Fender Highway 1 Strat into Fender Champion 600

[loggsoul]

just no other amp sucks that tone from fender like fender amp . There is something specific about those amps i like lot to hear but not to own , coz i hardly could imagine that amp for heavier stuff . Btw nice skills . I have this H1 version , replaced original single coil wit Shadow humbucker . But after this vid im not sure thats what im after . What would u recomend as options ?

[mikelrhcp]

yeah this amp is great i´m getting one of these and a fender road worn strat

[Guitarman1192]

can you plug this amp into a cabinet

[Testacabeza]

What tuners did you use? I want to change my HW-1 tuners but no idea what to use.

[Adamtage]

does it have a large headstock?

[intrsoul]

Excellent demo - nice variety of sounds and great playing.

Those are wicked pickups ;-)

[nicero870]

Your playing gave me goosebumps, Bro. You got the Jimi vibe for sure.

[flightbyshred]

dude! great playing - getting my highway on wednesday ;). would you mind telling me what pedal you kick in at 4:55? it sounds like a blues overdrive or a fuzz correct me if i'm wrong because i'm interested in that sound

[jakethemustard14]

NICE!!

I was gona buy a USA standard strat hss.. After listening to this tone the highway 1 sounds more like what im after.. I know they are cheaper as well but would you recommend?

[thepman28]

Thanks! It depends - bear in mind I've replaced the pickups on my H1. The originals were not so vintage sounding. Also, I think the tuners on H1 are pretty poor quality and need replacing. Not a huge job but once you've replaced the tuners and p'ups its not such a bargain.

If I were you I'd try and keep an open mind, play as many strats in your price range as you can (regardless of colour and model type) and pick the one you like the best. There are good and bad all Fenders.

[jakethemustard14]

safe brother.. ive been doing just that and i think the h1 is my guitar... what pikcups did you replace them with?

[GoHabs13]

@thepman28

what pickups did you put in it?

[flightbyshred]

sounds great man, how do you pick so fast? theory/scales?

[joaokorb]

Nice sounding! Got the same flavor of Highway One as yours. But i kept the Alnicos III they sound somewhere in exclusive tones between blues/rock. Keep on rockin'!

[4theloveofdill]

amazing playing dude.

[studio1087]

Outstanding.

Chops galore.

Super vibe.

Really nice. I just bought a HWY-1 HSS Strat and played it for hours this evening. I love the nitro finish. Neat guitar.

Great demo. Thanks.

[Kyite420]

could you do a demo of the champion with the highway one but no pedals and put the volume to full and the pickup to the bridge so i can hear the 600s natural overdrive =D please!

[thepman28]

Hi, sorry I don't own the champ 600 anymore. I don't recall it's overdrive tones beign a strong point - i preferred running it clean with pedals.

[memo128]

excellent tone!

[PsychoSymantic]

why dont you ever use the tone or volume knobs, you can get so much more from that guitar then what you show

[thepman28]

Hahaha...OK, thanks. Why is it always the people without any clips of their own playing that offer the masterclasses?! Show us how it's done!

[PsychoSymantic]

for one i don't have a guitar worth showing, except my 1986 Kramer striker 100ST, that always goes out of tune. when i get my new guitar (Jackson JS30KE Kelly) i will.

[thepman28]

Can't wait...

[MauroPavanelli]

5 stars for your playing, your tone and of course for your response to Psycho ehehe just love it!!! eheh.

[enexar04]

Yea! and why dont you use the airplane feature man. You know the one where you can turn the guitar into a F-22. God that guitar has so much more lololol

[stratdem]

the 2007 highway one sss strat = one of the best strats ever to be produced!

[EuphorbusBTB]

Strats can handle high gain, if your body cavities are masked with alluminium foil tape, here also a nice mod, I link the (otherwise useless) middle pick via a 2 way toggle switch to bring it in SERIES (bridge ground goes to mid live) with the bridge pickup also bridge out the mid pick-up place on the selector. Tone options; neck, neck/bridge, bridge, bridge/middle (humbucking) SG-like.

[Tjoppy]

hey man I have one too. is it normal that the amp is getting pretty hot?

[skypekai]

yep :)

[Yoooder]

how hot is 'pretty hot'? Tubes will generate a fair amount of heat and it will definately get warm, if you're in doubt then pickup an infrared thermometer (~$25) and get a reading. If you ever smell anything burning then it's probably too hot :-)

[Tjoppy]

haha thanks for the feedback!

