Fender Lite Ash Strat

I bought this guitar used. It was said to have been played for three years prior to my buying it, but looked to be in brand new condition with plastic still on trem plate. All the standard features are there with no mods or additions. Exceptionally beautiful grain on the ash body. It came with just the gig bag. It has the 5-way pickup switch, 2 tone knobs (bridge pup is not adjustable for tone), volume knob. Pups are Seymour-Duncan staggered pole especially matched for this guitar. Body finish is high gloss poly, neck (maple/maple) finish is satin. "Lite" ash refers, of course, to the color and not the weight. Only a complete idiot would consider ash to be a light-weight wood. In furniture making, it is on a par with oak, that is to say, it's extremely dense but with a tighter grain and less knots. Tuners are non-locking and if I were to change anything, that would be it. Bridge is the 2 pin type found on the current high-end American models. The neck is extremely comfortable with medium-jumbo frets on a 25 1/2" scale with 22 frets. I'm unsure if there's supposed to be a spring to provide tension against the trem arm or if it got lost at some time. As for the tremelo springs themselves, my Strat arrived with two (I think new ones were shipped that way, also) but I added a third for more positive return to correct tuning after mild "whammy bar" use.

My style is mostly Brit blues and blues-jazz fusion, with enough rock and country thrown in to make me sound like a dabbler. I play through a sixties Gibson Minuteman all tube with tremelo and reverb and a Fender G-dec Jr. Like all classically appointed Strats, there is noise in pickup positions 1, 3, and 5. Having played a '68 Telecaster Deluxe for the last 38 or so years, that doesn't bother me. The variety of tones is what I really like this instrument for, and one can easily spend hours checking out the subtle and not so subtle differences the S.D. pups provide. In response to those who say the bridge pup is too bright, I say expand your style and use it to your advantage. It must be the difference in pups, but I don't find a switch position that emulates my Tele. Middle and bridge together can be very quacky, quite organic in a way. My guess is one could easily find the exact tone they're looking for, no problem. The only problem I have encountered to date is a "ping" from the nut during tremelo bar bends. Therefore, a 9 in this category.

The action was not as I like after being shipped, but I got it close enough to make sure no major work needed doing. First thing was to take it to the local shop for a pro setup. As it is now, the action is quite low, no fret buzz, dead spots or nasties. The fit and finish are impeccable, much nicer than I thought they would be. The materials are all top quality, although the single-ply pick guard seems a bit cheap compared to the three-ply on my Tele (but that's "apples to oranges"). The fit of the neck heel to the body pocket is perfect. The switch is tight and the knobs feel solid. There are no flaws on my particular copy, and I am guessing that quality control over the Lite Ash models was very tight.

I don't foresee any problems with this axe holding up to the amount of use a diligent player might require of it, and possibly even a fair amount of abuse your typical metal-head might dish out. The hardware seems solid enough, and the finish is certainly durable enough. The finish seems more durable than on my Tele, which itself has aged extremely well over the years. I would use it on a gig without a backup, and feel it is a very dependable instrument. It would need strap locks, however.

I have had no need to deal with Fender, but I would like to see a bit more info on setting up this model, either by Fender or Seymour-Duncan. I am uncertain what the warranty is or if it is extended on a previously owned guitar.

I"ve been playing for 40 years. Hace a "68" Tele Deluxe, 60's Gibson Minuteman tube amp, Fender G-Dec Jr. amp, Turser J-45 copy for slide playing. If it was lost I'd be devestated, if it was stolen I'd be up for manslaughter. I did a ton of research before I decided on this axe, and realized I was taking a chance buying one sight unseen, but somebody must be watching out for me. I love the incredible versatility it offers. I wish it had locking tuners, and a graphite nut. In closing, Korean Strats may always lack the cachet of American models, but that IMHO is a gross injustice, and I don't think I would trade my beauty in for an American one.

2007 Lite Ash Strat with natural (clear lacquer) finish. Seymore Duncan factory fit pickups and black pickguard. Neck is birds eye maple. you can see the spec on the web easy enough. Finish is pretty impecable and no-one looks at this without a comment. Even if the comment is "is it a fake" as there's only a Fender spaghetti logo on the headstock.

I'm not the world;s greatest guitarist but have been playing for over 30 years and enjoy knocking out the old Classic Rock stuff, so don't expect a gigging review, but if you're looking for a "step up" and value another "learner's" opinion then keep reading...

