Duesenberg Starplayer TV

The feature that first impressed me was the trem system. It's even, feels great, provides just the perfect amount of wharble that I like. Also, it stays in tune.

The case is nice. It should be for what I paid though.

The single in the neck and the exceptional humbucker in the bridge provide some nice options.

I played this for several months through my '68 super reverb. It never blew me away though. That was until I plugged it into a Vox AC4TV and flipped to the bridge p'up. Now that blew me away. I added a Tube Screamer and viola, a great combination of 60's Brit invasion and 70's Brian May. Stunning.

The sound of the bridge p'up is so spot on that it's hard to compare the mid and neck positions. The neck p'up will give a nice bluesy single coil sound. The mid position is nondescript.


I love the bridge p'up enough and am satisfied enough with the neck to give it a 9.

Setup and finish was immaculate. However, the fret work are what I take issue with. This guitar begs to scream via BIG full-step to 1 and 1/2 step bends. However, the frets make this a chore. The frets are neither smooth nor tall enough to hit the big bends without an unreasonable amount of effort. I know that fret height is very subjective. Even so, frets on many much less expensive guitars bend easier than this. Also, I am aware the this guitar is strung with a specific combination of gauges which may account for a unique string tension difference. Still, I should not be shelling out $200 to re-fret a brand new $2200 guitar so that it bends as well as any Asian import ESP.

One last thing, the gold glittered pickguard is indescribably ugly. I bought a replacement for $6 shipped via ebay. $5 for some black spray paint (Krylon). It looks spectacular now. Kept the tacky original pickguard untouched incase I trade.

I'm not currently gigging but it feels solid and stays in tune. I would feel a little apprehensive about any semi hollow body though in a bar.

I have 100% faith in my local brick and mortar/main street music store. I don't know anything about the company.

I have a phenomenal vintage Guild F412, vintage '74 tele deluxe, custom built nashville tele, custom built strat with Burns trisonic p'ups, an old Martin D28, a Takamine 2009 ltd., Rick 330, etc. Been playing, teaching, gigging for over 20 years. I tend to lean towards bluesy and Voxy Brit invasion tones.

My alter ego prefers a screaming, harmonically rich Brian May sound though. This guitar plugged into a Vox does it for me. And the trem has such a great feel and sound that I can honestly say it's changed my playing. The warble and sustain begs me to hang on notes longer and play fewer notes. It's a great improvement.

That said, I still feel conflicted due to its price For $1200 it's an excellent choice. For $1600 it is a solid purchase. For $2200?????

First of all I would rather play than talk but I have to let you know:
With its retro and Humbucker in bridge and p90 in neck this guitar is what its all about. Semi hollowbody makes it fun pluged in and through my Elmwood. I am a gear nut and would not trade for anything but same model in white love that white one.. was not avail when I purchased..only neg I have is the frets are smaller than expected. they said jumbo they are not jumbo but didnt matter Wow what a guitar.

I play with as little effects as possible. Either my original 1965 super reverb or my Elmwood m60 it all sounds good with this guitar. I am a strat guy really but wanted a les paul type guitar but didnt want the same old LP so I ended up with the Duesy. You have to try one of these guitars because they have a sound of there own. The case is nice but not road worthy kind of flemsy and the frets are not big enough for me but I can work around that. Through the M90 its a monster tune down to drop D and watch out its crazy over the top. Stop reading about it go try one.

Set up was great.Action super low to low for me had to bring it up. no flaws and the wood is dry super dry and that makes it sound so much better than green wood...watch out for green wood strat lover..

Dependabilty is to hard to tell. I dont think I would beat on it to much but normal playing to record or to play out is excellant...No pete t Jimi fires..

Very good have talked to the owner many times...A little full of himself but other than that a good guy who loves music and the business and wants to make you happy. I wrote him about an extra pickguard with no response didnt like that much so I give it a 9.

If I lost it I would buy another but in white. I have said enough go try and you will buy. If you like Les Pauls through a Marshall you will really like this guitar its a ball buster. Gotta have nuts and go big.

We all know these. Semi, Somewhere between a Gretsch and a Rick in looks, P90 plus bucker, only 2 controls (Good!)

Very sensitive to string height adjustment of P/Ups.
Good p/ups but in between sound is not great - there is an extra capacitor in there that gives a Strat type sound, get it out, then you have yourself the real deal (more like a 335 in mid position). Great wang bar, stays in tune. Bridge p/up can be aggressive if need be. Not a metal guitar, great all rounder.

An 8 fro middle factory sound - what were they thinking?!

