Highway One Stratocaster SSS and HSS Club..

How can there NOT be a Highway One Stratocaster club???!!!!??

Hmm....

I will officially start one right NOW!!

These are terrific, low priced, mostly American made guitars!
Granted I've modded the heck out of ALL of mine....but that's just ME!

May I present....the ENTIRE color spectrum of the Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster series!! Yes...they are ALL mine!! Yes...I am totally nutz!!
They are all modded to perfection and play better than Custom Shop instruments that cost thousands more!!

The Breakdown:
(Walnut) DiMarzio Area 67(n) Area 61(m) Gibson Burstbucker 3
(Sunburst) Fender Vintage Noiseless, Gibson 57 Classic Plus
(Ebony trans.) Fender Vintage Noiseless, Gibson 498T
(Daphne Blue) Dimarzio Area 67, DiMarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F.
(Black) Fender Vintage Noiseless, Gibson 490T
(Amber) DiMarzio Area 58, DiMarzio P.A.F.
(Wine Trans.) DiMarzio Area 58, Dimarzio 36th Anniv. P.A.F

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/20446_1298794383912_1051956665_901781_7716150_n.jp g

ALL guitars have Fender /Schaller locking tuners and Graph Tech String Saver saddles!!

And wait.....one more!!


This is a F.S.R. Highway One Stratocaster HSS that was called the "None More Black" model.
It's previous owner installed a tortoise shell pickguard. I think it looks GREAT!!
What sold me on this was the large painted spaghetti logo headstock!
It has been modded with:
DiMarzio Area 67's and a Gibson 490T.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/27752_1422439394960_1051956665_1205487_3782302_n.j pg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/30652_1422439434961_1051956665_1205488_1523797_n.j pg

C'mon all you fellow Highwaymen (and women).....shout your love for these great instruments!!!

A great idea, and welcome to TDPRI.

I seem to recall images of your collection from another forum I would lurk at but never could join because I wasn't paying for my web address or some such thing. Very nice Highways!

Here's mine, and I too couldn't leave it stock.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t25/Bubbanov/98APR162011008.jpg

Aftermarket FAT section neck with smaller fretwire. And a bridge from Dale Clark.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t25/Bubbanov/98APR162011009.jpg

Except for an affixed bridge pup baseplate and some rewiring, the pups and guts are fairly stock.

A great idea, and welcome to TDPRI.

I seem to recall images of your collection from another forum

Thanks!
Yep....I'm a Forum dweller. I belong to most of the popular ones.....and have indeed posted pictures of my proud family on them!

I'm surprised about your choice of a neck with SMALLER fretwire!
The LARGE stock fretwire of the Highways was a total deal breaker for me!!
I LOVE large frets!!

Very cool bridge setup!!

Nice collection HWY! I have a Wine Red SSS. How would you describe the sound differences between the DiMarzio Area's and the VN's,,,,,and the original HWY pickups.

Nice collection HWY! I have a Wine Red SSS. How would you describe the sound differences between the DiMarzio Area's and the VN's,,,,,and the original HWY pickups.

Quite simply put...the stock pickups SUCKED!!:shock:
They were weak, toneless and typical of single coils....noisey as all hell!!
The Area 67 is really bright, but not shrill....a nice neck or middle pickup.
The Area 58 is a fantastic neck and middle pickup also.
The Area 61....I hear...makes a great Bridge pickup (it's slightly more powerful than the others)....but I have it in the middle.
The VN's. in spite of all the flack they've caught on many chat boards:confused:...are really nice pickups with plenty of quack and great neck sounds!

The Highways have really become fantastic guitars ever since the pickup changes!!

Thanks, sounds like you like the Dimarzio's a little more than the VN's. Have you done any comparisons to SCNs, they are real cheap at my local GC.

Thanks, sounds like you like the Dimarzio's a little more than the VN's. Have you done any comparisons to SCNs, they are real cheap at my local GC.

I do like the DiMarzio's a bit more only because there are more "flavors" than with the VN's.
The VN's only come in VINTAGE and HOT.
There's a bit more variety with the DiMarzio's.

I had SCN's in an American Deluxe Strat that I sold. I wasn't crazy about them....in fact...I'll go so far as to say...I DIDN'T like them!

Strange how everyone has their own preferences.

First, I think the newer Highway Strat pups are better than the older ones. Whilst the opposite is true on the Highway (alder) Teles. The old Tele ones are OK and the post mid 2005 ultrahot A3s are not to my liking.

N.G.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not actually "today".........but a week or so ago!

