Hi< I need advice on a project. I own 2 fender strats one mim one usa.O.K I'm looking at a made in korea squire with a maple neck to build on.can anyone tell me what these guitars are made from.or if the korean guitars are any better or worse than others.this one is made in 1988

Hi clifton, welcome to the Forum.

A couple of Korean Fenders I know about are the Special Edition Lite Ash Strats and Teles, and also the Special Edition Koa guitars. The clue to their timbers lies in their names.

They have been discontinued by Fender in the last couple of months, but you'll find that good examples come up a lot on Ebay, and they're still to be found new in the shops if you are quick.

(I wonder if the new Special Edition Spalted Maple Telecaster is also Korean? Interesting timbers seems to be a trademark of the Korean factory...)

I happen to think that the Lite Ash models in particular make excellent platforms for projects. The woods are very nice, especially on those with the Natural finish. And they really are significantly lighter than normal ash - my Lite Ash Tele weighs seven pounds, which is featherweight for a Tele!

Also, they have nice one peice birdseye maple necks with abalone dot markers - pretty tasty. Over the last couple of years they have surely used up the better quality birdseye, because the newest ones seem to have much less distinct figuring. Still pretty, though.

Pick up a Lite Ash Strat on Ebay and you have an excellent starting point for a project. Though I'm not sure where you'd go with it: that guitar already has a nice bridge and admirable Seymour Duncan designed pickups...

One more suggestion: take a look at the new-ish Classic Vibe Squiers. Those are very well spec'd necks and bodies - also an excellent base for a project. No doubt they'll start appearing "pre-owned" on Ebay shortly...

Good luck - C