Fender Starcaster

Posted in Electric Guitar by admin

Anybody own a FENDER STARCASTER ELECTRIC GUITAR?

I'm thinking of getting one - can you guys give reviews (cost, features, sound, durability etc)? Thanks much.

NO! you shouldn't get one. My friend just broke his and replaced it with a cheap Ibanez. He had it for about four months and just a few days ago, he was strumming it, then a PICKUP snapped and a string snapped.

He tried taking it to Guitar Center to fix it, but the staff said that for them to replace the pickup and to put it together would cost about $100. It wasn't worth it.

Others have seen a longer life, but I think the overall value is horrible.

The Starcasters usually come with a 10-watt amp and accessories for about $200. The same friend got his at Costco, but I've seen them at Target. I'm pretty sure instrument-specific stores like Guitar Center don't sell them.

They should come in the humbucker-single-single (HSS) pickup configuration and a five-way selector. I noticed that the headstock has a "curve" to it rather than a straight edge unlike most Fender STRATOcasters.

The Starcaster is basically a cheap Squier branded as a "real" Fender. I have a Sqiuer Affinity Series with HSS (but not the same exact pickups as the Starcaster) and it's much heavier (it's made of agathis). I have only broke my strings once, and it's still in good condition. It's my first guitar.

Perhaps my friend didn't take good care of his Starcaster... Both of our guitars were made in Indonesia and had a serial number starting with "s/c", which most likely meant they were made in the same factory.

If I could, I would've bought a different guitar as my first. The Ibanez my friend bought was an RG120 for $180 (green-tag sale at GC). It has much better looks and features.

I don't actually have a Starcaster, but I've played with my friend's. I would rather go with a pricier guitar so I wouldn't have to upgrade or replace in a while. Cheap Ibanezes look and are better than cheap Squiers, but they are more suited to metal. Try looking at the Epiphones (Gibson brand) that are $150 - $500.

Anyways, here are some websites:

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Fender/Starcaster/10/1

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starcaster_by_Fender

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Guitar.gc