What's the model of my telecaster?

Looks a heck of a lot like a Highway 1 in honey blonde finish with a maple neck, which was an actual model.

 

Definitely not an American Standard neck. Wrong logo/tuner/fret size combo. It's a Highway 1 neck.

 

No, they're actually not.

It took way too long for someone to get this right.

22 frets, big fretwire, die cast tuning machines - obviously not Texas Tele.

 

The detective novel continues!

 

I don't know, but it looks awesome...and I also am loving keeping up with the detective work, lol

 

2009 Highway 1 (Upgrade) tele. Am I too late?

 

Not too late.

I remember playing one of these in a small guitar store along the Atlantic Coast, south of Jacksonville Beach. George's? Just like this.

And 2009 was the last year on these, for anything but black and sunburst bodies. In 2010 and 2011, MF continued to get batches of Highways, with a handsome percentage of them having rosewood boards. Catch as catch can, you couldn't order one when they went out of stock time to time. By then the American Special Tele had been out a decent period of time. Fender was using up the rosewood board necks, as the American Special Tele was not available with a rosewood board, until some FSRs I think late in 2011.

The necks of course, are identical on these two models - the only choice being some in the rosewood.

 

IMG_20200726_135913065 by tm1303 posted Jul 26, 2020 at 2:00 PM

My HW1 has this little 60th anniversary badge on the back of the headstock. Does someone want to tell me this is incredibly rare and sought after and therefore especially valuable?

 

Reading ahead to the posts IDing it as a Highway 1, the Highway 1 bridge plate was thicker than the standard vintage-style plate, had a different part number, and IIRC was finished better, almost like a Squier Classic Vibe plate.

 

For reference, my 2006 upgrade HW1 saddle arrangement with aftermarket brass.

 

I want to tell you that basically 100% of all Highway Ones produced in 2006, had that little button pressed into their headstock.

The rarity would be a 2006 Highway One with genuine 2006 date stamps, pocket and heel, that had no trace of any button ever having been affixed there.

There's a couple different versions of that trans wine red color, on those Highways. It can be very fine sanded and polished up and made to look and feel, like a nice nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

 

I love the finish. It hasn't warn like it was promised, but it has gently polished to a subtle sheen

 

I had the same colored Red Highway-1 Telecaster and I polished the finish to a nice sheen using auto polish an wax. Probably about 2011.

 

You know, I have been thinking and thinking about your post.

Now, I am thinking, yes there was a Blonde paint color for the Upgrade Highways. But that was a lighter, paler color and it came stock with a Parchment pick guard.

I think the guitar shown is a limited edition or FSR in a BSB finish, with the stock black pickguard we see above. That may (may) even have some different, high end pickups.

I'd love to see the O.P. pull the pickguard and shoot some images of the wiring and of the metal cover. We're looking for different color wires, a different style of metal cover, different formwork, maybe even cloth wiring.

 

This is the Blonde finish that FMIC offered on alder body Highway Ones approx. 2006-2009.

That BSB one shown, may have FCS No-Caster pickups, if my memory serves me well. John C, where are you?

 

Just curious...why do people cover up the serial number?
Seems a tad silly to me.

 

So that someone else doesn't purloin the image and use it to trick a third person into buying a simulation of the guitar shown in the image.

Or to keep some so and so from filing a Police Report saying he owned guitar thus and such, serial number already posted. If you are basically the only person who knows the correct serial number and you know the officers, when a person is apprehended with your property, part of your way of proving it is yours is the knowledge you have. If you spread that knowledge everywhere you lose that edge. Yeah, I know, most of the time it doesn't matter.

I hear you. I'm not advocating one way or the other. I'm just spelling out the argument.

 

I think you are correct - the BSB was some kind of FSR or limited edition, and I think it did have the upgraded pickups.

 

Email Fender customer support with the serial number.