Starcaster by Fender
| Manufacturer | Fender |
|---|---|
| Period | 2001 — present |
| Body | basswood or agathis |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood or Maple |
| Bridge | Tremolo or hardtail |
| Pickup(s) | 3 single-coil, 2 single-coil + bridge humbucker or single bridge humbucker. |
| 3-tone Sunburst, Black, Purple, Torino Red, Candy Apple Red, Black Cherry burst over flame top maple, Metallic Black, Metallic Blue, Silver Burst, flat grey. | |
Starcaster by Fender is a range of instruments and accessories aimed at students/beginners, marketed by the prominent guitar company Fender since the early 2000s.
The electric guitars in this range are manufactured in the Far East and typically sold as part of a starter package with a Squier SP-10 practice amplifier (e.g. "Starcaster Strat Pack"). In 2006-2007 the Fender website identified them as being sold through Best Buy, Target, Sam's Club, and Costco outlets. Different finishes were available exclusively from each outlet, for example 3-tone sunburst with rosewood fretboard from Best Buy, black with maple fingerboard from Target, metallic black with rosewood fingerboard and pearloid scratchplate (Model No. 0283001165) from Sam's Club. Although the range was withdrawn from the Fender website in 2007, it continues to be developed and is now sold through a variety of outlets, such as BJ's Wholesale Club, Amazon.com and Buy.com. Most of these guitars are but some early versions (sometimes called S1) had an arrow shaped headstock similar to the Fender Swinger.
The typical Starcaster Strat Pack solid-body electric is fitted with 3 single coil pickups, a five way selector switch and a floating tremolo bridge. The neck on models up to 2011 features the large CBS head stock and may have 21 or 22 frets depending on the model. Some models have the headstock painted to match the guitar body. Recent Starcaster models feature the smaller Fender headstock. The body may be basswood or agathis depending on model and year of manufacture. Other minor changes such as a lower grade tremolo have also been made to bring down the cost, as well as the Starcaster being manufactured in Far Eastern countries such as China or Indonesia. The pickup cavity is routed to allow an H-S-H pickup configuration, which allows for flexibility in pickup arrangement. Although most models feature the classic Stratocaster configuration of 3 single-coil pickups, at least one uses the S-S-H pickup configuration with a humbucker in the bridge position. It is not considered a Strat copy because the Stratocaster design is owned by Fender .
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