I've got a 2002 Special Edition Fender that I just bought from a guy who got it and never learned to play (quite an investment to see if you enjoy something I know) but I ended up getting a fairly good deal on it.

When he told me originally it was an ash body I was thinking of Light Ash and when I picked it up I was a bit caught off guard with the weight of it (because it weighed almost as much as my Les Paul!).

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could shed light on this model because all the Special Editions I see online (ebay, etc) are all light ash.

How often do they produce Northern ash stratocasters? How rare/collectible are they? And does anyone know anything about the special edition ones specifically? Any help is greatly appreciated.

I love this thing though, finally a strat with soaring sustain! Cheers.

Hi DanLindsey, welcome to the Forum.

Special Edition has meant a lot of different things over the years, including different factories, different models, different timbers...

I think you'll have to post some pics to be sure of useful answers. We especially need to see the neck and headstock on this one.

In the meantime. Is it made in Korea? Does it have black Seymour Duncan pickups? Is the neck made from birdseye maple including the fingerboard, and with abalone dot inlays?

If yes to all of that then it sounds like it is indeed the Korean Lite Ash Strat. I have the Lite Ash Tele, and it is definitely distinctly lighter than a regular one: that Lite means light.

If yours is heavy then that suggests its a different model. I'm not sure when the Lite Ash model was introduced, but I wonder whether it was as long ago as 2002. I'm guessing yours is something else...

Cheers - C

Sorry for not specifying, it's an American special edition. It was made in the Corona factory (neckplate says so). It's not birdseye maple and that's what made me ask myself these questions originally is because all the special edition ash bodies I saw from this time period had the birdseye.

I don't believe it has Seymour Duncans in it but I can't be sure. They are black but they don't have anything etched into the pup covers so I'm not exactly sure.

Sorry for the weird angles in the pictures I was taking them with my macbook and I had to hold it in very awkward angles. If you need more I can get out my digital camera for better quality. Anyway it's butterscotch with a NOS maple neck. The serial number is Z1031323 if you can't read it in the picture.

http://i28.tinypic.com/29mp36w.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/2vmvgu9.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2e37fyg.jpg

Hi again DanLindsey: looks like a nice honey blonde finish. Hard to see in the pic: are your dot markers black or abalone?

Anyhow: we've established what it isn't (the Lite Ash Strat) - but not what it is. I've done a bit of a Google image search and found several guitars like yours - but as yet no useful information worth mentioning.

But stick around: someone will look in who can help you further!

Cheers - C

The inlays are black. Thanks for your help thus far, I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for any more information on this beauty in my collection.

Ceri you are very knowledgeable I am impressed and hope your well today.

Hi vinny: thank you for that. And friendly good wishes to you too.

Hopefully I occasionally recognise the (quite low) limits of my own knowledge - 'fraid I don't have the information to help Dan further - but it's a nice looking guitar, ain't it?

Looks like a keeper to me.

Cheers - C

For sure! I'll NEVER get rid of this one (although I'll probably never get rid of any of my guitars haha).

Like I said, I was always looking for a Stratocaster that could deliver the unmistakable playability, soul and tone of a Fender while producing the sustain and clarity of my Les Paul.

Here it is, I've found it, and I'll be damned if I'll ever let go! This is truly my dream guitar. I had contacted several shops in building me a custom heavy-bodied strat but now I can put the phone down and just play.

It looks like a cross between a deluxe and a american standard its a 2001 anyway. Also on the rear of the headstock it has a special edition emblem.
Black position markers and 2 point trem pretty much confirm its likeness to a standard as does the Z1 serial prefix.

Looks a little like this
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/msg/1294820697.html
A 01 special edition standard

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No no and no

Vinny don't let Ceri snow you with his modesty (not false, just a bit overdeveloped,)

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... trash+body

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Yes but I believe that is alder bodied, still. I don't care whether it's a "real" special edition or anything like that. I love guitars for playability, not names.

I would just like to know more about Fender's overall production of this heavier ash in hopes of maybe locating more of them in the future.

Hi Dan: well, on that I can give you one tiny left-field snippet of info.

On Mike Eldred's Custom Shop Forum elsewhere on this site he once mentioned that amongst their orders from established artists there was a definite preference for heavier body woods.

That goes against the general fashion, where lightness of wood (ash in particular) is often perceived as a nice thing. So in having a heavy Strat you appear to be in line with the big name players.

No rights or wrongs - but food for thought.

Cheers - C

In general, heavier/denser wood will not resonate quite as much and sound a bit brighter with tighter lows. This is desireable for a guitar that is used turned up loud because of a tendency to feedback less, which can get uncontrollable in extreme volume situations, and for the notes in chords will stay a more separated and defined. The same guitar may sound a bit thin at low volume.

Sometimes what makes a guitar work well in one situation, becomes it achilies heel in another

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst