Fender Highway One's

[Stevepage]

Well I'm in the market for another guitar. It's an engagement present from the fiance and I've been looking at a few things, something that I'd keep in the same regard as my current Strat which isn't the greatest playing Strat but there's something about it that just makes me love it to bits.

So:
Fender Classic Player
Prs SE singlecut of some sort
Ibanez of some sort, something interesting


and the Highway one Strat.

I've never played a highway one Strat before but I know some of you on this board have. How do these compare to the Mexi and USA strats?

What's the fretwork like and is the neck fat or thin?

[gwEm]

i like them. the fretwork is really nice on them, modern and thin neck profile, i find it pretty easy to work with

[Stevepage]

I'll have to try one out before I make up my mind about it because I prefer fat necks. Especially the Wide Fat neck on my PRS.

How are the pickups? they only have to be half decent till I get the money to put something else in.

I do have my eyes on a Strat that's for sale in a local shop. It's been modded by the shop with a Gotoh locking bridge, Dimarzio Pro Track pickups, coil taps and a mirror pickguard. It sounded great but wasn't too sure on the playability.

[gwEm]

I'll have to try one out before I make up my mind about it because I prefer fat necks. Especially the Wide Fat neck on my PRS.

How are the pickups? they only have to be half decent till I get the money to put something else in.

I do have my eyes on a Strat that's for sale in a local shop. It's been modded by the shop with a Gotoh locking bridge, Dimarzio Pro Track pickups, coil taps and a mirror pickguard. It sounded great but wasn't too sure on the playability.

i just played them in shops, so its hard to say. i have a two highway 1 necks on partscasters though which i like alot. the pickups are at least half decent, but more than that i can't say.

[Philly Q]

They're cool guitars, good value and the thin finish makes them feel more workmanlike than the more expensive US models.

The necks feel pretty much exactly like American Standards, rolled edges and everything.  gwEm says they're thin, I agree but really they're medium - they're massive compared to little toothpick Ibanez necks.  The actual differences are the big headstock, slightly bigger frets and the trussrod is an old fashioned single-action rod, even though it adjusts at the headstock end.

If neck shape is a big factor for you, I think it might be enough to put you off.  I find H1 and Am Std necks "bearable", but it does keep preying on my mind that a chunkier neck would be preferable.

[gwEm]

its was philly q who turned me on to H1 necks :)

i would prefer them to be a bit thicker, but having said that, the thick frets sort of give the impression of some meat. anyway, as i say - i like 'em. the rolled edges are a really nice touch

[viking]

StevePage quote :" Especially the Wide Fat neck on my PRS".

Hi,Steve !Did you buy another PRS ?Which one ?

[Stevepage]

I got a CE22 in Royal Blue. I got the PRS itch again and this one popped up at the right time  :)

[Andrew W]

I'm quite a fan of the Highway One Strat.  My current Strat started out life as one and the pickups are decent if unspectacular.  There's a comparison of stock pickups versus the Apaches I replaced them with here.

The necks are nicely made and are reasonably sized, the frets are very chunky though.  In the end I swapped the neck on mine for a Road Worn because I like the soft V profile better, but that's just me.  Overall I think the Highway Ones are good sounding, well made honest Strats with no frills.

[Philly Q]

its was philly q who turned me on to H1 necks :)

i would prefer them to be a bit thicker, but having said that, the thick frets sort of give the impression of some meat. anyway, as i say - i like 'em. the rolled edges are a really nice touch

That's true, the big frets do give the impression of a bit more bulk. 

I think the rounded shape helps too - if it was the same depth but with that awful "flat-backed-D" shape some guitars have, I'd definitely rule it out.

I still have one H1 Strat neck from eBay, can't decide whether I should use it with one of my Warmoth bodies or just sell it.  It could be my token "speed neck" guitar.  :lol:

[gwEm]

its was philly q who turned me on to H1 necks :)

i would prefer them to be a bit thicker, but having said that, the thick frets sort of give the impression of some meat. anyway, as i say - i like 'em. the rolled edges are a really nice touch

That's true, the big frets do give the impression of a bit more bulk. 

I think the rounded shape helps too - if it was the same depth but with that awful "flat-backed-D" shape some guitars have, I'd definitely rule it out.

I still have one H1 Strat neck from eBay, can't decide whether I should use it with one of my Warmoth bodies or just sell it.  It could be my token "speed neck" guitar.  :lol:

I think that last H1 strat neck could do with a bit more seasoning before you put it on ebay

[Philly Q]

You're right, I'll give it another year or two under the bed.

[AndyR]

What do you use for seasoning, Philly? Just plain salt? Or a fancy sea salt? Ever considered adding a nice bit of garlic?

Steve - I've ended up with a CIJ and two MIJ Roadworns. But when my wife was buying me the CIJ four years or so ago, I came very close to choosing a Highway 1. It sounded really good but it wasn't quite me. That might have been the neck I guess, but I wasn't aware of it at the time. I wouldn't personally choose a Highway 1 now because I don't like the extra fret (and I think it has a two-point trem? - rather than the 6 screw vintage jobbie I prefer), but they seem like excellent guitars.

[Philly Q]

What do you use for seasoning, Philly? Just plain salt? Or a fancy sea salt? Ever considered adding a nice bit of garlic?

Dust.  Just regular house dust.



(The H1 does have a vintage style trem, by the way.  :)  )

[AndyR]

(The H1 does have a vintage style trem, by the way.  :)  )

Cool, I couldn't remember... it did seem odd that I nearly chose a guitar with a two-point :lol: