Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

jerryjg

jerryjg

PinkElephantologist
Apparently they are the same grade of wood used as in a American Standard and are made in Corona ,Ca. U.S.A.? The difference being that the satin Nitorcell. finish is appllied instead of the Poly Gloss? Apparently the 08's are even better due to a thinner undercoAt of primer( lets not start that poly vs. nitro debate here please). Anyhow,From waht i gather, ya either like , tolerate or hate that nitro satin finish. Those bodies are going for very decent prices( at least the pre-08's).
I have been thinking of picking one up, but im not thrilled about the looks of the satin lacquer. One question; Can I sand down the satin Nitro of the Highway 1 and apply a glossy Tung oil over it? Thanks
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

My Highway 1 is a 4 pieces body with transparent blue paint. It's not the prettiest matching, as a matter of fact it pretty much sucks :laugh2: but I LOVE this guitar to death, she sounds fantastic.

Finnish is definitely as thin and brittle as people say. Be careful. Mine's starting to get damaged pretty quickly, despite me being careful with all my guitars.

So I guess you could, why not... but the bare wood may not be very pretty at all.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Pierre said:
So I guess you could, why not... but the bare wood may not be very pretty at all.
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Well , 4 piece body , glad you told me. I think the U.S. Standards are two piece bodies? I'll just save up and get a nitro American Standard I guess. About the tung-oil, I was talking about sanding the finish with fine steel wool just enough to leave the paint and then covering it with a thick coat of Tung -oil.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Jerry, just buy a two piece blank and cut/paste to your desire. Then you'll have the most radical custom relic strat on the planet.
http://www.exoticwoods.com is a place to start. Or, if you like I'll sell you the paduak body blank I have and you can skip the waiting/shipping nonsense.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

HW1 necks are the SAME as American Standard necks but the bodies are different. FWIW, my HW1 Tele is a GREAT sounding piece of alder and Im pretty sure it's only 2 pieces...if it's more then I can' tell. Plus those super thin HW1 finishes really let the guitar ring.

Also, FWIW...American Standard Strats and Tele's are almost NEVER 2 piece bodies. Also, I'd bet that most people on the forum couldn't tell the difference between an American Standard, HW1 and a custom 1 or 2 piece body anyway!
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

the guy who invented fire said:
Also, I'd bet that most people on the forum couldn't tell the difference between an American Standard, HW1 and a custom 1 or 2 piece body anyway!
Click to expand...

But I'm the King of tone! ...Not really, thats just a little name i tagged myslef with to make fun of my obssesion that oft reches the point of absurdtiy! Good Info. Thanks.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

I would like to say that I have a regular good ole 90's USA strat body that I removed the paint from and found it was 4 pieces of wood. One section didn't even match the rest of the body it was ash and the rest of the body is alder. I dunno though, it sounds fine so whatever.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

from some buddies that toured Fender i learned all the body blanks are coming from a wood shop in Oregon... a wood shop glues the body blanks together and machines them to thickness in Oregon and ships them to Fender USA... a loan worker sits on the shipping dock grading the wood in a second and placing it on a skid for each location where each body blank will go... CS, American and then some are reshipped to Mexico.... they told me whatever wood arives in the morning is guitar parts later that afternoon..


there is 4-5 piece bodies in all Fender's line no matter the price point... Mexican made guitars, HWY1's, American Standards, American Deluxes, and the Vintage reissues... pretty much with Fender they use everything that is sent to them... like a friend said to me... if it sounds good it's good!
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

ive got 3 AM std's in the house, they range from 98 to 2000.

the tele is 3 piece, sunburst.

#1 strat is a 2 piece, right down the center. again sunburst

#2 strat is black, so its hard to say, kinda looks like it might be at least 3, could be as many as 5.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

j9fd3s said:
ive got 3 AM std's in the house, they range from 98 to 2000.

the tele is 3 piece, sunburst.

#1 strat is a 2 piece, right down the center. again sunburst

#2 strat is black, so its hard to say, kinda looks like it might be at least 3, could be as many as 5.
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are you sure the sunburst is a 2 piece? take the back spring cover off and see if there is the same center glue seam... Fender is still using veneer tops on some USA sunburst models from time to time...
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Then i guess I'll go with a hwy 1. Ive seen them less than 150.00. What I'd really like to know is can the tung oil go over that thin satin after a litle steel wool prep?

