The Starcaster guitar is back. Virtually fabled since its original mid-to-late '70s tenure, the seldom-seen Starcaster occupies a special place in our history as Fender's one and only offset-waist semi-hollow electric guitar. Prized decades later by a new generation of adventurous guitarists with a flair for appealingly unconventional Fender style, the Starcaster now returns in fabulous new Modern Player form with greater sound, build and beauty that'll have you seeing stars.
The Fender Starcaster guitar's thin semi-hollow offset body has a bound maple top and back, with stylish bound f holes. Its "C"-shaped maple neck has a 9.5"-radius maple fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets, black-dot inlays and the distinctively curvaceous Starcaster headstock. Other premium features include full-voiced dual Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups with three-way toggle switching, three-ply black pickguard, four skirted "amp"-style control knobs (volume and tone for each pickup) and an Adjusto-Matic bridge with anchored tailpiece.
Thin semi-hollow offset body
Bound maple top and back
Stylish bound f-holes
"C"-shaped maple neck
9.5"-radius maple fingerboard
22 medium jumbo frets
Black-dot inlays
Curvaceous Starcaster headstock
Dual Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups
3-way toggle switching
3-ply black pickguard
Four skirted "amp"-style control knobs (volume and tone for each pickup)
Strap on somethng that'll stand out. Order today.
SPECIFICATIONS
Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar
BodyBody Material: Laminated Maple with Alder Center-Block
Body Finish: Gloss Polyester
Body Shape: Other
NeckNeck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Gloss Polyester
Neck Shape: "C" Shape
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8cm)
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241mm)
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42mm)
Position Inlays: Black Dot
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Standard
ElectronicsBridge Pickup: Fender "Wide Range" Humbucking
Neck Pickup: Fender "Wide Range" Humbucking
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Pickup Configuration: HH
HardwareBridge: Pinned Adjusto-Matic with Anchored Tailpiece
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Tuning Machines: Fender Standard Cast/Sealed
Pickguard: 3-Ply Black
Control Knobs: Skirted Amp Knobs
MiscellaneousStrings: Fender USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling
and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a
complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks
Normal wear and tear
Power surges
Dust, internal heat and humidity
Other plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)
For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.
Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement
Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold
Plans are renewable on new gear
*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
I need to start out by saying I've owned 2 Vintage Starcasters over the years (which I loved). This is a rare case of a reissue being better than the original. The improvements Fender have made make this a much better guitar than the 70's Starcasters. I'll add the Pros and Cons in this description. For one, they put a stop bar and tune-o-matic style bridge on it which enables for much better action and intonation than the original. Medium-Jumbo frets give ease to bending strings as opposed to the super low 70's frets on the original. 4 bolt neck instead of the 70's 3 bolt. Standard truss rod instead of the horrible Fender Bullet truss rods. It stays in tune better. And it's just an all around more comfortable/much easier guitar to play. The Wide Range reissues sound great too. It looks beautiful and the craftsmanship on mine is perfect! The only downside is there isn't an option for a Hardshell case or even a gig bag at this point. And I was disappointed there isn't a Master Volume control like on the original. Overall, I highly recommend this guitar.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.Excellent guitar, especially for having been made in China. Great workmanship, great finish, solid parts. No complaints, whatsoever. Comparing this to a a 335, 137, Corsair, Chicagoan, Viking... what-have-you, the Starcaster more than measures up, tone- and craftsmanship-wise.
The playability is excellent, and the tone's amazing...although you do get a noticable 4.5kHz presence (what some might call "bite"), similar to what you'd expect from a Casino or Ric, but the Starcaster's "Wide Range" humbuckers have a richness in the lows and mids that the other two hallowed axes mentioned really don't. It also doesn't have the slightly annoying goosiness/quackiness that you often get from a 335.
I've done some research on the pickups, and apparently they're a bit freak-a-zoidal. Seth Lover designed them in the 70s to be more "single-coily" than a Gibson PAF, using CuNiFe magnets rather than the typical AlNiCo or ceramic varieties. Generally, to my ear, they're full-throttle and wide open...kinda like a cross between AlNiCo II PAFs, P90s and stock ceramic T-60 pickups, which is a weird cross-roads of sound.
I've had the guitar for about three weeks, and my others are currently gathering dust. Tonally, with the mids on your amp at 9 o'clock, bass and treble at 12 o'clock, it sits right where a funky Rhodes would sit in the mix (think Herby Hancock's Headhunters). (Honestly, I don't like the way it sounds with the amp's eq inverted: modern scooped, but I might just be weird.)
It's excellent for both rhythm and lead (I'm using the neck and bridge positions, mostly...right now, the middle isn't my cup of tea, but I can see its for-use area, especially if you're doing funky-squashed comp-ing.)
As for a case, a Gretsch case fits it well (my case looks like it was designed for one of the Electromatic hollow bodies or the Tennessee Rose (but I'm guessing as to the model intended). And, most importantly, though it's deeper than it need be, it fits the guitar snugly...neck is cradled nicely, body's snug...and she don't move in transit.
Overall, it's one of my favorites right now (honeymoon or no), and I have guitars two-and-three times its price point to compare it to.
Amps used: 59 Bassman LTD (early-00s), Vox Night Train NT15H/112 (newish), Peavey Delta Blues (mid-90s) and a 65 Fender ChampAmp (all original).
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.Body and neck are right, but bridge and tailpiece are just regular ones on the reissue---not the real Starcaster bridge. I was a Fender warranty service man for many years. These pickups are not actually the vintage Fender pickups. These are a regular, Gibson-sized humbucker that is inside of the old-style Fender cover. They just fill it up with wax to keep it from moving around and squealing. They sound OK, but the original pickups were trying to sound more "Fendery" and still be a humbucker. The pole pieces on the originals were actually threaded magnets more in keeping with Fender's style. These newer pickups are bottom-loaded magnet regular humbuckers. The originals had all 1 Meg potentiometers and a master volume control. The 1 meg pots helped keep the highs from bleeding off and thereby keeping it more "Fendery" sounding. These new ones sound more like a Gibson 335 copy because they just have regular humbuckers and controls. Still a very nice guitar and very good-looking, too. Just noting the differences between the real ones and these new ones.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.This guitar is perfect. It's that simple. Aesthetically, it's a beaut and is guaranteed to turn heads 60% of the time, every time. Tone wise, it's syrupy-sweet with a row of razor sharp teeth just below the surface. Want a warm, round jazz tone? The neck pickup is juicier than the freshest pomegranate. Prefer something with a bit more bite? Switch to the bridge pickup and throw some dirt on it and you can rip searing rock with class. It's made in China, which is a total non-issue, unless you're the kind of guy that prefers to shell out 3x the money for an American guitar of the exact same quality. For reasonable people, it's one of the best valued guitars available, period. Glossy neck that doesn't stick to your hand, absolutely zero feedback thanks to the center block, and a tone that will melt both hearts and faces. I will mention my tiniest niggle (because I don't trust reviews that don't have at least one drawback), which is the body shape. It looks great! ...But it's hard to find a case for the unconventional silhouette. Also the funky neck is a bit heavy, which can wear on your shoulder if you're a puny guy like me. In any case, this guitar is engineered perfectly. If it broke, I'd buy another. Heck, I'd buy one for everyone if I had the money simply to put a stop to all the Les Paul and Stratocaster worship. You don't NEED to blow six paychecks on a quality guitar. Just blow ONE and get the Starcaster, and then take solace in the fact that you will simply never need to buy another guitar again. ...Unless you break it. Then you'll need to buy another one.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.This guitar design is really cool, and I love the fact that it has a center block to keep the feedback down. The finish is cool looking on the aging cherry guitar. The aged neck patina gives it a retro look, as does the head stock. The frets are smooth and easy on the fingers the entire length of the neck.
Was looking for a tone monster, and it comes close. Even sounds good acoustically.
The nut appears to be plastic and I am afraid that it won't support my string taste, 11s or 12s. Need the heavier strings for good tone. The bridge spacing is way off. It could have been made to cover the poles on the pickups; both E strings and the B string are off, especially the high E and B. I pulled the high E over the poles of the both pickups and there was plenty of room left on the neck.
One of the pots was loose. It just spins around continuously. When I contacted Fender about this I was told, "that's no problem, it can be fixed by a technician." That kind of attitude is disheartening. I paid for this guitar and I expect at least a little empathy when I describe a problem.
The worst thing about this guitar is that is does not come with any protection; no gig bag or case. I haven't seen a case advertised, but I did purchase the metro gig bag and discovered it to be useless. The quality of the gig bag is not as advertised and the bag was way too big. There is over 2 inches of play on the body. How can you do this to us Fender?
Overall, if you want a novelty guitar, this might work for you. Otherwise, the drawbacks might lead you on a path to another guitar.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.I remember the Starcaster from back in the day but unlike many never owned one.The sound/tone is healthy sounding and each position of the toggle really makes a different as do the tone controls. One reviewer remarked that the string spacing was not good.. Guess it depends on the size of your fingers because for my style of blues I finger pick and slide and the spacing of strings are perfect for my average size fingers Besides gigging I have a small recording studio and with the Starcaster I run the guitar into a Digitech GSP1101 and my recording amps are 2 Fender Greta's each driving a 12' speaker. My main gig is early electric blues but I also like to compose abstract "Floyd" like tracks. I won't bore you with my list of guitars I have but even though the price is fairly short money.. it surpasses all my other guitars in all ways.The neck and action is great out of the box.. Its a beautiful looking guitar also.. eccentric looking, just what I like.My Starcaster has the reddish Sunburst.. very cool looking. When I by-pass the Efx, and put down some blues, the 2 watt Greta's sound like real old school blues. Better stop now because I'm starting to "gush" a bit too much. If there was anything negative to say I would say it but for what I do.. I'm comparing it to Heritage Gibson Fender Jazz Jag. all great guitars but this is now my "go too" guitar.. just can't put it down.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.This is a Chinese reproduction of the 1970s CBS Starcaster. China makes some very nice products, and this is no exception. FMIC has opted to take the easy way out and use off the shelf Gibson style parts, rather than recreate the heavy bridge on the original, and the tone does suffer. The FB radius is not consistent with a 1976 model used for reference. I took the frets out and re-radiused the one i had in for 12 inches. 10 1/2 or 11 would also be a huge improvement. I suspect FMIC may offer this in a USA or custom shop model, and they can't have the import play better can they? They can't, but I can. The frets are also not the same size and the knobs are not right. Overall build quality is quite acceptable, so I have reworked as much as I can to make mine a much better guitar. Better pots, pickups, wiring switches, jacks, etc. For the price it is a pretty good start to having a great guitar. Or it can be a good guitar that lacks a lot over what it is supposed to actually be. It is quite playable as is, but, without a lot of effort, and add the same price again, for upgrades, and they can become super nice. Consider a vintage 1970s Starcaster will set you back six to eight times this price, and these are not so bad. China continues to impress me in so many ways. This is better than expected, but I am not expecting true greatness either. For the price, I do not see any "deal breakers", with this one!
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.I was shocked to find out this guitar was made in China. Don't let that fool you, this is a great guitar. If this were made in the USA it would cost like $3000 to $4000. If you are thinking about getting this guitar, get it, you will not be disappointed...
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.This is an awesome guitar! This is my first guitar that says Fender on the headstock. Up until this point I had only been able to afford the lower priced squire's. Dont get me wrong they are great guitars for begginers and lower level intermediates but eventually you move past them. This guitar was my dream vintage Fender. I thought it would be forever before I got one. Then Fender made the Reissue. Joy is all that i can say!
The neck feels a bit like a tele neck but still holds trueish to the original Starcaster. the pick-ups give hints to the old Starcaster, but have a slightly different tone of their own.
I think the only problems I have had with the guitar are that the stock strings are awful, I personally love Elixir Polyweb's w/ anti rust. The other problem is the lack of a hard case. I have an ibanez exotic wood 12 string hard case that I'm using for now. Just had to put a folded towel in the bottom to get the neck to be at the correct angle. I have contacted Fender about a specific hard case for it and they say they are making one, but they don't know when it will be available.
Holds a tune REALLY well!
I would most definitely recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a semi-hollow guitar that isn't a Gibson. (Spits on ground at the thought of that name...) Has great Fender twang even from humbuckers.
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.
(7 of 8
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review
my starcaster
turned out to be used out of the packing. not cool ..
Fender Starcaster Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar Black Maple Fingerboard
.
English