Strolled into my local Best Buy, did some haggling with the pubescent salesperson....and walked out the door with this....for $380.00!!!
It's a floor model....in great condition.
I usually keep away from floor models because they've usually been passed around like a 'Ho at at a kegger.....but she was exceptionally clean!
Like all my others....she will get the "treatment".
Pickups...GONE.....tuners....GONE....saddles ...GONE!!!
In their place will go premium components....

http://hphotos-iad1.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/321294_2358658999865_1051956665_2641040_2007699149 _n.jpg

FSR 2007 Highway One in surf green. Fender locking tuners, vintage cloth wiring

To continue my above post....here she is....all done /converted!!
She sounds amazing!!
This finish...Honey Blonde...was NOT available in the HSS format.
It is now!!
She's got:
DiMarzio Area 58 (n)
DiMarzio Area 67 (m)
DiMarzio Air Classic (br.)
Fender /Schaller locking tuners
Graphtech String Saver saddles

This guitar is now Light Years from it's former stock self!
NO comaprison whatsoever!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/375534_2563696485674_1051956665_2760969_403734735_ n.jpg

I have a nice wine red HSS Hwy One strat with black pickups.

I am thinking about, soon, switching out the unremarkable bridge HB for a Dimarzio "Super Distortion" and I want to put on a black pickguard or a more expensive dark colored patterned pickguard.

I think I can make this an awesome guitar.

Any suggestions. I'll post some pictures.

I have a nice wine red HSS Hwy One strat with black pickups.

I am thinking about, soon, switching out the unremarkable bridge HB for a Dimarzio "Super Distortion"

Awesome idea! I've changed ALL the pickups on my 9 Highways and now they are fantastic guitars!!
You might want to re-think the Super Distortion though.
I've had one in one of my guitars....and yeah...it sounds great.....BUT......it will indeed overpower whatever single coils you put in.....ridiculously so!!
Plus...it's a ceramic magnet in there! (I HATE ceramic magnets....just my $.02!)(Stick with AlNico based pups!)
If you go for one of DiMarzio's lower powered HB's....like the 36th Anniv. P.A.F. or Air Classic....you still will get great rock sounds at a much more manageable level!

Hmm....in my inital post....the first one...my picture(s) seem to be not showing!
Let me try again!

Here's the entire color spectrum of the Fender Highway One Stratocaster HSS series! As previously mentioned....ALL heavily modified....

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526319_3287279534798_1676038714_n.jpg

If you go for one of DiMarzio's lower powered HB's....like the 36th Anniv. P.A.F. or Air Classic....you still will get great rock sounds at a much more manageable level!

That may be what I will do.

I'm thinking of putting on a black pickguard and black pickup covers and bridge pickup, plus black knobs. I don't care for plain white pickguards. Possibly a white pearl one.

My main problem with the Hwy One is that it was previously stolen from me by my ex-nephew and held by him in denial of the theft for about three years, until my brother's health failed, and, when he was near death the nephew admitted to his dad that he had indeed stolen the guitar from me. His dad, my brother, told him that he knew what he needed to do, so at my brother's funeral he returned the guitar and an amp to me.

With the above in mind, I associate bad vibes with the guitar, even though it was one of my favorite guitars. I have not played it since it was returned.

I'm not sure how to disassociate it from the bad vibes. I would like to play it without thinking about the bad experience. I have been thinking that I might be able to bring it to a priest and have him try to help me. Maybe sprinkle some holy water on it and try to exorcise the bad vibes.

..... I know, it sounds crazy, but I would really like to clean the bad vibes off the guitar somehow, so I can use it again and have fun with it.

Do you think I will ever be able to use that guitar again without associating it with the bad vibes?

I am thinking that maybe changing it around a little with the pickguard and pickups might help; but I'm not sure. It is a super nice guitar in mint condition.

How do you get over something like this? Any ideas?

Cool idea. Not sure if mine qualifies. It's what I believe was the first incarnation on the Highway 1, a 2002 in Cocoa brown. I've swapped the tuning machines for Fender/Schaller locking tuners. It's also been refretted, as I wore out the originals. The luthier also installed a bone nut.

Duffy - That's tough. Maybe if you try to play it for a bit and see if the bad vibes just work themselves out. If not, I don't think I'd try to get over something like that and just move on.

I've got a 2005 Highway One that I really like. I have a maple Warmoth neck on it with Sperzel tuners on it, otherwise everything is stock.

It is my first and probably only Fender Strat that I own or will own. Nice guitar and incredibly easy to play.

Merry Christmas from Ethyl:razz:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Kebmel/Ethyl002_zpsa2b48164.jpg

TBP, I'm keeping it.

I'm thinking of putting on a new pickguard and some nice pickups like a Super Distortion bridge humbucker and some SD twin rail pickups for the mid and neck - or maybe I'll even go for the Dimarzio rails. I think that could be a great noiseless guitar.

It is the deep wine red one and has a nitro finish like I guess they all have.

Has anyone swapped the stock "Atomic" humbucker out for something else?