strat highway one

[Joeydego]

Played one and it felt like 3/4 weight strat with a fast neck. any of you guys own one? Opinions?

[hbucker]

I've only played them at GC. I have to say I was very disappointed with them because on paper, they sounded like the best deal in a U.S. Strat in recent years.

The ones I played had very bad action, even for a Strat. The rosewood on one of the fretboards was of questionable quality and on all of them, fret ends were poking out the sides.

Now, I understand that all of these things except the wood quality, can be adjusted and compensated for in one form or another. I am NO stranger to these kinds of tweaks and I'm pretty good at seeing what needs to be done to a guitar in a store in order to make it the way I want it to be if I were to buy it. These guitars pushed the limit of what I thought could be adjusted to my preferences. That doesn't mean they couldn't be adjusted. But it means I wasn't quite sure that the $$$ that I would spend on that guitar would be worth it.

Anymore, the guitars coming from Korea and China have more QC and attention to detail than these Strats had.

Hate to be too negative. I really wanted to like them. But there are other Strats I like much better, including Mexican Strats...

[Joeydego]

wow, thats interesting. I felt the frets were somehow "off" too, like sticking out past the fretboard or something. The rosewood looked dull too. What I like about it is the less than huge radius of the neck. It was actually playable. The HSS I played still sounded like a strat. I also dig the 70s headstock. I own a usa standard, and the hiway played and even sounded better to me. You would think on the american theyd get it a little better QC wise.

[Rico]

Sometimes it seems the person in charge of QC was out sick that day and they let stuff through the line. I went into a local music store back in 1994 and they had 5 40th Anny Strats on the wall. Each one of them had a space in the neck pocket that you could stick your credit card into. They sounded great, played well, the necks were on tight, but I couldn't get past the space in the neck pocket. The store wouldn't discount it as a Belem or imperfection so I left. They also had a Tele that had what looked like somebody hit the lower bout with a ball peen hammer, before they applied the color and clear-coat. It happens. I was in NYC at a Sam Ash and they had a really great 40th Anny, everything was the way it should be, so I bought it from them.

Last year, at a different local store they had a MIJ 57 reissue, it was just perfect, I went home, thought about it and went back the next afternoon. GONE. I should have jumped on it the day I saw it. Played really well and sounded great and the QC was spot on.

How many did they have, did you try more then one.?

[Blues Power]

QC or not I blame the shops for not setting these things up b4 they put them on display. I walked out of many a guitar stores b/c the axes were un playable and not even close to being in tune.

I know we all have diff feel on action and playbaility etc but they should still have em failry close and not action of 3/8" high and pups stuffed way down into the body etc. Switches not working busted jacks and on and on.

Besides imo they should give the guitars a once over and any high frets or bad intonation should be corrected b4 your able to try it


OK a lil off topic but QC is not all to blame. Ive walked away from many great guitars andgave them bad raps that I would have otherwise bought if they were playable cheers

[FennRx]

I own a HW1 Strat. I am Gibson guy, but this is the best strat I have ever played. I spent a good 2 hours playing MIM and MIA Standards and I think the HW1 is the better guitar.

I like the Jumbo frets. I like the 70s headstock. i like the hotter pickups. the bridge may not be as good as the MIA Stds, but the guitar plays and sounds better. Definitely the best for the money Strat that Fender makes.

[Joeydego]

damn. Now im really F*cked. I went to GC and played a few hyway 1 strats. A lot of high frets and general issues, although for the money they are worth getting it right yourself. Problem is I fell in absolute love with a PRS custom 22!

[LoKi]

I had one for a while. Maple fingerboard, super high action when I brought it home, was great for slide.

A quick setup and it as as good as any Strat I've ever played. Cheap electronics and bridge saddles though.

[filiphslim]

I've got one!

[filiphslim]

Here's mine!
Sorry for the blurry pic though...

[jomo]

I played a couple and they weren't bad. I also played the meximelt and the American standard and ended up with a Custom Shop relic. I think all my future Fenders will come from the Custom shop, even if I have to wait longer to get it.

[GuitarFreak28]

I got mine the first year they were advertised in Frontline. Rosewood Neck, Blue Nitro Finish. Changed out the Pickguard and plastic to all black, changed the pups to Texas Special (I still have the originals around the house somewhere).

I have played the Eric Clapton Signature Custom (Not the standard series one), I have played the SRV replica (Again, Custom not standard release), and The Eric Johnson. The HW1's are fantastic and play as good as anyone of those guitars (Although that Johnson Fender was set up perfect and required no setup if I had bought it). My frets were clean and pre cut and finished, action was set by the guy who put in the Texas Specials and its perfect (Little higher than my LP but I love it). Fast neck, quality wood and sound.

Mind you, the neck wasn't on straight but a quick loosen of the screws, turn, check truss rod, BAM back to work.

The HW1 is very undersold. The original Aerodyne's that came out were comparable to how awesome they were but at that time (was a young lad) I could only afford this Fender. Was my 2nd guitar, and I still consider it a tie for my 1st choice next to my LP Studio (which may see a custom replace that. Hehe)