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.

This is a first opinion of a Fender Lite Ash strat after a few minutes of trying it.

This is a korean made Straocaster of light ash body, and looks cool! Nice natural finish with black pickguard. There is a set of Seymour Duncan pickups in it of SSS configuration. Standard strat configuration with everything that is usual on a strat, but with one very good thing: the second tone control knob is controlling also the tone of the bridge pickup. The tremolo/bridge is a standard, but modernised, syncronised type standing on two screws.

I don't really know the sound of this guitar due to the short period i could try it. Or may be this was only that old Laney stack that I could try the guitar with, but it sounded a little bit dead to me, compaired to my thoughts aobut a real fender. DO NOT FORGET: I did not have much time to tweak the amp, or the guitar. Tried only the standard tones: neck/middle in between clean, etc. The guitar sounds good, but those really strat-ish bell-like, twangy tones were not there. And again: this can absolutely be becouse of the short time I had to try it, or the amp! I give a 7, but if I had time it would be much higher i think.

The actzion was not the best - I think they made no adjusting on the guitar ain the shop - actrually this is not usual in hungarian musik stores, to adjust the guitar to a decent level. Actually my old, badly assembled squier has a better, much lowwer action. But this strat has a nice neck, very good frets - named medium jumbo or something, but this is nothing with jumbo frets to do I think: these are nice medium frets, good to play on them.
The guitar anyway was flowless! Korean made (as almost everything in Europe), but this is a good instrument! Nothing to worry about! May be the sound was not exactly my taste, but hey, there are Seymour Duncans in it - they must bee good, very good.

I would absolutely depend on this guitar. It is a fender, even if this is made in korea. If I buy a korean fender, after I examined it from bottom, to top, seeing that it was flawless, then I think this is - I can say - just as good as an american strat. Good guitar basicly!

Never dealt with them. But I suppose, there is not much need for that due to it is a Fender!

Nice looking, good assambled guitar I can say after ca. 15 years of playing guitar. One thing is bad with this guitar: I don't own one! I have read much about it on the Internet, and finally saw in a music store, and tried it in a rehersal room with an old Laney stack. I have an old squier with lot of flaws - I would think of having a Lite Ash strat without a doubt. It is a cheap instrument compaired to standard USA strats, and I thin that this is at least as good as the USA made strandard strats, just becouse of the pickups, and the second tone controll on the middle/bridge pickup.

Made in Korea early 2005. Two-piece swamp ash body with a natural finish. Black scratchplate. Birdseye maple neck / board. Seymour Duncan pickups (Alnico pros). Sort of modern C-shape neck (medium fat) with a 9.5" radius. Medium jumbo frets. Abalone dot inlays. Very nice two-point trem with a brass tremblock. I set it up with 0.09 gauge Fender 150s because I likes them da best. Anything you could wish for in a good Strat.

I play a lot of different styles on this going from straight blues, over rootsrock stuff to Deep Purple kind of classic rock. Mostly no FX. Just Strat into FulldriveII into clean channel of a Laney amp.

Mostly no FX, sometimes a little delay but that's it.

Nice.

It's got all the Strat sounds you need, but with a twist. Sounds very full and vibrant. I played it unplugged first and the ash body really resonates well. Plugged in it goes from twangy to sparkly to full and fat, depending on your pickup selection.

It handles distortion fairly well, but in the end that's not what it was made for.

For my purposes it gets a solid 9/10.

Straight out of the box. No set-up needed. Everything correct right down to the pickup height. Came with 0.09s on it and a low action, just the way I like it. The neck is bliss. It feels like an old friend the minute you pick it up.

Finish is nice and the neck is very smooth. Frets were nicely beveled. Hardware is pretty good actually and even the wiring and jacks so far have proven to be quite good. No noise whatsoever.

I do tend to be careful with my stuff, but in the end a Strat is a pretty basic guitar so nothing really horrible could go wrong I suppose... It looks very solid and I'd have no qualms about gigging this one without a backup.

I have no idea about Fender's customer service... If I have a problem, I go back to the shop I bought it from.

Let's face it. "Made in Korea" is not a curse word. They make very decent guitars at very decent prices. Nuff said. This Strat is a well-constructed instrument made up of quality parts and it plays like a dream.

Personally I think this is the best Strat deal on the market today. Just think about it... For the same money you'd spend on a Mexican Standard you get a swamp ash body, a WAY better trem, real Seymour Duncan pickups, a birdseye maple neck,...

