Fender Starcaster

Without repeating the specs in other reviews in too much detail, my example is as follows. Built between '77 and '80, twin humbuckers, each with their own vol and tone control, all with a master vol. 3-way toggle switch on the lower horn. Solid bridge with strings through body to anchor from behind. Maple block through the body, with semi-hollow sides, each with unbound f-hole. Mine is black, with cream (yellowing with age) binding, and solid maple neck. Unique offset shape, reminds me of the jazzmaster, but in an ES-335 form.

I like my jazz, funk and dub among other things, so I was looking for something which had a versatile clean sound. Admittedly I have grown to love the sound, but from the word go I found it to be just what I was after. On the neck humbucker, it has a warm, clear, full tone, which is unique, but still trademark Fender. The two humbuckers combined can achieve a Stratocastor(ish) sound, whereas the bridge pickup is a little thin for my tastes. The range of sounds achievable are quite broad due to the number of controls available. Doesn't sustain like a Gibson, but can chime like a Fender. I have achieved my sounds almost straight into Fender twins, and Roland JC-120's. Great wah with a VOX . I should add that I have replaced the bridge pickup with a Dimarzio, which I am happier with than the original, but I mainly use this pickup only to achieve distorted sounds (which isn't often). Yes I have kept the original humbucker!

Purchased used, and was in good, sound condition. The black finish on the body in particular is still great, bar a few chips. Chromed hardware is all still in good condition, however the lacquer on the maple neck is just falling off presently, hence some restoration here is becoming a necessity. Action is good without being ultra-low, but lovley to play. Of note is that I have replaced the bridge saddles with teflon numbers, since the originals were not in a good way, and their deteriorating surface was causing strings to break far too often for my liking (ie at gigs). These new saddles have completeley solved the problem. Other than the rough-fitting but solid-as-a-rock neck joint, I still find the finish to be of good quality. Possibly the control knobs are a little light and flimsy, but mine have shown no sign of deteriorating.

This guitar is extremeley solid, and durable, and has withstood a fair amount of live use without any problems, bar the bridge saddles (which no longer cause trouble). It is getting rather old however, and I am going to have to have the neck refinished (frets have seen some work too!) if I am to continue to use it as my only electric. The body finish has endured well, and during my ownership of about 6 years, it has continued to stand up very well. I have replaced the jack-input, the toggle switch, and one volume pot, so the electronics have not stood the test of time that well, but age is a big factor. All other fittings are still solid, and with the minor mods I have carried out, I have complete faith in it as a reliable live instrument. I have no intention of selling the original components which I have replaced.

I have only seen a handful of ads on the web which suggest any availability of parts at all. Repair and mods have been done by a Fender repairer in Brisbane Australia, and have all been A1, however could not replace the vol pot or jack input with originals without ridiculous expense, if at all (did find leads in the US, but I am in Australia so would have to ship.....). As for factory warranty, I do have the original purchase receipt and shop tag!

I have been playing for about 9 years, and I am always open to change, however I have found it difficult to find another guitar which achieves the clean sounds I look for, whilst still providing a broad sonic choice. It would be difficult for me to better it sonically without relying on effects or spending 6 times the amount of money I paid for this guitar (if at all), and it has a nice sound for jazz/funk. Oh, and it looks the business in its own unique way, so if it was stolen, I will try my damdest to find it. When I first purchased it, I investigated its value and was told it would not appreciate due to the era in which it was made, however over the past 6 years, these guitars do seem to be gaining in value, but slowly. I've found I,ve kept it because I haven't found anything better as yet sonically, so its not just a collectors piece by any means, its got the sound.

Serial number: 717454
Semi-hollowbody with two Fender HB pickups. Toggle switch to select pickupconfiguration, three vol.pots (one master), two tone pots. Three bolt neck join (a bit loose). Nicely curved top (laminated). Two f-holes, black scratchplate, fixed solid bridge with six individual bridge safddles. Two cutaways, somewhat in an offset-alignment. The guitar has a beautiful blonde natural finish, with a little playing wear in some places, binding is OK. The neck is a dream. The guitar provides an enormous sustain. I bought the guitar in the original (mint condition) case with red plush lining.

I use the guitar mainly in my rock/coverband. It's ok in any live situation with no feedback problems.
I use a fender 70's twin or Fender Deville in combination with a little Marshall JTM30 to get some different tones using an A/B box.
I like the sound, using the bridge pickup most of the time. Nice round sounds, though there's some bite to achieve with the tone pots almost open.

Action is perfect! Never had such a smooth player. The top is nicely bookmatched and has beautiful stripes.

The neck joint is rather sloppy. The three bolts combined with the micro-tilt adjuster doesn' seems to effect the sustain though.

Never had any contact with the company on this guitar.

I'm a veteran (over 50) weekendplayer mostly in the rock/cover area. I've been playing for over thirthy years and I consider the starcaster as one of my favourites (amongst others). Wish I could find another one!

1977 Fender Starcaster - Sunburst finish, semi-hollow w/ f-holes, 22 frets, 2 pickups w/ 3-way toggle selector located on the lower horn (a bit unhandy), 2 volumes, two tones & master volume. Top, back, neck and center block are all made of maple. Strings are anchored through the body - same as a tele - very nice!

This guitar is all about tone! It's full and warm like a semi hollow body but is also clear, bright and powerfull. Not muddy like Gibson semi's I've owned in the past. I think this is mainly due to the all maple contsuction.
I'm a veteran weekend hacker - play mostly rock/cover stuff in the local joints. This is the only hollow-body I've ever owned that I've been able to use in a live rock band situation. In fact I really prefer it over my Strat, Tele and LP!

OK, here's where it get's interesting. Action, feel and playability are excellent - as good as anything I've ever owned. The finish and workmanship on the body are top rate. The neck is - well - just a good ole',plain-jane Fender neck bolted on to that nicely crafted, slightly quilted, bound body - kinda' wierd & very cool at the same time.
The only major flaw is the well documented CBS era sloppy neck joint. Mine is as solid as a rock and has great sustain, but it's a poor fit.

Rock solid and dependable. Only reason I keep another guitar on stage is for ocasional tonal variation but mainly in case of a broken string mid set.

Forget it.`

Been playing for 30+ years. Won't bore you with my current brag list but I own/have owned lotsa stuff - most of it pretty good - but this old girl's one of my all-time favorites.

2 humbuckers F hole semi.
dark brown body with maple neck. Strings thru body really work well on a semi.

This sounds wonderful. It has a full sound, very warm, but with a bite that is lacking on most semi's. A large variety of tones are in there, from full jazz to bright twangy lead. Sounds great thru my ampeg Vt40. overdrives the amp nicely and is my favorite guitar thru that amp.

For a 70's fender, excellent. The 3 bolt neck is the only bummer. Not the most solid of fixings, but way better than most 70's fenders. Overall a much better built guitar than other 70's fenders. Ation was a bit duff when I got it, but set it up and it's beatiful to play. Heavy though.

It's lasted so far, but has taken some knocks! Still looks great.

One of my favorite guitars. So unique and such a great tone. This guitar will never leave me.
Nothing extra needed on the guitar. Just wish I had 2

This one is definitely American made. I bought it new back in 1977 and still have it and still actively play it. It is still, completely, all original including the hardshell case. The finish is a solid brown and the gloss finish has a small amount of dulling around the area where my right arm crosses the body. Other than a couple of minor scratches that you cannot readily see, the instrument is in perfect working order. It has two Fender style chrome humbuckers that are selected by a three way switch and each pickup has individual volume and tone controls and also has a master volume control. It also has the traditional Fender maple neck and, in my opinion, is the best one on the market. It has excellent action all the way up to the last fret. The headstock says Fender Starcaster, however, it looks like a modified strat headstock that has some extra extension on it.

Of all the guitars that I have heard (I am over 50 and have been playing since I was 12), this one is unique. Using a Fender amp on clean, the pickups are really bright and the bridge pickup can get a little too twangy for my preference so I have to tone it down a bit. The neck pickup is just about perfect for any clean sound though. From rock, funk, blues, to c/w this guitar does it all. The sustain is fair to good. Using an effects pedal really brings out the best sounds. The humbuckers really produce a mellow type distortion that I like in most blues stuff.

