Isn't that a jazz guitar? Maple body strats can make good hard-rock/metal/shred guitars with the right humbucker and the right tube amp. Maple is bright but to my ears not as bad as heavy ash. Sustain is forever but the reponse is clean to the point of being almost sterile. It's like the difference between a solid state amp compared to a tube amp. You need a soft core humbucker with an even response if possible, thats also not too bright. Maple bodies tend to boost the upper mids but scoop the lower mids, so many popular humbuckers won't work, because most aftermarket brands have boosted upper mids. You would also may want a warmer neck woods combonation than the standard strat maple. Perhaps a mahogony neck with a rosewood board. If jazz is what you want then a pao fero finger board may be better, although it's a bit brighter. I have an old all maple Charvel guitar and it can work fine for hard rock with a dirty amp (it hates clean amps) but it weighs more than a Les Paul!