johnny_frog Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Got my Highway One from jezzaboy on this very site and have been very happy with it. First the objective stuff... Had no quality issues. Frets all good, no buzzing, neck fits properly, holds its tune etc. etc. And the subjective stuff... Does what I need tone wise, cuts through the mix nicely and sounds good and fat. Personally I love the look of the thin matt black coating and how it wears. Soooo... as with all these things, go try one and see if it does it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danhkr Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Odd to compare because essentially it's a modern bass verses a vintage reissue. Build quality aside, initially a lot of that is down to personal taste (neck shape, gloss finish etc). Personally I find the HW1 a fairly big jump in quality, but again if you prefer gloss necks with a vintage profile you'll probably be more at home with the CV. I could reel out specs saying how much better the wood, hardware, components, pickups etc are on a HW1, but as most people have already said, the main thing is which one you prefer to play and most like the tone of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1077108' date='Jan 4 2011, 10:45 AM']I used to have a HW-one (not a 1) P and loved it. I now have a CVP and it feels and sounds different. The HW range are very good value, although the finish is an acquired taste. To me the HW-one P was a more meaty sounding bass. Even though i love my CV P (and its been upgraded with a new pup and pots) i find the CV's sound a bit mushy compared to the HW's. Maybe its the wood, the BAII or the reinforced necks (or all of the above) plus the finish but they do definitely sound different. more articulated and punchy (IMO). I do prefer the CV necks, especially the vintage frets, but the HW feels more ridged and i like that.[/quote] What's the difference between a highway one and a highway 1? Are there two types? I always figured the highway 1's were essentially American Standards that had been put together a bit cheaper. If so the same problem applies if American Standard owners look down their noses at you for having an 'assembled in mexico' bass. As a Roadworn owner I can sympathise, but like other Roadworn owners (and probably highway 1 owners, for that matter) I can laugh knowing full well how damn good an instrument i actually own. Personally, I prefer the vintage vibe, however I think the highway 1 seems like excellent value. I've never played one, but I like the idea behind them. I'm looking forward to trying one now, as the combination of parts sounds good. Like the thin nitro finish! Oh, I also own a CV 50's Precision. Excellent quality, great looking bass, does need upgrades if you're fussy about tone. The highway 1 seems like a better choice on paper for a main, gigging workhorse though. I'd like to try one so I could offer a decent opinion, but it all comes down to what feels better to you anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) The HW1 was the first line of these instruments (2003 i think). The HW-one is the upgraded version. The easiest way to tell at a glance is the HW-One has a BAII bridge on it (although a lot of people, myself included, put a BAII on their HW1), the HW1 came standard with a vintage style bridge. The HW-one has a graphite rod reinforced neck, grease bucket tone circuit, a lightly different finish on the back of the neck and i think thats it. Im sure the finish has been changed but cant for the life of me tell how. Ive never cared at all what other people think of my basses. Its normally people who haven't played one and so normally quote other peoples experience or just assume the worst. I do feel my HW-one sounds better than my CV Jazz but thats a personal thing, i would be happy to gig either (and i do). After owning Laklands, MIA Fenders and now Squiers i can hold my head up high and say i loved them all but value wise im happy to know ive spent so little on a bass that can give all the others a run for their money. Edited January 8, 2011 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='1082365' date='Jan 8 2011, 06:05 PM']Ive never cared at all what other people think of my basses. Its normally people who haven't played one and so normally quote other peoples experience or just assume the worst.[/quote] [i]Exactly [/i]how it should be. I ended up buying my Roadworn after specifically NOT wanting a roadworn! I was part of the clan that thought you would be paying extra just to have a mexican spit on your bass and drive home from the factory with it tied to their rear bumper. I played it, I fell in love. Literally. You'll have to prise this bass out of my cold, dead fingers. I couldn't give two sh**s where it was made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 [quote name='cameltoe' post='1082473' date='Jan 8 2011, 07:17 PM'][i]Exactly [/i]how it should be. I ended up buying my Roadworn after specifically NOT wanting a roadworn! I was part of the clan that thought you would be paying extra just to have a mexican spit on your bass and drive home from the factory with it tied to their rear bumper. I played it, I fell in love. Literally. You'll have to prise this bass out of my cold, dead fingers. I couldn't give two sh**s where it was made![/quote] I have no problem owning a MIM but for some reason ive never wanted one other than a MIM 70's Classic i had last year for a few hours. I haven't played a RW but two things put me off it. The main one is the look. Im not in to the RW look, but more so not the colours they come in. The second is the neck. A lot of people love them but ive found 7.25 radius necks dont feel comfortable to me, i prefer flatter necks. One reason i sent the 70s classic back. Funny enough im like a anti snob when it comes to really expensive, boutique basses. I cant get my head around why anyone needs to pay that sort of money, and wait maybe 2 years to get a good, usable bass. Maybe thats just me. I can see the attraction to own one but to me a bass is there to do a job, and most basses ive played will do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Just to throw a curved ball into the discussion, have you considered somrthing completely different? For a similar amount of money you get one of these MTD basses - they're Tobias designed but made in Korea, hence the price, and are to my mind some of the best basses you can get in this price range. [url="http://www.mtdkingston.com/basses/crb.html"]http://www.mtdkingston.com/basses/crb.html[/url] [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/MTD.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/MTD.html[/url] Or maybe even a second hand Spector Euro 4LX if you're lucky and can pick one up for a bargain price (after all it's a buyer's market). Edited January 9, 2011 by darkandrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 At the end of the day, you're going to have to try both basses in gigging conditions to find out if you prefer the HW-one to the Squier. One of the most disappointing Fenders I have ever played was a US STD Precision. I've had fretted and fretless VM Jazzes and thought that they were very well put together. When I bought my Thunderbird, the idea was that I would try it to see if I got on with the shape before going for the Gibson but a combination of horror stories about the new ones regarding QC and the fact that my Epi plays so damn well and sounds amazing meant that it never happened. I'm in a unique place just now of being 100% satisfied with the bass I have and not interested in anything else. I still look at other stuff but nothing jumps out at me anymore. I suppose 70+ basses will do that to you. You need to get out there and find out if what you have already is the right bass by trying what you believe to be better and comparing them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 [quote name='cameltoe' post='1082473' date='Jan 8 2011, 07:17 PM'][i]Exactly [/i]how it should be. I ended up buying my Roadworn after specifically NOT wanting a roadworn! I was part of the clan that thought you would be paying extra just to have a mexican spit on your bass and drive home from the factory with it tied to their rear bumper. I played it, I fell in love. Literally. You'll have to prise this bass out of my cold, dead fingers. I couldn't give two sh**s where it was made![/quote] Roadworn P-Bass was probably the most comfortable, easy to play bass I`ve ever played. I`m not a fan of fake relicing, but if I were to be looking to buy another bass, it would be one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I was looking for a backup bass and looked for a HW-P...that was the budget. Plumped for a CV-P, and have been amazed. You can buy 2 CV basses for the price of a Highway....something I would seriously consider! CV has blown me away....I haven't played an H1, but for me, my CV is enough for what I do....and there's enough left in the budget for a CV Jazz.....!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 More acknowledgement that these are just for people starting out or on a budget. [url="http://www.fender.com/blog/mars-volta-bassist-picks-up-a-new-classic-vibe-bass/"]Mars Volta Bassist[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 That's great, I love JA and TMV. Like the comment beneath the pic, full marks to JA going for a bass that feels right, regardless of cost. He's a great bassist, so that's pretty cool if it's right for him too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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