Starcasters

[dannyvawn]

We've discussed Squier models but what group does the starcaster fall into?
Has anyone played one or have one? Are they to Fender what Maestro is to Gibson? I've seen alot of mixed reviews but know absolutely nothing about them.

[softwarejanitor]

Originally Posted by dannyvawn

We've discussed Squier models but what group does the starcaster fall into?
Has anyone played one or have one? Are they to Fender what Maestro is to Gibson? I've seen alot of mixed reviews but know absolutely nothing about them.

Starcaster seems positioned similar to Maestro. They clearly aren't under the "Squier" brand, they are a brand of their own... They are sort of a peer to Squier as they are both "by Fender", but seem to be positioned as lower end even than Squier Bullets.

[Stratatattat]

i can't speak for their pickups/electronics, but i've used a couple of them as springboards for partscasters. typically, their bodies are agathis, and i believe they're full sized. their necks aren't bad to play in my opinion...some squiers do have better necks...but if u come across 1 dirt cheap or get a hold of starcaster body for cheap (they can run $25 on ebay), then they aren't bad to experiment w/.

[kevinpaul]

I played one. I could have had it free. The price was too high. It would have cost a ton of money to get the smell of junk off me.

[dman]

I set one up for one of the guys I work with. He got it as part of a package at Wal-Mart. It was not great, but with a bit of tweaking it was servicable. Oddly it had an incredible flamed-maple neck!

My understanding is Fender outsources production of these to several different factories, so QC can be...ummm, spotty, shall we say?

[66musicmaster]

A boy in my son's band played one for a couple years learning and his plays and feels pretty good. If you didn't know the name on it, you'd be hard pressed to know exactly what it is. Not as nice as high end squier, but not Junk either. Of course, he had the local music store keep the setup right and such. And it would break strings at the bridge saddles on occasion, but other than that, his was probably a pretty good one.

That's a name brand you should probably be able to play before buying to make sure it's okay.

Randy

[dannyvawn]

I was looking on ebay and they seem to be quite expensive. Ive noticed different headstocks. Are there different models like squier has. It seems strange the price fluctuation. I guess everybody does think that their guitar is the best, no matter the model.

[Stratatattat]

aside from SSS models, and HSS models, there aren't any variations in starcasters. the differences in headstocks usually have to do w/ age (older starcasters had pointed headstocks) or finish options (some are painted, some aren't). right now, starcasters have CBS style headstocks like the Squier Affinities.