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Post subject: Koa Strat Special
Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:42 pm
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Whatsup fellas, just new to the forums.

I have a question regarding the Koa Strat Special. Very simply, where is it made? I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to anything but American made. Any feedback welcomed.


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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:58 pm
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korea i believe

edit: don't be skeptical... if you play it and like it, buy it..... i loved the koa strat when i played one.... i have mexican strats and they play wonderfully, just go with your gut


Last edited by citizenerased on Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:59 pm
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Weak. Alright, thanks a lot bud.


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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:03 pm
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I *think* it's Korean. I have a Lite Ash Tele and a Spalted Maple Top Tele both are very well made and made in Korea (I also have 1 US Tele and 5 US Strats to compare to).

The Kao Strat's body is 'American Basswood with Koa Top'. I've read negative and positive reports re Basswood but I've never tried it myself.

HTH
Mark


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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:05 pm
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I like basswood/koa but the Korean-made totally throws me off for some reason. It's very strange. If I see 'Made in USA' I'll be a lesser critic of it, whereas if I see 'Made in Korea/Mexico/China' I can find a million flaws and reasons not to buy it. :(


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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:12 pm
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I'm quite sure the people of Korea, Mexico and China are just as capable of making guitars as the people of the USA.


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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:13 pm
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p0zz0 wrote:
I like basswood/koa but the Korean-made totally throws me off for some reason. It's very strange. If I see 'Made in USA' I'll be a lesser critic of it, whereas if I see 'Made in Korea/Mexico/China' I can find a million flaws and reasons not to buy it. :(


i understand where you are coming from, but if you play it and like it, then go for it.... fender hires quality employees from what i've seen.... there have only been a few rare instances where i have ever played a fender which was mediocre or worse.... the craftsmanship from all factories seems great, but the US series does seem to be the highest quality, but i suppose thats what you're paying for


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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:04 am
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A wise person on here once said.

Whats the difference.
Meican Stratocaster built with American made parts by Mexicans
American Stratocaster: built with American made parts still made by Mexicans.

Not sure I get the question

In this day in age we live in a global economy. (Like it or not) There is no more more room for predjudce towards another country or where it was built. Cuz in the long run, all the parts come from china anyhow :) :) ...............j/k



.»º©º« Bent »º©º«.


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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:07 am
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Lol, it's not a prejudice thing at all. The people of Mexico, China, etc. are all very fine people. It's undeniable, however, that stuff made in USA is of superior quality. It lasts longer and overall is just very well built. There are some very obvious things from 'Crafted In x' as opposed to 'Made In USA' that are very desirable.

... I'm not sure that last sentence made any sense, but I think you get the point. :P


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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:52 pm
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american fenders are good for when you want a good, reliable strat, but if you want a little flair at a lower cost, that's where
mexican/korean/japanese fenders come in, they come with special pickups, special woods, and very nice cost

IMHO, foreign guitars have a lot more bang for the buck

P.S.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=516034

i don't know where the basswood claim came from, but this site says that it comes with "an alder body with koa top"
and that sunburst is beautiful :shock:


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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:12 pm
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Hi, the basswood claims comes from Fenders own site. Click this link and then the 'specs' button you will see 'Body : American Basswood with Koa Top':

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... 0265106537

I should think Musician Friends' description is incorrect rather than Fenders.

Apart from that, I agree with everything else you've said.

Mark

Edit: The basswood claim is also in the guitar description on the main page of the link above.


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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:58 pm
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timski28 wrote:
american fenders are good for when you want a good, reliable strat, but if you want a little flair at a lower cost, that's where
mexican/korean/japanese fenders come in, they come with special pickups, special woods, and very nice cost

IMHO, foreign guitars have a lot more bang for the buck

P.S.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=516034

i don't know where the basswood claim came from, but this site says that it comes with "an alder body with koa top"
and that sunburst is beautiful :shock:


Bang for the buck, absolutely. Another thing that interests me, however, is holding value which generally foreign guitars don't do very well with the exception of some MIJ models.


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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:35 pm
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Keep in mind the very powerful concept "Perception is greater than reality".

All Fenders are made using modern CNC equipment and well made components regardless of country. The final products differ ever so slightly. Nitpickers (most folks here) will complain about the perceptions they think are real. The USA ones make you 'feel better'. Korea maintains very high manufacturing standards. I own numerous Korean CNC machines. They are better than most USA made machine tools. And truthfully, American Fenders are actually made by Mexicans. Everything is southern California is. Nothing wrong with that. The quality is still there, barely different from any other country of origin.


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Post subject: I own a Koa strat
Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:50 am
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I have owned a Koa Special strat for about 2 years. I love the sound of the pick ups (Seymour Duncan). The look of the unit is wonderful. If there is any bitching to be done, it is in the area of the tremolo. When I bought the unit, it only had two springs on the block. Very hard to keep in tune that way. I installed two more springs and that seemed to help. I would really like to get some fender locking tuners and/or a hipshot tremsetter. Then, I am pretty sure that any tuning problems would cease. But the sound of the guitar is great. I use a fender twin (1979) silverface and super 60. I would recommend this guitar if you are looking at buying one. However, one must do some tweaking to make it great.


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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:54 am
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I've only seen a koa Tele, and what a beautiful guitar it was. But I'm kinda picky where guitars are made too. Although the MiM Strats are made close enough to America I consider them American almost...

(Speaking of which, the Ensenada plant is probably just a several-hour drive from the Corona plant. One of those things. lol.) :lol:


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