NGD - 2002 Highway One Stratocaster

failed_astronaut

Just picked this up from Strungout Guitars in Glasgow. They've had it in the shop for a while and I'm amazed no-one else had snapped it up! Hopefully @ICBM doesn't chime in to tell me it's actually half an affinity Strat and half a Hohner Rockwood bolted together!

https://i.imgur.com/apkJDm0b.jpg?1

guitars4you

Congrats - I think this 1st run of Highway Strats is the best 'affordable' USA Strat they have done - ie the best model you can buy behind the best selling Standard model - Good on their own, great hot rod project as well

ICBM

I don't think I ever played it but I remember it coming in. It's one of the first series with the smaller headstock, so I'm even more surprised it hung around that long... no, as far as I know it's not a Rockwood/Affinity hybrid .

mark123

hi i don't think the highway one series came with a gloss red finish.thought they were matt/ nitro finish ..desert blonde ..walnut are 2 of the finishes i remember...cant recall a bright red gloss finish ...i hope i'm wrong for your sake...

***edit**...I've just google imaged red highway one strat and yes they did come in that red and some do look glossy ! happy days

fields5069

I must admit I only remember them being matt, but also that it's possible to shine them up.

ICBM

They shine up very easily where your arm rubs on them, whether you want them to or not!

guitars4you

ICBM said:

They shine up very easily where your arm rubs on them, whether you want them to or not!

exactly - they buff up to a sheen - PRS Modern Eagles do like wise when played enough

Funkfingers

Continue buffing for long enough and you’ll wear right through the nitro-cellulose into “relic” territory.

paulnb57

Congrats!!
Cracking guitars, I have a second generation with the big headstock and A3 pickups, superb guitar and they are a bargain if you can find one.....

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

Look at it the wrong way and you’ll wear right through the nitro-cellulose into “relic” territory.

FTFY

Speaking from owning one!

rossi

I recall my one had a very light body .I would still have it if I didnt hate that honey blonde color or it should be computer beige maybe .It just glossed up from use all on its own .

soma1975

Proper sexy! 

LPManic

I remember the Highway Strats well in 2002. Really regret never getting one when I was guitar hunting, but I was hardcore LP at the time. I've played a few 2003-2005 ones since and some have been incredible. Health to enjoy.

CasperCaster

The Highway Ones are great guitars and make a great platform for modding. The satin acrylic finishes (including crimson red) on these V1 models buff out nicely to a decent gloss, but the finishes are very thin and relic pretty easily, which is part of the appeal.

FastEddie

Awesome guitars. I had a lefty, big headstock, white blond finish......AND I SOLD IT!!!!!  How stupid do I feel?
Enjoy. 

ICBM

I must admit I hated the finish on mine - it just looked like a DIY car paint job (although without the unevenness and drips), patchy where the arm wear had polished it, and came off ridiculously easily - it just looked unsightly rather than old. I don’t get the appeal at all.

failed_astronaut’s one is far nicer, I don’t know if it’s just the colour - mine was the brown - or whether they actually finished it better.

timmypix

Gorgeous! I've also got a 2002 Highway One and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. Love how it looks, love how it sounds for the most part but something's missing and I can't quite figure it out. It doesn't have the "snap" I associate with the attack of a Strat.

rlw

FastEddie said:

Awesome guitars. I had a lefty, big headstock, white blond finish......AND I SOLD IT!!!!!  How stupid do I feel?
Enjoy. 

I did that too

CasperCaster

@ICBM I agree and disagree. One of mine is a V1 (they were finished in acrylic) in the transparent red. The grain barely showed through when it was satin. But with a little careful effort and buffing compound it has a reasonable gloss and looks far far better. My black V2 looks much as you describe, and maybe I will buff it out at some point - it's plays and sounds great, but isn't the best looking. Some certainly look better than others.

ICBM

CasperCaster said:

@ICBM I agree and disagree. One of mine is a V1 (they were finished in acrylic) in the transparent red. The grain barely showed through when it was satin. But with a little careful effort and buffing compound it has a reasonable gloss and looks far far better. My black V2 looks much as you describe, and maybe I will buff it out at some point - it's plays and sounds great, but isn't the best looking. Some certainly look better than others.

I thought they were acrylic too, but I've heard so many people say nitro that I had begun to think I was wrong... I only had mine a couple of months and never bothered to find out. Mine was also the first version with the small headstock, but the finish was a sort of chocolate brown - looked like a bad 1970s refin. I bought it second hand, but the finish got noticeably worse even in the brief time I had it - I did consider having it refinished, but to be honest I thought it sounded a bit bland as well so I just got rid of it. I did like the neck a lot but that's probably because it was basically a USA Standard.

CasperCaster

@ICBM as the V2's are nitro, and nitro is generally seen as 'more desirable' (and saleable!) it's easy to see how this happened. Plus as usual, Fender pulled all the the info regarding V1 (except the service documents) when V2 was announced, so for about 4 years from 2006 onwards the only info on any Hwy1's said nitro, but of course referred to the V2's. The December 2002 Guitarist review goes into some detail about the finish, including some discussion about it with one of the senior Fender staff of the time. Changes to the V1's did occur over the production run. They didn't start with the grease bucket circuit, but I've seen a 2005 V1 with the same Mexican Classic pickups as my 2002 V1, but the 2005 V1 also had the grease bucket tone circuit. And nitro is rumoured to have been introduced during 2005 on V1's before the V2 relaunch for 2006. Whatever, both of mine (I've had four over the years; kept two) are great playing and sounding instruments, and if pressed I'd keep the (admittedly much modded) acrylic finished V1 over my V2.