Neck: Modern C shape maple neck and 9.5” radius rosewood fingerboard with white dot inlays. Vintage-style 2-point synchronized tremolo bridge. The neck is straight and the truss rod functions perfectly.īody: Double cutaway contoured alder body in Honey Blonde finish. The frets show only light wear and still have a lifetime of playing left in them. It does possess various small nicks, dings, scuffs and light surface scratches but is still in pretty great shape for a used guitar that’s nearly 10 years old. All in all, this is still a great playing and great sounding Strat through and through.Ĭondition: This guitar is in excellent condition overall. It also sports a 70s-style headstock and comes with Greasebucket tone circuits so you can roll off the highs without adding in extra low end. It comes loaded with 3 Fender Hot Single-Coil Strat pickups, each of which carries endless amounts of classic tone from the warm and rounded neck to the bright, curling mid-range of the middle positions and into the crisp chime and jangle of the bridge. Overall, I use this axe to play jazz, blues, country and solo chord-melody arrangements, and find its sounds and look continuously inspiring.What makes this guitar special: This is a great playing and even better-sounding Highway One Strat. You will notice that I have replaced the neck PU with a Lollar Charlie Christian PU – but I will save that for another review. I have heard complaints about the finish wearing in too quickly, but personally I think its a perk, giving each individual instrument character (plus I love the “liveliness” of NC lacquer). I use it as my travel guitar, and despite having been stowed away for thousands of miles, has never given me any problems. It’s one of the most comfortable guitars I have ever played and the HWY 1 styling looks amazing.
I have since sold my HWY 1 Strat, but I can’t part with the Tele – it feels like a worn in pair of shoes, fits like a glove, feels like butter, etc. Ultimately, this guitar has the look and feel of a 1970s Tele, with modern playability and price tag. The finish color is Honey Blonde, and in combination with the NC lacquer, has translucence, allowing the body’s wood grain to show through. In congruence with vintage Fenders, this thin finish allows the body to breathe and vibrate with the strings, giving the guitar a more “live” feel. One of the coolest and most unique things about this model is its Satin Nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
The body is a huge hunk of Alder, there are 22 jumbo frets and a modern C-shaped neck. It has classic block lettering on the headstock, and a vintage styled bridge and saddles. The Fender HWY 1 Tele is modeled after the 1970s Fender aesthetic.
FENDER HIGHWAY ONE STRATOCASTER HONEY BLONDE SERIES
To bridge the gap, Fender created the HWY 1 series – American-made guitars at approximately $700. Although Mexican-made Fenders are cheaper, they depreciate drastically upon purchase, and are typically sub-par instruments, while American-made Fenders hold value and are of higher quality, they are upwards of $1000. Most guitar players are aware of the great discrepancy between an American-made Fender and a Mexican-made Fender, but for those unaware, generally there is a huge difference in materials, craftsmanship, overall quality and most importantly, holding of value. The idea behind this slew of guitars was to make an affordable, entry level, USA-made Fender guitar. Although still available, the HWY 1 is on its way out, and will soon be completely discontinued (or more appropriately, replaced by the American Special series). The Fender Highway One series is(was) a unique transitional series for the Fender corporation. Just a few months later I went window shopping on the historic West 48th street in New York City, and a quick dip into Sam Ash resulted in the second addition to my budding collection. Smitten with my acquisition, I soon decided to move on to the second collection essential – the Telecaster.
So, I began my journey by purchasing a Fender Highway One Series Stratocaster. Like most beginning collectors, I wanted to start with the basics – and there is none more basic than the Fender Stratocaster. Not long ago, Fall 2009 to be exact, I began to get serious about collecting guitars. In good company, I too was taken in by its siren song, and have been under its spell ever since. Able to function equally well in country, rock, jazz and blues, the Tele knows no boundaries. From Keith Richards to Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer to George Harrison, no player can resist its unique allure. The Fender Telecaster is one of the most iconic guitars in history.
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