My Highway One: Brief Review

HWY1Strat · **Posted:** Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:23 pm

manabu108 wrote:

I am a tinkerer and I look forward to modding my HW1 to suite my individual needs. The HW1 is a great as it is but it's also a great foundation for building an excellent custom guitar on a low budget.

manabu.......welcome to my insanity!! I own 6 (!!!???!!) of these babies in just about every color of the series!!! (except the Daphne Blue....but I'm on the lookout....I WILL have it soon!! :twisted:

)
I did not have the issues with FRETS as you did....but did discover the MEXICAN bridge the hard way. My guitar guy was trying to install American sized Ferraglides on one of my newer HWY's and found them to be too wide!

I have indeed built my own CUSTOM guitars as you mentioned! The guitars themselves, are toneful, nice looking pieces of wood!
Once you get them done up "the right way" they're UNBELIEVABLE!!

I just HATED the stock pups!!

Here's my breakdown....(TIP)....Gibson pickups sound AWESOME in these!!

L to R;
(Walnut) Gibson BurstBucker 3, DiMarzio Area 61
(Black) Gibson 490T, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Natural) DiMarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F. Area 58's
(Wine Red) DiMarzio Virtual P.A.F. Area 58's
(Sunburst) Gibson 57 Classic Plus, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Ebony Trans. ) Gibson 498T, Fender Vintage Noiseless

Saddles: Ferraglides
Tuners: Fender/Schaller locking tuners

BitstreamCowboy · **Posted:** Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:22 pm

HW1Strat,

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout! You've got about all the tones available in you stable.

fadingcaptain · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:54 pm **Posts:** 53

louis1 wrote:

Simon M wrote:

Interesting to read your thoughts on this. I also got a Highway 1 (SSS) just a few months back, and couldn't be happier with it. I like everything about it, and I'm considering getting a SSH one in the new year.

The only thing I'm confused about is that I'd understood that the tremolo block (while it's obviously Mexican) was steel, not zinc. It's possible I'm dead wrong, but I've read that stated by more than one source.

yeah im pretty sure they upgraded it to steel from zinc in 06

I believe that the block in the HWY1 is the one they have in the upgraded MIM strats. I put a GFS steel block in my 2003 MIM strat (pre-upgrade), and the difference was HUGE. I think I will do this upgrade to my HWY1 in 2010. Pickups are great, too, so no complaints. Fantastic strat for the money.

juancarlosportillo · **Posted:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:10 pm

I'm really happy with my Highway 1, it sounds punchy, maybe because I don't use tremolo I don't dissapoint of it.

BitstreamCowboy · **Posted:** Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:07 am

HWY1Strat wrote:

manabu108 wrote:

I am a tinkerer and I look forward to modding my HW1 to suite my individual needs. The HW1 is a great as it is but it's also a great foundation for building an excellent custom guitar on a low budget.

manabu.......welcome to my insanity!! I own 6 (!!!???!!) of these babies in just about every color of the series!!! (except the Daphne Blue....but I'm on the lookout....I WILL have it soon!! :twisted:

)
I did not have the issues with FRETS as you did....but did discover the MEXICAN bridge the hard way. My guitar guy was trying to install American sized Ferraglides on one of my newer HWY's and found them to be too wide!

I have indeed built my own CUSTOM guitars as you mentioned! The guitars themselves, are toneful, nice looking pieces of wood!
Once you get them done up "the right way" they're UNBELIEVABLE!!

I just HATED the stock pups!!

Here's my breakdown....(TIP)....Gibson pickups sound AWESOME in these!!

L to R;
(Walnut) Gibson BurstBucker 3, DiMarzio Area 61
(Black) Gibson 490T, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Natural) DiMarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F. Area 58's
(Wine Red) DiMarzio Virtual P.A.F. Area 58's
(Sunburst) Gibson 57 Classic Plus, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Ebony Trans. ) Gibson 498T, Fender Vintage Noiseless

Saddles: Ferraglides
Tuners: Fender/Schaller locking tuners

I really appreciate you taking the time out to share your projects. With all of the swapping out of the pups, has anything affected the grease bucket tone?

juancarlosportillo · **Posted:** Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:22 am

HWY1Strat wrote:

manabu108 wrote:

I am a tinkerer and I look forward to modding my HW1 to suite my individual needs. The HW1 is a great as it is but it's also a great foundation for building an excellent custom guitar on a low budget.

manabu.......welcome to my insanity!! I own 6 (!!!???!!) of these babies in just about every color of the series!!! (except the Daphne Blue....but I'm on the lookout....I WILL have it soon!! :twisted:

)
I did not have the issues with FRETS as you did....but did discover the MEXICAN bridge the hard way. My guitar guy was trying to install American sized Ferraglides on one of my newer HWY's and found them to be too wide!

I have indeed built my own CUSTOM guitars as you mentioned! The guitars themselves, are toneful, nice looking pieces of wood!
Once you get them done up "the right way" they're UNBELIEVABLE!!

I just HATED the stock pups!!

Here's my breakdown....(TIP)....Gibson pickups sound AWESOME in these!!

L to R;
(Walnut) Gibson BurstBucker 3, DiMarzio Area 61
(Black) Gibson 490T, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Natural) DiMarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F. Area 58's
(Wine Red) DiMarzio Virtual P.A.F. Area 58's
(Sunburst) Gibson 57 Classic Plus, Fender Vintage Noiseless
(Ebony Trans. ) Gibson 498T, Fender Vintage Noiseless

Saddles: Ferraglides
Tuners: Fender/Schaller locking tuners

W O W !! The dream team! :shock:

BitstreamCowboy · **Posted:** Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:25 pm

LOL! yeah that is an impressive forward lineup.

HWY1Strat · **Posted:** Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:30 pm

manabu108 wrote:

With all of the swapping out of the pups, has anything affected the grease bucket tone?

Not all all!! In fact , with more powerful, better built quality pickups the Greasebucket effect is a bit more prominent! Not that I use the Circuit that much anyway........but when I do some Cream and want a nice "Woman Tone'...it does the trick!

I don't know if I'd made the 'announcement' yet...but a 7th and FINAL Highway One has been added to the stable. I now have the entire series color spectrum!!
I got my hands on the ever illusive, now discontinued Daphne Blue color.I, for the life of me, couldn't find a HSS in that color. I DID find a SSS in that color and am now in the process of converting her to HSS format.
A DiMarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F. and 2 Area 67's await installation!! Pics will follow!
Now I have to assemble all 7 of them on the damned couch for ANOTHER family photo....I don't know if they'll all fit!!

BitstreamCowboy · **Posted:** Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:19 am

congrats on your new acquisition! how about posting images on a thread as you work on your new project? you know, like Ceri is doing with Nikininja's guitar...

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