Fender Starcaster
| Fender Starcaster | |
|---|---|
Semi-hollow | |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on neck |
| Scale | 25.5" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Maple |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Maple |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Fixed |
| Pickup(s) | H–H: Fender Wide Range |
| Colors available | |
| White, Natural, Sunburst, Walnut & Black | |
The Fender Starcaster is a series of
History
The Starcaster was designed by Gene Fields to be a high quality instrument, although it was manufactured at a time when Fender's standards had lowered considerably. Unlike most semi-hollow guitars which had their necks set in the bodies in the traditional style, the Starcaster retained Fender's bolt-on neck design, which at the time, used a three-bolt joint.
The Starcaster was in production from 1976 to 1982. However, an advertisement from 1977 states that the Starcaster's first creation was in 1975.[1]
Re-use of Starcaster name
The Starcaster name was revived for a range of "value-priced"
Reissues
In September 2013 Fender reissued the Starcaster in continuation of its 2011 "Modern Player" series. The new version, offered in black, natural or aged cherryburst, closely resembles the original guitar but lacks some key features including the master volume control, string-through-body bridge, string tree for four strings, bullet truss rod adjuster and three-bolt neck attachment. Unlike the original from the 1970s, the new guitar features a tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece and bound f-holes.
Fender has also released a bass version of the Starcaster, an instrument that was never released, although at least three prototypes were created in the mid 1970s. The name "Starcaster Bass" is purely speculative as the existing prototypes have only the name Fender on the headstock, a feature which the new version retains.
Currently, Fender offers Classic Vibe version of the model under their Squier brand.[2]
Construction
The Starcaster has a unique headstock design, with a black bottom curve. No other production Fender guitar before or since had the same headstock, but some prototypes of the Fender Marauder, also designed by Fields, had a similar headstock design. It is also unusual for a semi-hollow guitar in having an asymmetrical ("offset") body, a maple fretboard, a bolt-on neck, a novel control configuration consisting of a volume and tone control for each pickup as well as a master volume control, and Fender's traditional six-on-a-side tuning pegs.
Popularity and usage
The Starcaster was commercially unsuccessful, perhaps because of a public notion that Fender was a "solid-body,
The most prominent player to use the original 1970s Starcaster was Leo Nocentelli of The Meters.[citation needed]
In 2022, Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge began using Starcasters upon his return to Blink-182, switching from Gibson. Like previous signature models, this guitar consists of a single humbucker in the bridge position (namely a Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom pickup) and one volume knob.[4][5] Fender announced Artist Series versions of DeLonge's custom Starcasters in April 2024.[6]
Notes
- ^ Vintage Fender advertisement (1977). - The Hard-Charging Sharp-Toothed Starcaster
- ^ "Squier Starcaster Guitars | Fender".
- ^ Mann, Merlin; Roderick, John (12 December 2016). "Ep. 227: "Fifth Knob"". Roderick on the Line (Podcast). Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Tom DeLonge's new Fender Starcaster Blink-182 guitar: Everything we know".
- ^ "Blink-182's Tom DeLonge returns to Fender as he unveils new single-pickup Starcaster design". 9 December 2022.
- ^ "Fender releases second signature model celebrating icon, the Tom DeLonge Starcaster® guitar". 16 April 2024.
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