Fender Starcaster article...

[othomas2]

http://www.fender.com/news/guitarchive-the-starcaster/

[Noirie.]

I bet they'll reissue these soon.

[George]

I bet they'll reissue these soon.

definitely seems like phase 1 of a campaign. would be interesting.

[paul_]

I'm sure they will reissue it; there's nothing about the Starcaster that would be that expensive or much of a hassle for Fender to replicate. Those style bridges are easily and cheaply sourced, the neck is standard Fender fare and they really only have to do up the bodies/headstock shapes special which should be a piece of piss... as George said, reminding/informing the general market that they existed (going as far as to devote three paragraphs to which Radiohead/Killers/Arctic Monkeys songs and videos feature them) would be step one. They even mentioned a 2006 Morrissey video to pick up a couple of jaded stragglers.

Of course, it will also have "modern player" neck specs and the reissue "sheep in wolf's clothing" WRHBs and therefore barely be worth it over some Epiphone semi/RI Tele Deluxe for anything except the exact Starcaster facsimile.

[benecol]

I've got a tenner that says they won't reissue it, and that you're all tripping.

Too expensive to tool up for such a short run of a niche appeal guitar.

[BearBoy]

There was a thread over on OSG recently where a couple of people claimed an MIJ Starcaster was on its way. There didn't really seem to be any hard evidence to back this up but they've called these things correctly in the past...

[Bacchus]

Any wonder it didn't sell, look at the state of them ads.

[BearBoy]

Too expensive to tool up for such a short run of a niche appeal guitar.

They made this:



In recent years Fender have made a load of "non-standard" guitars (Offset Special, PS Mustang, MP Marauder, Reverse Jaguar Bass, Semi Hollow Jags, Jazzmasters & Mustangs etc). Admittedly I know cock all about manufacturing but I can't see why a Starcaster would necessarily be that much more expensive to produce than any of them and would quite possibly have a broader appeal given the Radiohead/Arctic Monkeys/Killers connections.

[BobArsecake]

I love those old Fender ads, the first and third in that link are fantastic. Not only are they different but there's some effort gone into them, rather than the crappy ones they have now where some guff font usually proclaiming "ROCK" or something as equally inspiring has been plastered underneath another sunburst Strat/Tele or desperate attempt at being fresh. Even the Jaguarillo that I really like is just what the Jag-Stang probably should have been and is quite uninspiring, not to mention having the simplicity of a DIY under guise of "pawnshop".

I don't hate Fender as much as the above seems, I just think their attempts at innovation are just poor. They had their day in the 1960s and should concentrate on the good stuff they produced then rather than trying to make money for old rope, if that doesn't sound like an oxymoron.

Back to the topic, it'd be nice to see a reissue of the Starcaster, in keeping with what I've said above it'd be nice to see their older, more genuinely innovative stuff being reproduced.

[benecol]

Too expensive to tool up for such a short run of a niche appeal guitar.

They made this:



In recent years Fender have made a load of "non-standard" guitars (Offset Special, PS Mustang, MP Marauder, Reverse Jaguar Bass, Semi Hollow Jags, Jazzmasters & Mustangs etc). Admittedly I know cock all about manufacturing but I can't see why a Starcaster would necessarily be that much more expensive to produce than any of them and would quite possibly have a broader appeal given the Radiohead/Arctic Monkeys/Killers connections.

You're right. That Fender made something as unusual as a strat with a couple of design tweaks shows that they're committed to niche designs and tooling.

[/snarkytwat]

Completely different construction method though, innit? All the ones you've listed above can be CNCed out of a lump of wood, but semi-hollows (thinlines excepted) are made in that fiddly, old-fashioned way that I really should know the name of. With glue and that. You know what I mean.

[Peter Bond]

Starseholecaster

[BearBoy]

You're right. That Fender made something as unusual as a strat with a couple of design tweaks shows that they're committed to niche designs and tooling.

[/snarkytwat]

Completely different construction method though, innit? All the ones you've listed above can be CNCed out of a lump of wood, but semi-hollows (thinlines excepted) are made in that fiddly, old-fashioned way that I really should know the name of. With glue and that. You know what I mean.

Ha. I did say I knew cock all about manufacturing.

They do, however, make plenty of actual acoustic guitars that, presumably, require what little Miss BB would call "cutting and sticking".

I'm probably over simplifying things but in this day and age I can't imagine it is that cost prohibitive for a company like Fender to knock up some Starcasters. Can't you buy some Chinese knock offs for the best part of sod all?

[benecol]

You make a very good point about them making acoustic guitars.

However, since by your own admission, you know little about manufacturing, I plan to say something along the lines of "Yes, but acoustic guitars have fixed, rather than bolt-on, necks" to cover my embarrassment. Even though I suspect that would make fuck-all difference.

Will still bet you a tenner they don't reissue them, though.

[NickS]

http://www.taylorguitars.com/global/pdf ... n_neck.pdf
The removable, or “bolt-on� neck, is one of the most important points of separation between. Taylor guitars and the rest of the high- end acoustic pack.

[NickD]

Fender own Guild and Gretsch don't they? Who both make semis. Maybe the bodies will be made at one of their factories.

[DanHeron]

This is in one of the comments on that article. A custom starcaster build which looks pretty sweet to me:


I would prefer them to reissue the coronado though.

[iCEByTes]

Coronado whit hotter pickups would be a killer release , 12 strings i would get one for me.

[robert(original)]

I really liked Fredo's when i played on it a few years back, besides that i played a few at the chicago music exchange thru the years, and besides wanting one just to "have" one, i never really got on with them.
im willing to bet fender does something like the starcaster, but gets rid of the cockstock, scratches the o.g. bridge, throws a toro bridge on there, and nix's the master volume.

[timhulio]

im willing to bet fender does something like the starcaster, but gets rid of the cockstock, scratches the o.g. bridge, throws a toro bridge on there, and nix's the master volume.

This. They'll call it a Starcaster, but it'll have a normal strat headstock and I bet a TOM bridge and stoptail. A classic Fender fudge.

A few years ago I'd be with Tim on the 'never gonna happen' bus. However since then we've seen some godawful crap from them including the Jaguarilliohno, that offset pink thing and the reimagined Marauder. They've mined their back-catalogue for inspiration and come-up with some real stinkers without realising the only Fender reissue worth bothering with is this:

► Show Spoiler

[robert(original)]

watch what you say tim, you never know, they could totally bring back the katana and the performer.... oh gawd! icey would be all over that shit, to go with his handy johdes sig guitar he had made.