I play lots of different stuff but turn to this instrument when I want the attack of the Duncans for rock and blues and want sustain so I can pretend to be Dave Gilmour or Carlos Santana. These pickups really growl and the ash body lends brilliant sustain. I say that's due to the body, but I'm no expert - I just know it growls and has excellent presence when on low gain.

I took it to my local luthier soon after getting it, and he adjusted very little (and to be fair charged me nothing as a result). He asked if it was a fake then wouldn't put it down, cooing he was, cooing. Action was pretty much perfect at 1.5mm an dit has Fender 9s on it which play nice for me. The neck profile is just as I like and I enjoy playing this more than any of my other instruments. The maple neck feels satin smooth (it's not varnished) and I use beeswax to keep it feeling soft.
I did look at a Standard (Mexican) Strat before I finally went for this. The difference is marked. Pay the (slight) extra. It even felt better than a Highway One, and almost as good as the USA Start I played too (but can't afford that and it wasn't justifiably better anyway).

Not a gigger so can vouch for it's "gig robustness" but seems well screwed together. Had it around a year now and use it most days. Seems to be holding up nicely other than some dirty frets near where the body joins the neck.

N/A

Overall - very happy bunny...

Been playing and learning slowly (off and on) for 30+ years. If I lost it, I'd buy another tomorrow. I was worried that I might get bored of it given I also have a Line 6 Variax too. I use a Line6 Pod XT Live and DI it into a MRS1266 recording studio with a 400W PA as a monitor (in my little studio that's more than enough). As a result all my tone comes from the FX pedal (I tend to use FX Killer on that for Blues and Rock) and use emulated Fuzz Face and Line6 stereo flanger for those Pink Floyd pickings.

Favourite things are the Seymour Duncans' bite and the smooth playing of the Birds Eye Maple beeswaxed neck...

2007 Korean made with 22 medium frets, Seymour Duncan APS-1N Alnico Pro2 staggered (neck), APS-1RWRP Alnico Pro2 staggered (middle), and APS-1B Alnico Pro2 (bridge) with 5-way switching. 2 piece ash body with a fine looking maple neck, birdseye maple fretboard fitted with abalone dot inlays. 2 point trem and a soft V shape neck with 9.5" radius.

I play blues mainly and this Strat handles this just fine. Home practice through a Fender Champ gives me all I need.

Not to impressed with the cheap volume and tone pots so I have changed a few things to enhance tonal control.

Fitted CTS 250K pots (standard pots are 500k??) and installed a US spec 5 way switch, also rewired with wax coated wire throughout and fitted three more springs to give a full complement of 5. Wound the trem down to the body. I'l give this category an 8 before mods but it's now worth a 10.

Tried a number of American Standard and Deluxe Strats and could not justify the extra expense for no discernible improvement over the lite ash.

Strings fitted from new were 9's, set up was OK. Needed to adjust everything after fitting a set of 10's.

Now I have upgraded the wiring, switch and pots I would not have any concerns using this guitar for live playing.

Has oversized strap buttons which I think would be OK, however I have fitted strap locks just in case. I would be really annoyed if I dropped this Strat.

I have had contact with Fender UK and they have responded very quickly. Having said that, it wasn't as a result of a problem so I can't comment on how that would be.

I have only been playing for 5 years so I don't have that much experience. I own a Washburn Wi66Pros Spalted Maple and a Washburn HB35. I tend to use the Strat more often as I love the feel and playability.

If I lost my Lite Ash Strat I would definitely try to buy another one.

I paid ??355 new in December 2007 and even before the mods I have carried out it is still great value for money. Mine has a natural finish which really shows off the Ash nicely.

2008 made in korea 22 medium frets 3 seymour duncan alnico pro 2 s. coil pickups ash body maple neck with birdseye maple fretboard 2 point trem with threaded brass inserts(great idea!!) very pronounced V neck 9.5" radius

it covers just about any style(it's a strat!!) am using this with a MBoogie rectoverb 1x12 the guitar jumps out of the speaker
the L ASH has the vibe of a 70's strat, but with better pickups, a more 'bend-friendly' radius and a trem that actually works
single coil pickups are noisy by their nature i use an ELECTRO HARMONIX HUM DEBUGGER to get rid of the 60 cyce hum

i bought the lite ash from a local store's used department the original owner must have not played it, because the plastic was still on the trem cover dead mint, new condition no flaws the nut does need to be filed a bit and i set the guitar up with 9--42 gauge strings, took the relief out of the neck everything else is right on the money