I couldn't possibly be happier about a Strat. Kudos Fender!

You know them by now!

The guitar itself has very good sustain and sound(unplugged), especially for this money. The original pickups sound good, if you play clean and blues a lot, It sounds a little different than a normal strat but no in a negative way. I wanted more versatile guitar and a bigger sound and no hum so I put dimarzios in.
I have a protrack in the neck, a chopper in the middle(both can be split in series and parallel) and a fastrack 2 in the bridge.
Now it's a real TONEMONSTER! I've would have rated the guitarsound with a 8 but with the dimarzios in a 10

The guitar was build well although I had the guy from the guitarshop file the nut a little bit. He also shaved the frets a little bit because the first fret was a little too high.I said if he did that, then I would buy the guitar! I also put in a 3th spring at the tremolo. The finish is good especially for this price. When I changed the pickups I also noticed that the guitarbody has space for fullsized humbuckers. I only wish it had sperzel locking tuners, but the original tuners work fine too! The neck is the best thing of this guitar. It's a little like the clapton only a little more
v-shaped and thinner with bigger frets. This neck can be played very fast but still feels solid, and the birdseye maple looks very good. The neck is the main reason I bought this guitar, to me it's one of the best fender necks around!

The whole guitar holds up very well after almost a year of playing.
This could easily be your main guitar. No doubt!

No need too

I've been playing for 15 years or so. I've owned an american strat and a pacifica but the lite ash just kicks their butts. I play through a Marshall artist 4203, 535q wah, ts9 and a boss equalizer and can get almost any sound I want. If stolen I would definitely buy one again. My buddy owns a 1600 euro clapton signature but he is very impressed with the lite ash with the dimarzios in. Proofs that quality does't have to be pricey. I bought the dimarzios on ebay for a total of 120 euro so for 670 euro I have guitar that sounds better than models double its price!

2005
What else can you say?
The head does not read Stratocaster? It just reads FENDER !!
The back of the head reads KOREA

-Beautiful figured Birdseye neck with Birdseye fingerboard
-Abalone dot inlay
-BODY Light Weight Ash
-MACHINE HEADS Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines (non-locking)
-PICKUPS Seymour Duncan? APS-1N, APS-1RWRP, APS-1B, (Neck/Middle/Bridge) (APS=Alnico Pro Staggered)
-CONTROLS Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle/Bridge Pickups)
-BRIDGE 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo
-PICKUP SWITCHING 5-Position Blade:
-HARDWARE Chrome
-PICKGUARD 1-Ply Black
-SCALE LENGTH 25.5? (648 mm)
-WIDTH AT NUT 1.625?
-UNIQUE FEATURES Black Plastic Parts

unplugged or jacked up It is a tone monster!!!!
If you are into that JIMI and STEVIE This is the axe for you!

It needed a little tweaking...But, That is common for all guitars. My set-up may not be the set-up you like.I have had to tweak $3500.00 Les Pauls. So that's not really an issue.But I set the action very low and I mean low and this guitar responded very well!!! No buzzing.

I would drag this guitar to the gates of hell. Its a danm good peice of wood.I allways use a back-up. I have jammed with this guitar entire shows and it is now my go-to guitar!

Duuooooh!!!!!!!!!

I have been doing this sh$t for 30 years. My amp rig is a Marshall JTM-45 with 2 4x12 Marshall jcm 800 cabs.I'll give this guitar a 9 cuz I don't think I would even play a guitar thats a 10. But, this is a tone monster and I get to have sex with it every night!!!!!The neck alone is a good reason to get this axe.

I think we all know the features by now,it was the birds eye maple neck that drew my eyes to it in the music shop,like a long smoldering glance across a crowded bar, bamm!I was intrigued, its ash body reminded me of an old Strat from my youth,fond memories,I approached,Seymour Duncan Pickups? 2 point pivot trem? Abalone inlay?Black scratch plate??mmm very intrigued. I'd been looking to hook up with a Strat again for some years,as a treat,always thinking I'd end up with a Squire and "do her up" but now??? I gently took her down,off the wall and held her...

