Fender Starcaster

This is one good looking guitar. Reminds me of a Martin D-35.

I play blues and this guitar has a deep sound to it which is good for that style, but I kind of wish it would ring more.

The guitar came right from the factory, so I didn't really have to worry about the setup. It was really nice from the day I took it home.

This is my main guitar and it probably will be for many more years.

I've never dealt with the Fender company, but the pawn and jewelry shop I did buy the guitar from were very helpful in the purchase.

I had been looking for a guitar for a couple of months, and I went to the shop confident I would find a good guitar. I was kind of scared to try this one out because I had heard many bad things about this guitar and I had once played a brand name Fender that was absolutely terrible. When I played this guitar for the first time, I was suprisngly amazed. I played many other really good ones that day including an Epiphone acoustic for $200, but I kept going back to this one. This is an excellent guitar.

It was made in 2009, I guess. There is no serial number. It was marked 'used' on the back of the head. It feels like a good weight, a little heavier than strats I tried out in my local music store. S/S/S/ pickups. They are not staggered, and have a strange circle pattern on each pole piece. 5 pickup setting switch, 2 and 4 are hum cancelling (for the most part). This sounds like a Fender ! Bright, with some meat to them. Passive electronics, generic chrome tuning heads, gloss metallic black finish, with perloid pickguard, and black face with white lettering. Standard type of Fender Strat setup.

It suits any kind of music to play, everything from Stevie Ray Vaughn to metal is possible. I have an older Peavy Transtube amp and a Boss GT-6 pedal board. Good sounds !

I shouldn't have bought a guitar stamped used. I found out later it had a bad neck with a tension rod that was hard to adjust. The local repairman chastised me over the phone and said to return it! But instead I had him set it up for me so it didn't buzz. He put 12 gauge strings on it, and adjusted the neck as best he could. The nut needed some filing to take the thicker strings.

It's solid definately. Stays in tune as good as any Fender. Frets, rosewood fretboard, bridge with flat saddles are all good. I like how the input jack is deeper on an angle than regular strats. It's easier to put in and take out the cord.I would gig without a backup. Chrome hardware, nice!

I bought it stamped used on Ebay, from a music shop in the states called Market Music. It was in good shape and packed well when it came here. Good communication with the merchant. He had other similar products for sale too. It was discounted in price.

I love the finish on this guitar. I've always wanted a Fender finished this was but they didn't make them until now, or were so rare to come by. When I first saw it, I wanted it. I was prepared to change the p'ups to noiseless ones, but the local repairman questioned it might not be worth sinking money into it. So I had him set it up instead, and left the stock p'ups. I'm glad I did now. After the set up and heavier strings, it sounds good!

I have a "Starcaster by Fender", the one with the arrow head. and of course it is as much a genuine stratocaster as any of the other Fender strat models. Its only of a lower grade (but still much better than for example the Fender duo sonic that also was sold as student guitar), due to cheaper components and lower labour costs in asia. The quality of asian made guiars is way better these days than they used to be.

Anyway, Its a 21 fretter (Rosewood) with skunk stripe, beautiful finish on the neck. SSH configuration on a single ply scratch plate (dont like single ply). The body is solid wood (of some kind) with a pretty nice black metallic finish. The tuners seem to be standard for the price range. The bridge saddles looks a little cheap but it works fine.
Bought it used without any accesories.

It has a very clear sound which I like. The humbucker maybe a little to bright and screamy when you switch on the overdrive, but not really bad sounding. The coils sound really dynamic and it has that twangy strat sound. I just played it for a while and then switched to my Highway1 (also SSH config.) and it sounded all dull and allmost dead in comparison. I have to check if there is something wrong with it, it would be strange to have my precious USA Fender outplayed by my cheap asian Fender. :o)
When I first got the guitar it sounded like crap, so I changed strings and let my local guitar dealer do his magic stuff with trussrod and so on, and then it really came to life.

After the adjustments the action is set nice and low. I also had some sharp fret edges but carefully used a small file to even them out.
Otherwise Its really well assembled, like a Fender should be.
The finish as I said is good. Especially the neck is really nice.

The only thing that probably may need attention in the future is the switch (feels a little "jingly") and maybe the pots will give up sooner than on a more expensive guitars.

Been playing on and off for 25 years and had a number of guitars.
For the money (I mean 89 bucks!) this one cant lose. Im allready thinking about getting another of these arrow heads.

:o)

for this guitar i gave it a seven for features because it has a five way selector switch and two tone knobs along with three (if not the highest quality) pickups it does also come with a suprisingly good bag, an ok amp, a somewhat cheap cable, some nice picks a dvd and allen wrenches.

this guitar earned a four for me after about two months of use because two out of the three pickups sound quiet nice if you can get the neck to stop buzzing and you dont have any overdrive on but the bridge pickup is down right terrible, it buzzes even on clean with a low volume and distorts when you strum more than three notes at a time. the other two pickups are better as long as the tone is kept all the way down otherwise the buzz like crazy too. and i know this is not just mine becuase ive played several of this very same guitar with no signs of a simple dudd its the whole batch

this is where it gets very bad, first and for most the frets are sharp. like pointy sharp so bad that if you play for more than an hour and a half your hand may start to bleed (trust me i know). following in at a close second is the input. which just a couple of weeks ago fell into the body of the guitar. i had to take the plate of and screw the imput back into place not to mention that the pickguard is scratched and bumpy and once again its not just mine ive played five or six with no changes. thier is simpy no hope for this guitar.

the body on this guitar is fairly solid. the finish is decent if not a little messy the strap buttons are good with a new strap instead of the one they give you. the guitar is not good enough for a live show it may cut out from time to time and if you are playing a gig with it bring two or three just incase of a malfunction like your imput falling out.

haha funny fender has by far the worst costumer service ever they wont even talk to you unless your buying something i know ive tried to ask about my guitar i got put on hold twice for over an hour both times just to have them say to go buy another one.

if your looking for a begining guitar and dont plan on playing to much then this is a great deal. but if you plan on playing alot then get something else i would recomend an ibanez or and esp starter pack if you have the money just go get all of the things you will need separatly a $100 amp and a $200 guitar will be a thousand times better than any starter pack and you get to pick and choose whatever make and model you want. i took a chance on this and i regret it

This is a Fender Starcaster strat pack just bought at Target. It has "crafted in china" on the back of the headstock with a serial #. 21 frets, solid body finished in a very slick finish. 1 volume and 2 tone controls, S/S/S pickup configuration with a five position selector switch. Not sure about the body wood, but it is quite heavy. The neck is maple with rosewood fret board. This looks to be an accurate strat body, neck and hardware configuration. The bridge is looks like a vintage synchronous temelo bridge with the 6 screws holding the bass plate in position. back tremelo bridge cavity has the standard spring setup as a strat. The pack comes with a decent soft case with fender logo, a cheap strap, cable, 10w amp, two allen wrenches(1 for neck truss adjustment and the other for bridge saddle string height adjustment, fender chromatic tuner, dvd, no manual). Everything you need except for a manual. would give it a 9 if there was a manual.

After getting the strings broke in, and doing nothing else other than tune, the starcaster sounded good. Very good playability. I was really surprised how well the guitar played, with seemed to indicate that it was fairly well set up. The guitar did not come with a manual, so I downloaded a american strat manual off the Fender website, then proceeded to make the adjustments. Play is very good especially after string height and pickup adjustment. Sound is very good considering the small 10w practice amp. For a home practice amp, with the distortion button in the clean position, absolutely no complaints. I'll probably never use the distortion position as it sounds pretty crappy.