fender has always been courteous and helpful to me when i've needed to call them

i have been playing for 42 years and own also a FENDER ROAD WORN TELE(incredible guitar!!)
as i said, i bought this used, but in mint condition, and for $399, it's a steal for a guitar of this calibre
as much as i like the feel of a 6 point trem, they simply do not stay in tune as well as a 2 point with the threaded brass insert screws, it will remain stable for a much longer time than ones that are not
the V neck was rather easy to get used to
i've played a lot of high dollar strats(no need to mention names) and can find nothing compelling about them that this one has not met in every area it took a bit of tweaking to get it where i wanted, but with the exception of a $2000 and up instrument, that IS USUALLY the case
the duncan pickups really bring out the tonal qualities of ash and maple nicely
one other thing the strap buttons are oversized, with a felt ring around the bottom so the chances of the guitar becoming 'unstrapped' on a gig are remote(nice touch)
it's not light in weight, but not overly heavy either around the same weight as an american standard strat, but this one sounds a LOT better
i think that fender has discontinued this model, so if someone happens upon one, i would highly recommend trying it against other strats, including other fender models

This is one of the made in Korea Lite Ash special edition Strats with the Seymore Duncan pickups. Body is glossy natural and looks excellent. Fretboard is birdseye maple and again very nice quality.

Not an expert in this area but it's sounds pretty damn good to me

Excellent finish. Well setup for me out of the box.

Everything looks pretty solid. I don't use it for live playing but certainly looks like it would do the job.

Only been playing for 4 years and my only other guitar is an Australian Maton acoustic. I love the Fender though. Very nice to play and good sound and every time I get the guitar out in public people are quite impressed with it.

This is an update to my 7/21/08 review. I have the Special Edition Series Lite Ash Stratocaster with V shaped neck, no case. Ash body, nice birdseye Maple neck, Seymour Duncan single pole pick ups, 2-point synchronized tremolo with a brass trem block, etc, etc, etc..

I am updating my 7/21/08 review because I made some minor modifications that had a big impact on the sound of this guitar As I noted in my first review, I liked the sound of the Lite Ash Strat. While it definitely had the basic Strat tones, it was different than my USA standard Strat. It had a lighter, noticeably brighter sound. When pushed just a little, it even had a hard, overdriven kind of sound. In that vein, I was able to get great SRV grit pretty easily without using a pedal. With the guitars volume pot cranked up, the neck pick up sounded really good; it was an overdriven, bluesy Strat sound. It was very cool but it was not exactly vintage This was unusual because Seymour Duncan describes the APS 1 s that are on the Lite Ash Strat as vintage-correct, true single-coil pick ups with a warm, sweet tone with more natural string vibration for great sustain. The sound I was getting was great but not warm; it was very different from the audio clips for the APS 1s on the Seymour Duncan website.

In my first review, I noted that the Lite Ash Strat had 500K pots instead of the standard 250K pots typically seen on Strats. As per the Lindy Fralin website (and Stewart McDonald too), a higher pot value brightens the sound while a lower value warms it up. At the time, I thought that the 500K pots on the Lite Ash might explain the overall brightness and grittier sound. Well, it does.

I replaced all the pots in the Lite Ash Strat with 250Ks and had the standard Fender value capacitors put in. It is now a totally different sounding guitar. Totally different. The easy to get SRV grit and increased brightness are gone. In its place are poppy, vintage bell like chimes in positions 2 and 4. Its instant Sultans of Swing. Its pretty much the sound you get from the audio clips at the Seymour Duncan website. The difference is amazing. It is a totally, totally different guitar.

As per a web search, here is the reason why: the resistance of the volume pot is crucial to pickup performance. Higher value pots cause the pickups to resonate at a higher frequency, which results in slightly higher output and presence with the result that the sound is noticeably brighter. Lower value pots do the reverse and make the sound darker, with less presence and lower output. In other words, more vintage sounding.

Between the old and new sounds (due to the different pots), I have to say that I miss the grit that the Lite Ash Strat had. Especially in the neck pick up. With the 500K pots, the neck pick up was great. With the 250K pots, the neck pick up is OK. In contrast, with the new pots, the tone of the other pick ups have improved; they are indeed warmer and very vintage sounding. Basically, my Lite Ash Strat now sounds like a more vintage version of my standard USA Strat.

So, there it is. When I began this pot change experiment, I was wondering if I was going to get some kind of major, vintage tone Nirvana. While there was a significant change, it was not an improvement across the board; some sounds got better and others lost some ground (the neck pick up). If you are into a vintage sound, changing the pots in the Lite Ash Strat will definitely give it to you in spades. The change is dramatic. Beefing up the strings to 10s would probably help the vintage Strat tone even more. But since I already have classic Strat tone with my USA Strat, I think I will go back to 500K pots in the Lite Ash Strat for the funkier, more easily overdriven sound.

