Fender Highway One Stratocaster Review – Fender’s Bargain USA Guitar
The USA-made Fender Highway One Stratocaster is placed between Fender’s American Standard and the Made-in-Mexico Standard series. Rather than just being a “budget” American-made guitar, the Highway One Stratocaster has a vibe all its own.
The first thing we acknowledged upon opening the guitar case was the lovely (but different) flat finish. It came in black, and unquestionably has a different look than the glossy finishes we’re used to seeing. Sure, it was a cost-cutting measure, but it’s still really nice. It’s also a lighter finish, which means the guitar will “breath” better and improve the resonance.
Here’s the rundown on the other details. It boasts large frets, a 70′s style headstock, vintage vibrato, C-shaped neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 3 single-coil pickups (Alnico 3 magnets), and a “Greasebucket” tone control circuit. In order to trim costs, the instrument ships with a gig bag instead of a hardshell case.
Upon playing the Highway One Stratocaster, it becomes straightaway clear that the instrument 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 appreciate 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.
The pickups were hot and punchy, and the Greasebucket circuit (which allows you to turn down the highs without increasing the bass) is a nice addition. We could get tones from classic rock crunch to Texas blues with ease.
The neck might not be for everyone, but we really liked it. The 70′s headstock is purely a cosmetic choice, but the large frets and satin finished C-shape neck just felt right in our hands. Strings bent like “buttah” and the neck really facilitates sweep arpeggios and fast runs. It needs the right touch, but we found like the neck was very well done (we opted for the maple fretboard, by the way).
If you don’t like the feel of larger frets, then this might not be the guitar for you, but we found it extremely comfortable.
With a street price of around $700, the Fender Highway One Stratocaster is a superb USA-made guitar at a cost that won’t break your wallet. From its classy satin finish to its lovely C-shaped neck, the Highway One Stratocaster is a guitar that we highly recommend to Strat devotees who want a guitar just a little bit different.
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