of time for which it takes to reach it lowest level is determined by the enviroment in which it is being air dried.

Heres the fancy desciption of it.
Wood will seek an equilibrium moisture content (EMC) in relation to the relative humidity (RH) and temperature of its surroundings. That is, as wood is dried below its FSP, the amount of moisture leaving the wood will be determined by the relative humidity of the atmosphere surrounding the wood. For wood to air dry, the moisture content of the air must be less than that of the wood.

Lumber drying is usually accomplished by evaporating the moisture from the surface of the wood. Wood dries “from the outside in”; that is, the surface of the wood must be drier than the interior if moisture is to be removed. Moisture will move from an area of higher moisture content to an area of lower moisture content within the wood. When the surface moisture evaporates from the sides or ends, moisture moves from the interior toward these locations. This process continues until the wood reaches its EMC. At this point the moisture content is equal throughout the piece of wood. Thicker lumber exposed to the same drying conditions will take longer to reach its EMC than thinner lumber.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Last night just for giggles I weighed my Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster just to see if I had "an Anchor". My wife thought I was nuts. Much to my suprise it was 7.5 lbs with the strap. I knew it was lighter than my old BC Rich Warlock that I ditched for it. It weighed at 8.5-ish pounds. It may be heavier than older models, but like I said before, it is light but solid compared to some of the other guitars I have owned in the past. It has good tone with and without the amp. Plays like a dream after the 1 slight modification I made to it (I changed the tuners), which may have added some ounces to it. Again, I am impressed with the HWY 1 Stratocasters, especially mine.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

7.5 with strap is a nice light guitar. You have no problems.

My 2008 Hwyone is 8 lbs. even. Not too bad heavy

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The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.

all hail to the highway one strat!
bow to the king of strats

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sombody get me a doctor!

hah, maybe 'Crown Prince'

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

My 2000 American Standard weighs this.

Hell, and I was thinking of adding a bigger trem block to it...