I had an '06 Highway One. It was not a bad guitar. Better than a MIM, but no where NEAR as good as my current American Standard. I got it on a trade. Absolutely HATED the huge frets on it. Also did not care for the sound of the pickups. Much darker than a regular Strat...and just could not get the tone out of it that I wanted to. Plus, the finish is rather delicate...

I did not like the satin finish, so I buffed my Hwy One HSS to a glossy finish.

There's plenty of finish on it, so I wouldn't call it "delicate" --- it is a late 2005/early 2006 though.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

I have a '07 Hwy 1 Strat and absolutely love it. I played a lot of other Stratocasters in the store and for my price range it was the best. I played everything from Squires, MIM Standards, Lone Star Strat, and Classic Series and everything in between. In the end it was the Highway 1 series I liked best (in my price range) so I concentrated on them.

Finally I decided on the one I currenty have. It has very fast action and unbelievable tones (for single coils) that I have ever heard. Classic headstock. Grease Bucket circuitry. It only took 20 minutes of playing to get used to the jumbo frets, after that I now prefer them. What's not to love about the HWY 1 series? One slight modification to the tuners and it is perfect now. This is the best playing guitar I have played in a long time.

Of course people are people and will have different opinions, that is why Fender makes different models and series of guitars. The important thing is to find a guitar that you like to play and play it.

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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

I figure I would stay out of this so I don't have to put My Pinnacle Dragon Skin on.

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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

The Highway 1 guitars i mean are really good.
I have a 2005 model.
It has some scratches but lackeur is still hanging on.
I really like the silky matte finish. it looks a little bit rougher, but still doesnt look cheap.
Mine is equipped with texas pickups and sounds awesome and just as important, it plays awesome.
If you take care of the guitar it will look great.

Highway One's are amazing guitars, man. I played a 60th An. HSS Highway One Strat with a natural finish once and I'd have to say it was the most wonderful instrument I had ever picked up in my short time of playing. So the finish is a bit thin, but it'll help the wood breathe so it'll sound better over time. Only downside to that is that it'll be a bit more *ehm* prone to "relicing."

And the Highway One's are considerably less costing than the American Standards if I'm not mistaken. $980 vs $1200?

Hey Fellow StratHeads-

It sounds like "ilovefender" has already made his decision- Bully for him. Right now he is playing a Squire so he might want to opt to keep what he has.
I agree that HWY 1's are good solid guitars. I like the new Grease Bucket Circuits and the necks feel very nice. If you take a look at the video on the HWY one page, you will learn that the new Hwy 1's are made for a more modern sound.

With the current pricing...I am looking seriously at getting one and droping some "69's" in it. Thats one of the great things about a strat- You can always mod it out to get the sound a feel that you are looking for.

I miss AlwaysStrat's post....He sounds like a great guy to sit down and have a beer with...Just not too many-

The Freeze

The Freeze

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There's Always Room For MELLOW !!!!

2000 MIM Stratocaster, Midnight Wine W/Texas Specials
2000 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
1969 Fender Vibro Champ

Not to repeat myself too much - but I love my 2002 Highway One.


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Ignorance IS bliss - and I am the happiest person here!

That is a nice color and I like Highway Ones too! There are not many Fenders I don't like! I've heard Squiers sound incredible!

I really like the paint on them, some dont like it because it has a matte finish instead of glossy, its supposed to be that way. I like the thin nitro finish, I think it has better tone.

And you can buff the nitro finish to be glossy if you want to.

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Ignorance IS bliss - and I am the happiest person here!

That's a beautiful axe!!

and yeah, you can polish a satin(matte,) finish if you don't like it.

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