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Post subject: Highway One strat neck problem
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 4:48 pm
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Hello all, 1st post.

I'm an all LP man and am looking for my 1st strat. Today I met with the seller of a "mint condition" Highway One 2004 strat, 3-CS, maple neck (pre-upgrade, stock).
While I really enjoyed playing the guitar, I ended up not getting it because I was turned off by a few cosmetic issues regarding the neck that screamed poor workmanship, namely:

- long hairline crack on the coating (side of neck right below the frets, from the 9th all through the 22nd)
- some dots on the fingerboard and side of neck were partialy covered by lacquer
- ugly wood pattern on the back of the neck, darker than normal

I would like to hear some opinions regarding these problems. Was this a lemon or does this happen a lot with HW1s? I guess I may have been too picky (that's just who I am), but cosmetics are important to me. I also feared the hairline crack was more than just a cosmetic problem. Still looking for one in better condition though because the playability was excellent and they're pretty affordable.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!


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Post subject: Re: Highway One strat neck problem
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:22 pm
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BMVC wrote:
- long hairline crack on the coating (side of neck right below the frets, from the 9th all through the 22nd)
- some dots on the fingerboard and side of neck were partialy covered by lacquer
- ugly wood pattern on the back of the neck, darker than normal

I would like to hear some opinions regarding these problems. Was this a lemon or does this happen a lot with HW1s? I guess I may have been too picky (that's just who I am), but cosmetics are important to me. I also feared the hairline crack was more than just a cosmetic problem. Still looking for one in better condition though because the playability was excellent and they're pretty affordable.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!


Real hard to give to advice without pictures, but here goes
-Hairline crack, if just in finish, not a big deal. Cracks that go deeper are usually wider than a small hairline.
-Lacquer covering the dots...IIRC, the neck finish was a satin finish, so not sure how you can tell the difference...pics would really help here.
-Ugly dark wood on the back of the neck...beauty is in the eye of the beholder, most people pay extra for extra figuring, but if it is darker because the of the lacquer wearing through then I can understand your complaint.

Again, pics would really help here, Strats are more stout than your average Les Paul (A Strat can really take some abuse and keep on playing), not throwing any stones your way just stating my past experiences. I must admit a preference for the early version of the Hwy1's but since those have been out of production for some time now, finding a dead mint one may be difficult, especially considering the satin lacquer finish tends to wear faster.

T2

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Post subject: Re: Highway One strat neck problem
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:49 pm
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All I can say is shop around.
For not much more you may be able to pick up an american standard... :D


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Post subject: Re: Highway One strat neck problem
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:45 am
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They do lacquer over the fret markers. On my 94 the lacquer has come off one marker and starting to come off a couple of others.

I bend a lot with 008s. If I pick a middle string and bend over the marker without the lacquer I can just feel it if I concentrate. When playing I am completely unaware of it. I can't even remember which fret it is on without going to look.

In summary - it isn't an issue.

I actually rather like it. I bought the guitar from new and it shows it has earned it's dues. Being poly coated it won't wear like a nitro coated guitar but it is developing it's own version of road worn.

To the OP, as you define yourself as a Les Paul man (someone has to be ;-) ) don't Base your Strat experience on one guitar and certainly try a few MiAs.

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Post subject: Re: Highway One strat neck problem
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:12 am
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Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2015 4:19 pm
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Thanks for the replies and sorry for not posting pics. The seller wasn't too happy with my decision to pass so there's no way to get them.
And I'm not here to bash Fender, I've never understood that Gibson-Fender quarrel. True, most of my favorite players do use LPs (Jimmy Page, Slash, Gary Moore), but what's not to love about Gilmour, SRV, Hendrix, Blackmore?

T2Stratman,
Lacquer covering the dots - the satin is transparent but whitish. So there were dots that were a full black circle, and other dots were uneven, up to 50% covered in white. Maybe an x-acto knife could have solved it, I don't know, it just looked like a poor Asian replica.
Ugly back of neck - I've played a number of Fenders over the years and I can't recall one that wasn't nice and clear in the back. This one looked awful. Pics would help, I know.

jimmy_james and John Sims,
It's quite the dilemma. I love the satin finish if it's mint, but dislike the idea of any small dings becoming scars. If it's in a worn kind of way, might even be cool, but not a dozen permanent shaving cuts :)
About the American Standard, not sure it's any better than these early HW1s regarding playability. As I stand now, it'll probably be an early HW1 or an American Deluxe.


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