For the money, this is a great guitar. The guitar looks good and I think the V shaped neck is great. I got my Lite Ash Strat new for $475 as a scratch and dent from a major on-line retailer. Out of the box, it was a great looking guitar with absolutely no cosmetic flaws but the set up was a real mess. As noted in my earlier review, I had to adjust the action but that was no big deal.

I think it has the same durability of a USA Start. The switch and pots were really cheap but that is an inexpensive fix. This guitar is structurally solid with great fit and finish, acceptable hardware and good pick ups. As noted above, IMO there are only a few fairly minor changes needed to get this guitar from very good to great.

N/A

This is a great guitar for the money. If you want a vintage sound, change the pots to 250Ks. If you want a brighter, overdriven sound, leave the 500 K pots in place.

IMO, this is a good sounding, easy playing, really great looking guitar that was, in my case, incredibly well priced.

Same as all the other reviews on here. Mine's the natural finish - cos it looks amazing. This cost me ??319 but didn't come with a case (no surprise for the cheap price I got it for) - I bought a hard case for it immediately though.

I have to confess, I'm a lifelong Gibson man. I've been playing 25 years and my style's always been rock-oriented erring more towards classic heavy rock with a bit of a penchant for Bluesy-style lead solos.
Been playing in bands for years and had some success - have played live support at big gigs for Kasabian, The Enemy, The Fratellis, and....err....Wet Wet Wet (anyone remember them?) - and, as a result, have always favoured that classic humbucker growl and fierce output.
I've always had a longing respect for Telecasters though. And I recently bought the Lite Ash Telecaster after falling in love with it in a local music shop.
I loved that guitar so much that I decided it was time to take the plunge and add it's Strat cousin to my collection (Gibson SG Standard in heritage cherry, Gibson Les Paul Studio in wine red, Epiphone Les Paul standard in cherry sunburst, Epiphone Firebird Studio in Faded cherry, Fender Jass Bass Standard in Black and Squire P Bass in Olympic White) too.
I have to admit that at first I was really pleased with the neck and middle pick-up but REALLY disappointed with the bridge pick-up which was so bright that it made me whince!
But I've played with it a bit now and with some careful tinkering with my effects pedals have come up with a sound I'm more than happy with.
Overall the sound that comes out of this thing is INCREDIBLE! My mate had a MIM Strat which is a bag o sh*t in comparison. This sounds as good as any American Strat I've heard - all the classic Strat tones are there from Floyd and Beck through Clapton and Hendrix. When played clean with a touch of reverb and some Boss chorus this thing sings like no other guitar I've heard. And with the switch on the neck pick-up the bluesy lead tones just give me goosebumps.
Beautiful, beautiful sound.

Mine came set-up lovely right out of the box, except for a little fret buzz on the top E string, which (after a short fiddle) was soon rectified.
This may be made in Korea but, they clearly know how to build and set up an incredible guitar over there.
Finish? Just take a look at the pictures of this beauty on any decent website - its like sex with strings (if you catch my drift).
I'm opnly giving it a 9 because of the minor fret buzz issue

Well, I've had it five months and so I guess it's a bit early to predict this. But it feels well-built and I'm totally confident it won't let me down. I always take a spare to gigs (the Lite Ash Telecaster at the moment) because experience tells me it's the height of foolishness not to.

Haven't needed it yet and doubt I will.

OK. here's the thing. For a dyed-in-the-wool Gibson man to turn around and say "actually, you know what - this Strat is ******* amazing" it takes a piece of kit that MUST have something incredibly special about it - especially because it's a FENDER!!!
I wouldm't even look at a Strat for 20 years because my Gibbos have always been the turn-to guitar for me. Nothing has compared.
Now - well, I've got the best of both worlds. If I want to rock out then its the Les paul or SG every time. But if I'm playing solos or want anything other than full-on heavy rock - out comes the Strat.
For the money - there's not an axe out there to touch it. If this kind of quality came with a Gibson decal you'd be paying well over ??1,000 for it. Trust me - I know.
Amazing for absolutely any kind of music (except Metal).
If this was stolen or lost I'd buy another the same day. I'm gonna be getting the vintage white version very soon to.

