Found this video trying to research this guitar because someone local is selling one. There is very little info out there on this guitar. Thanks and ready for part 2!
My grandpa gifted me one of these, and he was so excited. He thought it was a made in america stratocaster! I didn't ruin the magic for him. It'll be a great guitar to upgrade.
That's very special, I'm happy for you that he ended up giving it to you. It's an amazing mod platform, and I find absolutely zero fault with it for that purpose. The full-size body and full interchangeability of standard Fender parts makes it a modder's dream! And I love the weirdo headstock so much :P
I love my baby! Still have her, won't let her go. 2:31 was pretty much my story, give or take a few differences... it was 2005, I always wanted to play guitar, so I was researching for an inexpensive starter electric, and I remember vividly I had a few "necessary" things in mind. It had to be of Fender brand, Stratocaster-shaped or styled and metallic blue color. That was it! lol I found her on Best Buy site (I think I still have the webpage printout too)! I was already working odd kid jobs, earning money and I had close to $100 saved (I was 13 at the time), so I begged my mom to take me up there, she wasn't having it. lol Shortly after, I convinced my grandmother and a few weeks before Christmas she took me to the store and helped me out more as a gift! That was some years ago, and I have other guitars, but I still love everything about this Starcaster Strat. Such a unique design! From the color, the mirrored pickguard, the arrowhead headstock! I learned a lot, especially about pickup configuration so it's been awesome like this video. I appreciate you taking the time to take us down memory lane.
The headstock you are referring to is the large, CBS headstock. The pre-CBS headstock was the smaller one. I remember seeing these guitars at Bestbuy, in a boxes. By that time I had more expensive guitars and was, regrettably, looking down my nose at them. About a year two years ago, a friend brought his sister's guitar over to my house. It was a black Starcaster by Fender. I fell in love with it. Later that year I was brought another Starcaster to work on and I fell in love with that too. Later, I was at a flea market in San Antonio, Tx, and saw three Starcaster by Fender guitars in one day. Two arrowhead and one large headstock. I am still kicking myself, because I didn't buy even one. I'm still looking to correct that mistake. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for this. I just found a Starcaster S1 for $40! The jack isn't working but the neck is perfect and it stays in tune and feels well built. I'm gonna relic it, and put better pickups in. I'm starting to believe I don't have to pay $1,000 for a good guitar. Rock on!
You're ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Amazing guitars can be found VERY cheaply! I hate that the guitar companies are gouging us so badly right now. Unfortunately for them, there is a huge pre-owned market for us to buy from, and hidden gems like the Starcaster exist!
From my experience, even on the cheap Fender and Squier guitars, the neck is usually on point. You can always upgrade the hardware and electronics, but a good neck is foundational
Just picked one of these up yesterday. Same headstock. Black with a pearl white pick guard. It still has the protective plastic on the pick guard and back plate. And even has the wammy bar. Everything is super solid. I dont think it got played much. The neck pickup sounds the best, but it could certainly use an upgrade. I think it's going to be our project guitar. 😎 I'm excited to watch your upgrade video next!
I still have mine that I bought at full price from Best Buy in 2005.. When I unscrewed the arrow neck, the date said it was made in 2003. The original box came with extra springs, feeler gauge set, and a dvd for lessons. I also have an HSS model that's dark blue with s mirror pickguard, but it doesn't't have tiny pots.. the pots looked like the usual ones in I have in my other Strat. The only thing I've changed was the saddles, knobs and I changed the pickguard to a black aluminum one because the original cracked when I moved..the internals are still the same..I actually like how more harsh it sounds with the humbucker because I mostly play everything on drop D tuning on that guitar. After all these years, I still record and play with it all the time lol
This was my first guitar, but in black. I sold it in a pawn shop. Tried picking up guitar again a few years down the road, took a long hiatus, now I'm playing again. All from a $100ish impulse buy at Sam's Club.
I got mine for $40 at a pawn shop in excellent condition, no neck warp, SSS, action was set nice and low, not too low, I have the big ball on the end of the headstock, passthrough feed for the strings, no sharp frets, no fret buzz, fresh strings, polished frets, tremolo bridge, sunburst, maple neck and fretboard, all pups work well, pots are smooth and are effective when turning them up and down, holds tune pretty well, my favorite guitar right now before I get my harley benton and my firefly, waiting on my bullet strat in fiesta red as well, I have 9 guitars... that starcaster is awesome.