AND BY THE WAY- just what IS the difference in wood quality if it isnt the number of pieces. Is it wood grade? Or is it like, that the MIM's are 4-5 piece and the American Standards are 2-3 piece as a rule? Im befuddled.
 
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Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

There's so much conflicting information regarding what HWY1 bodies and necks are and aren't that it's tough to know who is right and who is passing on misinformation. I'm certainly beyond the point of caring what it is and is not.

My 2003 Highway 1 body is three pieces and it's a resonant body, thanks to the thin finish. The finish is thin and there seems to be nitro in at least the top coat (poly doesn't react to the foam in my guitar stand, yet my nitro finished instruments do). I won't claim to know the makeup of the base coat/sealer, but popular rumor is that Fender has been using poly sealers regardless of top coat for many years.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

WhoFan said:
are you sure the sunburst is a 2 piece? take the back spring cover off and see if there is the same center glue seam... Fender is still using veneer tops on some USA sunburst models from time to time...
Click to expand...

yep seams match up top and bottom. its actually kind of hard to see, the match in the grain on both bursts is pretty good.

the black one is the one that might be top and bottom

back pics didnt really turn out that great, but you can see the seam in the trem cavity.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

the guy who invented fire said:
HW1 necks are the SAME as American Standard necks but the bodies are different.
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Actually it is the reverse...

Hwy 1 necks are the same as MIM necks, just built (or finished) in Cali. The bodies are the spec as the standards, but the standards have preference on the nicer looking wood. This information was posted awhile back on the FDP by one of the Fender guys.

I have a couple of Hwy 1s, and all I did was polish the dull finish to a nice shine. Both guitars sound great, so snag a Hwy 1 body with no worries.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Ayrton said:
Actually it is the reverse...

Hwy 1 necks are the same as MIM necks, just built (or finished) in Cali. The bodies are the spec as the standards, but the standards have preference on the nicer looking wood. This information was posted awhile back on the FDP by one of the Fender guys.

I have a couple of Hwy 1s, and all I did was polish the dull finish to a nice shine. Both guitars sound great, so snag a Hwy 1 body with no worries.
Click to expand...


maybe the HWY necks are the same quality as MIM Necks... but there is some difference specs between a HWY1 and a MIM Neck for sure... MIM is 21 frets and a HWY is 22... the contours feel slightly different... the truss rod seems different too...
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Ayrton said:
I have a couple of Hwy 1s, and all I did was polish the dull finish to a nice shine. Both guitars sound great, so snag a Hwy 1 body with no worries.
Click to expand...


You didn't add a coat of clear gloss?

I have a Hwy 1 Tele that sounds great but the dull burgundy color puts me to sleep. I gotta do something.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

Lazarus1140 said:
You didn't add a coat of clear gloss?

I have a Hwy 1 Tele that sounds great but the dull burgundy color puts me to sleep. I gotta do something.
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Thats waht I was thinking. Get a Highway 1 body, then use fine steel wool to give it a light prep, then use a high gloss tung oil ?
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

jerryjg said:
Thats waht I was thinking. Get a Highway 1 body, then use fine steel wool to give it a light prep, then use a high gloss tung oil ?
Click to expand...

I was thinking clear lacquer and then buffing it to a high shine. As soon as my forum pup and new pickguard arrive I'm breakin' it down.
 
Re: Seeking Input on the Highway 1 StrAt /Tele Bodies

WhoFan said:
maybe the HWY necks are the same quality as MIM Necks... but there is some difference specs between a HWY1 and a MIM Neck for sure... MIM is 21 frets and a HWY is 22... the contours feel slightly different... the truss rod seems different too...
Click to expand...

No, not the same neck, just the same construction. The Hwy 1 necks are finished to a finer degree (based on what I have seen), but they get the same single action truss rod.

The AS gets the BiFlex truss rod.

For what it is worth, I sold off both my stock Hwy 1 necks and replaced them with Warmoth.
 
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