[JVStratocasters]

love that amp!

[lorimaster]

I have a question about the noise level on this guitar. I heard that when played with high gain, the noise is unbearable. Is it true?

[Kyite420]

if your going to be playing high gain, your better off with humbuckers anyways, i wouldnt play a strat at high, i usualy put it at like half way, or 2-3 notches above half.

[dedemaister]

it's awesome! i ordered one and i'm going to have it really soon!

[Duckwanker0]

It manipulates the signal, and they are used on both the neck and the bridge pickup. It has become the new standard on all the Highway One Strats upgrade. It seems that no matter what pickups that are being used, it will all going to sound the same. That is why I am checking the message boards and blogs about the capacitors used on the tone control.

That's maybe the key on getting the ideal sound. It will also be the cheapest.

[thepman28]

Interesting, thanks. When I get time I might try rewiring to a standard strat tone control to see if it makes a difference.

[Duckwanker0]

Thanks for performing with a clear sound. I am trying very hard to understand the grease bucket circuit design on the tone control. I've always hear, "roll of the highs without adding bass". I sure like to know the difference.

I'm having some second thoughts about the tone on my Highway One Strat. I think the grease bucket design filters too much sound.

[thepman28]

Hi, I'm interested in your comment. I've never heard that the Grease bucket circuit filters sound. Can you explain more?

[rmweav11]

its whats in the highway one strats. not sure about the teles though. i would imagine the same circuit.

[gmlasam]

I actually like the grease bucket. I find it very useful in the bridge pickup. I found a sweet spot dialed the tone to 7, takes away the shrill trebly sound of the bridge pickup. You can dial Clapton's woman tone or Eric Johnson's smooth creamy tone. I like it better than the Delta Tone that the American Standards have. The grease bucket tone does roll of highs and retains the bottom end.

[eltercoiluso]

Hi !, with a 2x12 speaker (amplified) and moderated a drummer can play showsin bars or jams?

Thanks, good luck !

[thepman28]

It's definately louder through a big cab but I think it might struggle in a gig situation.

[fall0utboy]

great sound, great playing, and i say sell me the champ 600 and buy yourself a higher end fender tube!! screw the neighbors!! jp man great vid

[thepman28]

Thanks man...I have a Hot Rod Deluxe but it doesn't get much use because I don't get out much!!!! ;-)

[0p3a]

Great sound! And great playing! The champ sounds good with overdrive/distortion pedals in front of it? Or the speaker start "farting" with the distortion? Can he do the david gilmour distortion well, with a proco rat, for example?

cheers and thanks!

[thepman28]

It takes distortions well - my z vex box of rock really goes well with the amp. The amp 'farts' out a bit at full volumes but if you set it about mid way it handles pedals well

[matrags]

Sounds great man...I really like the look of those highway 1 stats but are they any good? Cause i've heard mixed reviews. Should I save my cash for an American standard?

[Kraluth]

From what I can tell from both personal account and hearsay, it seems that the Hwy 1's have some iffy quality control. Played some great ones, and some god-awful ones too.

I would just would make sure that I bought it at a store that I can playtest and compare, rather than an internet store (that's half the fun of buying a new guitar anyway).

[matrags]

Yeah man...Good advice. I think after some consideration I'm gonna go for the American standard, It's a few more bucks but I figure it's the better buy overall.

[geodinamicz]

I like your style, it reminds me of slash maybe :P

[Kapteinar]

I've had this amp for a while now, and damn..

For an apartment set-up, you really don't need any more. I'm running in through a 1x12 cab - with delays, reverb and a maxon SD-9 pedal with volum all the way up, gain at about 9 o' clock, and tone at about 9 also. KILLER. It sounds so incredible great. You can get that cranked amp tone at alsmost any volume! :) And to the guy that called me self-rightous, wanker and a dickhead - my internet penis is bigger than yours, go eat a crap.

[leonjay1]

My "wanker" comment was intended for the self-righteous dickhead who criticized you for playing the same lick over and over. Not intended for you. Enjoyed your vid, thanks.

[whateverlikesgadge]

"apartment set-up" now thats a great term.

You have to have two amps one for loud and one for not anoying the people living next door.

[lofis]

sounds very nice! even with youtube sound quality :)

[skateorganica123]

nice. do those work better for clean sounds than the stock ones?

[thepman28]

Yeah, I'd say they were better for cleans than the stocks - lower output.

