The American standard Strat's wood is alder, alder is a good tonewood. I think they're overpriced, the quality is inconsistent. I have a friend who bought one becuse of the Fender name and how popular of an instrument it is. He couuldn't stand it it, it played like crap. He ended up taking it back to the music store and trading it for a Japaneese Strat that sounded and played 100 times better, but cost about a quarter of the price. I think the way to buy a guitar is to try every thing you can and see what feels the best, sounds the best, has the best value, has the bet features.... whatever inspires you. And ignore the brand name. You may find yourself saving a lot of money and getting a better instrument (or you could end up gettin something high end like a Zakk Wylde Les Paul). I'm not a fan of sngle coil pickups, by the way.