Highway One Texas Tele: Am I Crazy?

[marnold***]

Good to know I'm not insane. With a Tele, I expect to hear brightness and twang. This guitar had neither. The Texas Tele body is made of ash. The wood seemed to have very nice grain. I though that it would look awfully sexy if it were just stained.

I read the Harmony-Central reviews on it. Most people gave it very high scores for sound, but then said that they replaced the stock pickups with Fralins or something. To me, it doesn't seem right to spend almost 900 clams for something and then immediately have to fix it.

A member of the Fender Forum works as a tech in a local guitar shoppe. He let me play this homemade Tele of his. THAT sounded like a Tele. Very nice. I've been think about that guitar and doing something with my Charvel since it has developed a short so now it won't make any sound at all. I liked the middle position now that it sounds the way it's supposed to, but I was reminded that I just don't want a single coil-sized humbucker like the one that's in there. All Telefication is lost, although it sounds kinda cool for classic rock stuff.

[ShortBuSX]

I scored a 2005 Highway One Tele 3 tone burst off of Craigslist for $500 that included a tweed Roadrunner case on Tuesday.
But then I read this and am wondering if were all playing the same guitar???
Granted the 05s and earlier had different frets...but the bodies on these things are great! And they even sound great acoustically!

I can see why some would wanna replace the pickups...they are somewhat noisey, but I blame the poor grounding to the bridge.
And BTW appearantlly the newer HWY1's have hotter pickups...so that may also be a factor.

Im gonna fix the ground issue and do some minor upgrades...but at $500, I think I got a pretty good deal.

[marnold***]

I scored a 2005 Highway One Tele 3 tone burst off of Craigslist for $500 that included a tweed Roadrunner case on Tuesday. But then I read this and am wondering if were all playing the same guitar???

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Anyway, no actually we weren't playing the same guitar. The Highway One and the Highway One Texas are two different animals. My complaints were with the finish (very minor), pickups (blech--no "Tele-ness"), and the location of the truss rod adjustment (minor, but annoying nonetheless).

[ShortBuSX]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Anyway, no actually we weren't playing the same guitar. The Highway One and the Highway One Texas are two different animals. My complaints were with the finish (very minor), pickups (blech--no "Tele-ness"), and the location of the truss rod adjustment (minor, but annoying nonetheless).

What can I say? I didnt really see any other topics on the HWY1 *shrug*

The finish on mine is an Acrylic Lacquer, which doesnt seem to be as dull looking as the nitro, somewhat glossy but not as glossy as poly...and its nice and thin(not like poly)...this is gonna show age very nicely!
The pickups are very Tele, not as hot as the newer HWY1...but Im really not digging the ground noise...the #2 position hums worse than #1 and/or #3 : But that should be an easy fix(once I get around to it).
Mine has the headstock trussrod adjustment, but my neck is poker straight...but if I were you I wouldnt bash the heel trussrod, once youve got it set youll likely never need to adjust it...and that plug on the headstock end just looks really cool/classy.

PS, I like my smaller frets too!

If you can find one of these used, Id highly recommend one!

SVL...pics soon to come!:

[marnold***]

Mine has the headstock trussrod adjustment, but my neck is poker straight...but if I were you I wouldnt bash the heel trussrod, once youve got it set youll likely never need to adjust it...and that plug on the headstock end just looks really cool/classy.

Well, my issue with it is that since I live in a climate that varies from very cold and dry to quite hot and humid, truss rods just need tweaking from time to time. To have to physically remove the neck to adjust the truss rod is a PITA. My Floyd adjusts at the heel too, but there is a cutout in the pickguard and body by the neck pickup so it can be adjusted without removing the neck.

[sunvalleylaw]

Congrats! I am always interested in good finds. Pics please!

I scored a 2005 Highway One Tele 3 tone burst off of Craigslist for $500 that included a tweed Roadrunner case on Tuesday.

[ShortBuSX]

Pics please!

Here you go!
Sorry, theyre kind of dark...I took them as soon as I got home from buyin it.
I plan on doin some work/mods to it...so there will be more pics in the future, ones that look better.



Notice the strings...the guitar wasnt even in tune when I tried it out...the frets have NO WEAR!


BTW Marnold, the body on this one is cut out for a heel adjustment(not the pickguard though).


The reason I took it apart so soon was its got some ground noise in the #2 switch position...looks as though its because the bridge isnt(properly)grounded, but Im looking into that.
See the blue wire, it jumps to a ground washer on one of the pickup height adjuster screws...and it doesnt seem to work very well.


Any help with the ground noise would be appreciated.