Thank you so much!! I very much appreciate it. I had been working on that randomly for a while and decided to do it for the outro of this video. I’m glad you liked it :)
@@BigJakeMusic love your videos and channel. And as a father with a daughter getting ready to graduate, your Wendy song was touching. Cherish these young baby days. They go by soooo fast. 😊👍🏼
I have a Chinese Starcaster black with silver burst. It has the normal rounded headstock. I believe I got it at Sam’s 10+ years ago. Thanks for being so enthusiastic about this budget guitar!
Silverburst is one of my favorite colors of ANY guitar. That’s very cool! I’m enthusiastic about it because I love it and think it’s an overlooked and underappreciated instrument.
I have now played the arrow headstock and CBS style headstock versions. They do the job. I wouldn’t say they are the greatest, but they have three pick ups, can get strat sounds and neck played good on both. I owned a CBS headstock one that got stolen. My sister in law showed me an arrow headstock one she was handed down.
just bought one for 175, at first i thought i was completely ripped off, but i don’t regret it at all, i know i could have found one for cheeper but i just got it anyway, love it.
Still good to me. I just would be keeping it for that price. There making a comeback. Perhaps forgotten gems that are now valuable due to a market full of engendered wood with no flavor. Those old necks are just shy of being the real deal because of that quality wood neck.
My starcaster is a 2011 model I found at a music store. I swear this guitar never goes out of tune! Stock tuners. I kept them. I changed the bridge pickup to a Jackson humbucker. Also put a kill switch and cheap Chinese roller saddles. Evh potentiometer.i love my sunburst, it plays really good. Great video
I have this guitar, got it at the local goodwill for $25. Came with the original gig bag, looks like it was barely played. I'm keeping it stock, I like the pickups nice strat tones.
Man, this is crazy! I've got such a love for the starcaster. I've found 2 now. 1 I won't change but upgrade the electronics and the other got the full works! They both are high quality AAA grade wood cut and assembled wet. Lol! They need some love but that's all guitar's if you ask me. Fretzilahhh! Out!
There are times when I regret modifying mine, but at the end of the day I think I did make it objectively better. However, I'm on the lookout for a second one to leave stock!
@@BigJakeMusic let me give you a tip then since I now have seen a few. The natural finish one's like what we have are full thickness neck and body. I mean a beast of a guitar. Says cap in the sn. My idea is, some made it to the lower end stores and some made it to the higher end and some got mixed. To see a neck so rough carved at the headstock and having knots but sound amazing every with a spring going sideways is beyond me. When I realized they threw in top quality wood that wasn't even dry I knew I had a gold mine. That means there's lots to be found still yet. Goodwill site is floating them like candy. There's your cash cow there. Hope you can get a decent one. Oh, mine also doubles as a baseball bat. 😆
I found one on Guitarcenter.com yesterday for only $80! It was sunburst with the arrowhead headstock. Unfortunately someone bought it before I had a chance to finish checking out!
Thank you for posting this. I have two Starcaster Strats (one cherry sunburst and one three color sunburst). I found the sound of both of them to be very good when effects are used for them. One I intend to upgrade with the best Fender parts the other will remain as purchased as a reference to the original Starcaster Strat sound because I really like it. And the way you played the blues riff at the end, it gave me serious pause as to whether I should even do the upgrade because you really made the guitar sound like the $2600.00 Fender strat. I'll take a look at your part two video before i make a decision on the upgrade. You're a great player too!
I very much appreciate that!!! I am very happy with the results of my modifications, but I also miss how good it was stock. Therefore, I am on the lookout for a second one :P
Bought my first guitar about a week ago. Always heard about Fender and stratocasters. Never heard of a starcaster but for $50 I couldn't pass it. After doing some research and finding out they are a budget line and they are customizable, I might be in love lol. I love to "play" with things and change them up. After I learn to play for a while I definitely plan on making mine my own.
Build a partscaster. Don't bother upgrading this guitar. By the time you put all the money into it you would've been able to build a better partscaster for better money. I had a Starcaster when I started. Built a Strat partscaster and never looked back. I've built a Tele too. Put the money into a guitar that is worth investing in.
I’d agree with you if it weren’t for the fact that the body and neck alone make these good deals for modding and customizing. You’d be hard pressed to find a full size body and a finished neck(these are good necks too in my experience) for less than $50. If I wanted a partscaster I’d have built one. This video was about a Starcaster and making it better, and I still think it’s cheaper to do that than building one with a new neck and body. This is also for people who have a Starcaster they like, or one from their childhood that they’d like to upgrade.
Just found a black Starcaster HSS in good condition on Craigslist for $150.00 . I have a WestCreek junior on the way . I have a Gibson dog ear P90 . Very excited to play and hear it .
