Well put.Rog wrote:I'm sorry, robs - I don't know the answer to your question (the origin of HW1 series).
The only comments I can make just confirms what everyone else here has already said:
Firstly - I prefer Fender over all marques for me - others differ - no problem - I either have or have had Fenders from USA, Mexico & Japan. My personal opinions are:
Fender Japan produce a very good product and their quality is normally very high. Their product is mid priced, of the 3 countries.
Fender Mexico produce a very good product which is, in my opinion, the best value for money for Fenders from the three countries. Lowest price of the countries.
Fender USA produce a very good product and in some instances (not all) their quality is superior to the others. Their price is the highest of the three.
It is my opinion that the snobbery surrounding MIA is founded in the insecurity of Americans. Its the old story whereby if you keep saying something is true, you eventually believe it. Americans firmly believe that only America has craftsmen capable of producing the best quality in musical instruments. This is of course totally absurb, but the myth persists, fuelled by insecurities.
Bearing in mind this thread is only discussing Fenders, not comparing them to other marques, if I was to consider buying another Fender guitar or bass, I would not worry about the country of origin. Instead, I would concentrate on playability - which to me is even more important than price.
I would try as many examples as I could find and choose the one which fitted me best - it could come from any of the three countries in this discussion. If the price for that one was just too high - I'd look at the next in line etc.
There will always be discussion around which holds its value best etc. For me, that doesn't even enter my considerations. I buy an instrument for me to play, not for any form of investment. If it plays fine, it gives me more enjoyment and that's a major reason why I am a muso.
I find that the best thing to do with fenders is play and listen (especially to unplugged tone, pickups can always be replaced), THEN look at the place of manufacture.
For example I've tried pretty much every strat at every price point over a grand in AK, and went through an MIA SRV, an MIA 62ri and an original '76 strat before coming across a '94 MIJ 57ri that I prefer tonally to all of my previous guitars.
I did a similar thing with teles, and ended up buying a MIM 72 tele custom, simply because it sounded better than any other tele I could find, including MIA 52ris. To get a better guitar, I'd have to go custom shop or vintage.
As for the tele choices mentioned, I thoroughly recommend MIJ, and I like the way the Hwy 1s resonate with that light finish. Hwy1s are also extremely consistent, if you're thinking of buying sight-unseen. They do have a slightly cheaper hardware/pickup fit-out than regular MIAs, though.
I don't recommend the std mexicans, which are a tad junky, but the ri mexicans can be great. The trick is playing a few and finding a nice one, like I did. The only thing that makes mexican ris a tad inferior tonally to their MIA counterparts is a heavier finish.