[synodofdort]

The lick that I cant quit playing is stupid dueling banjos and I hate the damn thing. I just learned to play it as a joke and now it falls in to all my licks, I know all my family hates it as much as I do. Dueling banjos on a strat with distortion is just stupid

[thepman28]

Hahahah...I'm gonna have to go and learn that now...expand my licks library to become even more annoying!!!

[Kapteinar]

the same lick over and over again for 7 minutes.

[thepman28]

Thanks for the comment! I agree, it is repetitious but I was mainly just running through a few pedal sounds - it wasn't intended to offend your delicate sensibilities!

Strange you've added it to your favourites and it's predictable that you haven't got any of you own videos for me to comment on!

[Kapteinar]

sorry, haha, did'nt mean to offend actually.

I rather like the sounds you are getting out of this. It was just that one fast lick you played that started bugging me. ;) Thinking of buying the 600 myself, it's perfect for an apartment setup + it's not that pricey.

Are you running any reverb through this, or is it just the delay? No external cab?

[thepman28]

No worries - it bugs me too - one of those licks I don't even realise I'm playing until i hear/see myself doing it!

Yeah, just the champ 600 through the 6 inch speaker which is the main reason it is good for an apartment (anything with a 10 or 12 inch speaker is just too bass heavy).

No reverb, just the DL4 although I did have an EHX Holy Grail that sounded good through it...

[Kapteinar]

Wow, that's a full tone for a 6 inch.

I've got a couple of licks like that myself, no way of getting them out of my fingers now. What kind of effect are you using at 5:30? Vibe? I've got an external 1x12 cab that I'm planning on using with it, I think it's going to sound real juicy! :)

[thepman28]

Yeah, It's the VL MicroVibe at 5.30. The champ 600 sounded great through a Vintage 30 last time I tried, but it obviously gets a lot louder. Hope you enjoy the amp! :-)

[leonjay1]

Wanker

[codehendrix]

i have this guitar... the amber neck one... and its pretty good... your tone is amazing dude... you really know your shit...

[GuitarEd48]

Sounds great!also the 69's CS pickups!I have also an Highway1 and I don't know if I should change the original pickups...

[thepman28]

Thanks, If you like the stock pickups, keep them. I thought they were good for the higher gain stuff but lacked a lot of the glassy hendrix-y tone that I like, so i got the CS69s.

[AdamHefferman]

dude! how did you get that delay out of your dl 4, it sounds great, I cannot find that setting anywhere! Its definately a tool to be noodled with, but, if you could give me some pointers I would appreciate it!

[thepman28]

Hey man, thanks - I think the DL4 was on the Lo Res setting with repeats up to about 9 o clock and the mix just over half (so it starts to oscillate without being louder than the notes I play)...hope it helps. And yes, the DL4 needs to be experimented with - I keep finding new sounds in it!

[blhristov]

Excellent sound bro!

Cheers

[NYfenderstrat]

good playing man, you got a nice set up there. what are your thoughts about the highway 1?

[thepman28]

I think the secret with all Strats across Fender´s product line is to understand what fetaures you require in a strat, narrow the search to the models that have these features and then play as many as you can until youfind a good one.

My Highway is cool (especially with the 69s) but i´ve played some poor Highway 1´s. I´ve also played MIM strats that are better than some Custom shops - you really need to try as many as possible.

[Laughincow]

you're quite right, I think. H1 Strats are good guitars, but they do need a PU upgrade. I have the same set up: H1 + c69s

sounds great!

[SRVisthebest]

Whats the difference between this guitar and a american standard?

[thepman28]

Thanks for positive comments.

Off the top of my head, the differences between this guitar and the american standard include the finish (this is much thinner and relics quickly!), headstock shape, frets and pickups etc. You can find out more at Fenders site I´m sure.

[briceX]

yes i do the same. Ive got the monte allums sd-1 and together with the 108 fuzz you get a nice PHAT sound. I also run my amp very slightly overdriven.

[megadeth2612]

Nice tone!

Are you using 50's wiring?

[fabbola]

fender champion 600 are great!!

[evirowind]

nice playing there man! how would u rate the 108 ?

[thepman28]

the 108 fuzz is very cool. Obviously it's not at it's best through the Champ 600 (a Marshall stack would sound better!) but i think for the price and the buffer feature, you can't go wrong. I've since found that stacking it with the Sd-1 set for low gain sounds much better than on this vid!