You answered allot of the mysteries behind my starcaster, its an S2 appearently. SSS, Pickups had ceramic magnets, aslo small pots. replaced the pickups, blocked the trem, works great. Damn thing is heavy
In September 2021, I found a black Starcaster by the trash compactor at my apartment complex. I took it home, changed the bridge due to whammy bar piece broken inside, and the Pick-guard from white to black. I wanna get a rosewood neck and texas special pickups then it will be complete.
Great vid! There definitely could be more info out there on these 00's starcasters. I think the off white knob with gold though actually are stock to to the S1, my S1 in sunburst has the same knobs as yours in this video.
I saw one of these in sale for like $100 online; I may pull the trigger. Squier has been surprising me lately, I got a contemporary strat with a hard tail bridge, roasted neck, and a 12” board all in Pearl white finish. Such a great playing guitar and nothing that was needed from the factory other than a setup which to me is normal for any instrument under $1000.
Very cool video! I have a black Starcaster that my dad always kept in his living room as a practice guitar. It has the arrow shaped head that says it was made in Indonesia, and it has a serial number. Mine has a Humbucker and two singles. A single ply pick guard, and the bridge saddles look a bit different than yours. Thanks for doing the video. It was very informative.
Thank you! I love these guitars and there isn’t much data about them out there compiled in one place, which is why I made this video. It’s a fantastic mod platform and such a weirdo model from Fender.
i’m not sure if anyone has ever commented about it but i also got a s1 starcaster in sunburst and it also has gold numbers and i doubt it’s aftermarket, the strings were never changed. got it used for $40
Fender previously made a model called Starcaster, that had absolutely no relation to the cheap discount store mass market knockoffs that now appear in the market.
Just bought a red one like yours in the video today at a pawn shop. So far, I'm loving it! Sounds really great! However, I hate the headstock. I'm going to buy a squire affinity strat neck and put it on it. Hopefully it fits.
the first electric guitar i used was my uncle's SSH strat with a humbucker in the bridge. i believe it was a 2001 model, meaning it's the same age as me. it was the one you showed at 4:27 i think. it was fun to play, the whammy bar they had was nice too. i made sure to get a strat after i had that when i went guitar shopping as i was used to the controls of a strat style guitar at that point. i ended up getting a basic squire strat in black with the MOP pickguard. frets need work, and i believe it's a 2004 strat, meaning the 2005 and above trem bars don't fit (i learned this the hard way)
@@BigJakeMusic my only gripe i've had so far is it needs a refret. the frets past the 12th fret have divets and dents in them, preventing me from playing most solos and higher pitched songs. most of the damage is on the g and b strings, which sucks as that's where most of van halen is at right there. my options are either a refret or getting a new neck, and i kinda want to keep the original neck as i don't want this to strat to be a "ship of thesus" type situation. might get some mini or full sized humbuckers though. i'm considering just turning this thing into a super strat, idc if it's a waste of money, it'd be fun to just turn this thing into a beast.
24:02 That was my question - are the only differences between this and a Squier SE the headstock and the retailer? (I thought Squier SEs were sold in big-box stores, too....)
They were sold at big box stores, sometimes, but not exclusively. The major differences are the headstock and the fretboard radius. Most SE’s were 9.5” and the Starcaster is 12”.
A month later... I pulled my pickguard off to make a few changes. It's a HSS model. Discovered it's routed for HSH. Looks like it's got ceramic coils that have no markings. Tiny pots with an import style switch. Figured I'd share the info I've found out so far
Thought my comment was going here.. why I deleted it.. Bro, I just rescued another. A 09 with particle board full thickness body. Black with gold peral sparkle. Neck was straight but needed a level and crown. I was so excited that I did it in one night. These Starcaster guitar's really have my heart. The body will have to eventually go. It's all about the necks. They are great bones. Wood now lacks the weight and character these have. People are waking up. I have 3 now. One flame maple, one really strange but nice burst with a bone nut and the new one. They all are 💎. I cried after playing the recent one cause there's no way a cheap old neck could ever sound that good. I simply can't believe it. Of course I am, Fretzilahhh!
So fender literally just sold squiers at big box store for what they should acrually cost, instead of inflating prices and selling them at music stores. Neat
One thing I'll say is , you shouldn't compare a squier or starcaster body to a usa fender just because both are red.. The usa fender comes from a totally different premium stock of wood and made with less pieces glued together and tighter tolerances ..the finish is totally different and made to last where China uses cheaper Inferior stuff. I still agree 💯 that it's not no 200 dollars better, but there is differences. I'm Watching because there's one for sale local cheap and I never hear much about them. I do remember seeing them at the stores but they also sold Spectrum and first act guitars where I'd go and mess around with them to see if they were half decent. Imo, the first acts blow all of them away.. they were well built even for big box stores .
I scored one of these S1 Starcasters for $14.99 at a thrift store. According to the SN, it's an Indonesian arrowhead model from 04, just before they swapped to that CBS-era headstock. Mine's the black body with a rosewood neck and is an HSS configuration. The body has similar damage on the jack side, although it's more to the finish with no underlying wood visible, just scuffing. The neck is dead straight with no warping or damage whatsoever, just regular fingerboard wear. The tone knobs are the same as yours with the gold lettering. The pickups on mine are different, tho; the magnets have the staggered pole pieces like you mentioned and the reverse of the pickguard revealed a different style (I can see the poles, there's no bar magnet), leading me to believe these are Alnico, but I have no idea what rating. The original white 3-ply pickgurard had been thrashed and discolored to more of a yellow in some places, and was covered in stickers, so I swapped it with a 3 ply pickguard for a MIM Strat: perfect fit for an extra $10. I also opted for the reverse tuxedo look, which IMO makes it look gorgeous. The only issue I noted was the 2nd tone knob had a cold solder joint (every other solder joint was bright silver and looked factory applied, but since the pot retaining rings had loosened on the volume and tone knobs, I bet it got spun a bit too far and the cold solder joint cracked). All it needed was some fresh solder and a good going over and it was back to fully functional. I also scored a Fender tube amp for $24.99, and a Korg chromatic tuner for $12.99. Each was scored from a different thrift store, but came together for a fun and great sounding little practice rig. There really isn't much info on these; I've found more info for the later models than the S1 and it's nice finding someone else who appreciates it for what it is instead of just telling me I should have gotten something else. I actually like how it sounds. I watched your 2nd video as well. Spectacularly done! I'm going to get better with playing it before I attempt any mods, but it's good enough as-is to practice with. Seeing the potential for an upgrade path over time tho is rather exciting. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much! I've said it before in other videos, but the only guitars worth owning are the ones that inspire you. This one inspires me because I love the headstock design and it's an absolutely incredible guitar. The full-size body, great fingerboards and necks, and pickups make it as good as any of the Mexican Fenders I own. Haters and snobs be damned; we will enjoy our stuff! Sometimes I regret modding it. The end result is what I wanted, and it sounds great and is fun to play. But I do miss its original stock qualities. I'm on the lookout for another one to leave stock!
@@BigJakeMusic I'm new to Electric Guitars. I just started learning how to play. Don't know a thing about electric guitars. Fortunately or unfortunately, I bought a S1 Starcaster at Costco way back in '04 for my son. He never really picked it up. All original with the Whammy bar. So, it's been tucked away never really been used. It's black with the Rosewood Neck. This one was made in Indonesia per the Serial Number. Never knew that one day this would be the guitar I first learned how to play on.
@@jaimeg1611 It's an amazing guitar and better than pretty much any Squier I've come across. It gives my Mexican Fenders a run for their money as well. Regardless of experience level, the S1 is a keeper. I have and will continue to gig mine regularly!
@@BigJakeMusic Yeah. It's pretty much in new condition. I think I've played it more then my son did ever did and that's not much at all. :) Per your video I have looked around for any specifications or any history on this S1 version. No luck. It's almost like it was a ghost of a electric guitar. It's similar to the one you picked up with the exception of one Humbucker, 2 coils and Rosewood neck. It will be a keeper :)
The original Starcaster was a Gibson 335-esque semi hollow. This one reused that name for some reason. The new ones are actual Starcasters as they were originally!
@@BigJakeMusic oh okay. That makes sense. It was a larger, swooping sort of shape with the larger headstock style. Didn't. Otice it was a semi-hollow as it had no f-holes or anything.
Maybe the Starcaster has contributed to so many people's disdain for the CBS era Strat bigger head stock today. They identify as cheaper. It's my personal favorite growing. Reeks of character. Interesting video.
I'm so glad that all happened. Gave us old guy's a chance to sip on some starcaster fun. I'll never have a Fender due to the nature of the price beast. I like the older less appealing ones because it allows me to have pick of the litter until other's catch on.
I've got a Squier bullet 1 neck from a 86 I think. The body I don't desire to bolt back on. It needs to go on a Telecaster but looks like a stratocaster neck. Confusing times for the contemporary stratocaster and plywood body. (Telecaster body style with SSH) all stratocaster with a twist of Telecaster look.
I've been trying to decide on a Fender, Squire, even other mfgrs versions but nothing holds to me like my Epiphone ES339 PRO generation 1 with a set neck. I even like My Epiphone Muse with the chambered body over their Acoustasonic versions. The Acoustasonic versions have never interested me.
I recently got a Gibson Firebird Zero(I just published my video about it) and I definitely prefer it over my Fenders for several reasons. It feels and sounds better in my opinion. But I guess that’s why there are 10,000 different types of guitars-different strokes for different folks!
just bought one an hour ago for 20$ used from a guy in front of a gas station, it needs work, but its really nice. I have a imposter strat made by silvertone and I think the Fender is way better and its so beat up, the silvertone looks brand new, but just sucks compared to this guitar, its the black and sunburst body and looks identical to your red guitar here
This guitar is needing a boost in publicity. Seeing them go for 250 now. I think that 500 is where they should be. People down talked so much that everyone sorta bought it. The necks are real genuine Fender. That's value. Big sticker or not. Squier had their day too.
@@BigJakeMusic , yeah, I've got 3 again. A 89 Squier 2 and a 86 bullet 1 contemporary stratocaster/tele that needs a neck reset. The arrowheads are my favorite. One has a AAA bird's-eye and flame maple neck with rosewood fretboard. The body is the hollow body which I think adds to the sustain. People can knock these but they are very resonate. To top it all off I have a 13 classic vibe with a maple fretboard that I practice on. I had many styles of more expensive guitar's but they all left in favor of those mentioned.
@@BigJakeMusic I have a first-year starcaster p-bass, the rarest of all the starcaster models...I replaced everything on it right down to the paint with genuine fender or better, it's so awesome and amazingly light, I ended up selling my mexican p-bass which was a boat anchor by comparison...mark my words, they are the collectables of the next generation
strange I just got my first electric guitar from a friend and recently an amp he gave me a starcaster said i was 5th person to own it as a first electric. I really like it but hear bad things online so now im intrested in buying a new guitar. But intresting to find out its pretty rare haha
Don’t let online reviews skew your opinion of your guitar! If it feels right in your hands, isn’t cutting you when you play it, and has functional switches and knobs, then it’s probably ok. In my opinion it’s better than any Squier currently in production below the Classic Vibe line!
@@BigJakeMusic Yeah Im having a blast on it. I was kind suprised by how cheap it was so it made me wonder what a good electric is like compared to this one. Cause a gibson acoustic is worlds better then my yamaha one haha.
Generally speaking, those big brands are noticeably better. BUT, in some strange cases, a very cheap guitar can play as good as a very expensive one. My Starcaster plays and sounds as good as anything I own, including Gibsons, American Fenders, etc. That doesn’t mean that every Starcaster is that good, but some of them can be. I think you got lucky too, and you have a good guitar and don’t need to get another one :)
Did Fender produce any of these with whammy bars? I bought one exactly like the one you got from a friend about 4 years ago, and it came with a whammy bar that I don't think can be removed.
I’m fairly certain they all came with vintage style tremolo systems. The tremolo arm can be removed by rotating it counter-clockwise until it comes out. To put it back on, you rotate it clockwise. To my knowledge they did not release one with a permanent tremolo arm!
I did a cheap pick swop with eliexpress $35 SSS on a strat and ended up with the exact same looking nobs in the same order, vol white and two darker tones. It was cause the volume that came with the check pickups was super cheap and felt like it would break and the tones were good so I used my old volume, are the fonts slightly off?
@@Ro-Bucks Wow, that Fender Performer just made my list of weirdo guitars to search for. I absolutely love that and I did not know it existed!!! Thanks for bringing it up. The fonts were slightly different, so I wonder if the durability of the stock knobs is to be questioned and if they were replaced at some point.
@@BigJakeMusic They might have been, I just won an auction just now for a starcaster neck and now my Aria that was a fender is now a starcaster with the same nob discolor as yours and same guts. I should send it in to compare lol
@@BigJakeMusic would your red one look better with a with fret board? I got to a white fret board on a black starburst now and think it would better with your darker neck :)
Found this video trying to research this guitar because someone local is selling one. There is very little info out there on this guitar. Thanks and ready for part 2!
Thank you so much! I recommend buying it if it's still available! Part 2 is up, check it out if you'd like!
Came here for the same reason (I don't want to buy one, just saw an ad) and now I'm both educated and entertained. Thank you, Big Jake.
I just saw one posted for $75. Then I looked on Reverb and there’s one for $1,200. So I’m confused also.
My grandpa gifted me one of these, and he was so excited. He thought it was a made in america stratocaster! I didn't ruin the magic for him. It'll be a great guitar to upgrade.
That's very special, I'm happy for you that he ended up giving it to you. It's an amazing mod platform, and I find absolutely zero fault with it for that purpose. The full-size body and full interchangeability of standard Fender parts makes it a modder's dream! And I love the weirdo headstock so much :P
I love my baby! Still have her, won't let her go. 2:31 was pretty much my story, give or take a few differences... it was 2005, I always wanted to play guitar, so I was researching for an inexpensive starter electric, and I remember vividly I had a few "necessary" things in mind. It had to be of Fender brand, Stratocaster-shaped or styled and metallic blue color. That was it! lol I found her on Best Buy site (I think I still have the webpage printout too)! I was already working odd kid jobs, earning money and I had close to $100 saved (I was 13 at the time), so I begged my mom to take me up there, she wasn't having it. lol Shortly after, I convinced my grandmother and a few weeks before Christmas she took me to the store and helped me out more as a gift! That was some years ago, and I have other guitars, but I still love everything about this Starcaster Strat. Such a unique design! From the color, the mirrored pickguard, the arrowhead headstock! I learned a lot, especially about pickup configuration so it's been awesome like this video. I appreciate you taking the time to take us down memory lane.
The headstock you are referring to is the large, CBS headstock. The pre-CBS headstock was the smaller one.
I remember seeing these guitars at Bestbuy, in a boxes. By that time I had more expensive guitars and was, regrettably, looking down my nose at them. About a year two years ago, a friend brought his sister's guitar over to my house. It was a black Starcaster by Fender. I fell in love with it. Later that year I was brought another Starcaster to work on and I fell in love with that too. Later, I was at a flea market in San Antonio, Tx, and saw three Starcaster by Fender guitars in one day. Two arrowhead and one large headstock. I am still kicking myself, because I didn't buy even one. I'm still looking to correct that mistake. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for this. I just found a Starcaster S1 for $40! The jack isn't working but the neck is perfect and it stays in tune and feels well built. I'm gonna relic it, and put better pickups in. I'm starting to believe I don't have to pay $1,000 for a good guitar. Rock on!
You're ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Amazing guitars can be found VERY cheaply! I hate that the guitar companies are gouging us so badly right now. Unfortunately for them, there is a huge pre-owned market for us to buy from, and hidden gems like the Starcaster exist!
From my experience, even on the cheap Fender and Squier guitars, the neck is usually on point. You can always upgrade the hardware and electronics, but a good neck is foundational
I totally agree! As long as the wood is good everything else can be saved, and sometimes it doesn’t need to be!
@@clanwaddell5628good neck is must have, indeed.
Just picked one of these up yesterday. Same headstock. Black with a pearl white pick guard. It still has the protective plastic on the pick guard and back plate. And even has the wammy bar.
Everything is super solid. I dont think it got played much.
The neck pickup sounds the best, but it could certainly use an upgrade.
I think it's going to be our project guitar. 😎
I'm excited to watch your upgrade video next!
Wow I didn't even know this guitar existed. Now I kind of want one!
It’s worth it for sure!! I love mine.
Great job man, I learned quite a bit that I didn't know. Enjoy your new guitar 🎸 👍!
Thank you!!
I remember early 2000s the pawnshops were full of starcasters
I still have mine that I bought at full price from Best Buy in 2005.. When I unscrewed the arrow neck, the date said it was made in 2003. The original box came with extra springs, feeler gauge set, and a dvd for lessons. I also have an HSS model that's dark blue with s mirror pickguard, but it doesn't't have tiny pots.. the pots looked like the usual ones in I have in my other Strat. The only thing I've changed was the saddles, knobs and I changed the pickguard to a black aluminum one because the original cracked when I moved..the internals are still the same..I actually like how more harsh it sounds with the humbucker because I mostly play everything on drop D tuning on that guitar. After all these years, I still record and play with it all the time lol
These are great guitars and incredibly versatile. Thanks for sharing and letting us know what came in the original box!
This was my first guitar, but in black. I sold it in a pawn shop. Tried picking up guitar again a few years down the road, took a long hiatus, now I'm playing again. All from a $100ish impulse buy at Sam's Club.
I got mine for $40 at a pawn shop in excellent condition, no neck warp, SSS, action was set nice and low, not too low, I have the big ball on the end of the headstock, passthrough feed for the strings, no sharp frets, no fret buzz, fresh strings, polished frets, tremolo bridge, sunburst, maple neck and fretboard, all pups work well, pots are smooth and are effective when turning them up and down, holds tune pretty well, my favorite guitar right now before I get my harley benton and my firefly, waiting on my bullet strat in fiesta red as well, I have 9 guitars... that starcaster is awesome.
