Agree and perhaps I should have been more clear. I have heard that the neck joint/pocket area is weaker and can crack/split/break easy and screws that hold hardware in (ie: bridge, pickguard, strap buttons/lock, jack etc) can strip out easier due to the softer wood. I did not mean to imply the neck screws strip out from the heel. I have also heard stories of the wood "molding" with Agathis or something to that effect and it may only be in some cases but it looks greenish and breaks even easier in those cases.

Granted if the ax really played well and had nice tone I would not care what it was made of. Screws stripping out can be fixed as well (filler and/or longer/fatter screws)...but the body breaking at the neck pocket is a concern, especially if you are a little rough on them like I am.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

well, it's still no confirmation of an alder body...

can anybody confirm this?! Fender won't reply! Would one be able to tell looking at the woodgrain on the sunburst model?

How do you know they wouldn't lie to you just to get you to buy a guitar?

they could, but I just asked them if the body is made of alder... I could or could not want that in order to buy it no?

they didn't reply anyway, so does anyone know?! MIM std. made from alder?

yes mim strats are alder, just more pieces of wood than a mia.

great! how do you know?

NO...Not all....

OP it seems to me that you are just trying to justify not buying a Fender Strat by having more reviews reenforcing your opinion that Fender is not honest on their material descriptions..

As far as not finding the specs on wood....You musn't have searched very well, I just pulled up the specs to all and the choice of body wood is listed....

Classic Series 70's......Ash Bodies
Classic Series 60's ...... Alder Bodies
Classic Series 50's ......Alder Bodies
Classic Player 50's ...... Alder Bodies
Classic Player 60's ...... Alder Bodies

Deluxe ...........Alder Bodies
Deluxe Player ......... Ash Bodies..I have a Crimson Red and I can assure you it's Ash.
How do I know.....It's obvious since the finish is transparent and I'm a woodworker...

Standard....Alder Bodies....If you doubt what's covered by the paint color than either get a sunburst or a transparent shade.......Some are going to be three piece bodies, some are going to be two piece, entirely dependent on what was pulled on that particular day and how those pieces matched up at the time. ( this is the only one that is not mentioned but I think that is more of an oversight and I'd bet you can find it in other spec description up in support.

I think you are just splitting hairs here, especially considering that we are comparing a series lines that sell for $600 to $800. Not the higher end which the better the series the more attention is paid to wood choice and grain alignment....
However, Iv'e had my MIM Deluxe Player for over 5 years and like it just as much as I did my CS 56 NOS.. For very different reasons but I have not seen anything MIM that is not of high quality from Fender....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Standard Stratocaster body wood.

Several pieces of alder with a veneer on top and bottom.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Dead wrong! I do want to get it! badly! I'm just afraid not to get the body wood I want. Now that I've discovered body wood has everything to do with the tone, I want to make sure it's made from the same wood my guitar heroes play/ed (ejohnson hendrix mayer)

"reenforcing your opinion that Fender is not honest on their material descriptions"

I honestly don't know where you got this is "my opinion"



yes, this is exactly why I'm swaping my deluxe player's. Ash indeed! I hated it! just not for me I guess, and yes I'm getting the std. sunburst model! I just find it puzzling they would just put that on the online description. Anyway, what should I look for in the grain to confirm (mostly to myself) it's alder?

thanks a lot man!

You sent Fender an e-mail on a Thursday and are complaining on Sunday that they haven't responded? Do you think the folks that work at Fender have nothing else to do all day and that yours is the most important e-mail that they have received? Pretty arrogant if you ask me.

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Bill

Hey bluesky this is a forum and I'm asked them a quick/easy technical question about the materials used in what I think might be their best selling product. Just look at the way you've worded your question, an outright fallacy. Now go waste someone else's time instead of just coming here to insult me, ok? ok.

I'm not sure how I should reply at this point...But...Here goes....


[/quote]
Dead wrong! I do want to get it! badly! I'm just afraid not to get the body wood I want. Now that I've discovered body wood has everything to do with the tone, I want to make sure it's made from the same wood my guitar heroes play/ed (ejohnson hendrix mayer) [quote]

THis ^^ is partly incorrect and somewhat of a myth that is perpetrated.
Ash will resonate differently than Alder and two pieces of Ash or Alder will also resonate differently. This has to do with the wood's construction ( as in Natural ) how the grain runs as well as to it's density. Climate changes during a tree's growth are critical as to the end result as far as we are concerned......Most importantly though is the components of your Electric guitar, i.e. Pickups, wiring, pots, hardware, even strings.
.

[quote]
Yes, this is exactly why I'm swaping my deluxe player's. Ash indeed! I hated it! just not for me I guess, and yes I'm getting the std. sunburst model! I just find it puzzling they would just put that on the online description. Anyway, what should I look for in the grain to confirm (mostly to myself) it's alder? [quote]

Alder is lightly grained, often barely visible, whereas Ash is quite visible like veins running thru the body.
I did not like the tone/sound that my Deluxe Player had, but this had to do with the pickups and the setup. I switched the Vintage pups and push switch for a set of SCN's standard Strat wiring...Great, love it. The vintage pups I used in my Stratopartster build I with TBX tone pots.
They are now what I was looking for sound wise.

My point is that if you are searching for the right sound by having the right wood in a guitar, you will never find it, since an electric guitar is an electromagnetic process of amplifying a strings vibration whereas an acoustic guitar relies on a mechanical process of string vibration being amplified by air movement inside a chamber as well as that chamber's structure being in motion ( vibration ). in the case of the acoustic choice of tone wood is critical but the electric guitar is not so dependent on this factor....

I suggest you go to the top of the page in the Custom Shop section and watch the video's of Mike Eldred explaining how they pick the woods and the differences....Granted this is for the Custom Shop, but the same principle apply for the lower lines as far as wood choice and
matching.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Koruma..you did get this ^^ was in jest....

As far as Bluesky636's reply....Well you are sort of asking the same question repeatedly even though you are phrasing it differently and it has been answered.

As far as a return answer E-mail from Fender, you'll have to be patient, it's rare that you will get a reply immediately, it usually takes a few days, especially when it's not at the top of the list as far as priority goes.....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Yeah, it's facinating, however after extensive online research there seems to be a concensus that ash bodied strats vs alder ones have different tones, all else being equal. Yes, it's electromagnetic but I think the wood the strings are attached to affects the way they vibrate and thus what the pickups eh, pickup. There also seems to be some concensus that alder is a more consistent wood than ash from one piece to another.

Check out this vid I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0jfoPbNlT8
.


Like I've said I think wood does play an, atleast noticeable, part on the construction of the final tone but I will check out the vids now! Thanks man!

Hi there. ;O)

I should say first, depending on traffic, emails to consumerrelations@fender.com do sometimes take a few days to get answered. We try to get them done within 48 hrs (business hrs but again, depending on how much of it there is, it could be longer...but ALL of them are answered. Also...we don't prioritize on what we think may be important....just answer them as they come in......harder questions take longer of course.
Anyway......... Heres the Standard Strat's Specs, hope that helps.
all the best,
rob
*****************************
Model Name: Standard Stratocaster®
Model Number: 014-4600-(Color #) and 014-4602-(Color #)
Series: Standard Series
Colors: (502) Lake Placid Blue,
(506) Black,
(509) Candy Apple Red,
(532)* Brown Sunburst, *add $60.00,
(575) Midnight Wine,
(580) Arctic White,
(Polyester Finish)
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck on Rosewood, )
Fingerboard: Rosewood (P/N 014-4600) or Maple (P/N 014-4602), 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets: 21 Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.650” (42 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Fender®/Ping® Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Bridge: Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo
Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
Pickups: 3 Standard Single-Coil Strat® Pickups (Ceramic Magnets)
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Strings: Fender® Super Bullets® 3250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-3250-003
Unique Features: Vintage Styling,
Fender Transition Logo,
Parchment Plastic Parts
Source: Mexico
Accessories: None
U.S. MSRP: $689.99,
$749.99, *(332)
INTRODUCED: 7/2011
DISCONTINUED:
DISCONTINUED COLORS:
COMMENTS: Uses Standard Gig Bag, P/N 0991412000 (Not Included),
Changed from Satin finish neck to “Gloss Headstock Face with Satin Urethane Finish on Back of Neck” 7/2011.
Added (302) Lake Placid Blue and (309) Candy Apple Red in 1/2009,
Upgraded in 11/2008 with tinted neck, parchment plastic parts and pickguard and transition logo and switch to 014 part number prefix. Price raised $100.
WRENCH SIZES: Truss Rod Adjustment Wrench, (3/16” Hex), P/N 0038467000,
Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench, (1.5 mm Hex), P/N 0050919000
NOTICE: Product Prices, Features, Specifications and Availability Are Subject To Change Without Notice


*post edited for "Sunday bad typing"

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rob Schwarz
Director,Fender Customer Service
Proudly serving Fender Customers
for over 30 years