Fender Highway One Stratocaster Review - Should You Buy?

Situated between the American Standard series and the MIM Standard series, Fender's USA-made Highway One Strat is a special guitar that is definitely worthwhile of the name "Fender." What makes this particular Stratocaster different?

We examined a Highway One Strat that came in a classy Flat Black finish. In order to trim costs, Fender chose a light nitro satin finish for this series. In addition to being more budget-friendly, it has a particular look that we really liked. More than a cost-cutting measure, though, the lighter finish will let the guitar's alder body resonate more freely over time.

Other specifics include a vintage-style vibrato, large frets, a 70's style large headstock, C-shaped maple neck (available with either rosewood or maple fretboard), 3 Alnico 3 single-soil pickups, and a "Greasebucket" tone control. Another cost-cutting decision was to include a gig-bag rather than a hardshell case.

Upon playing the Highway One Stratocaster, it becomes instantly clear that the guitar is a quality, USA-made six string, even if it's got some significant differences that set it apart from the American Standard series. As we've already stated, we dug the nitro finish and value the result it has on the guitar's tone (yes, finish does affect tone). Individual notes and chords just seemed to resonate better than with glossy finishes.

We decidedly liked the pickups, which had a little more "punch" and dirt than American Standard pickups do. We especially dug the Greasebucket circuit, allowing you to decrease the highs without simultaneously raising the bass. This guitar is particularly suited for blues and classic rock tones.

The C-shaped neck also gave the guitar its own flavor. It's a little big for some folks, but we really dug the combination of the larger neck and large frets. It really facilitated sweep arpeggios and similar "shredding" technique. The neck construction quality was faultless, as was the maple fretboard we chose.

If you're not a lover of larger frets, you likely won't dig the feel, but we thought it was very comfortable and gave the Highway One Stratocaster a feeling all its own.

Obviously, we really liked the Fender Highway One Stratocaster. It's a top-flight instrument made in the USA that won't bankrupt you. It's not just a "budget" American Strat. It has a life of its own, from the large frets to the satin finish to the C-shaped neck. It occupies a notable place in the Fender instrument lineup.

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