Fender Lite Ash Strat MIK

[thearabianmage]

Hey y'all,

Right, for those not in the know, here are the specs on this liddl giddy:

Neck: Bird's Eye Maple, compound radius (I'm sure. . .), v-shaped, satin finish, abalone inlay, 22 medium frets

Body: Lite Ash (!!!), natural finish, black pickguard

Hardware: 2-point snychronized tremolo with a brass block (oh yess), standard Fender machine heads (I think)

Pups: 3 Seymour Duncan APH-1 (yes, yes, yes!)

This is just about the only real Stratocaster I'm gassing for. Some guy had it on E-Bay for £200 - the cheapest I can find a natural finish Lite Ash is £359. He wants to sell a hard case with it as well. . .

I'm soooo tempted, and me and the guy are in talks about it - he hasn't yet given me the price with the case included, but I wanted the opinion of other fretters - some who are more versed in Stratocasters than I am before I make a decision.

I've read several reviews on this guitar, and they were all good (maybe I just didn't get far enough?)

Anyone have any experience with this most bodacious axe?

I want to get a 'professional' guitar to take to uni with me. . .

Cheers!

Joe

[tunghaichuan***]

I believe I saw one of these the other day at a local music store. It must have been the "heavy" version because it weighed a tonne The ad says "lite" though.

The are asking $425US or 296 Euros, is that a good price?

tung

Hey y'all,

Right, for those not in the know, here are the specs on this liddl giddy:

Neck: Bird's Eye Maple, compound radius (I'm sure. . .), v-shaped, satin finish, abalone inlay, 22 medium frets

Body: Lite Ash (!!!), natural finish, black pickguard

Hardware: 2-point snychronized tremolo with a brass block (oh yess), standard Fender machine heads (I think)

Pups: 3 Seymour Duncan APH-1 (yes, yes, yes!)

This is just about the only real Stratocaster I'm gassing for. Some guy had it on E-Bay for £200 - the cheapest I can find a natural finish Lite Ash is £359. He wants to sell a hard case with it as well. . .

I'm soooo tempted, and me and the guy are in talks about it - he hasn't yet given me the price with the case included, but I wanted the opinion of other fretters - some who are more versed in Stratocasters than I am before I make a decision.

I've read several reviews on this guitar, and they were all good (maybe I just didn't get far enough?)

Anyone have any experience with this most bodacious axe?

I want to get a 'professional' guitar to take to uni with me. . .

Cheers!

Joe

[Spudman***]

I owned a brand new one and it didn't last long with me. Like Tung says it was heavy and kind of dead sounding. I've played several and none of them had any wow factor going for me. On the other hand the Light Ash Tele was awesome.

It played nice and looked beautiful but I didn't like the pickups or the body resonance a bit. I got my money back out of it but I'll never be tempted again to get another.

Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear.

[tunghaichuan***]

I owned a brand new one and it didn't last long with me. Like Tung says it was heavy and kind of dead sounding. I've played several and none of them had any wow factor going for me. On the other hand the Light Ash Tele was awesome.

It played nice and looked beautiful but I didn't like the pickups or the body resonance a bit. I got my money back out of it but I'll never be tempted again to get another.

Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear: the truth. You just saved me $425 +tax :

I did play the guitar when I was in the store, and it didn't knock me out.

tung

[TS808]

I had tried two of the light ash strats...both at different times. The first one, the fretwork was really rough on the edges...I would have had to wear my hockey gloves to keep from getting cut.

The second one I tried, the gap in the neck pocket was so wide that I could have fit a stack of business cards in there. After trying the guitar twice and not being happy with the build, I no longer pursued the guitar any more.

I think a really good guitar (if you want ash) is to look at one of the Classic Series 70's strats. They cost a bit more, but the MIM Classic Series has a more consistent build quality. I recently saw the Aerodyne strat on GC's website, that looks pretty cool, and priced about the same. I don't know much about those guitars though.

Also in that price range are the G&L Tribute series Legacy and S-500...ash bodies if I recall, and you can get a nice used on on ebay for $425 or less.

[thearabianmage]

Hey everybody! Thanks for the honest answers, that's exactly what I was looking for. If I am going to shell out on a guitar with loan money ( : ) I at least want it to be a killer

I was disillusioned by the Seymour Duncan pups, 2-point synch trem (seems to be the only one in that price range), and the natural finish.

Good thing there's a great discussion forum to set me straight :

Now my eyes are on the Ibanez S670FM or the Jackson DK2m even more. . .

[Katastrophe]

The one I played years ago must've been an oddity. It was light and resonant, the SDs were superb, fit and finish was great and the neck was incredible.

Again this was about 5-6 years ago, but it felt like the best Strat I've played to date.

[Spudman***]

Now my eyes are on the Ibanez S670FM or the Jackson DK2m even more. . .

Lucky you. We don't get the S670 on this side of the pond. That's a Euro guitar and a beauty. However, try a guitar with he ZR tremolo before you buy one. Some folks like them some don't.