Fender Lite Ash Strat

It's all been listed before, but here we go...

Made in Korea Stratocaster featuring a (2-piece from what I can tell) ash body, natural finish, black pickguard/knobs, brass 2-point trem with a chrome top, 3 x Seymour Duncan pups, oversized strap buttons, birdseye maple neck/board, mop dot inlays, medium frets and err... A sort of medium fat C-shaped neck that's very comfy.

It's even better looking than in the pictures, trust me.

I play a bit of everything really... From some countrified sounds over blues, swing, jazz, rock and sometimes all blended together.

First half hour or so I played the guitar "unplugged" and as some others have commented... The guitar resonates very well, most likely due to the ash/maple combo. And experience has taught me that good "unplugged" sounds make for great "plugged in" sounds.

In this case they definitely do!

The Duncans in here are a perfect match it seems. They're fairly quiet for single coils and in combination with the brass block trem they give you quite a long sustain.

The sounds are bright in all positions. Bright, but not brittle. They've got a lot of bite and hurray... Each position actually sounds very different from the others.

For jazz: clean neck pickup with the tone rolled back about halfway. Nice... Adds just the right amount of "wool" and cuts back the brightness just enough.

Blues: well, contrary to some other guitars I have I find most positions have good blues sounds on the Lite Ash Strat. Bridge pup: very bright and almost like a Tele really. Bridge/middle: the usual funky sounds but... Better than usual. Middle/neck: swing baby, swing! Neck: SRV to a tee.

Rock: well, this I wasn't expecting... You can actually get very nice higher gain rock sounds. The pickups retain clarity very well. Bridge pup is a bright screamer and allows you to really rock out on power chords. Switch to the neck pup and you can solo to your heart's content. Even tapping sounds great!

Just for reference, my set-up here was Strat into Fulldrive2 into Laney TF200 (clean channel).

Very well. I have another MIK (Epi SG Vintage) which came just as nicely set up. These Koreans really know what they're doing, I tell ya.

Pickup height, neck pocket, action, finish. As always I inspected the finish for flaws, but couldn't find any.

All I had to do was adjust the tuning a little (it was ALMOST in tune even) and I was ready to go.

I haven't had it that long, but I have faith. Looks about as solid as they come. Finish is Fender nice and thick, neck is smooth, frets are dressed properly. Trem feels sturdy enough (and I'm not a wildman on the trem anyhoo).

Of course... Never gig without a backup, yadda-yadda-yadda. But I think she'll last me a lifetime.

The people at the store are very helpful. I've never had to contact Fender directly.

Here's the deal... For this kind of money it is ab-so-lu-te-ly the best Strat you can buy. Think about it... It only costs a fraction more than a MIM Standard, but you get... A better trem, better tuners, birdseye maple neck, Seymour Duncans, ash body,...

If you're looking for a Strat today and you don't even consider this one... You're an idiot. Don't mean to be offensive, but this MIK is just as good and in some respects better than some MIA Strats at a fraction of the cost.

If stolen/lost I would buy another in a heartbeat.

2005 Light Ash Strat

This is your typical strat design. It is super light and has a flawless gloss finished, figured ash. What is not typical about this model is that it's loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups, which sound amazing (more on that later). Build quality is basically flawless. The neck is satin finished and a rather hard V shape. Very comfortable and it plays like butter. Setup was perfect from the factory. The trem is brass (not common for newer fenders). This guitar looks killer!

I'm pretty much a funk rhythm type player (thus the strat), but this guitar can do so much more. The sound is incredible. I sat down for a long time in the store and directly compared it to US Strats, standards, Jimmy Vaughn's, and a few other strat types. I have never heard a strat that sounds so good. Each position on the 5 way selector gives a distinct and useful tone. In the past, I have really only used the B/M and M positions on my strats. On this guitar all positions are very useful. It's hard to explain the sound of a guitar and it's so subjective anyway... but I'll try:

This guitar has a very full, glassy strat tone. The light ash gives it a very pleasant resonance. I would call it more "full" than a typical strat. It's not overly dark or extremely bright, but a little of both. It "shimmers." The neck pickup gives an awesome rhythm sound or full lead sound. The Neck/Middle gives the familiar "quack" of a strat (this is my favorite position). Great for laying down a funk groove. Middle position gives a sharper, yet still full sound. Middle/Bridge gives the "quack" again, but a bit sharper. And in the bridge position, it is not overly thin and trebly like a typical strat. A very useful sound on this guitar. It cuts through without being annoying.

This is the best sounding strat I've ever owned, or heard for that matter. I can't put the thing down!

Very comfortable neck. It was set up perfectly from the factory--that in itself is not at all typical. The finish is totally flawless-perfect. The hardware is good quality, but fairly standard--except the killer SD pickups and brass trem block. Neck joint is tight.

I've nearly always had very reliable guitars and basses from Fender. And believe me, I could set the world record on the number of instruments owned in the past!

I've never had to deal directly with Fender.

This is a great value for an outstanding guitar. Keep in mind though, that you need to try before you buy. For any given guitar, there are great ones and "dogs." I definately did not get a "dog." I'm sure they exist for this model, but I'll tell you, if you get a good Light Ash Strat, you will be WAY beyond satisfied. My other axes are collecting dust since I got this one. It totally smokes my other Strats (some are twice as expensive).

2004 model

What can I say that has not been said? It's a great strat, and I don't mean great for a strat from Korea, I mean a great strat period.

This strat has it all

Nice meaty sound with pickups a little hotter than standard strat pickups, but still in the range of single coils that retain depth and character.

The sound is bright, glassy, and hot all at the same time. Some other reviewers who have already commented pretty much nailed it when they said it has alot of resonance, I noticed that unplugged before I even cranked it through the various tube amps at the store. I must say I am impressed with the sound a whole lot, theres no need to be worried about finding some pickups for this thing - I think the seymour duncan alnico pro II are the perfect match for this guitar.

I cannot find one thing wrong with the model I chose, but there were others in the store with less than perfect finishes. So just like any other strat model you really need to play through many of the same kind and find the best one. Its amazing how 2 identical guitars can feel and sound so different, but I take that as a good thing. You can really hunt around and find the one for you.

The wood was a nice choice, the neck is smooth and a real treat to play on, the frets were finished smoothly and I cannot find any thing wrong with the build and quality of this particular guitar - but like I said, play a few before buying one, that goes for any guitar purchase.

Ive gigged with it for 4 months now and it has held its own. Actually it seems just as solid and stable as my american strats that are always with me so I can have a choice during song, and this is the guitar I seem to reach for the most.

Not only does it feel as solid as my american deluxe, it looks much better and for most all the material I play it even sounds better. I thought this would be my backup guitar, but after a few weeks with it I knew it was going to be my main axe whether on the road or recording.

Dont know

I have to give this guitar a 9, and Ill try and keep it brief as I tell you why.

Forget the fact that this is not an american made instrument - I have 3 of those that I bring to my shows every time I gig, and after a few weeks with it I started to realize how much I liked it better than the others. I was reaching for it more often and it really holds its own under gigging abuse. So for the past 3-4 months Ive used it, I would say 90% of the time Im playing live I have used the lite ash, so I started leaving 2 MIA strats at home and just bringing 1 MIA strat as a backup.....to my lite ash! One of the best purchases I have made in a long time.

I think Im going to go check out the lite ash tele and see if I can find 1 that is as well made as this strat, if so it will be mine no doubt about it

This is an update to my prior review. I just played this thing at gig levels for the first time last night and the resonance is unbelievable. It's fat and warm, but still classic. It seems to sustain forever, even on a completely clean setting. This one's a keeper.

Just noticed that this thing has a solid brass tailpiece with a chrome plated top (which is evident when you change the strings for the first time)! I don't think Fender even makes note of this in the specs, but this is definately an upgrade from AM Standard hardware. This almosts certainly contributes to the never ending sustain on this Strat. I was going to put a brass nut on this, but I'm afraid it wouldn't stop ringing even when I mute the strings! Tuners still look kind of generic but seem smooth and problem free.

As far as I know, this is a Korean made, 2004 model. It has 22 frets and is a solid top, solid body guitar. The Standard strat pickup configuration and controls are present (SSS - 1V, 2T). This Strat comes stock with passive Seymour Duncan pickups. The body is Ash and the neck is maple, with a birds-eye maple fingerboard. This finish is that traditional American thick laquer finish. Standard string-through-body tremolo bridge. I'm not sure about the tuners. No accessories included, but the store threw in a gig bag (and then some). It has some nice inlay on the neck, as well.

I play all styles of music (really! classical -> metal; country -> pop). So that 'Strat' sound has to be in my repetoire. I can get those traditional strat tones, but the duncans are warmer and have more presence and depth than the standard American pickups. The bridge pickup is also hot enough to crank out some serious heavy rock, though it won't pass for metal (no passive single coil I've enountered does). This will probably take over as my main guitar. Although there is no noise cancellation employed in the pickups (that I'm aware of), they aren't as noisy as the stock pickups on my 84 American Standard. I guess they're sheilded and potted well. Sounds incredibly warm. I can achieve those classic Fender tones even through my solid state amp! The high-quality Ash body helps with the warmth.

The finish is gorgeous for an import. The factory setup was decent, but I'll probably fine-tune it at some point. No flaws that I've noticed in the finish or other wise. All the harware is standard American issue, so the quality is good. The tuners look a little iffy, but they haven't caused me any problems to date.

This is definately a blast from the past, as far as strat durability goes! Very solid construction. The finish is very thick and hard. Let's be realisic, I wouldn't use any guitar on a gig without a backup. I've been let down by some of my most reliable guitars over the years. This guitar seems like it would stand up to substantial punishment, but I don't intend to find out!

All my dealings with Musicstop, where I bought the guitar, have been very pleasant. They cherish their customer relationships. I would (and have) payed more for equipment there to get the service I trust.

I did have a problem with the tremolo on my 84 strat shorly after buying it and Musicstop took care of dealing with Fender for me. Both companies worked to resolve the issue quickly.

Excellent guitar. I played a lot of higher priced strats and it outplayed a lot of the American Standard ones and the sound was far superior. This has a chunkier neck than many strats, but no too much so (I've played chunkier necks on strats); I find it quick comfortable and similar to my Yamaha SG. If you need a real strat in this price range, don't get hung up on the fact that this is assembled in Korea; it out plays and out sounds the Hiway 1 strats. This is a quality instrument, all the way around.

Recently made, not sure about the year. Made in Korea
22 frets. Solid Ash body with transparent blonde finish and black single ply pick guard. One volume, 2 tone, 5-way selector switch. S/S/S pickup config. which are Seymour Duncans. All passive electronics. Ash body, birdseye maple neck (not highly figured), birdseye maple fingerboard (highly figured). Point Classice vibrato. Standard cheap-ass tuners. Medium jumbo frets, 25.5" scale. Neck is on the fatter side, but not as bad as the really chunky Fender necks I've come accross...a nice happy medium. Came with a gig bag, an allen wrench for the truss rod (that was the wrong size!--But I don't blame fender for that. The music store I bought it from probably just gave me the wrong accessories.) This guitar might rate higher in this category if I wasn't going to have to replace the tuners and the pickups.

Honestly, I was never a Fender fan. I thought they were over-priced junk. Well, fender is still over-priced, especially for their American versions, but I now realize what all the fuss is about over stratocasters. I'm in love with the resonance and character of tones I can get from this guitar. I'm not happy with the original set-up of the guitar, I'm not happy with the god damned tuners, I'm not happy with the noisy pickups, and I'm not sure if I might have to eventually replace the bridge (with a Wilkenson if necessary), but I AM mighty happy with the tone. I had the privelege of owning a US Masters Artist guitar for 4 years that had a bolt on birdseye maple neck. I love the stuff, so when I saw this beauty hanging on the wall with a similar neck, I had to try it out. The damn things feels so solid when you heft it. Too many times I've picked up strats or strat knock-offs that felt flimsy. This guitar also resonates like there's no tomorrow. I have no idea if I just got lucky, or if this is inherent with good strats, but I'm very happy tonewise. The maple fingerboard allows me to play very dynamically. The Seymour Duncans (staggered pole single coils) are very responsive, but don't react to high gain well. They are extremely noisy. Again, I've been spoiled by other guitars. 2 of my guitars have EMG's and I will soon be adding them to this guitar. They're worth their price for their noise reduction alone. And yes, I am a fan of EMG tone. I know some don't like the way they sound. I drive a lot of effects, and EMG's do a spectacular job of pushing a clear, dynamic signal through with loads of sustain. They're also excellent for direct recording applications (which I exploit). I play speed/death/thrash metal schizophrenically mixed with extremly clean runs, and even some bluesier stuff. A strat was not the logical choice for my playing, I just got their by accident. I picked up a Yamaha RGZ112P fat-strat knock off at a local store and immediately noticed its range of tones and sonic character. When in high gain, it gives a sparkle to chords and maintains more of an acoustic vibe in playing than other types of solid body guitars. Tonewise, I'd put that yamaha up against a lot of other more expensive guitars and come out ahead. I feel it has to do with the routing under the pickguards of strats that gives them their sound and brilliance. For cleans, for blues, nothing beats a good strat. What I didn't expect was that that would be the case for down-tuned thrash and death metal. I'm not kidding. With the right pickups, your strat is now a fire breathing monster. I always wondered why the lead guitarist of Obituary used strats. Now I know his secret.

Bottom line: this is a bit of a fixer-upper because the components are cheap and/or not up to par for my music, so marks off most notably for the SHITTY tuners. They're worse than the ones on my $150 Yamaha!

I wasn't happy with the set-up on this guitar, but it wasn't Fenders fault. The guitar tech employed where I bought the guitar either was a complete moron, or the Iowa winter weather played hell with the action. When I bought it, it was buzzing from the 9th fret up on all strings. I knew it wouldn't be a difficult fix, so I didn't think much of it. Pickups were at a good height, no complaints. Each of the single coils is very noisy on its own. If you within a mile of a flourescent light, you're not going to be happy. I've had experience with other single coils that had the same problem, so it's not such a huge deal, but would it kill Seymour Duncan to take some noise reduction into their designs for this pickup? I suppose people would be worried about losing out on "classic tone"...even though they're all going to run the signal from this guitar into a noise gate that could conceivably negate their tone anyway...heh. All the assembly matters were perfectly in hand. Solid finish, solid neck joint assembly, solid routing (and I checked under the pickguard after getting it home. Fretwork was excellent. Quality of materials was top notch. Electronics however are kinda crappy...seem cheap.

all in all, I'm happy with the base guitar and the execution of the assembly, just not with some of the components.

This guitar should be able to handle most of what you can through at it. Feels very solid. But, I haven't tested that out yet. However, the tuners will make your life miserable live. A few energetic vibratos or bends on any string will yank you out of tune quickly.

I've played for a long damn time, 15 years. I own a couple of other guitars now (an ESP 7 string with EMG 707's and the aformentioned Yamaha strat)..although I've owned quite a few over the years. This guitar was a good buy for me because I could tell it had lots of potential and I really like the way it looks. The tone is excellent, and the versatility that Fender's modular design allows for is a great advantage for a tinkerer like me. I hate the tuners, and dislike the pickups. Finish is brilliant, neck is perfection. I compared this to ESP's, Les Paul knock-offs (can't afford Gibsons and Epiphone guitars suck), BC Rich, US Masters guitars (wonderful, wonderful tone, but I could never get used to the string geometry), Yamaha Pacificas, Peavey guitars, Jackson dinkys, and none of them can match this guitar for versatility and expression. This guitar is great if you're willing to take the money and time to soup it up.

Korean made guitar, birds eye maple neck and fretboard, and a two piece ash body. The three Seymour Duncan PU's are fitted in a black scratchplate, volume, tone, tone knobs - the rest of the hardware in chrome.
The body is thick glossy transparent laquer, the neck is finished in matte laquer.
The tuners seem to be Gotoh, the tremelo is the same as on American standards - the fulcrum type of thing.
The PU's are Singlecoil Alnico II, and the middle PU is reversed poled/reversed wound for the strat in between sounds. Due to the make of the PU's, the sustain is long, the tone brite and clear.

I play mostly bassguitars in a bandsituation, but if I play guitar, I like to play from blues to rock, and then some metal. I either use a Line6 POD2, a 1973 Fender Champ or a Trace Elliot Super Tramp 100. Stompboxes much used with both amplifiers are a Reverend Drivetrain and a Danelectro Wasabi ASX-1 Distortion.

For a singlecoil guitar, this Fender is really quiet, only with real high gain settings it shows it's inherent noisy character. The overal sound is bright and clear, there is lots of variaty, and goes further then most "real american strats" go. Even hardrock/metal things can be played on this one. Funk, pop and blues are so easy done on this guitar, so fluid and refined, it's hard to put down this guitar. The onlu strange thing, but typical, are the tone controls working only on the neck- and middle PU, not on the bridge PU. This is easily fixed with a small mod.

Out of the box, the setup was a bit high, so at home I attached the third tremelo spring, and adjusted the setup. The routing, and pickup placement where perfect in line, and the overall finish is flawless. No laquer drips, littlecracks or what so ever. Only the nut might need some attention, it's a bit rough cutted.

Without a trace of doubt: this is a musical workhorse. I think you can take on tour without any problems. Everything is solid build, and the laquer is well put on. The standard suplied strap buttons are solid too, and I would do a performance without a backup. Yes a string could break, but that's possible on every guitar. So bring in the gigs..........

Never dealt with them, so I could not tell you.

I play music for twenty something year, but mostly as bassplayer. I like to collect and play guitars, so that's why I bought this one too. This is a Strat as Strats should be, the whole guitar oozes quality. In comparison to other Strats it has more features for the buck. (birdseyemaple,Seymour Duncan PU's). Maybe that guitars like this one break the spell of the fairy that only American made guitars are decent. I played a lot of USA strats that where not any better than this one, and also played a lot of them that where worse.
As far as the second hand market goes: an USA made instrument does it better second hand I guess, but that has nothing to do with playability.

Made in Korea 2004
22 frets
s/s/s Seymor Duncan pickups
Birds eye maple neck/birds eye maple fretboard
ash body with clear finish
black singleply pickguard

I gave features a 9 because of the beautiful birds eye maple wood used for the neck and fretboard. It really stands out and is a show piece. The SD pickups come stock which is another added bonus. Other then that it is just your standard strat.

I play classic rock and a bit of harder rock. Unplugged this guitar resonnates very well. The ash body gives the sound a unique character which some may perfer. Plugged into a JCM marshall halfstack and a crate 212 tube amp this guitar is remarkably silent compared to other strats. No noisier than an American strat and definately quieter than a mexican. It sounds very snappy/twangy with the treble being a bit bright for my tastes. A tweak of the tone knob makes it perfect. Like any strat you can dial just about any tone out of it. I actually don't find the SD p/u's extremely impressive, they sound a lot like standard american pickups. They suit my music and I have another thing to brag about.

Excellent finish, on par with American strats. Action was nice and low with zero fret buzz. Everything was properly adjusted right from factory. The only problem is the nut isn't as precisely fit as the american models. It fits the groove cut for it but the edges are a little rough.

rock solid. I personally would not gig with this because it is so beautiful and I don't want to damage it, but thats me.

never had to deal with fender, wouldn't know. Came with 1 yr warentee

I have been playing for 5 years, I play through a Crate 50 watt 212 tube amp. I have an imitation strat, and have played many many strats. This is undisputedly the BEST strat out there for the price. I had a long discussion with the owner of the store and we both agree that a guitar with these features MIA would cost well over 1500. This guitar is beautiful and worth every penny. I was surprised a made in a korea guitar would have such spectacular fit/finish. I do not doubt korean quality control any more. After all Epiphone makes great guitars and they are MIK as well.

2004 Lite Ash Stratocaster. Look at Fender.com for specs. The natural finish looks just like the ones from the 70s. They come in black and antique white now.

Great tone. I play blue/rock. Not a metal guitar, guess it could be if you swaped out the pickups.
The Duncans work really well with the light ash.
The neck pu is very warm and full and a little dark, but I like it.
The bridge is very bright with a lot of bite, will cut through during solos. The middle pu is reverse wound.
I can get Peppers to Clapton on this guitar. Great range.
I really love the tone of this strat.
Sweet, sweet tone. Through a pignose, it sounds just like a couple of those songs on Layla, no joke! I would like to check out some Bareknuckle pickups in this thing.

The action was a bit high when I bought it, but I got it at a GC. I am shure a couple of rug rats banged on it before I got to it.
So I had it set up by my tech, so what, I have with every guitar I own. The birdseye maple neck feels great and is beautiful. Great fret work. Not all of them have as many of the little birdseyes as mine does, look around before you buy. The build of the guitar is awesome, no joke. Better than most of the American deluxes I have played. Great frets, neck, body and hardware. I will probably upgrade the tuners. They did not print Stratocaster on the head stock. Lame!!!

This is a very sturdy guitar. Very large strap buttons, good so it wont pop out of a strap hole while wailing. I do not think you would need back up for this guitar. Thick glossy finish.

I have freinds at Fender and they have always been great to me, so I have never really called customer support. I will tell you that they take a lot of pride in Fender and what they do, so I imagine they would help you out.

Been playing for 17 years off and on. 10 seriously.
If you are looking for a strat, you would have to be brain damaged to not check out this guitar. Seriously, for $600, you get a awesome guitar. And I am very critical of guitars. I wish that it came with a case or at least a gig bag. Love every thing about it.

Look at another review

I am a lead guitarist, and I play everything from clean blues to Kirk-Hammett style distorted lead.

I've been wanting a new guitar for a while and finally had the means to go and get one. Normally when I go to GC I don't even give the Strats they have a second glance, and usually head for the higher-end Jacksons, Ibanez, or Musicman (like Petrucci's signature), looking for a good lead-style guitar.

What drew me to this Strat was the color scheme, the birdseye maple neck, and those two words you always want to see on your pickups: Seymour, and Duncan. I had never seen a Strat like this one before, and the price was very, very friendly to my pre-meditated budget, so my curiosity got the best of me, and I put down Satriani's Ibanez to give this interesting new Strat a try.

I could not put this guitar down! The neck was suprisingly easy to play considering other Strat's I've less-than-successfully tried to rock out hardcore on, the action was great, and the pickups were just oozing with that great, defined, ballsy tone. Even distorted, which is usually where I put my foot down and say "single coils are not for me," this guitar kicked some serious ass and gave me a really great distorted rhythm and lead sound. Any amp I put this thing through it sounded amazing, and I had so much fun with it I ended up playing it until I broke a string, and it was the first time in my life I was actually hoping to hear the words "You break it, you bought it!"

The action on this guitar was great! This is another one of the reason I usually leave the Strats at the store alone, because I can usually just see by looking at those guitars that the action seems uncomfortably high. Playing this guitar felt as doable as playing one of the virtuoso's signature guitars with the fast shredder necks. Only difference was this guitar gave a much cooler tone.

The pickups were adjusted very professionally. They were staggered just right, including the neck pickup being noticably lowered in order to avoid that pickup catching harmonics and pushing the strings out of tune.

The finish was just beautiful, I've always wanted woodgrain.

I've been going to the same old guitar shop guy for 4 years, and seeing as how it wasn't technically an American-made strat, I decided to go ahead and bring it to him to take a look, to make sure the guitar wasn't made of cheap parts that would fall apart in a few years. He was very impressed with the guitar and said it felt, played, and sounded just like the old classic fender strats.

The oversized strap buttons are a definite plus for me, because my strap is cursed and has a bad habit of escaping strap buttons.

I would use this guitar in a gig without a backup if I absolutely had to, but I always like to have a backup, not matter what my main guitar is. You never know what might happen.

I've been playing for 4 years but have practices vigorously and and a pretty good lead guitarist (Got to store finals in Guitarmaggedon). I have an old 97 Crate GXT-212 with pre-amp tubes, and a Fender Ultimate Chorus 2x12. This guitar sounds killer in both amps. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would definitely try to find another one as close to it as possible.

I love the way this guitar is just so damn beefy and ballsy, its got a really mean streak to it - along with sounding excellent played clean - that other Strats I have ever played just did not have. I still have to get used to the humming noise of the single coils - perhaps get a noise gate or something to deal with that.

My favorite features are the birdseye maple neck/fingerboard, the duncan pickups, and the tremolo.

I compared this guitar to a Jackson SL-1 USA Soloist, an Ibanez Joe Satriani model, a Musicman John Petrucci model, and I chose this guitar because it was able to match the playability of those shred-guitars, yet its awesome tone just blew me and the other guitars away. Of all the things I saw myself possibly walking out of Guitar Center with that day, Strat was definitely not at the top of my list - this guitar really surprised me, and I definitely had no previous bias to buy it!

Things I did wish it had (and this is just me and my stupid over the top fantasies) is 24 frets and locking tuners, but that just wouldnt be a Strat anymore (especially with 24 frets).

This guitar turned me into a single-coil fan!