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Those of you that own or have tried these, what do you think?

Best deal in strats there is, IMO.

I had 2 MIA standards this year and I should really have bought a HWY 1, and just put new pups in it.

If I ever buy another strat, thats where I'll go, unless I have big bucks for a Custom Shop RI


Originally Posted by JeffBBest deal in strats there is, IMO.

I had 2 MIA standards this year and I should really have bought a HWY 1, and just put new pups in it.

If I ever buy another strat, thats where I'll go, unless I have big bucks for a Custom Shop RI

Word. After an amp, a HWY1 is my next purchase most likely. Owned one before that I liked a lot.


Originally Posted by JeffBBest deal in strats there is, IMO.

I had 2 MIA standards this year and I should really have bought a HWY 1, and just put new pups in it.

If I ever buy another strat, thats where I'll go, unless I have big bucks for a Custom Shop RI

Bingo. I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. The HWY 1 Tele's are killer too. That have MIA bodies and necks, MIM hardware and pickups, satin finish. Can't go wrong IMO.

The H1's are very good guitars. With a little effort in running the racks you can usually find a great one. I have a H1 and 2 MIA's and after shielding and my personal tweaks they are all on a level field in my eyes.

...but you really, REALLY have to change the bridge pickup...

Other than that, it's a great guitar.

Dunno I liked mine after I installed the middle pickups tone to it, not the worlds best pickups, but they get the job done, changed mine to aps-1's and a bridge aps-2 though.

I've been playing my friend's Highway 1 Strat a bit... I didn't dig the tone.

Feel wise, I haven't played a USA Strat for long enough to be able to compare. Pretty good though.

As an alternative I'd recommend a Gamp;L Legacy used off Ebay. They can be had for a great price and I continue to be blown away by the quality and tone of mine.

I really like the feel of my Hwy 1. I have had 2 other USA strats, and neither had the tone of the Hwy1. The stock pickups weren't horrible for blues, but for anything harder they do need to go. I replaced mine with Custom Shop 54's, and for blues and classic rock they are great.

Solid buy for the $$.


Originally Posted by chcjuniorAs an alternative I'd recommend a Gamp;L Legacy used off Ebay. They can be had for a great price and I continue to be blown away by the quality and tone of mine.

Tried that, loved the tone, hated the way it felt. The neck had an EXTREME taper to it. Baseball bat at the 12th fret, shredder thin at the first.

American Fender necks are awesome. I'm kicking myself for selling my first six-string....an MIA Tele.

i have a blue one with a rw fretboard and i love it to bits. some people complain about the finish but i dont mind it at all. fender says it makes it more resonant which is probably true but its also to cut prices...it sounds great so i dont care either way . i bought it with the intention of putting a humbucker at the bridge (the ssh hwy1s are all weird brown colors) but i fell in love with the sound. the only thing im doing is getting locking tuners for it since i mess with the whammy bar a lot. get one! DO IT

The guitar is quite good it sounds great before being pluged in. The neck isn't that great mainly do to the shotty fretwork that i felt on alot of diffrent highway strats. It's a incredible guitar for the price

Well, fender has claimed the bodies and necks to be from the MIA clan, at least initially. The pickups in MIM use RW/RP in the middle position where the HW1 doesn't. Not sure why they would use the same pups but pass on that important detail. Unless they have changed specs recently I don't think they are all that close.