By then it was all over,it just felt right,the neck firm but soft and silky to the touch,the body generous but moulding to you,the beautiful finish,she resonated in my hands before I even thought of plugging her in,I reluctantly put her back,it was quite a thing,a treat,a whimsy but how could it be? I asked the price,a formality to end the briefest of dreams. "how much?!?" I got her for #440 brand spanking new from my local music store (after half an hours frenzied internal debate,finally realising that for that price I could and should treat myself).I returned forthwith and put her thru an amp and that was that,classic Strat sounds,out of phase,Jimi,Stevie Ray,Jazzy,Funky,bit of country? oh she does it all. I personally still changed a few things,for her as well as for me and she has appreciated it: a JB Seymour Duncan single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position,new tortoise shell scratch plate,planet waves locking machine heads,Graphtech nut and saddles.The result, Strat bliss for half or even a third of the price of a customshop MIA strat or Vintage Strat. If there was one niggle for me it was the original bridge PU,it could cut a man in half at 50 paces,sharp and bright like a Tele,and that's a different beast, I wanted a warm hearted Strat. Now I have one. Cost of upgrades #150,total cost #600.I put her through Fender amps and a big VHT/Mesa Boogie/4 x 12 Cab stereo Rig and she sounds like a gorgeous strat thru whatever she goes thru,seriously,a quality Strat.

When I got her home I found out she was Korean. So,big deal, my main guitar is an Ibanez and she's Korean. In fact lots of guitars are made in Korea,then I thought because of the sparse headstock logo I'd got a blag fender,a phony, an imitation. The guys that upgraded her hadn't seen one like her before,couldn't believe the price.But you know, I didn't care.She played and looked beautifully,sounded sweet and made me happy. A very very well put together guitar,I didn't know about the brass tailpiece till I checked up on this site.Even better.Everyone is different so don't expect everything to be the way you want it,you have to adapt her to you,there's lots of scope for change and improvement.

Will it last? I have no doubt this one is a keeper,I literally can't keep my hands off her. I'm actually on tour with a Zappa tribute act at the moment and though my Ibanez is my main guitar (locking trem,humbuckers,big frets,tiny slim body, its an old old Joe Satriani model and my true love)the Lite ash/maple/Korean beauty is my spare guitar and gets the call on the blusier/lighter numbers.She looks so nice just on stage anyway. In a blues/funk/jazzy gig she'd be first call.Solid quality build should see us both grow old together.

no idea about support,I live in Liverpool so apparently there is no support,but she's been under the knife and I cant see her needing anything but the usual maintenance and attention.I couldn't find the model on their site till a friend showed me and assured me it was a real Fender,it's that good I thought there must be a catch!

A lot of people seem to share my enthusiasm for this hot little cutie, I call her Debbie (after "Does Dallas" and not "Harry",both Blondies though).I've been playing 25 years,20 pro I teach,tour,gig,record etc and I wouldn't want another Fender but this one,If lost/stolen I'd replace and hope I got just as good a guitar,I think this is a relationship that will last.

2005 fender mik lite ash strat specs you have read 100 times so I won't repeat Rate it as a 9 finish is flawless neck is totally tits and after an ajustment for personal tastes. This baby beats my mia standard and my mim strat hands down

I play country, clasic rock, blues and jazz. This guitar does it all with amazing clarity no mater how hard I drive it. Tube or solid state or hybrid amps no matter

It needed a slight adjustment to my taste but that is normal for me ...raise pickups lower action tweek truss rod slightly And You have the perfect beast. duncun pups are the best set up I have heard for a long time. clear and sweet slightly dirty, or balls to the wall they are clear crisp and resonsive, and the fender quack? It's there all the way

This guitar will have no problems giging I gig an avarage of 12 to 14 days a month and it still handels anything i throw at it. Hardware is better then my american standard. I always put strap locks on so I can't comment on strap buttons. I would and do depend on this guitar. Look I'm 49 been playing since I was 12 Had every name guitar you can think of I have always giged with my carvin dc135 as my main ax the mia strat backing that up and my les paul as my 2nd back-up now its the lite ash strat 1st carvin 2nd and the american standard 3rd and the les paul rarly comes out of the case.my mim strat is my beater guitar (pic nics outings just genaral abusive invirements)

Have not delt with fender so I'll make no comment

been playing for 32 years ( yep I'm an old fart)I own the ash mik strat a mim strat and an american stanard strat a carvin dc135 mahogony neck thru mahogony body custom strat style guitar, a usa yamaha pacifica,A 1976 les paul custom,and my 2 acoustics and this korean keeps on impressing me. A+ to fender on all aspects of this thing from clear finish, hardware, wood and electronics the total package is more then i could have ask for

It's been said but, Rock Maple neck laminated burled board. Light Ash 2 pc. body in a natural ( Poly ) finish. Nice looking guitar. American elec. including Seymour Duncan USA single coils. Chrome hardware with 2 pnt vintage style trem. Standard Strat control layout. 3 caps 5 pos. switch. No case just the case candy..Extra trem springs, wrench, inspection sheet and HA directions.

