Highway One Strat VS American Standard Strat

[Kain Thornn]

I checked em out at the local Guitar Center today with these 2 offerings from Fender. Right off the top I liked the overall feel of the Highway One, although it was basically fresh out of the box and lacked a good setup. The action was a bit high for my tastes. The neck was a great fit to my hand, the larger frets were easy to do bendy bluesy stuff over. The tone was a bit on the flat side, not very sweet. The American Standard had way better tone, but had an uncomfortable "heaviness" to the feel of the guitar itself. If I could have the American Standard electronics on the Highway One body then that would have been ideal for me. Anyone else have any experience between these guitars?

[Pawel]

I've heard that the Highway 1 guitars get damaged really easily because of the light paintjob. I've played both at a shop and overall preferred the American, I prefer the heavy feel for some reason. I'd personally recommend the American, the tone is unbeatable after all, and it is a classic. The new American Strats have some improvements, I've heard, though I haven't played one of those yet.