Fender Highway One strats!?

[Powdered Toast Man]

Thanks bro, so American Standard have remained the same through the 90s, to current?

No.

2008 changes:
-elimination of the cast steel saddles and changed to the vintage style bent steel saddles (same as on your Hwy 1)
-Staggered tuners
-Neck and headstock now finished with the top in gloss and the back satin (previously whole neck was satin)
-Thinner finish on body

2012 changes:
-Pickups changed to CS Fat 50's
-Aged plastic parts (for vintage look)

[papersoul]

No.

2008 changes:
-elimination of the cast steel saddles and changed to the vintage style bent steel saddles (same as on your Hwy 1)
-Staggered tuners
-Neck and headstock now finished with the top in gloss and the back satin (previously whole neck was satin)
-Thinner finish on body

2012 changes:
-Pickups changed to CS Fat 50's
-Aged plastic parts (for vintage look)

I know that stuff.....thanks though. I was referring to string spacing.

Also I prefer the bent steel saddles on the new Amer Standards

I may end up replacing the saddles if I can find the new American Standard saddles. I love the saddles on the new Standards since 2008.

Man, this Highway One has so much life and resonance.

I just have to get it set up correctly. I haven't been able to get the buzz out which sucks because the American strat which I owned that was a 2000 Amer Standard had no buzzing even with super low action. I demand that on my guitars so if I can't get this to play how I like, it will be sold.

More I think of it, since I hate tremolas and never ever use one, and never use a middle pickup, maybe a Tele is MY Fender. LOL

Do any of you strat guys use the middle pickup?

I am starting to think I need to find the Fender that doesn't have annoying sharp saddles!

[Powdered Toast Man]

Also I prefer the bent steel saddles on the new Amer Standards

I may end up replacing the saddles if I can find the new American Standard saddles. I love the saddles on the new Standards since 2008.

We're you complaining that the saddle screws were cutting your hand on the Hwy1? The same saddles are on the AS.

[papersoul]

On the string spacing, is it the same with the Highway One Telecasters, the original Highway One Teles had the wider spacing?

Also, I have played a lot of new USA Standard strats and although the saddles are similar, there is nothing sharp or annoying about them, like my Highway one saddles! They sit in the hole farther on the new Americans. Never had an issue on any post 2008 American guitar. Even my 2000 American standard killed my hand due to sharp jagged saddle screws.

Maybe I can find shorter saddle screws for my guitar.

Fender needs to learn from PRS. My PRS trems are amazing!

The funny thing is that I will never use a trem so I lock em all down, wish they could find a better design like PRS!

[Powdered Toast Man]

Series 1 Highway One guitars had 2 7/32 string spacing.

Series 2 Highway One guitars have 2 1/16 string spacing.

American Standard Strats have 2 1/16 string spacing.

http://www.callahamguitars.com/blocks.htm#block_chart

[AudioWonderland]

Series 1 Highway One guitars had 2 7/32 string spacing.

Series 2 Highway One guitars have 2 1/16 string spacing.

American Standard Strats have 2 1/16 string spacing.

http://www.callahamguitars.com/blocks.htm#block_chart

They had a 5/32" difference? Having owned 2 American strats at the time I bought my H1 in 2002 thats hard to believe

[Powdered Toast Man]

Hey, I'm just reading the specs from the guy that makes replacement parts.

[crusty philtrum]

Ok, I've just measured the string spacing on my 3 Strats. The Highway 1 is 2.1" (53.3 m.m.) and the regular-spaced ones are 2.26" (57.4 m.m.). All the bridges are Callahams, and obviously the one on the Highway 1 is the model he makes with the narrower string spacing.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Ok, I've just measured the string spacing on my 3 Strats. The Highway 1 is 2.1" (53.3 m.m.) and the regular-spaced ones are 2.26" (57.4 m.m.). All the bridges are Callahams, and obviously the one on the Highway 1 is the model he makes with the narrower string spacing.

The real question is, had you not put a ruler to it, could you actually tell the difference?

[uOpt]

Thanks bro, so American Standard have remained the same through the 90s, to current?

Absolutely not.

For starters, 90ties had swimming pool routes which morphed into HSH at some point.

And in 2008 there were some major changes including rolled fretboard edges and vintage style saddles (but still 2-point trem). The neck profile is also horrible now.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Absolutely not.

For starters, 90ties had swimming pool routes which morphed into HSH at some point.

And in 2008 there were some major changes including rolled fretboard edges and vintage style saddles (but still 2-point trem). The neck profile is also horrible now.

Isn't it the same (modern C)?

[uOpt]

Isn't it the same (modern C)?

It should. Maybe it was the individual guitar, or maybe it interacted badly with finish or fretboard edge changes.

The American Standard is really dead as a guitar for me. I'd take a MIM 50ties or 60ties over it any day.

[papersoul]

Series 1 Highway One guitars had 2 7/32 string spacing.

Series 2 Highway One guitars have 2 1/16 string spacing.

American Standard Strats have 2 1/16 string spacing.

http://www.callahamguitars.com/blocks.htm#block_chart

So not a whole heck of a lot of difference between the older series one Highway Ones and American Standards!? What years did the series one Highway one Teles run from 2002-2006? I might go that route for a tele or American Special.

I was told the series one had a wider string spacing more like a Standard strat and the NEW highway ones have the narrow spacing. Everyone has been saying this. When I checked with Fender they told me a 2003 Highway would of had the same spacing of a Standard at the time. Not sure I care anyway! This 2003 H1 plays and feels killer!!!!

This 2003 Highway One Strats is GREAT! Nice strat! Love it. The finish is very thin, you can see the wood grain and the guitar feels so vibrant and great acoustic qualities...so nice!!!!!!

Set screw issue....To be honest I am noticing for a strat I am playing differently than my Gibsons and PRS, I have been resting my hand up farther so I pick between the middle and neck pickup so this may not be necessary!

[papersoul]

I paid $650 for this 2003 Highway strat in mint condition. However, used American Standard strats I see go for less! What gives!? Are the early Highway One strats that desirable? Why? I do love it and it is beautiful.....just curious what you all think.

The things I like about this strat other than feel and tone are the very thin finish and 6 point trem, both of which I believe add up to more vibrance and life in tone. I know it lacks the micro tilt of the American Standard but that is not really necessary. It also lacks the rolled fingerboard edges of the Standards but it still feels great and if you don't think about the fingerboard edge difference, you wouldn't notice really.

* On a side note, anyone know if the early 80s Japanese Fender SQ strats had rolled fingerboard edges? *

[uOpt]

I paid $650 for this 2003 Highway strat in mint condition. However, used American Standard strats I see go for less! What gives!? Are the early Highway One strats that desirable? Why? I do love it and it is beautiful.....just curious what you all think.

Some just don't like the Am Stds. Weird hardware all over the place, the neck profile isn't to the taste of people like me. Plastic pickups etc.

I think the particular wood pieces for body and neck are usually nice in the Am Stds but a guitar is more.

[crusty philtrum]

The real question is, had you not put a ruler to it, could you actually tell the difference?

Because i tend to use fingers as well as the pick (hybrid picking ?) i noticed the difference straight away. It felt awkward. However if i was using only the pick, the difference wouldn't have been as noticeable.

But, just like neck profiles, after playing for a short period, the differences don't seem to notice, and now i can move between different Strats without any issues.

[papersoul]

I LOVE this H1 strat sooooo much...I need another strat! Maybe something differe, like a fat strat or a strat with single coil sized humbucker! Whoohoo...I now like strats! I might skip getting a Tele and instead get another strat, fat strat or something! I want to find a strat with a thinner neck along the edges, maybe a V rather than C. I can do faster runs on my LP and SG, even my PRS. Maybe I just treat my strat like its own beast!

[papersoul]

Still loving my Strat. Love the early Highway One strats.

I have tried for years to find a strat that works for me, sounds right and feels right, a strat to which I have a reall connection. It finally happened last year when I bought a used 2003 Highway One strat. I have owned American Standards, Japanese strats, a Squire and played some other imports. The early Highway One series work for me.

I believe the early period was 2002 - 2005? Mine has the neck width and depth or thickness of the American Standards and the 6 point trem which I block anyway. Love it and I want another.

How do I identify the early Highway strats to make sure I am getting one like the 2003 I already have? With this next one, I want to replace the pickguard with a HB-S-S configuration, maybe for an Andy Timmons type set up, even though I play more like Jerry Cantrell than Andy Timmons.

So the Highways are my favorite strat, but I don't like the ones after about 2005, because the necks are narrow like the imports - narrow nut.

Do you know which year they switched to the narrow nut?

[papersoul]

The pre-upgrade Highway ones were not well designed. I would choose the post 2007 upgraded HWY1 models over the Standards. I like the bigger frets, closer string spacing, thinner finish, and bigger headstock.

You really feel that way? I love my 2003 Highway One!!! Best strat I have owned since 1987. I like it so much, my next purchase will be another used Highway. These are my favorite strats.

My next one will be an HB-S-S configuration, so if I get an older 2002 - 2006 model, I know I will be getting a very resonant guitar and I believe all I need is a new pickguard to convert it to a Humbucker in the bridge.

Now, I love the look of the large headstock, and maybe the more narrow neck won't be as big a deal as I thought and I may be able to just appreciate the difference. Another thing about the later date Highway strats other than the pickups, narrow nut/fretboard, thinner neck, is the larger headstock which I think looks cool.
The thing that scares me is the neck. The neck on my 2003 is awesome. How does a 2007 or 2008, for example, feel?

So it appears the early Highways were very close to the American Standards, and I can say my 2003 HW1 beats out my 2000 Standard.
The post 2007 have the large headstock, narrow string spacing due to bridge?...thinner neck?....fatter frets?
If quality is similar to my 2003, I may grab a used late 2000's H-S-S HW1.
I think I will not worry about the narrow string spacing and just try to get one and see how I like it after some time.

I just hope the Highways after 2006 are as big and resonant sounding as my 2003!

Very cool though that some from that period came H-S-S.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FENDER-2008-...item35c5840f07
Thanks!