I wanna get a Strat but I'm unsure wich is a better pick. I've heard the HW1 has a raw sound, the special is the HW1 mixed with standard Strat so I don't know please help me out lol take the poll.

Hi Vinny07,

They both look about the same now including the large headstock, so for only a hundred dollars more, you get American made and Texas Special pickups with the Am Spcl Strat (my vote).

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American special all the way!

I think they will discontinue the highway one soon, in favour of the special.

I have played the special HSS sunburst (one of the best looking finishes i think) and also the cherry red SSS. Both excellent.

dont know about the special havent tried one, think it comes down to what pickups you would prefer.

alnico 3s or texas specials. . . ?

i love my highway 1, i changed the pickups to cs 69s and put some locking tuners on it, but they are brilliant guitars and im sure the specials are to..

I did the same with my Highway 1, and I voted for the H1 in this poll.

Having said that, I've had it in mind to get a SSS Strat with a maple fretboard as my next guitar purchase. The American Special is at the top of my list of potential choices, since I love the H1 style necks and the jumbo frets.

A friend of mine has a 1997 American Standard with Texas Specials in it, and I'm not a fan of those particular pickups. I'd most likely get an American Special and put some custom shop '54 pickups in it.

Highway One! More Vintage looking finish, and for the heck I didnt like the Texas Specials at all. Just put some Custom Shop 69 on a Highway One and you´re good to go !

+1 On the Highway 1 with new pickups. That's also what I did.

And here I was, thinking I was doing something vaguely unusual by putting CS 69's into my Highway One!

Welcome to the Highway'69 club !

Did you leave the greasebucket alone ? How did you liked it rolling off the tone knob ?

I love my American Special. Candy Apple with Pearloid Pickguard, left the stock pups in. Guitar plays very smooth. The one thing I liked about the Special over the H1 was how much lighter it felt. I will say, the nitro finish on the H1's is pretty dang nice though. I can imagine 69's in anything will make it sound nice

I have the 3color burst HSS, and when I first got it the neck and middle made me sort of sick to my stomach when I played them, and I was hooked on the hb. I have since had the trem blocked and a little setup work done and these two single coils are amazing! I can't quit playing the neck position, And the hb is pathetic, gonna get replaced just gotta figure out what will jive with the Texas specials single coils. Other than that this guitar is great!

Does blocking the Trem really make that much of a difference?

I own both a Highway 1 and an American Special. Honestly I love both of them. Each have their certain allure about them. If I had to choose one over the other, I would pick my Highway 1 over the my American Special. With that being said, I have upgraded my Highway 1 more. I changed out the bridge single coil for a Dimarzio Super Distortion humbucker. I am not a fan of the Atomic Humbucker that comes on the HSS models. I bought my Hwy 1 with the plan to change out the bridge pickup. I have no immediate plans on changing the pickups on my SSS American Special, since I have figured out the best settings on my amp and guitar.

I think you will be happy with either model.

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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

The guitar stays in tune better, more sustain, more string vibration transferred to the body. It makes quite a difference. For some, it is hard to give up the whammy bar though.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

. It did for me!