Very solid, well made. Get strap locks. Mine is vintage cream like a Gretsch White Falcon. Nice and versatile, easy to use.

No backup required, also strings are easy to install on wang bar (unlike Gretsch) - have protruding posts to secure strings. Hardware dulls but that's fine.

No opinion. Works fine.

8. I'll never go a 10 on anything.

The guitar is as good as other major brands and has a different look. I'm a semi pro player 25 years gigging several times a week. I like semis and this is good through any amp (valve is my choice), though I like my old 335 and Tele. The simpler the better. Good solid case.

Recommended - get one used!

Bright orange Starplayer TV with tremolo and case. P90 (neck) and humbucker (bridge) pickups, 3 way toggle that clunks nicely into position. Other fetures as listed by preceding reviewers. Appears to be very well made and is heavier than I thought but nicely balanced and comfortable on the shoulder. I especially like the Fender scale and style neck having been a Tele player for years. Good atention to detial and finish. I was not disappointed. Nothing is perfect. They are bright and attract attention. Still somewhat of a novelty amongst players.

I play most styles except country and there's a setting to suit just about every situation. I like the rich, full sound when it's clean and the sustain, harder edge when it's driven. I run it through a 100w classic twin and it sings. It feeds back (hollow body I presume) when driven hard but it's very controllable and actually works well with what I play. The P90 is great for blues soloing.

Very nicely set up and ready to play. I asked for it to have Super Slinkys (9 - 42) fitted and they work well for my playing. The tremolo is an engineering work of art. It takes osme getting used to after Fender style trems but I like it. I don't use it for dive bombing, more for vibrato and it is solid and doesn't make the instrument go out of tune. I haven't tweaked anything on it and am just playing it in however will go back to my dealer to check the set up in about 6 months. It's very well engineered and I think there might be soem Germanic attention to detail involved.

I've used it live a few times and so far no problems. I look after my gear carefully but haven't had it long enough to offer a valid opinion yet. All the same, it looks the goods and I don't expect to bet let down.

I purchased it from a reputable dealer and will go back there if any poblems arise. I don't expect any.

I like it but can't afford another one so I'll keep it close. I don't know what to compare it to bout it's like playing my much loved Tele but more interesting. It certaily attracts attention! If you're interested in something a little different and like the Mike Campbell style of playing without going for his Duesenberg signature model, you won't be disappointed with this one. It's a lovely pice of wrk and I really enjoy playing it. My band mates have all reacted very positively when they have tried it so my thoughts are resonably unanimous. I've been ragged over it's looks but they all want to play it. Nothing's perfect!

Im literally comparing this to Gibson Standards, realistically its far better allround in terms of Tone, build quality and looks. Duesenberg have realy excelled themselves and sit quite highly on the professionals list of high end palyable equipment.

I love this guitar for smooth mellow Blues tones and when needed, I hit the hums for a really big unique rock sound. Its a very versatile guitar with tons of Tone and lovable character. The sound literally sits between a Telecaster and a Les Paul, great tonal range unlike any other guitar on the market.

Pretty good setup, mine came from a UK dealer, being left handed my guitar was fitted with a genuine Bigsby Trem. Tuning is solid, the string gauge is 10-50 with a fairly lowish action. The bast hardware I have ever witnessed on any guitar. Took a bit of getting used to the P90 and the Humbucker combination.

Total confidence, look at the A list using these, Ron Woods, Joe Walsh, Carl Carlton, Elvis Costello the list goes on, this is a players guitar and delivers excellent results for the giiging artist. No rattles, no looseness, no fears..

Dont Know?? not needed them yet!

This alongside my 57 RI Strat make the ideal combination for me. I would seriously recommend a visit to a Doozy dealer, bet you take on home.
Came with a stunning custom built Duesenberg Case

Hollow bodied, Black, P-90 neck pickup, Humbucker bridge. No trem on my model - the trem can be installed easiy but I asked for a Starplayer TV without the trem. 3-way pickup selector. Les Paul type shape. Quite a beautiful looking guitar!

Unsure of exact woods etc - see the official site for all that.

Well this is what this guitar is all about. Sound.

I'll be brief but to the point:

Warm. Maybe not ES-335 warm, but still a nice, rounded warmness to it. I think the P-90 neck is fantastic. Very versatile - dig in hard on a valve amp and you'll be happy.

The bridge pickup is the dogs bollox though. You can go from mild drive to fully screaming, and has a vocal vowel type quality to it. It sounds brilliant.

This guitar sounds great in most styles - not really suited to metal though but can go right up to heavy rock if needed. Great stuff.

Tone wise, I think it's fairly similar to a Les Paul, but with more air to it so to speak. Imagine a Les Paul type tone with a the relief of an openess to the sound. Definately has bags of character to the tone in all pickups.

Faultless. Well mine is...

Solid, solid, solid. All the components feel chunky, and solid. The guitar feels like an awesome piece of engineering. Really well thought out. It was the compontents that really made me go WOW when trying it out in the shop. It just felt good....

Dont know.

Very versatile.
Very easy to play.
A great range of tones.
Definately a guitar to keep, and proves to be a nice surprise everytime I play it. I put it down and say to myself: Damn. That is a fine guitar.

Great neck, one of thebest i've played. Finish is very very high. Semi hollow, trem, p90, bucker etc.......

Very high quality guitar, as y ou would expect from Germany.

I would say this is very verstile. It can cope with alot of types of music. The bridge bucker is bright and ballsy. Great for anything really. The p90 i found a bit useless. It is a bit dark for me, will find a use for it though. Nice clean tones with it. The middle is like a gretsch, great for all sorts of stuff.

The trem is wonderful. No probs at all. Did need the strings to strech a bit though.

Perfect. Very low. The buiold quality is much higher than the USA big makes.

Very solid.

Excellent. Very helpful.

The Duesenberg's are great guitars.
Lots of features for a reasonable price.

More and more people are playing them as well. I was watching Glastonbury and quite a few people we're playing them there.

I forgot something in my previous review: I hated the chrome strip above the pickguard, it interfered with my playing > so I removed it.
Still the looks of the guitar remain awesome, the design is very good.

Features are all known. The things that where important for me: 25,5 inch scale length, a really nice neck, with a good feel (gives me more confidence than my former Musicman Silhouette Special!) and it had more sustain and was better balanced strapped on than the Gretsch Spectrasonic. Plus: you have pinky volumecontrol, as with a strat! Most semihollows don't offer this.

The strapbuttons don't need to be replaced for straplocks, they are compatible.

Mine is white-blonde, sort of a fifties telecaster colour. And it came in a beautiful case.

My style is mainly rock, alternative and a little bit of jazz. I play though some pedals: TU2, Toadworks Lil' Leo, ProCo RAT and a Line 6 DL4 plugged into a Marble Bluebird (a PTP-wired tweed fender deluxe 1x12").

The P90 at the neck sounds a bit dull, the bridge PU (PAF-style) is ok and the in between setting is useless (maybe for disco? But who plays that anyway?). You would expect it to sound more like a 335, but it's quite clear and bright (longer scale-length perhaps) warmed up by the alnico magnets of the pickups. It's not like a tele, strat or LP, it's basically a gretsch on stero??ds what it pretends to be in some way. It's not an allround guitar, but you can play rock, blues and jazz really well with it.

I'm thinking about switching the pickups to TV Jones TV Tron's, more specific: a Powertron at the bridge and a Magna'tron at the neck. That way I have a big filtertron meets PAF-sound at the bridge and a Dynasonic/single coil spank at the neck. This gives some more edge to the sound.

Finish on the top is not the prettiest: a thick layer of paint/laquer and not applied at the most beautiful way.

The (improved) bigsby-style vibrato works very well, the guitar stays in tune properly. It doesn't need locking tuners. Maybe graphite saddles and a graphite nut would come in handy on the long term...

It seems a solid guitar, I've played live without a backup and I'll do that again. I'm confident it's built to last.

I've been playing for almost ten years and I'm really happy with this guitar (except for the pickups). It has a fantastic value for money, if you find one secondhand buy it! (it doesn't keep a good value easily because it's an unknown brand). The price new is really good also, but secondhand it's a true bargain.

Black with a trem. Check out the other reviews for spec.

I brought it because i wanted something that covers a range of sounds. Looked at p90's wanted a humbucker and a trem with something that was semi. Most others are sky high with prices and i already knew of a couple of pro players that used them and loved the sounds.

Huge range. P90 is quite soft but a nice punky break up and nice cleans. The bucker is really cool. Like a more defined Les paul.
The trem is wonderful. In the middle it's like a gretsch, but fuller.

i use a fender vibrolux with two aramat pedals (OD AND FUZZ), a dd3 delay and a boss tuner. I'm really pleased with this guitar and the sounds it can make.

Top notch. Finish was perfect. Loved the scale of the neck, slightly longer than my LP.

Will last forever. Very dependable.

Not dealt with them yet.

Great guitar. I've grown tired of gibson etc and i wanted something with more personality. This has it in spades. Great.