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Fender Highway 1 Telecaster with nitrocellulose Lacquered Body |
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The Fender Telecaster Highway 1 is one of the least expensive American made telecasters currently made. This is a great guitar the professional or intermediate player. The main reason it’s cheaper is that its finish isn’t quite the same as the other American made Tele’s. The finish is a thin coat of nitrocellulose lacquer and has a matte (low gloss) finish. Nitrocellulose allows the wood to breath and resonant more freely. There are three levels of Fender Telecasters (as there are Stratocasters). The differences are the location upon which they are made. The cheaper of the Fender Telecasters are made in Mexico with the next grade made in Korea and then the American made Fenders. They are all very well made guitars. Of course there are differences in appearance as well as the types of wood and hardware used. The Tele’s made in America are IMHO the better of them all. They are also the most expensive. If you go to your local music store and play one that cost between $300 and $400, then play a $400 to $600 Telecaster, and then play one that cost more than $600 you’ll get a good idea of the quality range. The wood used for the body and neck as well as the type of hardware is all different. By far the American made ones are the best. They have a denser more solid feel to them which you can feel when you pick up the guitar and before even playing it. The feel of the neck/frets/fretboard is smoother and seems more attached to the guitar body. I can tell this before even playing a note. The Highway One Telecaster is an American made Fender and has these qualities. The main difference is the type of finished used. Most fenders use a Polyurethane finish but the Highway1 model is thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish. As you may know that real lacquer will yellow over age and this is how you can tell if you have a vintage Fender in many cases. The finish also allows the guitar to breathe and resonant. I could notice while going between an American Made Tele and this model, is that the pickups seemed to be warmer sounding. I used a Fender Twin and kept the same settings and the tone of the guitar was warmer and a little less powerful. I’m thinking it’s the pickups but noticed that the electronics includes a Greasebucket™ Tone Circuit that in essence rolls off the high frequencies while keeping the bass sounds constant. The body of the guitar is made of Alder with a 3-Ply white pickguard. It’s available in 3-tone Sunburst, Crimson Red, or Honey Blonde all with a thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish. You can also choose between a Maple or Rosewood fretboard. The 25.5” scale length neck is made of maple and comes with either a rosewood or maple finish. The shape of the neck is modern ‘C’ shape which is the shape of the neck where your hand goes. It comes with the Black Dot Fret position markers and 22 Medium Jumbo Frets. The medium jumbo are better for all around playing going from lead to rhythm playing. The machine heads (tuners) are Fender®/Ping® Standard and are die-cast and sealed. They are the good ones and keep the guitar in tune. The pickups consist of two standard vintage style single coil Tele pickups with Alnico Magnets Bridge with staggered pole pieces. The controls and all other hardware are chrome. With the traditional two control knobs, Volume and Tone. The tone control uses a circuit that only reduces the amount of high frequencies without adding additional low frequencies. To me it took a little getting use to as it does produce a sound that is slightly less in volume but does sound better or more what you would expect to hear. You can switch between the two pickups you a 3-way pickup selector set in the standard configuration: Bridge, Bridge+Neck, Neck. The Bridge is the vintage style with the 3-saddle bridge. If you’ve played an older telecaster you’ll know the type. The strings are through the body which is also standard. What else can you say? It’s an American Made Fender Telecaster and sounds and looks great. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who is thinking of purchasing a Korean made tele. Great for the intermediate to professional player and includes a deluxe gig bag. Features
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