The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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Rob
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by Rob » Tue Aug 09, 2022 7:59 pm

46346 wrote:
Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:27 am
yes, i'm trying to coin the abbreviation 'Star' as guitar shorthand, like 'Strat', 'Tele', etc... 8)
I'll do my best to help this catch on around these parts, and will refer to them that way from now on.

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Fri Aug 12, 2022 4:21 pm

Rob wrote:
Tue Aug 09, 2022 7:59 pm
46346 wrote:
Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:27 am
yes, i'm trying to coin the abbreviation 'Star' as guitar shorthand, like 'Strat', 'Tele', etc... 8)
I'll do my best to help this catch on around these parts, and will refer to them that way from now on.

Excellent. meanwhile, i FINALLY arranged to play a '77 in my studio this week, while recording on some surfy lounge tracks. on my third go with it, it really clicked. more on that soon...

i may be turning into a Star Man!
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:17 am

meanwhile, check out this baby in Antigua. expensive, for sure, but i've only found two ever for sale in my recent search, and it's the same guitar.
thank goodness i don't have Antigua Fever...

https://reverb.com/item/59162494-fender ... 77-antigua
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by Pacafeliz » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:23 am

46346 wrote:
Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:17 am
meanwhile, check out this baby in Antigua. expensive, for sure, but i've only found two ever for sale in my recent search, and it's the same guitar.
thank goodness i don't have Antigua Fever...

https://reverb.com/item/59162494-fender ... 77-antigua
Oh God there's almost nothing I'd not do (or let do to me) for this beauty... :?
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by gishuk » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:38 am

What have they done to the neck to make it a 4 bolt? Looks so wrong!

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by Embenny » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:52 am

You can see the edge of where the only plate used to be at the bottom.

Looks like they just re-drilled both the body and neck. A shame, but far from the most destructive mod they could have done.
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by DaddyDom » Mon Aug 15, 2022 12:54 pm

Why would the tag in the photo say $4,999 and the Reverb ad say $6,999?
?????

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:07 pm

gishuk wrote:
Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:38 am
What have they done to the neck to make it a 4 bolt? Looks so wrong!

oh, man - i missed that! i checked back, and it was like that in a photo when previously sold in like 2012, too.

of course, some guys preferred to shim the neck more traditionally instead of monkeying
with the MicroTilt, and this is in that legendary period of sloppy neck pockets... and thus the 3-bolt
got a bad rep. i could totally see someone dealing with the neck joint 'once and for all' by
getting all 'Pre-CBS' on it! Antigua also became very unhip by the 80's... even i may not have had the appreciation for not drilling it at the time. too bad cuz that's a really rare one! i did some more digging and only came up with only ONE other Antigua Star, from a long-ago listing. and of course, it had it's 3-bolt intact.
DaddyDom wrote:
Mon Aug 15, 2022 12:54 pm
Why would the tag in the photo say $4,999 and the Reverb ad say $6,999?
?????
well, the shop is in Tennessee, and Reverb allows them to fish for a deep pocket on the international
market. and maybe it's a subtle hint that they'll take offers ;)

i could see someone ponying $4500 if they were an Antigua nut and a Star nut.
but the extra drilling kinda spoils it for *me*.
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by SignoftheDragon » Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:31 pm

46346 wrote:
Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:27 am
yes, i'm trying to coin the abbreviation 'Star' as guitar shorthand, like 'Strat', 'Tele', etc... 8)
Hmmm. then what are we supposed to call this?

Image

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by Rob » Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:11 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:31 pm
Hmmm. then what are we supposed to call this?
Starvel?

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:39 pm

Rob wrote:
Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:11 pm


Starvel?

more like... Starved!

it's all skin and bones!


meanwhile, check out the meat on this baby ;) :

Image
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Sat Dec 10, 2022 12:45 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:14 pm
46346 wrote:
Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:33 pm
i guess by 1977 Fender wondered, "so, what's it gonna take to get folks excited about the Starcaster"
maybe something like this?
Image


Swampcaster
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by 46346 » Sat Dec 10, 2022 1:04 am

46346 wrote:
Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:39 pm


Image

i took this one for a spin back in the Summer, and decided to keep 'er onboard, even when some key gigs fell through this Autumn and i was suddenly broke. i could hardly justify keeping it, except for the tone in ALL THREE pickup positions being extra special and diggable, more so than any of my other guitars that come to mind.

had some fine jams in those lean times with my experimental/new music pals, and now FINALLY got a good run of gigs this month, it's a holiday show with lots of legit jazz, swing, and classic rock numbers. turns out this is a fine guitar for these ten shows. not quite making my cost back just yet, but good headway toward that, and a delight to hear these tones in the show tonight.
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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by sal paradise » Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:22 am

46346 wrote:
Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:39 pm
Rob wrote:
Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:11 pm


Starvel?

more like... Starved!

it's all skin and bones!


meanwhile, check out the meat on this baby ;) :

Image
Woah, I didn’t realise they did a version with a 2nd pickup at the neck & without a strat headstock.
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: The Big (?) Vintage Starcaster Thread

Post by simonhpieman » Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:17 am

gishuk wrote:
Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:38 am
What have they done to the neck to make it a 4 bolt? Looks so wrong!
The guy in Kings Road Guitars in London had an ex-The Vaccines Starcaster in when I was there a few years back. No price on it.

"What's with the Starcaster?" says I.

"Vintage Starcaster modified for the Vaccines." He says.

"What, with the 4-bolt neck, Strat headstock and regular sized humbuckers with no sign of filled holes?"

The same guy also offered to take some parts off another vintage guitar to complete a not fully original 60s Jaguar I was interested in, after also telling me he'd lost the original case in his lockup.

Sorry, I digress a little.

That Star is beautiful, 43646!!

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