The guitar did not come with a manual, so I downloaded a american strat manual off the Fender website, then proceeded to make the adjustments. The neck was a little bit flat, so the truss was adjusted. String height was too high across the board (>1mm on the treble side). The pickups were way off. All of this is easy to correct. Out of the box, intonation was not bad indicating the factory must make an attempt to set the guitar up before packaging, but had to re-adjust due to all of my prior adjustments. I bottomed out the E string bridge saddle while setting intonation leaving it a bit off. That will be fixed with the next stringing. Considering this guitar was made in china and was shipped in a box to multiple warehouses and climate conditions, the guitar was surprisingly close to playable out of the box.
The fit and finish of this guitar is very good. There are no visible flaws other than a small burl in the rosewood fretboard at the 11 fret. No affect on tone or playability. I kindof like it as it gives some character to an otherwise very clean and flaw-free guitar. The hardware all looks good. The bridge is heavily chromed and there are no signs that this is a $150 guitar. The Strat manual says the bridge saddles for the vintage bridge are stamped steel. The starcaster saddles are machined from a solid block and chromed(very nice). My main complaint is with the tuning gears. I'd say 2 out of the 6 feel pretty decent. The others are either too loose or too stiff. One has excessive gear lash. You can tune the guitar with these, but it is annoying. My 1st upgrade will be locking tuning gears. Another minor flay is with the pickup mounts. The pickups are slightly cocked (front to rear) so the heads are not parralel to the strings. I'll fix that once I take it apart and have a look. But I don't think it would affect the sound that much. But over all, very well constructed guitar.

Definitely get a good strap as the ends probably won't last long. Not much confidence in the tuner nuts. Otherwise, a solid guitar that should last a long time.

I've only recently gotten back into playing guitar after about a 20 year haitus. Prior to that, I played mostly acoustics over a period of about 15-20 years. My playing style has mostly been heavy rythmn classic and country rock. I bought the starcaster pack to mostly see if I wanted to get seriously back into guitar without spending a lot of money. So far, I've been so happy with it, that I'm already planning to upgrade the tuners and pickups. For me, at the age of 52, this is a project guitar. In about a year, you probably won't recognise it. So if stolen, I'd probably get another or go to a MIM strat. For beginning guitar players, this is an outstanding value. Just recommend getting someone knowledgable about electric guitars to show you how to make all of the adjustments and get it properly set up(this is critical). If you like to tinker with stuff, get the fender stratocaster manual and everything you need to make the Starcaster adjustments is there. The electronic tuner works great. Not sure how I survived without one before. For $200, this is a great buy.

starcaster starting kit comes with amp, gig bag, extra strings, strap, whammy bar, picks,fender tuner, and some other suff
it has 21 frets (kinda big)
fat neck
3 pickups

nice rich sound
i have to tune after every five times i pick it up

not a guitar you are gonna go on tour with
but good to practice on

pretty good first guitar

07 Fender Starcaser Strat 70s style head with rosewood fret board. I picked it up on ebay very cheap $49.95 U.S. plus shipping, at the time I was looking for some parts for a guitar project. The guitar was like new when I got it and it never looked played. I did a set up on it by filing the fret ends and seating the trem bridge. I also lowered the action by ajusting bridge parts were the strings go though. Once a set up was done it plays just as well as my $1700 Fender Statocaster I bought two years ago. "All new guitars are and should be set up by a pro." It sounds almost the same as the American made Strat but the American Strat is hotter sounding because of better pick ups. I also have a few squires and offshore made strat copies and I think that the Starcaster was the best deal yet.

I have played strats for over 20yrs so the style of the guitar I know very well. I play Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Country, Classical, Punk, Goth "what ever". The Strat can do it all and the Starcaster Strat can do a great job at it too. If someone has one and loves the body and design they could always up grade the pick ups if they thinks it would sound better compaired to another guitar. I have a large amp with pedals ect, so its just not that much of a problem. For a guitar that did'nt cost very much it sounds way better then most. My starcaster has no noisy problems and sound clear and bright. Remember there is a lot of up grade parts for these type of guitars at guitar shops and ebay.

I think that if you just got you Starcaster out of a box that you should get it set up by a pro. I filed the fretwire ends with a "small file" that you can buy for $1.00 at a Dollar store. Seated the brige by ajusting more to the body the trem springs (you would need a star screw driver) and don't over tighten cover screws or you will snap cover corners. I also ajusted the saddles to lower the action to make it easyer to play (with a small allen key). This is the sort of things that most guitars need done when there new. The guitar store may have there tech do this job before they sell it and add the techs time to the guitar cost. (Hope this helps some one.) The Starcaster is still a very good guitar very good fit a finish, nice neck and hardware better then most budget strats.