These are definitely hidden gems and are very fun to play and modify!
What a great video. Awesome. And your outro jam was amazing!!
Thank you so much!! I very much appreciate it. I had been working on that randomly for a while and decided to do it for the outro of this video. I’m glad you liked it :)
@@BigJakeMusic love your videos and channel. And as a father with a daughter getting ready to graduate, your Wendy song was touching. Cherish these young baby days. They go by soooo fast. 😊👍🏼
Thank you so much 🫂 I am doing my best to enjoy every moment with her. She’s already getting so big!
I have a Chinese Starcaster black with silver burst. It has the normal rounded headstock. I believe I got it at Sam’s 10+ years ago. Thanks for being so enthusiastic about this budget guitar!
Silverburst is one of my favorite colors of ANY guitar. That’s very cool! I’m enthusiastic about it because I love it and think it’s an overlooked and underappreciated instrument.
I have now played the arrow headstock and CBS style headstock versions. They do the job. I wouldn’t say they are the greatest, but they have three pick ups, can get strat sounds and neck played good on both. I owned a CBS headstock one that got stolen. My sister in law showed me an arrow headstock one she was handed down.
The arrow is definitely my favorite!
I just got a sunburst for 50 bucks yesterday and now feel good about it.Cant wait to MOD it!!! Thanks
just bought one for 175, at first i thought i was completely ripped off, but i don’t regret it at all, i know i could have found one for cheeper but i just got it anyway, love it.
That’s still a good price! Yes, you can get it cheaper, but I think anything below 200 is a good deal for one of these!
Still good to me. I just would be keeping it for that price. There making a comeback. Perhaps forgotten gems that are now valuable due to a market full of engendered wood with no flavor. Those old necks are just shy of being the real deal because of that quality wood neck.
The necks on these are absolutely amazing!
My starcaster is a 2011 model I found at a music store. I swear this guitar never goes out of tune! Stock tuners. I kept them. I changed the bridge pickup to a Jackson humbucker. Also put a kill switch and cheap Chinese roller saddles. Evh potentiometer.i love my sunburst, it plays really good. Great video
Thank you! Starcasters are awesome and get a bad rap!
i LOVE THAT ARRROWHEAD SCRIPT HEADSTOCK
Just got a MN4 you explained alot an showed me what they can do thanks.John
Happy to help!
I have this guitar, got it at the local goodwill for $25. Came with the original gig bag, looks like it was barely played. I'm keeping it stock, I like the pickups nice strat tones.
Sometimes I wish I’d kept mine stock. I guess that’s a reason to go find another one! 😂
Man, this is crazy! I've got such a love for the starcaster. I've found 2 now. 1 I won't change but upgrade the electronics and the other got the full works! They both are high quality AAA grade wood cut and assembled wet. Lol! They need some love but that's all guitar's if you ask me. Fretzilahhh! Out!
There are times when I regret modifying mine, but at the end of the day I think I did make it objectively better. However, I'm on the lookout for a second one to leave stock!
@@BigJakeMusic let me give you a tip then since I now have seen a few. The natural finish one's like what we have are full thickness neck and body. I mean a beast of a guitar. Says cap in the sn. My idea is, some made it to the lower end stores and some made it to the higher end and some got mixed. To see a neck so rough carved at the headstock and having knots but sound amazing every with a spring going sideways is beyond me. When I realized they threw in top quality wood that wasn't even dry I knew I had a gold mine. That means there's lots to be found still yet. Goodwill site is floating them like candy. There's your cash cow there. Hope you can get a decent one. Oh, mine also doubles as a baseball bat. 😆
I found one on Guitarcenter.com yesterday for only $80! It was sunburst with the arrowhead headstock. Unfortunately someone bought it before I had a chance to finish checking out!
Thank you for posting this. I have two Starcaster Strats (one cherry sunburst and one three color sunburst). I found the sound of both of them to be very good when effects are used for them. One I intend to upgrade with the best Fender parts the other will remain as purchased as a reference to the original Starcaster Strat sound because I really like it. And the way you played the blues riff at the end, it gave me serious pause as to whether I should even do the upgrade because you really made the guitar sound like the $2600.00 Fender strat. I'll take a look at your part two video before i make a decision on the upgrade. You're a great player too!
