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Post subject: Tweaking the Highway One
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:00 am
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I'm new to the forum, but have already found a ton of useful info. I'm 41 and have just purchased my first electric, a honey blonde Highway One,( I guess better late than never) and would like some input on some improvements. Not a major overhaul, just a few things to tweak it a little.

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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:30 am
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The Highway 1 is a very playable guitar stock. Get a good setup done on it and play it. Don't worry about any mods.

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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:38 pm
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Put on better strings. I put 11s on my Highway One about a week after I got it. You'll need to make some adjustments first though.


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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:52 pm
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Strings are a personal thing that everyone has to figure out for themselves whats right for them. He may love the bullets that came on his guitar. Until a string breaks, strings become rusted, or will not hold a tone; I would not change them.

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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:48 pm
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cu_jarrett wrote:
Strings are a personal thing that everyone has to figure out for themselves whats right for them. He may love the bullets that came on his guitar. Until a string breaks, strings become rusted, or will not hold a tone; I would not change them.


You're absolutely right! It's just that he is talking about tweaking the strat and strings are a relatively minor and cheap adjustment that can affect both tone and playability.

doke66, do whatever you want, it's all up to you. Have you played acoustic before (sounds like you have but not sure). If you have, you're probably used to heavier strings and not only would the jump to a higher gauge not be as hard to make for you as it would be for a regular Electric guitarist, but the lighter strings might even feel too light for you (this happened to me when I bought my Highway One with 9s on it).


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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:21 pm
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Hey Brother, Congrats on your first electric! Of course I thing the Strat is an excellent choice.

If you want to start modding it I say go ahead

I'd change out the "vintage" bridge and get a better one on there. Maybe one off an American Standard.

NO your Highway One doesn't need to be modified to play well, but YES it's fun to modify guitars.

Do what you wanna do. If after the bridge you still want to mod some more I'd next start checking out pickups they are easy to change out and really affect the tone of the guitar.


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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:56 am
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The current highway one strat, 2007 with the upgrades, are excellent guitars. I even like them better than the 2007 American standard strat. The highway one plays great of the rack. The pickups are pretty good, hotter and warmer than the American standard strat. If you roll back the tone on the bridge pickup it sounds almost like a P90 when played with distortion. The only thing I changed on my highway one was stringing up with TNT Boomers(10-52). I can't put the highway one down, play it more than my 2006 American standard strat, American 70's reissue strat, 91' 57 reissue strat, and 2004 american deluxe strat. The 2007 highway one is simply a great guitar for the money.

BTW...I purchased my Highway One, sunburst, three single coils, with gig bag at guitar center for a clearance price of $425.00. When I saw that clearance price I could not pass that up and money will spent :)


Last edited by bluesguitar65 on Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:19 am
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Congrats on the new strat. I got a Highway One and I'm thinking of changing the bridge. But besides that, I'm not looking at touching it.


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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:31 pm
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I have '07 HW1. Firstly I changed tuners to Schaller Locking ones and old nut into Graph-Tech Tremnut - now it stays it tune really well. Then i changed pickups to Fender 57/62 Originals, love the tone much more! Now i'm waiting for Callaham bridge 8)

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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:25 pm
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See Doke! I told you modding is F-U-N. Especially when you don't NEED to you know what I mean. Just making a good thing better or making a personalized statement.

Besides once you modify it a bit your Highway One becomes a Custom Guitar.

Yee Haw! Now your Strat is even cooler to play. Don't forget to post what you decide to do Brother.


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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:30 pm
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I think thats the best thing about the Highway 1's and the MIM's. They're perfect for creating that special Frankenstrat you know you'll love. I consider them templates.

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:15 pm
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RokasLTU wrote:
I have '07 HW1. Firstly I changed tuners to Schaller Locking ones and old nut into Graph-Tech Tremnut - now it stays it tune really well. Then i changed pickups to Fender 57/62 Originals, love the tone much more! Now i'm waiting for Callaham bridge 8)

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/KB8/Stratas/Picture35313340
3.jpg[/img]




Thanks for the input man. Cool strat, looks familiar!!

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Post subject: bridge
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:18 pm
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If you take your bridge off I want it!!!


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Post subject: Tweaking
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:19 pm
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mthorn00 wrote:
See Doke! I told you modding is F-U-N. Especially when you don't NEED to you know what I mean. Just making a good thing better or making a personalized statement.

Besides once you modify it a bit your Highway One becomes a Custom Guitar.

Yee Haw! Now your Strat is even cooler to play. Don't forget to post what you decide to do Brother.



Now that's what I wanted to hear my man. Thanks for the encouragement.

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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:13 pm
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Congratulations on your new Strat!

I've been playing my '06 Highway One nonstop since last summer, nearly stock. Here's what I did to make it better after playing for a couple of weeks as it came off the shelf. Basically, this is a self-setup and I've gotten comments that it's set up real well:

1. CA Feathers mentioned stabilizing the trem with added springs and that reminded me to do it (like I did my old Squire Strat with some help). I opened up the back of my Squire and added two more springs off the Squire onto the Highway One.

2. I adjusted the pickup height to recommended specs in the owner's manual. Off the shelf, the bridge pickup was too low.

3. I changed the float on the bridge from the factory recommendation and I lowered it. I float about 1/16th off the body instead of the 1/8th. It matches the truss rod (not touched) that controls the neck near the tuners and gives a consistent low action.

4. I was getting a little unamplified rattle from the 5-7th frets that I use a lot to play blues in "A." So I was wondering about it and then saw some comments here and the owner's manual also says to graphite everything up. Also you can use some gooey glop but I stuck with graphite. It's super easy just a pencil is all you need and put graphite on the nut especially, the trees, the saddles. Real smooth and silent ever since.

5. Sometimes people here complain that the Highway One goes out of tune. I play pretty much every day, and my guitar is always in tune. I haven't had to tune it for months. Last time I did tune it when it sounded a little off, everything was still in tuen except just one string was very slightly off. When I tune my Highway One, I pull on the strings first to make sure that it's going to tune true. Then I use a digital tuner and it takes a couple of minutes.

I love it just the way it is. I'm planning some upgrades but I've been real slow to do any because they aren't really necessary. Eventually:

1. Either Beck Hot Noiseless or SCN Noiseless pickups. This one I really want to do. The hum cancelling works great but it's only two positions. I can't really decide and flip flop about which one. The Beck pickup's are a little warmer in tone I think, and sometimes I like that. The Beck guitar, in general, is a fantastic guitar and I want to move in that direction with mine. The Custom Pro and the Beck are very similar.

2. Stainless steel bridge saddles, but I probably won't do it until I get a burr in the zinc that causes some problem. I'm getting tons of sustain, and it's probably from the big head and the steel block in the bridge.

That's it. I'm not going to get the LSR roller nut because it's a tricky retrofit. That'll be a different guitar like a Beck some decade. Graphite in my Highway's nut works fine. I'm not going to get the Schaler locking tuners because my guitar stays in tune so well already. It's pretty close to perfect.


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