The only real problem with this guitar is that the pickups do not properly align with the strings. I have seen a lot of these guitars in the past and all of them have the same problem. It is one of those factory design problems and you can remedy it by changing the pickups, however, I did not want to go that route. I took the pickup covers off and re-adjusted all of the coils to where I thought they should be and got a fairly better sound than from the factory. You can tell the difference in the sound between the B and E strings even after all of the adjustments.

I have played this instrument since I bought it new in 1977 and it has not failed once. I never have taken a backup guitar to any gig.

I had never had to deal with customer support for this item. I believe that now it would be a really expensive venture to send this one in for any kind of repair since it is a ancient artifact!

I have been playing since I was 12 (I am over 50 now). I saw this hanging in the local music store and thought it was unique back then (1977). I did not actually play it before I bought it, I paid them cash and walked out the door with it. If this was lost or stolen, it would be like loosing a family member. I would never get over it. I will keep this instrument as long as I possibly can. I always get comments on this guitar whenever I take it out of the case.

After a good year of searching, I finally got ahold of my dream guitar!!!!! A Black 1977 Starcaster. Did I mention it was black? I have never seen anything but versions of sunbursts before. This is an odd(in a very cool way) looking guitar. Hollowbody with a weird headstock (looks as if someone tried to cut out a normal Fender headstock and turned the wrong way). Lets see: 2 Fender Humbuckers, master volume as well as 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Not set up like aGison though. Opposite. Don't know what kind of wood it is. It looks similar in body shape to my Fender Jaguar with the top horn being offset and the lower part stretching out. It's big but not boring looking like an ES-335. The bridge is almost like a Tele with the strings going through the body to the back. It has a longer scale length than my Jag and really low frets. Someone tried to lower everything on it (even the nut which looks like a 5 year old tried to cut a new one. Rather messy job...).

I don't like music styles too much. No jazz, or blues or shredd-king. Maybe space/experimental/angst. Hahahaha! I like how it sounds when I play my songs so it must suit my style.
I play it through a Johnson Millenium combo and it rips like a freakin' chainsaw compared to the single coils on my Jag (sorry that is the only thing I have to compare it to but I'll try to stop talking about it since this isn't it's review!). Very meaty sound, 3 different sounds , neck, bridge, or both. I find it has a very unique feedback, which is hard to get. No tremelo bar though, so lots of bends and pre-bending to get that sound.

Had it shipped from the states sight unseen (the shop had a 2 day return policy). Got it used. Second hand, third hand?? Who knows. Everything seemed to be setup nicely. Fantastic condition considering it is 23 years old. A bit disappointed that the guitar shop that I bought it from wouldn't spend 5 bucks and put new strings on it. Cheap lazy goofs. As I said above, poorly re-cut nut, noisy pots. This thing must have seen some crazy times. It definitely needed (and still needs) some work. But then again it is almost as old as me.

It seems to be pretty solid for its age. Everything seems fairly sturdy and well attached. I put some strap locks on it because I'm afraid of normal straps. Not that I jump all over the palce but it is piece of mind. As for getting a backup good luck. It was hard enough to find it the first time.

They haven't made them for 20 odd years so if it breaks I'm fixing it.

I've only been playing 7 years and I've had more than one electric guitar in my setup before. This one has a different sound than my Jag so it fills in a lot of holes sonically and allows me options. If this were stolen or lost I would be seriously bummed as it took me so long to find this one. I'm actually going out to get it insured for Replacement Value. Lets see the insurance guys try to find one! Oh, in black please if you don't mind. Wish it had a tremelo bar for the odd time that I use it. I love the shape and sound of it. I hate that I paid so much for it, but I would do it all over again. Got nickled and dimed to death with the US/Canada exchange rate. The shop I got it from shipped it to a non-existent address so it took a week longer to see it. I bought it sight unseen with a 2 day return policy. When I opened the box the case was all dinged up from the previous owner (not the shipping company). Nobody at my local guitar shop had ever heard of one. People hear Starcaster and think I bought a strat. Surprise!! If you get a chance to pick one up, do it. These are rare and beautiful guitars. Just be quick though as the price seems to be going up (look at what other people paid for theirs).

Fender made these from '77 to '80. It is a semi-hollow body with two fender chrome-faced humbuckers. Each pickup has its own tone and volume knobs and there is a master volume knob and a three way pick-up selector switch. The headstock is quite unique and very un-Fender, sort of like a Thunderbird but curvier. Strings through the body, bridge is a pretty hefty piece of metal. Mine came with a beautiful hardcase with a red/orange lining that snugly fits around the assymmetrical body.

