guys what do you think of agathis as a tonewood? i'm checking out the squier SE strat pack cause i want a cheap strat to mod (basically i'm gonna put a seymour duncan jb in the bridge postion)

Agathis is a cheap low end tone wood with mahogany like qualities. It is a conifer/evergreen tree that grows in rainforests. You would find it used most likely on import guitars made in Korea, Indonesia, etc...Depending on where it comes from, it can be plantation grown, or could be from some area of rainforest that has been clear cut and destroyed beyond recognition. Possible reason why Gibson and Fenders tone wood resources were recently investigated? YMMV

Agathis is an inexpensive wood for Asian companies to use, but that's because it's plentiful in Asia and it isn't particularly pretty so it's not sought after by furniture makers, cabinet makers, and the other people who compete with the guitar companies for fine woods. It's not a bad sounding wood. If you're wanting a warmer/fatter Strat sound it's a pretty good choice.

Let's not forget that alder and ash were never considered "tone woods" until Leo started using them. They weren't used for any type of musical instrument. Gibson and Guild shunned them during the '50s and '60s and have used them only infrequently since then. A big part of why Leo used them was because they were a lot less expensive than the traditional tone woods.

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A bigger concern is that low-end guitars often use non-standard parts and non-standard specs/dimensions. Some Squiers have bodies that are thinner than standard so they need trems with shorter blocks, which limits the upgrade options. Some Squiers have had pickups that are slightly different sizes than standard Strat pickups. It might not be routed for a full-size humbucker, or the nut might be thinner or thicker so standard nut blanks won't fit, or a host of other minor obstacles to upgrading.

I know nothing about Squier SE Strat Packs. They may be fine platforms for mods and upgrades. But do your research -- it's very possible it would be easier and cheaper in the long run to start with something a little higher priced. Or to start with individual parts. Or to start with a somewhat higher-end used guitar instead of a low-end new guitar.

edited to add: Keep in mind that mods and upgrades rarely add much resale value -- often they actually reduce the resale value. You take an instant hit when you buy a new guitar -- as soon as you take it out of the box it's worth less than what you paid. The new parts that you buy will also drop in value right after you buy them. So buying a brand new guitar and modding it with new parts is a triple whammy -- you lose money every step of the way. Let someone else pay the depreciation -- find a good used guitar and buy used upgrade parts. A $45 used JB sounds just as good as a $75 new JB.

yeah i get you but it's not that simple in portugal to get a used guitar believe me i've tried... i was actually thinking of getting a lake placid blue cv 50's strat and drilling the 3 missing holes for the new pickguard... i already have my JB i'm just waiting for the rest to come (€€€€) do you think it's worth waiting financially?