The fingerboard on my Highway (upgraded model) is Rosewood. Have only seen maple boards on the American Specials.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

Not sure what you mean by two way tremolo. I have a float on my HWY 1 and there was a float of the American Special.



I agree that the American Special HSS humbucker is weak. I absolutely love the Texas Specials, especially the one in the bridge position of the SSS model. As far as the tuners go, I can live with them unless I find some tuning issues I cannot resolve without the use of locking tuners.

Personally I am going to keep this one stock if I can, and absolutely no pickup changes.

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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

Not fussy about the ping-pong tuners either. I put Schellers lockers on my am strat, took the tuners and put them on my 09 hwy-1. Ping-pongs also, but also tapered for a little more $@!&# behind the nut. pup's are different sounding then 03-04 I have, but then again the 09 needs too be broken in.

Thanks, Bman!

John

The HSS American Special Strats have rosewood, the SSS models have maple. It would be good to have more fretboard and color options.

John

I just bought an American Special last week, I ended up with the HSS model because they didn't have an SSS with a rosewood fretboard in stock (and I like rosewood necks), but they could have ordered it.

After playing the HSS at the store I noticed how straight the neck was and how flawless the fretwork was and so I just decided to take that particular guitar home as I know that's really the most important thing for me. I will probably switch out the humbucker or sell the entire loaded pickguard to help fund another SSS loaded pickguard.

It was set up a little bit too low for me, but after changing the strings to 11s and setting it up the way I like it- it plays great and stays in tune and I do have the trem set up for some easy vibrato and shimmer.

BUT, when it comes right down to it the vintage trem on the Special is junk same as HW1 when compared to other trems, so switch out for a calaham or wilkinson or even a 2point if you don't mind the work. Tuners work just fine, but really as cheap as tuners are a better set is an easy mod.

Frets are bigger than med-jumbo, but not as big as some of the fatter jumbos I've seen. I have the action set med-low almost straight across the fretboard with hardly any rise in the upper register and no isssues.

Here's the deal with Texas Specials, they complain a lot about your setup. If you don't have the action set up just right and the pup height dialed in just right they will either sound too muddy/middy (when too high); or nice and articulate at lower heights, but will lose some bite.

Once you set up just right and dial them in they sound pretty good, my only real gripe is some loss of highs on gbe strings, but you really can get nice SRV mids if you dial them in just right with a good setup.

The atomic humbucker is not a bad pickup at all for stock, it's got some balls and with the right amount of gain it sounds pretty decent. Again though, it's gonna sound like crap with the setup too high or low.

I've tried the pearly gates on the mim lonestar and it wasn't any better... maybe smoother, but kind of lifeless. The mim Lonestar is very similar to the American Special, but I can tell you that the neck on the USA is much better despite the bigger headstock and thats going to effect everything.

I like the colors offered on the Special and HW1 about the same, but they offer CAR with the Special and something like Honey Blonde with the HW1. If you ask me the finish on the HW1 is thinner and that equates to better resonance, however, it does wear off very fast. The gloss urethane on the Special is thicker and looks deep, but it still resonates nicely and will withstand a hale storm.

I like the HW1, but I think the Am Special is a slightly better guitar.

Would respectfully disagree. If it's junk then it's been junk for 50 odd years and a lot of extraordinary guitar players have thrived on just such a junky trem all of this time.

Of course you can get better. You can get better anything hardware as long as you're prepared to pay extra for it. But properly set-up (vitally important) it more than does the job Leo Fender designed it to do.

The Bigsby trem - now that is junk..

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

Okay, perhaps "junk" is a bit strong, that wasn't my intention. Like I said I set it up for tremolo and it works fine and holds tune.

Some folks are concerned about loss of sustain also, and I think other trems out there offer more sustain, but this isn't bad and neither are the tuners, but both can be improved for not much more money.

Good point..

I must admit that sustain hasn't been something I think of when evaluating the performance of a Trem. For me, the criteria is ease of use, slick operation and an almost forensically accurate return to pitch.

When sustain IS important to me, I use a Strat with the Trem blocked off, or another style of guitar altogether. Perhaps you're right to hope for a trem system that can meet both our criterias in one unit.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

I'v got a Highway One what I love. (If you can love a guitar?) Most don't like the stock pick-ups in them, but atleast there different. I like them because of that.
As for the new American Special - Next buy (After the Blues Junior)

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• Fender American Series Stratocaster (Olympic white, maple)
• Gibson Flying V (dusty faded cherry)
• Fender 1969 Custom Shop Stratocaster (3-tone sunburst, maple)
• Fender Highway One Stratocaster (Honey blonde, rosewood)

i have 2 highway one strats and love them, and i recently purchased an american special (sss) and much prefer the texas specials. i would play them side by side and pick the one that sounds best to you. either way you go on this choice, you will turn out a winner. i had to trade in my 2008 american standard strat to pay for the American special and have no regrets!

Beautiful guitar, man that looks good in the sun. It's amazing when the sun hits some of these sunbursts that Fender does.

Please take no offense, but why would you trade in an American Standard strat for a American special? Just curious...

Umm...no offense, but have you played one yet? I do not care for the HSS American Special, but tht SSS does give the American Standard a run for it's money. Far superior tone. It plays like a dream.

I was upset that the Highway 1 was being phased out, but this American Special is a definate step up. All I need is $170 and I can take one of these bad puppys home.

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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

No I haven't, but I would like to. Good luck with getting the rest of your dough to hook it up!