I play jazz, funk, ska, experimental noise et. al. so I'm not generally constrained by received rock notions of 'great tone' or whatever. That said, I go for a warm, clean tone that breaks up a little when I play harder. I play through a Fender Bassman Ten (4x10 combo) with a crybaby wah, Rat reissue distortion, and either a digital delay or a Roland Space Echo. The Starcaster's tone is fabulous, really deep and throaty, very warm, and the humbuckers are pretty loud - not noisy - loud. I mostly play through the neck pick-up though, the bridge pick-up can get really twangy if you like. I can't imagine wanting another guitar in terms of tone, unless I wanted something really raunchy.

I bought it used and it was in very good condition. The action is pretty high, even for a semi-hollow body, but that's my suits my taste and style. The finish is fine, the fit between neck and body is a little loose, not uncommon for 70's Fenders.

After two years of 3 practices a week and 2 to 3 gigs a month plus about five weeks of touring, the pick up selector switch broke. Oh well, a trip to Rockin' Robin and ten dollars later it's back in business. Very solid, I should treat it better than I do but it has always been reliable.

I searched for one of these for a year after playing one in a Guitar Center (they wanted $1200). If this ever got stolen I would be heartbroken. I would probably stop playing guitar. It's unique, it sounds great, it looks like some kind of googy 50's/70's love child of a guitar.

1978, hollowbody electric (ES335 style); doublecutaway with f-holes, offset waist like a Jaguar or Jazzmaster; bookmatched flame maple top and back, walnut stain (comes also in natural, black, white, blonde, and sunburst). Has two Fender humbucking pickups (70's style, like on a Telecaster thinline) with master volume, two volume, two tone; strings-through-bridge-through body; pickup selector on lower cutaway; 3-bolt maple neck (22 frets) and maple fretboard with black dot inlay, with unique Fender headstock design. Has F-tuners and 6-across string tree. Body is bound front and back. The neck on this guitar is as close to a "boatneck" or "oar" as I have ever seen on a Fender guitar.

This is hard to describe; it sounds like a cross between a humbucker telecaster and a ES335. The Fender humbuckers used on this guitar are the same as those used on '70's tele's like Keith Richard used. They overdrive a tube amp pretty well. It can sound bright, mellow or raunchy, depending on what amp you use with it. The master volume is sort of like the Gretsch or Gibson Chet Atkins pot, only it is located right next to the other vol/tone pots. You can use it like a volume pedal and "swell" or "fade" the output (even do some pedal steel effects like George Harrison did on his Contry Gent).
The overall sound is definitely NOT Gibson or Gretsch. With the maple neck, bolt on mounting, strings-through-body, it's a Fender. This means that the sustain isn't comparable to the glue-in necks of either Gretsch or Gibson.

This was one of CBS' better attempts at guitar manufacture. Yes, the three-bold neck is present, and yes, you can fit a matchbook into the space between the neck and body, but it is rock-solid. The 3-bolt is actually a great idea in terms of have the tilt-adjust built in. With a four-bold, you may get a more solid attachment and sustain better, but try adjusting the neck tilt on that! (you gotta use shims).
The finish is polyester; doesn't yellow at all (the neck is clearcoated and looks nearly brand new). The bindings are first-class and are not at all deteriorating.
The action, particularly the neck width, throws me off completely. It takes some getting used to particularly if you are going from one guitar in your arsenal to THIS one. It's like fretting a baseball bat.
The guitar seems a bit heavier than the ES335; the body wood is maple, but it is thicker than the laminates used on the Gibson hollowbodies. This is probably due to the need to mount the very wide bridge/tailpiece on the body itself, and, run the strings through the back.
Another confusing thing on this guitar is the volume/tone layout. If you are used to Gibson's layout, the Fender one will fool you unless you read the knob descriptions. Again, moving from one guitar to this one takes some getting used to.

Durable? Oh, hell yes! This guitar will withstand a meteor shower. The neck is made from a single piece of maple -- true Fender -- and the body is supersolid. The electronics are fine and will last a lifetime.

Don't ask -- Fender wants to forget its CBS past.

If you are looking for guitar that is a true departure from the Gibson or Gretsch hollowbody mold, look no further. Particularly if you love Fender necks. The sound is unique, but not spectacular.

That's STARcaster not Stratocaster...
Anyhow, I belive these fellows were made between '76 to '80 (+/- a year). The desinger being Gene Fields who worked at Fender R&D for 23 years working with Leo on designs for the Mustang Bass, Musicmaster Bass, the Bronco guitar and others.
To oversimplify a description, it was another attempt to make a Gibson 335 style guitar - semi-hollow, double cutaway, 2 humbucker. That being said, it remains a definite Fender. Basically if you take a 70's Telecaster Deluxe, and have 2 hollowbody wings on the body with f-holes, that's the guitar. Which is pretty nifty. One thing to note is the body is an unusual shape in that it is asymetrical. The body is a bit longer to the bottom right (knob 'corner). Strange. A cool strange.
Tuners are 6 on a side with a unique headstock and string-through string tree. Two of the big chrome Fender humbuckers (found on Tele Customs, and Deluxes), and a Les Paul configuration 2 volume 2 tone with, get this, a master volume. Yes, that's 5 pots. Not to mention the knobs atop them which are unique. They look as if they were taken from a stereo manufacturer. Funny but cool. The pickup selector is where you would find one on a Jazzmaster - bottom horn.
It has a small pickguard like a Les Paul, and an unusual fixed bridge. Strings are fed through the body like a Tele.
The neck is very Fender 70's. Which may be a good or bad thing depending on your personal tastes (3 screw bolt on). To me it feels just like a Tele Deluxe, and the fretboard only came in maple. Mine is a natural finish, and I belive you can find them in Mahogony (finish?) as well. I have seen so few, I don't know if they were ever offered painted. My natural finish one has some PRS-esque flamy-quilty qualities to it I don't believe they were intended. (The case is unusual to make up for the unusual shape!)
I'm giving it a 10 for the fact they took some chances with the master volume, bridge, string trees, etc.

It sounds really nice. It can be jazzy and warm on the neck pickup and bright and crisp on the bridge. It doesn't seem to feedback like I expected. I like the multi-knob set up with the master volume you can set the volumes of the individual pickups and leave them alone, relying on the master volume. The Fender chrome humbuckers are unique in and of themselves. If you are familiar with them, imagine a semi-hollowbody implementation and you'll get the idea. It actually sounds good unamplified. It 'rings!'

It is a really, really nice design, nice finish, nice appointments, etc. However, it contains the well-documented, odd neck cavity found on the 3-screw neckplate 70's Fenders. It is my only complaint about the guitar.
It has a really neat binding around the body of the guitar (which is fading to a nice yellowish color) and a black recessed swoosh under the name 'Fender Starcaster' on the headstock. (No binding around the f-holes though.)

Well, mine is 22 years old now and a great player. It has held up nicely. (The neck joint continues to worry me but that's typical 70's Fender worries, no escaping that.) From what I hear, the chrome Fender humbuckers sometimes become microphonic and may need to be rewound. This has not happend to any of my other Fenders with the same pickups, but it is something to note when shopping around for one. (They have been producing reissue, chrome, real Fender humbuckers which are available as well...)

Never dealt with them. Heaven help you if you need a replacement part for this guitar! It's hard enough to find the guitar...

I am a Fender Junkie and have been searching for a Starcaster for years. (I have Tele's, Strat's, Musicmaster's, Bronco's, etc. it reminds me most of my Tele Deluxe which is a nat finish as well.) I had posted a few WTB ads on the internet, and a fine fellow made me hip to an ad in the Fresno Bee of all places. I was on the road in a matter of hours. This one is a beautiful example and a welcome addition to my collection. (For you Phish fans, it's as close as you're going to get to Trey's guitar by the way!)
If it were stolen, I know I would have an extreme chore to find another one this nice. Be unique - if you find one grab it! It's a conversation starter if you bring it out live, and a good sounding unique guitar. However, the going price at shows and the vintage shops is now ranging from $1100 to $1500 which is a bummer.
(I had never seen anyone use one live until I caught a late night performance of Radiohead on some TV show - bingo! He only used it for one song, but by golly there it was...good for him.)