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

Made in Korea, purchased second-hand at GAK in Brighton (that's the UK, folks) for a relative steal. Features include the usual 2-point tremolo, five-way selector switch, maple neck with birdseye maple fingerboard and those fantastic Seymour Duncan Pickups. Basically standard Strat fare with a nice twist. The body is (obviously) made from Ash. The tuners and string trees are standard 'budget' fare (although they function well and do not require any upgrading). A lovely V-shaped neck which takes a little getting used to, being used to a PRS neck.

All in all, a well-equipped guitar with a couple of minor compromises in the raw hardware category, but with an excellent upgrade in the pickup department that easily cancels this out.

A beautifully versatile guitar. It does what every Strat does and that is, everything well. In the bridge position it has a lovely 'fruity' sound that sounds great with a little reverb, and going further back the tone gradually thins into the brightness of the neck unit. Great for pretty much anything except the heaviest of metal.

The only criticism is a bit of noise from the pickups, which is to be expected with single-coils of this variety. In fact, I was recently playing a Custom Siggery Telecaster, which is a much more expensive guitar and even at the higher end of the spectrum, the single-coils were suffering from some hum. I turned off the nearby television and it went down to a much lower noise floor. Nothing serious unless put through some SERIOUS gain stages and even then it's not an issue once you've started playing.

The sheer quality of the pickups wins this out.

The guitar was set up with a slightly higher action than I'm accustomed to. Twenty minutes with an Allen key sorted this out with no issues. I also fitted some Rotosound Blues prior to the action adjustment and these were an improvement over the installed strings - as it usually is.

Interestingly, this guitar was second-hand, but I suspect it was basically new as the original Fender 'bullet' ended strings were still installed and the plastic protection was still evident on the rear cavity cover.

I also fitted an extra spring to the tremolo unit that I borrowed from my PRS Santana SE. It came with two springs and I'm used to something much more resistant. Not a criticism, just a personal preference.

Overall, whilst the action required some adjustment and the scale length dictates that the tension is naturally a little high even with the gauge 10 strings (I used to play with 12's, I know about string tension!) this guitar is superbly playable and frankly invites you to have a go.

Feels absolutely bulletproof. I have a feeling this would survive nuclear holocaust, although naturally I would not like to be proved otherwise!

Although I'm a relatively inexperienced, I've had my hands on a lot of guitars. Recently I've been playing an 80's Ibanez 'Musician, a Mexican-made Stratocaster, the aforementioned Siggery Telecaster as well as my ubiquitous PRS Santana SE. This guitar compares well with all of them. It has a distinct personality in terms of playability and sound which is all I can ask for in a guitar. An excellent overall package and compared favourably in the shop with a Danelectro Pro '59 (Which I was seriously considering) and a MIM Standard Telecaster (which felt uninspiring in comparison.)

Although I'm not one for buzzwords, I can try and describe this guitar as 'zingy' It feels energising and inspiring to play and the sound is equally enjoyable. If you want a guitar that compares with the high-end MIA Strats and Teles for half the price and is a little different from the standard fare, I can highly recommend this. More than the sum of its parts.

You'll know the business from all the other reviews.

Have had the guitar for about 3 months mow, which is plenty of time to get acquainted and offer comment. Provides a wide rage of sounds, with positions 2 and 4 particularly interesting. I think the bridge pu is too cutting (the treble is outlandish) and could do with being hooked up to the tone pot. Really beefy tone though throughout. Great value.

No problems, although the action was too high. Beautiful guitar, and as for the nech, absolutely beautiful.

Think that a lot of the hardware, whilst adequate, is a bit 'bargain basement'. The tuners, pots, switch, nut and whammy are sub standard and will need replaced at some point. All the important **** i.e. body, neck and pickups are superb.

Although I have been playing for more years than I care to remember this is my first 'premier league' guitar (well almost, had a Mex Tele for a while). Its certainly all I had hoped for and more. Not only are you getting quality, but the price defies belief. Happy bunny!!!!

Nice birdseye V neck on the one I purchased. The neck woods appear like they should have been aged a little better, but overall beautiful features for a guitar in this price range. Some locking tuners and a graphite nut would be a nice addition. The plastic nut is the first thing that has to go. ;)

The natural tone of the guitar is great. It really suits all styles with the right pickups. I am running it through a silver faced twin with a mercury transformer and true bypass pedals and it sounds pretty amazing. I can't comment on the seymour duncans as I changed them to Kinman Woodstocks immidiately. Woodstocks are noiseless and have the best strat tone for sitting in a mix and Hendrix/Stevie Ray impersonations ever, also very versitale.

Guitar was great cosmetically. I wasn't aware of any flaws except for some discoloration in the birdseye on the neck. The setup after a few tweaks and new graphite nut was down below 6 100ths of an inch at the 12th fret and plays great. The stock switch is the crappy plastic box kind and should be replaced with a switchcraft or knock off 5 way.

Seems very solid and definately gig worthy once set up properly. I would never gig without multiple guitars, but if I could take only one I am sure it would do just fine.

Overall this is a great guitar for the money compared to the American strats. Nothing is perfect but most guitars could use a visit to the plec machine these days. I have been playing 26 years and teaching the last 13 and I would not hesitate to pick up one again. I own so many guitars and amps it is borderline ridiculous(tax write off). My biggest complaint really is the hokey fender logo which is placed poorly. If it were lost or stolen I'd take the insurance money and spend a few extra nights in Maui.

Beautifull Clear ash with lacquer finish. Highly figured birdseye maple neck and fretboard made in Korea. After reading a review here I unscrewed the neck pocket and mine says made in Korea so I don't no why there is disparity on production but mines a 2006 and it's Korean made. The body is definetley not swamp ash (way too light) at just over 7 lbs. Beautiful grain on the ash. V shaped neck is very smooth and comfortable. I swaped out the tuners for Fender Chrome locking tuners and replaced the bridge with a fishman acoustic power bridge so I have a split signal to an acoustic and electric amp.

WOW! The Seymore Duncans are great in this guitar, they add a whole new experience to the Fender strat and with the Power bridge volume wired to the middle tone I have an incredible axe. The rear tone is the master tone but the sound of the Seymores' and the fishman together is just fantastic. I use an acoustisonic Jr. and a Traynor CYV 20WR tube amp and I have a very, very unique tone. I love it.

It came with great action and fit and finish on everthing was exemplory right out of the box but the mods I have done have made it even better.

Gigs with no problems whatsoever every weekend but anyone who plays witout a backup has a screw loose or hasen't played out much.

Great guitar and the mods I had done (by a pro) have made it even better. Locking tuners are a must for any giging pro. I am constantly getting complemnts on the sound and everyone (especially other guitarist) wants to try it after the show. The mods wern't cheap but compared to the sound I got from doing them they were wort alot more than what they cost.

Lite ash body (not the lightest guitar though) and birdseye maple neck, 3x SD alnico single coils and a rather cheap tremolo. If you don't use it(tremolo), you'll never notice, but I use it A LOT! Made in Korea, though some people say it's really made in Indonesia by Cort. It doesen't matter-as long as it's a good guitar. The pups are excellent, and the pots are better than Mexican (500k instead of 250k crap). Had mine for about nine months. The guitar looks amazing and the playability doesen't fall behind. Two points off for tremolo and bridge pup. Also the tremolo isn't compatible with an upgrade!

Great for 70's sound. I played an original 70's strat which looked almost exactly like mine disregarding the great 70's headstock. It sounds as good if not better than the 70's original. The pups are great for that vintage sound (think JJ Cale, SRV, Dire Straits etc.). This guitar delivers what it's meant to. The pups are a little noisy with a good bass response, flat mids and trebles full of harmonics. I play mine through a Laney VC30-212, a match made in heaven. I found the bridge pup useless, so I replaced it with a Hot Rails-now I have much more variety.

Factory setup was real crap, it took me almost 2 weeks of adjusting everything to get it set up properly. The truss rod screw was so loose it almost came off when I test played my guitar. Apart from the setup the guitar is made very well, the frets don't have sharp edges, neck is straight, no buzzing or the like. Compared to my old Mexican strat I'd say it's made a little better-add the 10+ pups to that and get the picture. Three points off for setup.

It seems made well enough to give me years of trouble free service-but time will tell, so no opinion here.

No idea, hopefully I won't need them. Ever.

Been playing for 15+ years. Had a Mexican strat w/noiseless pup upgrade, two Squiers (worst guitars ever), Ibanez S540 and still have a Fender 50th deluxe (great guitar), Ibanez AR300 and a few quality acoustics. This guitar has one of the best price/performance ratios. If only the tremolo was a bit better it would get a 10 here. If you want a 70's Strat sound and not spend a fortune-this guitar is your answer. Rock on.

nice polyurethane white color
I like the brass bridge
tuners could use improvement
frets(22) are nice and big
maple neck is nice to look at (mine has birdseyes and flames)

pickups are shitty for metal, so I put a Voodoo '57 bucker in the bridge position, sounds a lot better now

wit the bucker It has enough sound for metal

and a series/parallel switch makes it have nice sounds as well

the sides of the frets don't quite m,atch up to a bernie rico for the string pull effect that some metal guitarists
otherwise nice

seems tough

First thing to say, which nobody mentioned yet before. Nearly
all parts of this guitar were made by Cort (CorTek).

Cort often did a fantastic job for Fender or other Brands, for
example the Squier Pro-Tone Series or the G&L Tribute Series.

My Ash Body in Nature Finish is made of 3 piece. They matched these
pieces so perfekt, that you can only find the breaks in the wood grain with a very critical eye.

The Birds Eye Neck is very beautiful and has a nicely playable V-shape.

My guitar serial states october 2004. The neck says Made in Korea,
as it should.

BUT ...

If I unscrewed my neck from the body, the neckpocket says the body
ist made by Cort in Indonesia (!) not Korea. States august 2004.
IC Aug 2004.

I've found some more people who unscrewed their necks and all bodys
were made in Indonesia.

In my opinion this guitar is made in Indonesia by Cort and only
assembled in Korea.

Cort only uses Swamp Ash for their own Ash bodys and the Ash bodys
for G&L, which they do produce too. So I would say, this body could
be Swamp Ash as well.

But light weight? The whole guitar weights about 3700 gr which are
about 8.2 lbs. I mean this is real heavy for a "leightweight" guitar.

Often it is said here that the tremolo is like the American one with
some lower quality. Nope ... the tremolo is the CFAII-trem which means Cort Full Action II tremolo ... here only the brass sustain block is added.

The whole electrics are made by CorTek which belongs to Cort. Three
500kOhm pots ...

The Tuner are Gotoh Style, but they are the same as on the Squier Standard guitars.

Seymour Duncan put out some very nice pickups for this guitar. If you find the bridge pickup too harsh ... just wire it to the tone-pot of the middle pickup ... cause it isn't wired to any tone-pot.

Nice made guitar, fantastic looking, but Korean seems to be a fake.

Unplugged this guitar is a winner. I've played some guitars at the store ... but only a few (much more expensive) guitars had more vibe and tone from the wood.

The guitar sounds really fantastic. As often said, with more Output than the Amer??can Standards.

The guitar is loud, a bit harsh on the bridge (I like that) and very bluesy on the neck. The positions 2 and 4 are as Strat as they could be. Nice sparkly sound with a bit more low end than other Strats.

I play a Peavey Valveking 212 and this guitar rocks this amp. Very
sparkly and clean an the clean channel with Brightswitch on, smooth
and bluesy in the Leadchannel and loud and full of mids when Gain-Boost on.

I like this combination.

The Finish is without any mistakes. All is clear, no flaws or something.

Setup ... I can't say anything about that, cause I bought this guitar
used.

But in the store ... the necks of the lite ash's had no sharp fret ends or something like that. Seen lots of mexican fender guitars with this problem in the store.

The poly finish on the body is thick, I would say it should stay there for decades of years. The thin satin finish on the neck,
don't know if it is as steady as the body finish.

The original frets are a not so hard, they got some serious marks
within one year. I have to do a fretwork in the next time ... or refret the whole neck with some more stable fretmaterial.

Strap buttons are oversized ... would not expect any problems with them.

I think I don't need a backup for this guitar ... but I would change
the electronic to more stable ones. Had no problems so long, but safe is safe.

never dealed with them ... wiring diagrams are online ... if you need them. But not the partslist ... here it is ... someone on the
FDP-Forum got it by email from Fender:

P/N DESCRIPTION
- 0062473000 TUNERS, 38-11F CR (SET)
- 0072878000 Nut, EG42X3.4 WH, Cort
- 0072874000 Bridge assy, CFAII-CHR, Cort
- 0072805000 Tremolo arm, CFAII - CHR, Cort
- 9280730039 PICKUP, DUNC APS-1N OEM, neck
- 0072885000 P/U, SD, APS-1RWRP Alnico Pro2 Staggered, middle
- 0072886000 P/U, SD, APS-1B Alnico Pro2 - Staggered, bridge
- 0072889000 Control, 2401-D14SL-B500K, vol
- 0072890000 Control, 2401-D14SL-D500K, tone
- 0062393000 SWITCH, 5-WAY 252N Cort
- 0991365000 BLACK TONE/VOL KNOBS STRAT
- 0072892000 Jack, EG2P-CR, chrome, Cort
- 0072893000 Jack plate, NO-2 CR, chrome, strat, Cort
- 0072895000 Pickguard, 000811-1/BK, Lite ash strat
- 0054750000 STRAP BTN 'D' CHR

There are only a few problems ... you won't find any other tremolo that fits this guitar ... the NUT has no standard string spacing too. The graphtech TUSQ Nut Strat Style will not fit ...

Fantastic guitar ... best strat for this price.

Sounds very good, also unplugged. Good features ...

Don't like the complicated thing with spare parts ...

But, overall. I would by it again ;0)

I'll not go over the millions of details, but I got the gloss black version. More details on Fender.com. I immediately upgraded the saddles to graphtech, and strap buttons to strap locks. It's got Seymour Duncan pickups (Alnico II Pro Staggered).

I play contemporary Christian music. For Hillsong stuff, and most Christian music, it's right on the money. The pickups and body/neck wood combination give you a warm, full-frequency response and sound. It's a tiny bit boomy in the bass, but not to a fault. It's got true single coils, so you may get single coil noise / hum, but check your rig. I can plug it right into a '72 Fender Twin Reverb and get no hum in the single coil positions (1,3,5), assuming the amp isn't at 10 on volume. The sound has no "holes" in it, i.e. you get a great sound and response throughout the range of the instrument, and nice bass overtones as well. It has excellent variety of sounds as well, and is very versatile. Maybe you can't play Megadeth with it and sound just like them, but that's not a problem. Through the right amp, this guitar can do anything.

Action from the factory was impeccable: intonation was great, stock 9 strings were good, tremolo was floating, and there were no string buzzes. However, I set up my instruments myself :) This guitar was a "B-Stock" item due to a ding on the back of the guitar, but it's not noticeable, and that got me $200 off the normal sale price. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with this guitar at all.

Reliable as heck. Never had a problem with it. Now, gigging without a backup guitar isn't wise. However, I rarely worry about needing a backup guitar. Everything on this guitar seems to be of sufficient quality that I could play it for life.

Never needed Fender's customer support, but have called them before on other matters, and they've been very helpful.

According to the instructions on this site, "nothing is perfect", hence all 9's. However, I'd rather give it all 10's. The only thing I hate is that single coils hum a bit, but our church isn't the best in terms of how we run cables and wire stuff up, which is the real problem with hum. I get endless compliments on how it looks and sounds. The combination of an excellent neck, body wood, and the best brand of pickups (ahem :), this guitar is a keeper. Highly recommended for any style music where beautiful clean sound is most important (although this guitar can rock too).

You Know them from the other 37 Reviews!

Gave it a 9 because if you're just looking for a good, normal strat, nothing fancy, then this is it! THe only problem is that the tremolo only has 2 springs. Im going to add a third, to keep the guitar in tune wile doing bends.

This strat sounds great. I play mostly blues and classic rock, and this is a PERFECT sound for these styles. This thing can sound like any strat out there, SRV, Mark Knopfler, This thing can do it. I like it because it's versatile. It has a very crisp, bright sound on the bridge pick-up, and a beautiful, not to bright, not too full sound on the neck pickup. Of course, it cant get an extremely rich/full sound, as it has single coils, not humbuckers, but if thats the sound you're looking for, you shouldnt be looking at a strat!

I Play this through a Traynor 40 watt All tube amp. It sounds beautiful, like a match made in heaven. To me, its the way a strat shoud sound. I tried cheaper amps, but i think that this guitar really shines on a nice tube amp, but if thats not an option, don't go with something heavy sounding, like a randall. Try and find a nice fender amp.

This guitar is great for the blues, classic rock, funk, even hard rock. The only thing i wouldnt use it for is metal.

Like every strat, this one hums. But that is what makes the strat sound. Take that away, and you stray from the true strat sound. I won't take points away here either, because its a single coil problem, not a guitar problem.

Gave it 10 because it is EVERYTHING im looking for in terms of sound.

This guitar was set up fairly well at the factory, but the action needed to be raised slightly. When the high frets were bent(aroudn fret 15 on the thin E) it would fret out. After i raised the action a bit, it sounded flawless.

I raised the pickups, but i wont take off any points here, because that was completely personal preference. There was nothing wrong with the way they were set up originally.

The Finish on this guitar is beautiful. It looks better than it does in the pictures. From the pictures, i thought the guitar had to much black on it, but that is not the case. The Black is a very nice complement to the beautiful ash wood. The neck (birdseye maple) is beautiful as well.

There is a black spot in the wood that you probably wouldnt find in the american ones (if the american ones were made in this color) but i personally have no problem with it, as i find it adds character. I have the comfort of knowing that no other strat like it has a spot in the exact same spot, and that makes it my own. The spot is on the inside of one of the cutaways, so it is not obvious at all.

I'l give it an 8 because of the action and the spot, as some people might find it annoying, however it does not bother me at all.

This thing feels solid, feels like an american made strat.
The hardware seems very solid as well.
The finish does not seem like it will wear off
I replaced the strap buttons with dunlop dual-design straplocks, but that is just because i dont trust regular strap buttons. The original buttons seemed very solid.
I would feel perfectly comfortable using this guitar without a backup. This is definatly well build! 10.

Havn't dealt with Fender, so i cannot comment.

I've been playing for a couple years now. If this guitar were stolen or lost, i would definatly get another one. Its a great strat, and is definatly on par with the american ones. I Had the money to buy an american one, but after trying this one, i decided to get this one instead!

Already listed, not going to bother. Needs better tuners. Otherwise, nice features.

The tone fits my playing style perfectly. It is, like many others have said- very bright. I play blues mostly, and it works perfectly for me. Wide variety of sounds from the 5-way selector.

Finish is beautiful. Got the natural finish, it looks awesome. Birdseye maple neck is sweet. Frets are pretty good.

Factory setup is garbage. I mean, really, really bad. Needed a setup immendiatley to be able to play. Also, whatever strings they use are garbage. ugh.

Somehow, R.L. Lee managed to sign an inspection sticker approving this axe literally inches away from a missing screw in the pickguard. Sacrificed my squier to replace the screw.

Overall, if the axe was set up with decent strings, I'd give it an 8. No missing parts, it would get a 9. Was going to give it a 7, but man is it nice looking. Probably the nicest strat i've ever seen.

Solid as a rock. Built really well. Don't knock imports till you try them, much better build quality than American Fenders I played recently.

Was told it would take 4 weeks to get a replacement screw (?!) Are you serious?

For this guitar to be perfect it would need:
Better tuning machines
A setup from the factory (with decent strings)
No missing parts

I like it though. Its nice, definitley a step up from my next electric. If you play blues, i'd give it a shot before stepping up to an American. Hard rock/metal people will be dissapointed. I'd buy it again.

I got the black finish Strat because the natural wood grain variety, although beautiful, are abit too common. It's made in Korea similar to the 'Aerodyne' & 'Koa' Strats and the "Fender" ONLY headstock logo testifies to this fact since it's is only to be found within this Korean range.I think Fender were being a little too economical in this regard and the headstock looks rather strange and causes some quizzical remarks.
I've even had someone think that i'd replaced the original neck!
The neck, however, is Birds Eye Maple and wonderfully set into the body cavity. Gotoh tuners. Floating 2 -point vibrato block. Standard Fender bridge. 22 medium jumbo frets. 5 way selector switch.Oversized strap buttons.
Seymour Duncan pickups,albeit the cheapest variety.
No accessories.
The body is obviously ash.

It's great for Blues, 80s classic rock and some jazz but it's probably best for funky disco grooves. I use it with a 'Univibe' through a Marshall amp. Sounds great with a Vox "Cry Baby" but don't expect to sound like Robin Trower!! The pickups are abit noisy however not as much as on my 1973 Fender Strat. Unfortunately the sound is NOT quite the same as an original 1973 Strat. I wish it were but it's just a tad TOO bright.(not much warmth or sublety!)..it has a clangy, cutting tone reminiscent of Andy Summers of "The Police". Sounds abit cheap and a few points above a Squier Fat Strat.(although in it's favour the Lite Ash does have a balanced pickup output not be found on Squiers)
Yes, i know Fender Strats are famous for THIS cutting tone but an original Fender Strat can also deliver some very subtle soft sounds as well.
The five way switch does provide alot of tones (albeit all clangy ones!) and the level doesn't go suddenly form quiet to "shock value" distorted like on most Squiers.
But basically it IS just a higher grade of Squier Strat.

As with the Aerodyne & Koa Strats (also from Korea) this guitar is built like a tank and the finish is near perfect!
It IS one of the most beautiful Fender Strats available.(they are to be discontinued soon so get one whilst you can)
NO problems whatsoever anywhere to be found and this is SO rare when you consider that my Gibson Les Paul Custom (which cost 4 times the price)came with poorly cut fretwire that drew blood from my fingers and caught on clothing.
I even recall the strap button falling off my 1973 Fender Strat just 2 days after i'd purchased it (in March 1974) and it caused much damage as the guitar crashed to the ground. I was gutted as i tend to treat my guitars like gold dust!
No neck cavity problems on the Lite Ash Strat as to be found on original 1970s Fenders.
The action was great, straight from the box. Not too low though.
Mine has a "C" shape neck.

Yes, it will withstand alot of live playing as is the case with Fenders in general. The hardware (bridge) appears to be chrome ontop of brass.. i can see the brass on the vibrato block as it disappears through the body (floating vibrato block). The vibrato stays quite well in tune, at least it does on my own model.
It can be depended upon. The finish is good enough to withstand years of abuse.

I've never dealt directly with Fender. Once tried to contact them in 1973 but back then the company was in deep waters.
Never recieved a reply.
I'm not even aware of a warranty for this particular instrument. The shop i purchased it from were pretty apathetic.

I've been playing since 1969.
If it were stolen i wouldn't purchase the same item.
It has got an adequate, balanced sound and, as i've said above, if you already own a Squier Strat and wish to upgrade then THIS is the next best choice before you shell out thousands for an American Fender..BUT please don't expect to sound like Robin Trower, Jeff Beck or Hendrix!
You WILL , however, sound more like Nile Rogers since the Lite Ash has that Chic "Le Freak" crispy ringing tone to it.
Think of "Walking On The Moon" by The Police and you have the typical Lite Ash sound to a tee.

Special Edition Strat. . . with lite Ash wood body, Seymour Duncan calibrated APS (read vintage) pick ups, Birdseye Maple neck, abalone inlays, Brass trem block, Soft "V" shaped neck profile. Not the best but very good. This gets a 9. Cool, sensible features on a gorgeous Strat.

The tone (through line6 Axsys 2x12, Marshall Valvestate 4 x 12) is a little wider range than a standard Strat. Agree with other reviewers that the bridge is a little brash. Tone in the middle and neck, switch positions 1 through 4 are absolutely fabulous - whether clean or with gain. For blues (any kind) this is THE guitar. I understand why SRV had a Strat, there's just a blues mojo going on there. The Duncan's can get that dirty Strat growl going. Very nice. Very articulate and responsive. Not for heavy or metal though. The Ash seems to bring out a nice sound. 60 cycle hum is annoying, but not anymore so than any other single coil guitar. This gets a 9 for tonal perfection until the bridge pickup.

Quite possibly THE BEST looking Strat I've ever seen. The character and figuring in the wood on both the body and neck is beautiful (Natural finish) - a real eye-catcher. But I like to see the wood grain in my guitars, others may not. Fit and finish were flawless as others have noted. Glossy on the body, satin on the neck. Action. . . well left a little to be desired. Will have to do some fretwork (minimal) can't get it as low as I would like on the B & E strings.
Have tweaked the truss and adjusted the bridge. Gets close, but not as good as it could be. No real issues on the hardware, but too early to tell. Seems solid. Have owned many other non-American made guitars. Generally, they're very well finished but some just lack a "spiritual" quality. This one seems to have a rich soul. Wish I could elaborate on this, but, if you're reading this, you're a musician and most likely understand. I do have to say, I'm impressed with this one. This gets a 9.5. Action brought it down a little.

Very well built. High quality parts. Everything was tight. For now every indication is good for a lifetime guitar. Time will tell. Oversized strap buttons-nice. This is my 3rd Strat (MIA,MIJ, now MIK). Really, they're all good and this one is no exception. Fenders do vary a bit in quality from the factory (wherever they're made). Mine have all been good quality guitars.

Have never had to deal with Fender on a warranty issue.

Mine did not come with a printed manual, case, spring or hex keys or anything. My other Fenders did. I look at this as a Customer support thing (from corporate). Would be nice to get an actual manual and the other stuff.

Fender gets a 7 for scrimping on the extras.

Been playing 31 years. Currently own 3 Gibsons, 3 Fenders, 2 Yamahas and 1 Peavy (Wolfgang). 3 Marshalls and 1 line6 amp. Plenty of electronics (don't use much anymore). I play alternative, rock and some classical. I would buy this again. For the price, you get quite a good Fender. Definately professional level - with some upgraded features (pups, Birdseye Maple neck, brass trem block, etc). If you're looking for a versitle, well priced Strat, this one's hard to beat.

The Lite Ash is a pretty guitar, the birds eye maple neck and fingerboard is very thinly veneered, and the hardware is quality. The satin finish is flawless, and it weighs less than a conventional strat.
Mine arrived without a trem, and no Fender Pack,( warranty, manual, guarantee, allen key, spare spring(s), and stickers,- all missing)
Fender locking tuners, minimul script on the headstock, and a very stretchy 2 pivot trem. Brass block, and came with only 2 springs in situ on the trem. Talk about whammy, more elastic band! Soon sorted though. I got the distinct impression that the instrument was packed with a very laisse faire concentration level. Still a lovely guitar overall.

Depends what you like....If you are looking for conventional strat sound, i.e, mellow, expansive, and warm forget it! You can turn both tone knobs down to zero and still the bridge pickup cuts! Unlike some strats, the middle and in between positions are worthy and satisfying. Personally I hated the neck position. Strats should not sound like that - steely, antiseptic and harsh. If this is a Seymour Duncan Pro pickup you can keep it. Mine has gone, replaced by a kinman vintage 56. NOW I can find all the tones promised by this strat.To me, In standard form this guitar disappoints soundwise , others may like the cutting edge this delivers, but not me.

Poorly set up.
Flawless finish.
Missing Trem.
Needed attention immediately - sloppy.

Not owned it long enough. Not convinced I will yet, either.

From Retailer - it sucks. Still waiting for manual, warranty etc.

It could be a great guitar. In standard Form there are better guitars for my money.

Lovely ash-bodied, maple-necked Strat, featuring stellar Seymour Duncan pickups. (Read other reviews for details.) Note that the vibrato bridge is two-point, not a vintage-style 12-screw.

Compared to other Strats, the Seymour Duncan pickups give this model a particularly well-defined, distinct single-coil tone. They cut like a knife: just beautiful!

Very nicely built and finished.

Seems very solid.

N/A - see other reviews.

This is a Strat that's pre-"hot-rodded" with particularly sharp-toned Seymour Duncan pickups. Those pickups just sing. Current copies might be quickly recognizable in a crowded Fender store by red (coated) strings. Priced between a standard (Mexican-made) Strat and an American-made Strat. Mode in Korea -- presumably to offset the cost of the custom pickups. Doesn't have the "S-1" (series/parallel) switch included in current American Series Strats, but the pickups are better.

Body: Ash Very good, very light, and apparently improves tone.

Neck and fretboard: Birdseye Maple Simply breathtaking, looks great.

22 Jumbo frets No complaints, they do their job well enough!

SSS seymour duncan pick-ups Invaluable to the tone of the guitar.

Korean made Ok, it's no AM strat, but who cares!?

Plus all you usual classic strat features. I'm sure by now you know what they are.

Before this guitar, I thought I was playing good guitars. But purely from the sound this one makes, I know I was wrong. I played it in a shop before I bought it (I recommend everyone should do this before buying a guitar) and I was blown away by the sounds and the range of sounds you can make from this guitar. The bridge pick-up is sharp, bright and works well for anything from blues solos to indie riffs (keep in mind those are the two main genres I play!). The middle pick-up is usually neglected on strats, look at Ritchie Blackmoore for example! But I actually find if you want a balance between a mellow, smooth tone and a strong, bright tone, this thing hits the spot. The main reason I dislike Les Pauls is because they lack the middle pick-up and therefore usually lack the impartial, yet versitile tone you typically get on them. The neck pick-up... what can I say? If you play blues, this pick-up should win over the guitar for you. Smooth and fat sounding with a little bit of bite, perfect. Usually I forget about positions 2 and 4 on the PU selector switch, but if you combine the bridge and middle pick-up, I find you can almost get an acoustic sound out of what is elseware a very electric guitar! Of course it's not perfect and it should never replace a real acoustic guitar, but for small gig stage convinience, it works well. The only drawback is that the bridge pick-up is almost too bright for my liking. If it's really a problem though, stick some nickel strings on your guitar and it'll mellow it out well. Noise is always a problem on strats (unless you have those noiseless PUs), this is no different. But keep it away from CRT tube screens and bright lights and it's little or no problem.

The guitar was set up well. No real problems. The only noticable thing wrong with it was a poorly cut nut on the high E string. This meant that string buzzed when I played it open, but I got that fixed so it's not a problem now. The action was good, not as good as an american strat, but better than a standard strat. The pickups were fine, no problems there at all. The trem and the tuners were both fine too. I don't really use the whammy bar, but that seems to work well enough. The paint and the finish had no flaws anywhere. I got the black version because... I dunno... I like black guitars! The neck makes the guitar what it is. Just look at it for one second... ok now that you're done, have you ever seen anything like it? Well... they're not impossibly rare, birdseye maple is common on some Peavey EVH series guitars (plenty of others aswell), but I mean... just look! I don't think you'd get this on any other guitar in this price range. If you do find one with that neck for cheaper than this, I want to know who you killed to get the price you got.

I've only had it for 3 months, so you might argue it's too early to be complimenting it for reliability, but so far so good. Nothing seems to be wrong with it and I have no reason to believe anything will go wrong with it in the near future.

Never needed it.

I've been playing for about 3 years now, in that time I've gone from Indie rock (oasis, blur etc) to Classic rock (led zep, AC/DC)and from blues (hendrix, clapton, gallagher) to even a little jazz very recently (dave brubeck mainly). I'm yet to find a genre this guitar doesn't work with. I wish I'd asked why the guitar is so cheap before I bought it! I assume it's because of it's Korean construction, but at the end of the day, it plays well, it sounds great, so why is that such a problem? If it were stolen... I'd hunt the man/woman who stole it and fight them to the death to get it back. Or a little more simply, use the insurance money to buy a new one! But lets just hope no one steals it shall we? The way I look at this guitar is, it sounds better than most American strats (largely due to the crazily good SD pick-ups) but in terms of playability, it's not quite there. For the money though, I wouldn't compare it to anything else because as far as I know, there is nothing to compare it with.