I use this guitar for classic hard rock, Texas and Chicago style blues. ( and you can pull phat tones for the delta style stuff outa those S.D. PUPS ) OK..This is not your fathers Strat. It is capable of the classic Strat quack and all the great stuff Strats are known for. But,,,this one takes it up another notch! With proper use of the volume and tone controls. You can really get this Korean monster to sing almost as warm as a hum bucker. This guitar can sustain. Superior harmonics for single coils and just the right amount of break up that you can control via attack. VERY versatile axe. More than a standard Strat. Love the tones you can coach out of this guitar. I bought a Custom Shop vee neck. Kept this guitar and sold the Custom shop pcs. This guitar played and sounded better. I don?t care what it cost or where it was made. I want a guitar that makes me smile and that allows me to feel what I play. This guitar does that in spades. Don?t be fooled by the price tag. Also the neck..Unique..U with a pretty sharp V in the center. LOVE IT! Feels like no other. I like my action a bit high, around 3/16th? @ 12. This thing just came alive at that string height. No right to ask for this kind of playability for $500.

Well it was playable, at best, when I got it. But not peaked out. She had mild buzzing in the upper register and a slight curve in the neck. Took her to Noll Guitar. A very hot tech shop here in RI. He just dialed her in like ma bell. The rest is history. He said a light truss rod adjustment and she was home. So, from the factory a 6..from Noll Guitar a 10. Only complaint now is the first string is a bit to close to the end of the neck. I play a lot on the lower registry and like room down there. But this is a personnel preference issue.

I play HARD!! But I also take great care of my equipment. With proper care this axe will keep on playing long after I croke. Not a single problem that I can report after 18 months of playing the snot outa her. Strap buttons are oversized. I move when I play. They and the rest of the hardware are as tight and functional as they were day one. Short of pulling a P.T. on her. We are talking energizer bunny here people.

I have emailed Fender on a few occasions. They always answered my ????'s in a timely manor. I have never sent in a guitar for any work though.

I am not associated with, nor do I know anybody at MUSIC123...but I buy everything through them and Jason. Great service and policies. Great guy. Overall..I will never alter or sell this guitar. I am 43 and been playing since my teens. I have owned more guitars than I can remember, including the "great era" Fenders. I wouldn't trade you this Light Ash Korean job for a pristine 62 Strat..Based on sound and playability of course. LOL I am not just throwing these 10 marks around. This guitar has earned them and that is no lie! For $550 and a $50 set up?? I would have never thought I could find sonic bliss so cheap. But you have to keep in mind; I do not care where a guitar is made or whose name is on it. Many others do. I seriously doubt this guitar has a strong resale value. Even if it?s priceless to me.

Korean Made Fender Strat,Seymour Duncan (REAL DUNCANS,NOT THE "DUNCAN DESIGNED" crapola,3 single coil-NOTE TO ALL GOTTA-HAVA-HUMBUCKER in the Bridge position Players out there,TRY THIS BABY OUT AND TRY THE PICK-UP SELECTOR SWITCH IN the REST of the positions,not just all the way down,YOU WILL
find some REAL SWEET SPOTS AND YOU WILL,like it or not-
BE PLEASED with the tone this baby puts out,this is the truth as told to you BY one of you,THIS STRAT KICKS ASS! GO AHEAD PLUG IT IN AND YOU'LL SEE!! Nice feel to the neck BEAUTIFUL,BEAUTIFUL BIRDSEYE WOODGRAIN w/DEEP GLOSS LAQUER Finish,Should hold up to the usual OOPSIES and OH SHIT's.

ONE WORD--AWESOME,...ok Three WORDS, JUST F'ING AWESOME!!from Country Twang to some very MENACING METAL GROWL,Harmonics really come out easily with your pick attack,combined with some HI-GAIN,....KILLER. Cleans up well also ,nice and warm.

Action needed tweaking,but I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42's,so had to do it anyway,SET-UP/ALIGNED/iNTONATED PERFECTLY,also VERY QUIET no "usual" minor hum from the pick-ups,VERY,VERY NICE.

hasn't been gigged with,or even left my house yet,but looks to be up to the challenges of performing,can't really rate it by those facts,but I'll use my judgement from what I see,and it looks GOOD.

HAVEN'T DEALT with FENDER,NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS THAT WERE THEIR FAULT!

I first saw it,but shyed away because of the MADE IN KOREA deal and being "MR.METALHEAD-GOTTA HAVE A HUMBUCKER GUY",after seeing it a few times I CAVED,it was way too PRETTY to leave alone,ONE TIME IN MY HANDS,HAD TO MAKE HER MINE!!I may still go with a DUNCAN CUSTOM in the saddle,...STILL SOUNDS TOO DAMN GOOD TO JUSTIFY IT!! If I lost it Or IT WAS STOLEN, HATE TO THINK ABOUT VIOLENCE,BUT SHE"S MY GIRL AND LIKE PART OF ME,All I can say is a "TEMP. INSANITY" Defense might work,if one or more of the jurors hearing my case was a Guitarist and Had One of their own LITE ASH STRATS!! ANYWAY,GO GET ONE BEFORE THEY'RE GONE,GOOD NEWS GETS AROUND FAST especially for what you're getting QUALITY-WISE for LESS MONEY THEN THEY COULD GET,PICK-UPS ALONE ARE ALMOST A THIRD OF THE PRICE of these babies,THESE ARE MORE THAN WORTH THE MONEY YOU'LL SPEND,WITH NO REGRETS that usually come later,especially on the HIGH-PRICED stuff when you get home with it and find the "QUIRKS,...NO SUCH LUCK HERE,SHE"S A BEAUTY AND I HAVE NO REGRETS!.
THANKS FENDER<KEEP THIS KINDA STUFF COMIN!!!!!

Everything you need for traditional strat rocking out.

At first I thought I would be replacing some parts like pickups, tuners, pots, etc., but that was before I owned it for a month to see that it really is a fine instrument stock, I dont see a need for any change

Here is where it shines. When driven it sounds so much meatier than standard strats but also has that great clarity and charm clean, so its the best of both worlds. I think Fender really nailed it with this guitar. I initially purchased it as a backup to my main guitars on stage, but after a month it made its way into the group of player's guitars and it gets used just as often as my Deluxe Strat and my modded Teles.

Very happy with this guitar. usually after a few months the honeymoon period is over but I still have that chuckle on my face when I pick it up. I have to say I reach for it more often than the other Strats when I'm recording as well and that says alot to me. I want to play it onstage as often as my "best" guitars and reach for it to record more often than all the others. I have recorded our wholw first demo using the Lite Ash on every song. Sometimes main lead, sometimes sweet cleans, often its both

I did have to tweak the truss rod and do a complete setup on this guitar but I do that with every guitar I purchase so no biggie. Like I said I thought I would be replacing parts to make this thing just a little more like my other Strats but how can I change anything when I reach for this more than the others?

Its a solid guitar with quality parts and was constructed as good as most US Strats Ive owned. I did play a few others that had problems so there are issues with quality control but that can be said about any fender guitar

So far so good

Great value and I personally think this is the best value today in terms of bang for the buck....period

These have been covered, so feel free to skip it...
Made in Korea
Body - Ash. I'm not sure if the body is 2 peice or solid ash, I can't realy find the seam lines.
Neck - Birdseye Maple with Abalone inlays, 22 frets, 9.5? Radius
Standard Fender scale, frets, controls
Pickups - REAL Seymour Duncan Pickups APS-1N, APS-1RWRP, APS-1B.

Lots of features for the price, Ash Body, Birdseye Neck and SD Pickups.

The SD pickups give a really nice rich bell tone. Less bright than normal strat pickups. I didn't notice that much normal 60 Cycle hum on the 1/3/5 settings, it was there, but not as much as most other strats.

I can't comment on how well it was setup from factory becuase I bought it used. Overall it was setup well, the finish was nice and even, looks fairly thick and shows off the grain really well.

However, I played a couple new Lite Ash guitars and noticed that on some the frets were really sharp on the edges, and some had a gap between the top of the skunk stripe and the actual back of the neck. As with any guitar and Made in _____ (fill in the blank of oriental country) guitars, you really need to check them out, cuz they vary greatly.

So far it seems solid, its EXTREMLY light though. I could definatly easily see strapping this one for a while with no problem. I always put strap locks on all my guitars, so I can't comment on strap buttons. I definatly think though with any strat, if I plan on using the Whammy a lot I'd throw on some locking tuners. With any Fender product (MIM, MIJ, or MIA) I've never had any problems with reliability and durability.

I've only delt with Fender directly a few times, but every time they've been really helpful.

I've been playing for 10 years, and I've owned my share of guitars in that 10 years. This is the 3rd strat that have come across my collection. I love the seymour duncan pickups ,ash body, and the birdseye neck, and the abalone inlays really set it apart. I don't know if I'd really do anything different, except perhaps better quality control. All in all, if you find a really good one, its gonna be really good. For the price, I don't think anything could beat it.

- Fender Lite Ash Stratocaster, special edition, made in Korea 2005
- 22 frets
- solid top? neck is normally detachable
- normal Fender 1 volume and 2 tone controls, 5-way switch
- S/S/S pickups
- Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro APS-1 mic set!!! APS-1N, APS-1RWRP, APS-1B
- body is ash and the neck is probably maple, nice pearl dots in the fret, neck is blond
- strat body and finish is normal lacquer, this particular guitar is Natural Birdseye Maple
- bridge style is 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo
- tuners are non-locking chrome
- neck scale "normal", feels good

- I have played the most of my guitar hobby time only with single coil type guitars, I play dance music (pop, rock, fox, beat, walz, "humppa" etc) for example in wedding and christmas parties. I think Fender is very flexible and versatile guitar. I play 2nd guitar.
- I have Line6 Flextone III XL (212) combo and Line6 FBV Shortboard. Then I use Ibanez foot pedal effects like TS7, PH7, PC10 and DDL20
- Fender is noisy on 1st, 3rd and 5th pickup settings
- I think the sound is full enough mostly on the single coil settings and the guitar "sings" nicely when bending. Bright sound is often in the bridge (of course)
- Variety comes when mixing the pickup settings and the tone with the amp. I guess there is more variety than in 1 or 2 pickup guitars?
- Mostly I like the sound but I think the tone controls could be little bit more aggressive, because they don?t cut the sound so effectively. Or they cut it only quite far down position, let?s say in 1-3

- I think the bridge was too loose for me (only 2 strings), otherwise in good condition
- pickups were too low
- everything else was quite ok
- I tightened the tremolo arm by turning it one turn more than it felt, now it is more stable
- the guitar was protected and packed so well, that I didn?t find any marks on it and it had plastic cover on the plastic parts and so on

- I think it is very cool looking guitar live and it feels good in hand
- I guess the hardware is as solid and well made as in the more expensive models...
- the lacquer finish looks like it could last long
- I have played on a gig and usually I don?t have any other guitar than this on live...

- No actual comments, I ordered it outside Finland, everything worked well

- I have played electric guitar for 18 years
- maybe I should have asked more about the electronics especially the tone controls before buying
- I love the looks and the feel of the guitar and I think the Seymour Duncan mic set in this kind of guitar is totally good value for the money!
- I don?t like why the Fender couldn?t make the logo/label like real and like in the mexican-fenders, this is probably better or at least the same class than any of them...
- I think it could keep tune better (maybe had a bad set of too different kinds of strings)
- maybe I would by same guitar again if it was stolen or lost (or maybe some hiway series model...)
- I wish it had more responsive tone system or maybe little better tuners or bridge system to keep it better in tune
- I recommend this model to any serious amateur musician who likes Fender brand and I suggest that you?ll add a 3rd string at the back for more stronger feel for the tremolo, tighten the tuners and use maybe fat 9 or regular/fat 10 series strings in this so you?ll have a perfect all-around blues/rock/pop swinging-tool in your hands!!!

2005 MIK Fender Stratocaster, 22 Fret, solid top/body. Standard Strat controls - master volume and two tones with 5-way selector switch. Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pups in passive S-S-S configuration.
Natural finish Lite Ash body coated in clear polyurethane, with satin finish birds-eye maple neck.
Two-point tremolo with brass block - similar in style (and dimensions) to American standard version, but of slightly lower quality.
Sealed chromed mini-tuners - using screwless mount which has different dimensions to MIM/MIA standard models.
Neck is boat-shaped, with 25.5 scale, coated in polyurethane that has been de-glossed to appear like unfinished wood - a very nice effect. Medium jumbo frets that are dressed and finished better than MIM standards but not up to MIA standards.
No accessories included.

The Seymour Duncan pups are excellent sounding (check out the Seymour Duncan website for comparison). They do sound different to a regular strat - when clean they sound slightly more nasal (with less bass) and percussive than the more regular chimey classic Strat. They do, however distort well, with a very clean and subtle detail.

The guitar, when behaving itself, is nicely accoustic: better than my '97 MIM strat.

It only had two tremolo springs, which reduced bridge stability, slightly - but not a problem. Tremolo springs and bridge action are a personal choice.

Sound, however, is where the problems began to kick in. I had two of these guitars, and while one of them sounded beautiful, the other sounded like a sitar on the two high strings when they were played open. There were two causes for the problem: a nut that had benn fitted badly, and a bridge/tremolo that was mis-aligned and loose due to large cracks in the body where the mounting studs had been inserted... Not good...

If you get a good one it will sound beautiful. If you get a bad one, it won't. Accept nothing less than beautiful!

As mentioned above, I had two guitars. Both were returned due to poor fit and finish.
One of the two guitars had a faulty nut and serious cracks around the brass studs/inserts that form the tremolo mounting - resulting in a misaligned tremolo and a sound that resembled a sitar. The other guitar had perfect alignment, solid bridge and delightful sound: it was a joy to play. However, once I got it home I found that the polyurethane neck finish was bubbling and peeling away from under the frets. I hadn't noticed this in the store - it is only visible in strong light.

A guitar with perfect fit and finish would represent awesome value for money. However, it would appear that there are enough less than perfect guitars to warrant care.

Both guitars were returned with serious flaws.

Never dealt directly with Fender.

Playing since 97. Learned on a '97 MIM Standard Strat and a Gibson '97 Les Paul Studio through a Fender Blues Junior (yep, you guessed it - '97). Bought the lite ash model as an upgrade to the MIM Standard Strat - I wanted the medium jumbo frets, APS pups, an ash body, boat neck and two point bridge: this was my perfect configuration, and much cheaper than building from parts.

I am disappointed by Fender - $600 is too much to pay for defective guitars. While there will be a beautiful model out there for you if you are willing to search for it, I wasn't prepared to put in the effort.

i bought this guitar 2 months ago from a local music shop for ?500. it is a korean made fender and i think it was made in 2004. from a distance, it appears just as a standard fender stratocaster but a closer look reveals that the body is made of lite ash (very helpful, as ash is not naturally easy on the shoulder). The guitar is also loaded with seymour duncan alnico 2 pro pickups which ROCK (more on that later...) the neck is maple and the fretboard is birdseye maple with abalone dot inlays. the neck has a soft shape somewhere between a C and V shape. there are 22 frets which are medium jumbo; great for bending. the electronics are standard strat configuration (s/s/s, 2 tone 1 volume, 5-way selector switch) which is all I could ever need. The bridge is a 2-point synchronised trem which balances well and stays in tune, even after divebombs. Tuners are Gotoh, I think and they stay where you put them and keep in tune well.

I mainly play blues and country, so a fender seemed the perfect choice. I would have gone for a telecaster instead but I couldn't live without the out-of-phase sounds from positions 2 and 4 on the selector switch. I use this through a fender princeton 65 solid state amp and I use a Dunlop crybaby wah, DOD eq pedal, Boss sd-1 super overdrive and a USA big muff. This guitar is just insane and fender should by rights shoot the person who decided the price on it. The pickups on their own cost around 170-180 pounds on their own when bough seperately, and they are the best strat pickups I have ever tried. As I mentioned earlier, they are seymour duncan alnico 2 pros with a reverse-wound middle pickup (a nice touch- this means that when used with the neck or bridge pickups on positions 2 and 4, it works as a humbucker) these are so sweet and have a refined twang to them. I thought that fender Texas specials were the best strat pickups around until i heard these badboys. They have THE throaty strat growl that is so sought after and was defined by the texas specials. These pickups are so much better in that they are more refined but still have that twang to them. the bridge position is great on its own, especially with overdrive. biting but rich and twangy. position 2 lends a darker edge but still keeps the twang: THE country setting. the middle position is one that i wouldn't normally use, but on this guitar it is amazing. think pride and joy, think johnny.b goode think.......KKKKEEEERRRRRAAAAANNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!
my favourite has to be position 4. neck and middle. it is not very often when this position on a strat is both warm and biting. but when loaded up with some rockin' overdrive it just tears down the walls. I use this position almost exclusively for blues, but when I need that extra balls I flip to the neck pickup. this is a singing growly SRV setting, down to the last drop and is great played clean as well. The ash body resonates well, and the volume control is responsive. you can get a great hendrix-y tone by puting on a hint of overdrive, setting the guitar to position 4 and rolling the volume off to about 8. the tone controls aren't so responsive, but i never use them anyway.

the guitar was well set up for guage 10 srings (pffftt!)so I had to put the extra trem spring in and re cut the nut as well as adjusting the truss rod to set it up for 12s The finish is flawless. (a brilliant natural finish) and the whole guitar is really well put together. I recently took the guitar apart and discovered that it is actually routed for a H/S/H pickup configuration. good if you like that sort of thing, but I couldn't help feeling that fender were cutting a few corners here production wise. still, the ludicrous price tag more than compensates for this. The pickup selector is good quality. better than the mexican and USA satndard strats, I thought. The controls are a bit lose, they turn very easily and I prefer something which I can 'feel' but all in all this is well made

I have gigged this many a time and it stands up well to abuse, particullarly whammy bar dives and chucking it about a bit. I have not had this guitar lonh enough to say if it is durable or not, but no problems so far. strap buttons are oversized and chunky. they are great and keep the strap where you put it. I have a habit of breaking strings, so I wouldn't use it without a backup but I trust this guitar with my life

never had to deal with fender, but the shop have been helpful

I was considering buying a mexican strat and gradually upgrading it (pickups, hardware etc.) whenever I had spare money. But i remembered one of these in another local music shop a year ago and i was considering going to london to try and find one. I walked into the shop in my local city and it was just hanging there. I put a deposit on it even though I didn't have half the money of what they were selling it for, but luckily I worked for 3 weeks and bought it a month later. Everythiong about this guitar is perfect to me.

email me @ sphilcox @ yellow.esinet.org.uk if u want to share your thoughts

mentioned below...

This is a great guitar for the price. It's sounds and looks different than most of the strats available today which is why it really jumped out at me. It does sound liek a strat but it can do some other impercinations pretty well. The duncans are pretty good, I would like them even more if they had just a little more clarity but they're definelty musical. I personally think that the finishes on korean guitars are too thick and deaden the resonance a little but that's just me. I've played this guitar through a speedster 25 watt deluxe, a speedster class a 40, a univox custom(wired like a jtm) and a peavey classic 30. it sounded great through all of them.

I purchased it locally and it was already set up and ready to play so that was no big issue. I did a couple mods that will offer a few more sounds out of this already versatile guit, first off i replaced the pots, and then re-wired a new push pull in and now i can have the B pu and the N pu on at the same time or all three pu's in parrelel.
I've never had a problem with it, just treat it decent and it'll do fine.

I've had it for about 10 months and had many gigs with it. One i will mention because I played for mike mcready(guitarist from pearl jam) and talked to him afterward, and he autographed the strat and told me he liked it.
But back to the point I've never had a problem with it, just give it a set up 2-4 times a year and treat it well.

never had too ask anything

It's a great guitar for all styles, and for the price too!
I play so many different styles it's hard to say but i'll name just some of my influences: slash, larry coreal, david bowie, the sex pistols, joe walsh, morphine, SRV, jerry cantrell, david gilmour, and so on.
I have used it live and in the studio and it holds up well. It's not the best guitar out there, It's not going to get you famous, but it's a solid, good sounding player and it can take a beating.

Korean made ash bod birdseye maple neck and fretboarb. Seymore duncan pickups and 5 way switching. Neck has a soft V shape, very similar to 50,s model and the American Claypton model. The finish (at least in the natural model I purcased was beautiful, with no run or visable flaws

The Seymores sound great and give the strat a whole new amviance without trading away those things that make a strat a strat. But the Seymores ARE noisy.

The guitar needed to be set up (as all guitars do) but the edges of the nut were VERY sharp. I ended up replacing the nut with a graphite model but the tech at the stor I purchased the guitar at said that a lot of the nuts on these models (they had quit a few and all were sharp) would be replaced so I guess I got to hit them up for this.

I've had experience with Fender and they're useually pretty good.

I'm 48 and I've played a long time. If it were lost or stolen I'd replace it with the same. I own a lot of guitars and this is one of my favotites

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!