wow the fender korean made lite ash stratocaster.
simply a brillian strat. this lite ash strat is just as
good even better in a lot of ways than the american ash strat.
solid ash body - birds eye maple neck with 22 frets simply flawless.
seymour duncan alnico pro2 pick ups for the classic strat tone to
instant modern tones and every thing in between.tuners and tremolo
are fantastic. just a Brilliant strat!

this strat does it all when it comes to
differnt styles of music. blues/classic rock/jazz and
yes even heavy metal this strat will handle it all.
from rich full sound to every thing between.

this guitar was set up right out of the box
the action on this strat is simply awesome.
fast and smooth. no ruff edges on the frets
high quality for shure the craftman ship on this
strat is JUST as GOOD as if it were crafted in the USA.

this strat will with stand anything you give it.
the hardware on this guitar is fantastic.
the finish is brilliant.
yes i can 100% depend on this stat and i would
use it with out a back up if had to.

i have been playing strats for a very long time
and i tell this fender korean made lite ash strat
is with out any doubt just as good as the american ash strat.
i have compared the lite ash to the american ones and theres realy
no differnce the quality and tone is just as brillant.
i love everything about this guitar and i wouldnt change a thing
on it.this guitar is worth a lot more than what i paid for it.

Special Edition Series Lite Ash Stratocaster with V shaped neck, no case. Ash body, nice birdseye Maple neck, Seymour Duncan single pole pick ups, 2-point synchronized tremolo with a brass trem block, etc, etc, etc..

After reading some of the reviews saying that the Lite Ash Strat did not have a vintage tone, I was not sure what to expect from this guitar. Because of that, I decided to compare the Lite Ash Strat to my USA standard Strat (strung with 10s, the Lite Ash Strat has 9s). I have a digital recording system and did an A and B comparison, playing the same lines side by side using several amps. In short, I think this guitar sounds great. In playback, the differences were minor. The Lite Ash has a solid, unmistakable Strat sound; just a shade lighter and a little brighter than my USA Strat. To be sure, something as simple as string gauge makes a contribution; like better Strat snap and more presence. But, with a little experimentation, I can get all the hallmark Strat sounds; in particular, the Lite Ash Strat can get great SRV grit. Both guitars have the same style pick ups with similar output so the differences, IMO, are not dramatic. I adjusted the pick up height - - lower for a cleaner sound and less output, higher for more output and more grit - - to get closer to a tone I liked (side to side adjustment too). It also took a while to find the best amp, amp settings, etc, that compliment this guitar; but that happens with any guitar. Basically, it is a matter of finding the guitars voice or basic character and then working with it. When all was said and done, I think this guitar has the right, basic stuff.

As with other reviewers, I found the bridge pick up to be harsh sounding. However, in fairness, I rarely use the bridge pick on my USA Strat on its own either. While my USA Start bridge pick up is hooked up to the bottom tone control (and also has a detent that allows for the bypass of the tone control) the Lite Ash does not appear to be connected to a tone control. One solution for the Lite Ash is to connect the bridge pick up to one of the tone pots with the help of a re-wiring kit; more about this later.

As with any guitar, a key part of the tone equation is the amp you use. With this guitar, I can get very clear, respectable bell tones through my Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue, great bite and grit from my Fender Blues Jr and terrific over-driven tone from my Epi Valve Jr (a killer little amp). Adding my Fulltone Full Drive 2 pedal or my Chandler Tube Driver (rack version) to any of these amps takes this further into great tone territory. Overall, there were solid Strat tones tending toward the bright side.

With regard to improvements, I am going to shield the interior with copper foil (it currently has shielding paint and a small amount of metal tape around the pots) and do a complete re-wiring job with new pots and jack. There are kits for both and I think it would be a cheap and positive upgrade. With regard to the brightness of this guitar, as the Lindy Fralin staff point out on their web site, Fender historically used 250K pots on Strats and they recommend using that value pot with Lindy Fralin pick ups. A higher pot value brightens the sound while a lower value darkens it. As per the reviews here, the pots on the Lite Ash are indeed 500K which may explain the overall brightness. With that in mind, by changing to the traditional value pots, this guitar could potentially become indistinguishable from the standard American Strat. In addition, the current 5 way switch seems pretty chintzy and the wiring kit also includes a sturdier switch. So there may be a lot of tone milage to be had with a $30 re-wiring kit.

