It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:35 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Special Edition Lite Ash Strat
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:18 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:38 am
Posts: 8
I recently purchased a special edition (Korean) Lite Ash Strat. I like the guitar very much but was surprised to find a “V” shaped neck. The Fender website specs it out as having a “modern ‘C’ shape” neck. In reading reviews of the guitar, I now see that the “V” neck is, in fact, standard. Is it considered a “soft" or "hard V”? Other than being a throwback to the 50’s guitars, are there any practical advantages? I’m still getting used to it.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Special Edition Lite Ash Strat
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:40 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:58 pm
Posts: 7714
Location: Planet Earth
DrGregC wrote:
I recently purchased a special edition (Korean) Lite Ash Strat. I like the guitar very much but was surprised to find a “V” shaped neck. The Fender website specs it out as having a “modern ‘C’ shape” neck. In reading reviews of the guitar, I now see that the “V” neck is, in fact, standard. Is it considered a “soft" or "hard V”? Other than being a throwback to the 50’s guitars, are there any practical advantages? I’m still getting used to it.
I guess that is why they put on the bottom of the specs page (prices and materials, and spec subject to change without notice due to availabilty) something like that on the bottom. I guess they changed the neck due to availibilty :shock:

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:55 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 12:02 pm
Posts: 86
There are/have been two Korean Strats where I work, the Light Ash and the Koa. I've only ever seen the Light Ash come with a 'v' neck, it is a fairly sharp 'v', much more distinct than what came on my Classic 50's which is classified as a soft 'v'. The Koa(s) were all modern 'c' shape necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:21 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:57 am
Posts: 13164
Location: Peckham: where the snow leopards roam
M. Brown wrote:
There are/have been two Korean Strats where I work


Where do you work? We've noticed the sensible things you have to say. Never know, maybe someone is in your area and would like to consult you in person...

Cheers - C


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:50 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 12:02 pm
Posts: 86
Ceri wrote:
M. Brown wrote:
There are/have been two Korean Strats where I work


Where do you work? We've noticed the sensible things you have to say. Never know, maybe someone is in your area and would like to consult you in person...

Cheers - C


I work at my local Long & McQuade. I was spending all my money there anyway, so I bugged the owners 'til they gave me a job. LOL!


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:14 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:38 am
Posts: 8
I was unable to settle the discrepancy as to whether the Lite Ash Strat is supposed to have a C or V shaped neck, so I e-mailed Fender Consumer Relations. My original response from them was "The Lite Ash Strat, does not have a V neck, it has a C shape neck."

I followed up with some documentaion from this forum and also Harmony Central. My second response was "We stand to be corrected. It is in fact a V shape neck."

The website has not yet been updated. You've got to wonder sometimes...


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 6:43 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:42 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Westminster, MD
I have to say, mine does indeed have the "C" neck shape. I am a big fan of the v-necks, and would have been tickled pink if my Lite Ash had one. But, after all has been said and done, I really like this guitar very much, and am amazed at the value this guitar has to offer. I got lucky when a local shop had one 2007 model left and sold it to me for under $500 brand spanking new. :D


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Special Edition Lite Ash Strat
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:37 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
DrGregC wrote:
I recently purchased a special edition (Korean) Lite Ash Strat. I like the guitar very much but was surprised to find a “V” shaped neck. The Fender website specs it out as having a “modern ‘C’ shape” neck. In reading reviews of the guitar, I now see that the “V” neck is, in fact, standard. Is it considered a “soft" or "hard V”? Other than being a throwback to the 50’s guitars, are there any practical advantages? I’m still getting used to it.


What I gather from Fender and their "V" necks, which I have a preference for since 1958, is that there can be some variability in their feel and contour. The classic cross-sectional diagram which someone might post here rarely reflects what I've seen "in the flesh, so to speak" There's a difference of several mm in the wrap around measurement of my '89 Clapton maple neck, and the Custom Shop Clapton-based guitar with a rosewood board, built for me a few years ago. The same goes for specs recently exchanged between myself and AlainLaFrance with respect to his "as built for the artist" Masterbuild Clapton by Jack Krause in '03. The '57 Hotrod Stratocaster has a 'modified' soft-V neck which has more of the feel of my '89.

When I audition these guitars I go more for the 'feel' in my hands, than what the specs describe. Had I my druthers, and more time, having not had need to wait on my Custom Shop guitar and the neck redone once, I likely would have returned it for a bit more refinement.

The bottom line, other than that there might be a bit more wood, is whether or not it's a 'player' for your needs and tastes. I personally do not care much for the 'modern' C-neck and if I could have every neck on a Strat done the way my '89 feels, for me that would be perfect.

On another note, I don't understand why Fender would offer anything other than a finish which would show the beautiful grain of ash wood. That black finish option does make a beautiful guitar but you can even do that in poplar. Something like the new sienna sunburst would be fabulous in that wood.

The tone wood factor can't certainly be an issue here.

Doc :wink:

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Last edited by ZZDoc on Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:55 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
I've noticed the same thing. my hotrods got a soft V my squire series has a U, my new baja telecaster has a soft V apparently but its deeper than the U on my squire series and bears no resemblance to my hotrods neck. I personly think fender throw any old thing on their mass produced guitars when their coming to the end of the run and the number of bodies is greater than the number of necks.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:08 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
nikininja wrote:
I've noticed the same thing. my hotrods got a soft V my squire series has a U, my new baja telecaster has a soft V apparently but its deeper than the U on my squire series and bears no resemblance to my hotrods neck. I personly think fender throw any old thing on their mass produced guitars when their coming to the end of the run and the number of bodies is greater than the number of necks.


You and I have kicked this neck thing around quite a bit. You recall when you were shopping, I urged you to seriously consider that '57 hotrod.

I just memoed Alain that there's a 6 mm difference in the neck circumference at the 12th fret between my '89 Clapton, and my Clapton based CS guitar and I attribute this to the rosewood board and medium jumbo frets on the CS. Had I known this in advanced, I would have stayed with an all maple neck but that would not have satisfied my original purpose in designing this guitar. I might have then had them finish it as a '58, like the one in Alain's collection.

His Jack Krause ''as built for' Clapton has a neck that essentially measures the same as my '89.

Doc :wink:

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:30 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
Doc i saw on a previous thread how you measured the contour of the neck on certain frets. Was this a fender method of measurement that you learnt somewhere or one that you devised yourself? Also which frets did you take the measurements on? Do you know of any method to measure the shape of the contour?

I've three guitars all with unique necks that have different aspects that appeal to my hand. If i could measure what i liked about em all i'd like to shape a neck that combines all the good points. To do that though i'd have to start with a realy thick U shape as i lack the skills to make one from scratch. :oops:

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:52 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
[quote="nikininja"]Doc i saw on a previous thread how you measured the contour of the neck on certain frets. Was this a fender method of measurement that you learnt somewhere or one that you devised yourself? Also which frets did you take the measurements on? Do you know of any method to measure the shape of the contour?

This is my own gambit.

I have a cloth tape, metric on one side. I lay the tape across the board so that the #1 is in line with the edge (line angle) made by the shoulder and the face of the board. The edge of the tape sits against the fret. Holding the tape fast against the opposite shoulder, allows one to permit the free end to fall away and not interfere with the wrap around coming across the line angle. I wrap the tape tightly around the neck until it crosses the line angle again and read off the measurement. The actual value is one whole number less than what you read off the tape because you are not starting at zero, rather, one.

The constant here, is the Clapton neck profile. It stands to reason that measurements will differ from neck profile to neck profile, width and thickness. I was comparing Alains "as made for EC" with my '89, and my CS. I measured at #1 and #12. #12 is of greater interest because most of Eric's playing kicks off from there.

Fender will use accurate micrometric instrumentation to obtain the various dimensions of the necks and the CAD/CAM technology will standardize this. Any human involvement in finish will introduce some variability in these dimensions but not enough to matter. In my case, I believe the introduction of a rosewood board added thickness to the neck giving it a slightly 'chunkier' feel, and they failed to render the satin finish I had requested so the neck does not feel as fast at the other which I prefer. However, complete satisfaction would have likely required another $2500 and, in this case, the juice was not really worth the sqeeze. The guitar stands its on its own merits which are many.

Doc

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 2:26 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
zzdoc wrote:
The guitar stands its on its own merits which are many.

Doc


that is the important thing, your satisfaction. The generic custom shop guitars have always been great off the wall guitars i.e the relic, nos and (my personal favourite) closet classics. Their even good value for money.The price to have anything altered at production level are however extorionate.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:15 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:10 pm
Posts: 13467
Location: Palm Beach County FL
The generic custom shop guitars have always been great off the wall guitars i.e the relic, nos and (my personal favourite) closet classics. Their even good value for money.The price to have anything altered at production level are however extorionate.[/quote].

This one was team built, for obvious reasons, and I expect that elsewhere you've already read all the minor spec changes I made in it. Hopefully, I'll be able to get around to posting pics. There's just too much of life getting in the way. It's an interesting looking guitar. Not spectacular, but elegant, and tough looking of a fashion.

As I've said before, it's a tribute to all our heroes.


Doc.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"


Top
Profile
Post subject: lite ash strat
Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:05 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:08 am
Posts: 2265
when i checked one out at guitar center, i did notice that it had more of a chunky v neck, chunkier than the cp 50s.

although, i likey


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: