Pickups in a fender highway one stratocaster

#Pickups in a fender highway one stratocaster series

IвЂ™m not saying IвЂ™ll never own an American Stratocaster again, and I love my MIM Strat as well, but for 15 years I havenвЂ™t felt the need.

IвЂ™ve used it for numerous jams and always get some nice compliments about the sound and look of the guitar. If I had known that back then, I would have stocked up!ДЄs it stands, my Hwy 1 Strat has served me very well over the years.

These guitars were really affordable at the time, and theyвЂ™ve turned out to be minor classics. I played the Telecaster version, too, and loved it but left it on the guitar shop wall. Sure, I wish I had held onto my HSS version, but I also had been thinking about a sunburst version with a rosewood fingerboard way back then, which I never pulled the trigger on.

#Pickups in a fender highway one stratocaster series

I put the Highway One Series in general in that last category. For still others, I think back and wish I knew then what I know now. Some I've sold and regret getting rid of, while others I ditched and chalked it up as a learning experience. Some have been keepers, like the one I'm writing about in this article. The Highway One is a natural fit with my Marshall, but it sounds pretty darned good through the rhythm channel of my 6505 as well. Today my main amps are my Marshall DSL40 and Peavey 6505 Combo. For a long while my main at-home amp was my Peavey Bandit, and I would not have thought twice about using that amp and this guitar for a gig or jam session. I've played this guitar through a bunch of amps: Traynor YCV40, Peavey 5150 Combo, Fender Hot Rods, Marshall AVTs. Country players who like to use the two and four positions might want a little more clarity, or then again they may be pleased with the grittiness. Again, I'm playing moderate-overdrive rock and blues for the most part. I do use positions two, three, and four on occasion, and there is nothing lacking. I think the original pickups were a little more versatile with clean sounds, and not quite as dark. It sounds good cleaned up, as long as you donвЂ™t expect a modern sound. The neck pickup, as I said, lacks that glassy quality some players look for, but it does sound very Strat-like in a Stevie Ray Vaughan kind of way.

The neck and fretboard are super comfortable just as they are.

Needless to say, the guitar is long gone.ДЇender would eventually change to larger frets for the Highway One but, as with many upgrades that occurred later, I donвЂ™t think I would prefer them over whatвЂ™s on this guitar. In fact, I owned an вЂ80s era American model at the time I purchased this guitar, and it felt like playing a telephone pole by comparison. The one-piece maple neck and fingerboard is fairly thin compared to other Strats IвЂ™ve owned and played, with nice rounded edges. My Hwy 1 has an alder body and a maple neck, which, of course, is exactly what youвЂ™d expect for a Stratocaster. American Performer Strats are really nice guitars, but if you have a chance to grab a Hwy 1 in good condition I suggest giving it some thought. They were replaced first by the American Special Series, and now by the American Performer Series. The Highway One Series of Strats, Teles, and basses went through a few revisions before finally getting canned in 2010.