Action Fit & Finish: I got my Lite Ash Strat new for $475 as a scratch and dent from a major on-line retailer. Out of the box, it was a great looking guitar with absolutely no cosmetic flaws but the set up was a real mess. The 2-point synchronized tremolo was not adjusted correctly and all the strings were dead on the upper frets. That, along with only 2 springs keeping tension on the trem, resulted in a very poor playing guitar. The problem with the 2-point synchronized tremolo is that since it moves up and down (pushed down or pulled back) and because there were just two springs keeping tension, I could throw the guitar out of tune just by resting my hand on the bridge. It really did have a rubber band kind of feel. Adding the included extra trem spring helps that but, IMO the best solution is to add the extra spring and also adjust the trem so the rear part of the trem plate makes direct contact with the body of the guitar and movement is then limited to going down only. That adjustment and the extra spring totally stabilized all the strings (the strings now stay in tune extremely well) and it also corrected the string height all the way down the fretboard. The guitar now plays beautifully. Having the rear of the trem plate in contact with the body of the guitar should also produce better resonance. Since I am not a heavy trem user, this solution works well for me. Since I was able to correct the poor set up pretty easily, I am going to rate the guitar in terms of how it turned out: great. One note, if you get this guitar shipped directly to you, the extra trem spring, hex wrenches and trem handle are tucked inside the folds of the cardboard packing frame; they are very easy to miss.

With regard to this being a Lite Ash Strat, I think it means it is comparatively light for Ash wood because this guitar is exactly the same weight as my USA standard Strat (Alder body) of 8 pounds 4 ounces. The satin finish neck feels great. It reminds me of an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis neck (no finish) but with the benefit of being totally sealed. The V shaped neck is very cool. It has a noticeable spine running down the length of the neck and it fits in the palm of my hand very well.

The body is resonant and if it were not for the natural variation in the wood grain, you would never know that the body was made from 3 jointed pieces of Ash. The neck is straight and the hardware seems reliable. Although a heavy poly finish reportedly reduces resonance, it will also probably protect this guitar for a long time. With regard to the satin finish on the neck, while a gloss finish is harder and more protective, the flat satin finish sure feels good. With shielding and re-wire kits I think this will be a bullet proof guitar.

No need for contact so far

IMO, this is a good sounding, easy playing, really great looking guitar that was, in my case, incredibly well priced ($475). However, if I paid the full price ($630) and this guitar arrived in the state I got it in, I would have sent it back too. But, for what I paid for it, I got a great alternative to my USA Strat that I really like a lot. This guitar is structurally solid with great fit and finish, acceptable hardware and good pick ups. As noted above, IMO there are only a few fairly minor changes needed to get this guitar from very good to great. But, if you are looking for your first Strat, instead of $630 for a new Lite Ash Strat, you might consider getting a good, used USA Strat because that is the undisputed benchmark. On the other hand, if you already have a USA Strat and want a very interesting Strat variation, this is a great guitar for the money. It is a lot of fun to play.

birdeye maple fretboard + V shape maple neck, without any lacquer,

3 seymour duncan alnico pro 2 single coil pickups

light weight ash body

two point tremolo,with brass tremolo block & a thicker whammy bar

made in korea,

the fender logo is quite odd, i think they should at least print "stratocaster" on the headstock too

actually it has a lot of nice features(even compare with American Standard/some American Deluxe), but "made in korea" will let people think it's a cheap guitar perhaps

i play quite wide range of music, folk, blues, pop, hard rock, experimental, electronica...

this strat sounds what it should do, like a very warm & classic american strat sound,

both clean and dirty sound works very well, it give more meat and warmness, but it still keeps the strat's personality

the tremolo is much better than i expect

the action is so amazing,

i love the satin V shape neck so much,

the medium jumbo frets on the Lite Ash Strat also give me better touch than those on American Standard/Deluxe series do.

the nut is plastic. i seldom use the tremolo, so i will keep the nut.

the selector is also the cheap plastic one, but no problem at all.

my one's factory setting is perfect, i check the intonation and the string height,and neck relief, no problem at all, i don't even need to adjust the pickup height. this is my best experience of owning a guitar

some people may think it's cheap, but it does withstand live playing,

and i will definately bring it onto stage or into studio

the strat button is oversized, i don't even need a strap lock

i will love it and depend on it from now on, i can't really find a better fender in this price

i will use it without backup on a gig, it's my signature model

1 year warranty

i have been playing for 8 years, i bought a fender american standard, and sold it after 3 months, the american standard sucks,

i will say american standard, american deluxe & highway one suck

this korean strat kick ass,

i want to buy one more as my backup,

this guitar is nearly perfect,

if u think of buying a am standard, try the lite ash strat first, upgrade the nut and the pickup selector then u will have a perfect strat