How to identify Fender Highway 1 from MIA standard?

[raferalston]

I've searched talkbass and haven't found a thread that tells exactly how to differentiate between a Highway 1 and a standard MIA Fender.

Looking at Precisions in particular. Can anyone give me some tips to tell the two apart?

 

[awilkie84]

Highway 1 has a thin, satin-like finish & either a bent steel bridge or Badass.
MIA Standards have a string-thru bridge option & usually a gloss finish.
The tone circuit is also different & the tuners on the HW1 are like a MIM.

 

[tjh]

with all due respect, there is so much available on how to tell these apart here it almost compares to the volumes available of errant information ...

bottom line to keep it simple, an American Series and an American Standard HAS TO string through body (STB) ... with that said, not all STB will top load as well, but that is another deal altogether ...

... also, you should probably be aware that a Highway 1 and a Highway ONE are NOT the same thing, the name is not interchangable, as they are two completely different basses ...

... several on here have addressed the complete differences many times, if you have the time you can search my posts and you should get a fairly clear understanding ...

 

[tjh]

Highway 1 has a thin, satin-like finish & either a bent steel bridge or Badass.
MIA Standards have a string-thru bridge option & usually a gloss finish.
The tone circuit is also different & the tuners on the HW1 are like a MIM.

.. Hwy 1 has a simple bent plate vintage bridge, with threaded saddles ... Highway ONE has the BAII ..

... early American Standards (95-2000) have string through body only bridges with spriral saddles, American Series after 2001 have STB as well as top load option bridges ... AmStands (2008-current) use the High Mass Vintage Bridge (HMV .. a terrrible oxymoronic name) with both STB and top load option

... the early Hwy 1's ('03-04) used conventional Fender tone circuitry, after that (05-06) used GreaseBucket ... all Hwy ONES from 2006 until discontinued in 2011 used GreaseBucket tone circuitry ...

.. Both the Hwy 1 and ONES used the same machines (tuners) that were used on the MIM STANDARDS ... the early AmStands and the AmSeries used a different open style tuner, I believe they were from Hipshot ... the 2008-current AmStands use a slightly different, smaller, lighter machine ...

... just to clarify

 

[awilkie84]

.. Hwy 1 has a simple bent plate vintage bridge, with threaded saddles ... Highway ONE has the BAII ..

... early American Standards (95-2000) have string through body only bridges with spriral saddles, American Series after 2001 have STB as well as top load option bridges ... AmStands (2008-current) use the High Mass Vintage Bridge (HMV .. a terrrible oxymoronic name) with both STB and top load option

... the early Hwy 1's ('03-04) used conventional Fender tone circuitry, after that (05-06) used GreaseBucket ... all Hwy ONES from 2006 until discontinued in 2011 used GreaseBucket tone circuitry ...

.. Both the Hwy 1 and ONES used the same machines (tuners) that were used on the MIM STANDARDS ... the early AmStands and the AmSeries used a different open style tuner, I believe they were from Hipshot ... the 2008-current AmStands use a slightly different, smaller, lighter machine ...

... just to clarify

More detail that I felt like going into, but gets the same point across.

 

[tjh]

More detail that I felt like going into, but gets the same point across.

yup .. no biggie, but sometimes the details are kind of important ... when we make general statements it can further confuse the issue ...

... the Hwy 1 never had the Badass
... on early MIA Standards, STB is all thats available, its an 'option' on later AmStand models that offer top load
... the tone circuitry on over half of the Hwy 1 run was actually the same as on the AmStands
... and the machines on the Hwy Series are only the same as those like use on the MIM STANDARDS, several other MIM basses use other style machines, including vintage ...

.. again, not being condescending at all, I am sure you are aware of all this, but it is important to keep it straight when posting on here as not to mis-inform those that aren't .. thanks for clearing it up

 

[walterw]

string-through ferrules on the back of the body are the easiest way to tell; all american standards and american series' have them, no hwy 1s (or "ones"), or american specials do.