I have played this guitar at a number of gigs without any problems. Its just as good as to depend on as any Fender. I always bring more then one guitar to a show as if you break a string you can switch guitars. Then you can change the string later. I would go to a gig and play a Starcaster and have another one on a stand. "No Problems." Its just in case I break a string, it's not easy restring when playing at the same time. lol Most of the parts on it are much like a Fender Strat so they should last just as long and if something breaks it will be easy to replace part.

Never needed any help and the guitar was a ebay buy so there was no warranty with it.

I've played for over 20yrs. I play Acoustic, Strats and Les pauls. 37 guitars at this time and 18 of them are Strats. I've have owned many more but I've out grown there style or they were junk. If I were to have the Starcaster stolen I would buy another. I may buy another anyways you know a different color or to hot rod. I compare it to Frender Stratocaster and also to the Fender Squire Stratocaster. I like the Starcaster over the Squre bullet Strat as it has a better neck. Every guitar has it's own sound, so it's nice to have many you like. At the time I was just going to use it for a custom project but after a set up I just kept it the wat it is as it has a nice sound and feel to it.

Not so much a review as a clarification for people who are confused by these conflicting reviews.

The original semi-acoustic 70's Starcasters were good but now have ridiculous resale values.
Fender recycled the name for cheap solid bodied sub-Squier guitars recently. They are, well, less than good.

This is a Fender Starcaster. it is a strat copy. the pickup configuration is SSS, it has i volume knob and two tone knobs. it also has a five way selector. i wanna say it is made out of basswood but not completely sure. it has a tremolo bar, but i dont use it. it came with a 10w amp, cable, tuner, extra strings, gig bag, strap, dvd, and guitar stand.

This is my second guitar so i am not really qualified to compare this to any other guitar but i think it sounds good. the big problem with sound is not the guitar it is the amp. but it is just a 10 watt so no complaints.

the frets werent put in that good. i had to file the sides of the frets because they kept cutting my hands, but five minutes later problem was solved.

i think this would survive a gig but if you are playing in a band, dont use a 100 dollar guitar.

N/A

I have been playing for about 3 months now and this is my second guitar as stated earlier. i got this for 90 dollars brand new because the box was beat up. nothing was wrong with any thing else. if it were stolen i would probably save up and buy an ibanez or a true fender strat, but i like this guitar a lot.

This is a very basic guitar. Nothing fancy or special. Chrome tuners, Pearl Dot inlays, etc.. The guitar feels very solid and will hold up to a lot of abuse, but it is made of mostly cheap laminate. It has 21 very cheaply made frets that have rough edges and cause the "e" string to hang up when strummed. The action is extremely high which makes playing very difficult and frustrating.

The sound is not bad, but doesn't compare the the other $99 guitar that I bought (a Jasmine, Takamine, S34c). It is difficult to get a nice quiet sound out of this guitar. When you play it loudly with authority, it isn't bad. Due to the cheap construction of the frets and the high action, it is nearly impossible to play without some buzzing.

Way too high! I took the bridge off and ground it down about an eighth of on inch...that helped some. The finish looks great, which is very misleading about the quality of this guitar. The tuners stay in tune fairly well, but they are very difficult to get set.

No one in their right mind would play this guitar in public. This guitar is clearly a beater guitar. The finish will likely outlast everything else on this guitar.

Never tried it, its not worth my time.

OK, I realize this is a $100 guitar and I shouldn't expect much. The problem is this is what beginners buy to make sure they want to play before they make a big investment. This guitar is so difficult to play that it will actually discourage you from wanting to play. Once you actually play a decent guitar, you will realize how much of a piece of trash this is.
You can get a decent guitar for $100, just not this one. If you want to try an inexpensive guitar buy the Jasmine, Takamine, S34c and you will get a good guitar for a low price. Don't buy this!