was looking at this MIM ash Strat, does anyone here own one? I have played one only for about 5 mins in a Gcenter near my house but does anyone have any feedback about it or own one? thanks in advance.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Stan ... 1371719.gc

_________________
Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I had an ash bodied Strat a 78 for about 15 yrs and had to get rid of it after I developed back problems(the guitar didn't cause them)it weighed over 10 lbs and sustained like a Steinway Concert Grand an amazing guitar.I don't know anything about the new ones but being made of ash I would imagine they're heavy with great sustain.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I had the same one up until yesterday, believe it or not. I have nothing bad to say about it. It came OEM with Tex-Mex pickups and all around, it was a fine specimen of a Strat as all construction details were superb. It set up, played, stayed in tune and sustained, all also superbly. Change the output jack to a Switchcraft, throw a set of strap lock on and you're good to go! The only reason I sold it was because I was literally made an offer for it that I couldn't refuse!!

_________________
You dig?

Both the older and the more modern Ash Strats were made from different varieties of ash than the heavy '70's era ones. They are comparably weighted to alder strats. Some swamp ash ones are actually really light. they do sustain well and have great tone. now , really the main reason to choose ash or alder has to do with the type of finish that is applied. Alder is a more closed grain/pore wood, and doesn't require the extra step of grain filling during finishing. If you have an opaque finish on your strat it is most likely alder.

Although some alder can have really nice grain Ash tends to have more prominent grain lines. it requires grain filling to make it flat and level. the grain filler is also used to accentuate the grain lines. So it is usually saved for finishes that highlight the natural grain, so many of the nice sunbursts and transparent finishes are ash.

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

Good point. I left the weight part out. The Strat I had weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces complete.

_________________
You dig?