In the interests of group harmony, I just wanted to say that I played a number of different Strats, and although the American Standard was a fine guitar (to say the least), I preferred the H1 simply because the neck was more comfortable to me. The price wasn't the deciding factor - I played MIM Standards, Road-Worns, a Roadhouse and several others, along with classic player models, a Robert Cray sig model, and everything in between - it was just that the H1's neck suited me. I'm just a hobbyist who plays at home, but wanted something I really liked, and the H1 was it.

Now someone else, with differently sized hands or whatever may find the American Standard more to their liking - and that's cool. Quoting (alleged) sales figures is meaningless to anyone outside the FMIC board of directors - I don't judge a guitar on how popular or unpopular it is, but just how well it suits me personally. I have a couple of medical problems with my left hand and the H1 was more comfortable than the MIA Standard, and that was what sold it in my case. Sure, I saved a few hundred bucks, but that's still money I'd have happily spent if the MIA Standard had been more to my liking. I'd gone in there, really, with my heart set on an MIA Standard, but the H1 won me over.

As for whether or not people care about things like the switching system or the hand-rolled fingerboard - it depends on who you ask, and I think that's the point. The reason there's more than one type of Strat is because the people who want to play one are all so potentially different. I think variety and freedom of choice are pretty good things, and Fender really do provide no shortage of either.

Anyway, just my two cents.

I just think it is amazing that we are starting the 11th page of mostly drivel in a thread started on an unfounded rumor....

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

Finally read this thread. The 2 or 3 club. lol

True, but it's still been an interesting conversation.

Some one posted about the blue being quite rare. Can anyone tell me if that is for a particular year, maple, rosewood, or all blue HW1s?

Their not rare, you can still get em if you look. Their just not being made in that colour anymore. I suspect that is the basis of this whole thread.

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No no and no

just to put a stake in the heart of this nonsense;

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... K:MEWAX:IT

$535.00 seems a little short of $2k to me

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

And yet even Count Dracula always rose again regardless of the stake through his heart!

It wouldnt be so bad if the guy just said 'I value my HWY1 at $2K'. We could all understand that. After all we all have things that we value way above their actual physical cost.

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No no and no

I guess the ones strat2004 seen selling for 2g's where in his DREAMS

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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

Yeah, good point.

I love my recently acquired H1 strat, but there's no way it's a qualitively better guitar than a USA Standard - they're like chalk and cheese. It's a matter of personal preference. The H1 was definitely the right choice for me, but that's as far as it goes. It isn't inherently better than any other strat - just better for me.

Simon thats my point. Whether the guitar is better than another model is irrelevant. You dont have to justify your choice of guitar. What you like is what you like. My missus loves me warts n all, would it be fair to expect your missus to feel the same way about me. Its just the same with guitars mate, you like some and dislike others. Constantly defending a unattacked guitar, making wild unsupported claims about its value and how 'everybody else' rates the guitar. Whilst at the same time berating others in the same range is just preposterous and obviously eht krow fo a decnalabnu dnim.

Facts are facts its a good selling popular and reliable instrument, what further justification is needed?

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No no and no

This is one of the best iterations of what some of us have been trying to say.

We all actually like HW1's, but S2k4's zealotry ruins any conversation about them.

In fact i was seriously considering buying the one I linked. shipping charges to Canada just pushed it a little higher than I wanted to pay.

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

Sometimes we spend too much time and energy into trying to convince others theat our guitar is better in every way to other peoples guitares.We have to remember that even though we are talking strats, we are talking about guitars that are designed and marketed for different tastes and budgets.Nothing wrong with that.Its like the Toyota /Lexus argument.Made in the same plant ,sometimes off the same line, same body, but sold to different groups of people for different reasons.

Well said (or written, as the case may be).

Just for the record, I certainly haven't noticed anyone here making disparaging remarks about the H1.

Of course, having said that, it's obvious that no other guitar could ever compare to Lonely Boy.