I very much appreciate that!!! I am very happy with the results of my modifications, but I also miss how good it was stock. Therefore, I am on the lookout for a second one :P
Bought my first guitar about a week ago. Always heard about Fender and stratocasters. Never heard of a starcaster but for $50 I couldn't pass it. After doing some research and finding out they are a budget line and they are customizable, I might be in love lol. I love to "play" with things and change them up. After I learn to play for a while I definitely plan on making mine my own.
This is a great one for modification for sure!
Build a partscaster. Don't bother upgrading this guitar. By the time you put all the money into it you would've been able to build a better partscaster for better money. I had a Starcaster when I started. Built a Strat partscaster and never looked back. I've built a Tele too. Put the money into a guitar that is worth investing in.
I’d agree with you if it weren’t for the fact that the body and neck alone make these good deals for modding and customizing. You’d be hard pressed to find a full size body and a finished neck(these are good necks too in my experience) for less than $50. If I wanted a partscaster I’d have built one. This video was about a Starcaster and making it better, and I still think it’s cheaper to do that than building one with a new neck and body. This is also for people who have a Starcaster they like, or one from their childhood that they’d like to upgrade.
Just found a black Starcaster HSS in good condition on Craigslist for $150.00 . I have a WestCreek junior on the way . I have a Gibson dog ear P90 . Very excited to play and hear it .
You answered allot of the mysteries behind my starcaster, its an S2 appearently. SSS, Pickups had ceramic magnets, aslo small pots. replaced the pickups, blocked the trem, works great. Damn thing is heavy
In September 2021, I found a black Starcaster by the trash compactor at my apartment complex. I took it home, changed the bridge due to whammy bar piece broken inside, and the Pick-guard from white to black. I wanna get a rosewood neck and texas special pickups then it will be complete.
Hell yes! I love hearing stories like this. Save the Starcasters! 😆
Great vid! There definitely could be more info out there on these 00's starcasters. I think the off white knob with gold though actually are stock to to the S1, my S1 in sunburst has the same knobs as yours in this video.
I saw one of these in sale for like $100 online; I may pull the trigger. Squier has been surprising me lately, I got a contemporary strat with a hard tail bridge, roasted neck, and a 12” board all in Pearl white finish. Such a great playing guitar and nothing that was needed from the factory other than a setup which to me is normal for any instrument under $1000.
Oh and alnico pickup magnets and an American style rotary switch for the 5 way!
You should do it if it’s the S1/Arrowhead headstock version! I love mine.
Very cool video! I have a black Starcaster that my dad always kept in his living room as a practice guitar. It has the arrow shaped head that says it was made in Indonesia, and it has a serial number. Mine has a Humbucker and two singles. A single ply pick guard, and the bridge saddles look a bit different than yours. Thanks for doing the video. It was very informative.
Thank you! I love these guitars and there isn’t much data about them out there compiled in one place, which is why I made this video. It’s a fantastic mod platform and such a weirdo model from Fender.
Awesome dude I love mine too!
i’m not sure if anyone has ever commented about it but i also got a s1 starcaster in sunburst and it also has gold numbers and i doubt it’s aftermarket, the strings were never changed. got it used for $40
appreciate you shedding light on this underrated guitar !
Thank you! We should form a Starcaster S1 club. 😂
Fender previously made a model called Starcaster, that had absolutely no relation to the cheap discount store mass market knockoffs that now appear in the market.
Just bought a red one like yours in the video today at a pawn shop. So far, I'm loving it! Sounds really great! However, I hate the headstock. I'm going to buy a squire affinity strat neck and put it on it. Hopefully it fits.
I have 2 of these and I love them to death. I've had them both since I started
They are awesome!
the first electric guitar i used was my uncle's SSH strat with a humbucker in the bridge. i believe it was a 2001 model, meaning it's the same age as me.
it was the one you showed at 4:27 i think.
it was fun to play, the whammy bar they had was nice too.
i made sure to get a strat after i had that when i went guitar shopping as i was used to the controls of a strat style guitar at that point. i ended up getting a basic squire strat in black with the MOP pickguard. frets need work, and i believe it's a 2004 strat, meaning the 2005 and above trem bars don't fit (i learned this the hard way)
Those older Squiers are very nice! They are a lot better than anything below Affinity in the last few years. They are easy and fun to play!
@@BigJakeMusic my only gripe i've had so far is it needs a refret. the frets past the 12th fret have divets and dents in them, preventing me from playing most solos and higher pitched songs.
most of the damage is on the g and b strings, which sucks as that's where most of van halen is at right there.
my options are either a refret or getting a new neck, and i kinda want to keep the original neck as i don't want this to strat to be a "ship of thesus" type situation.
might get some mini or full sized humbuckers though. i'm considering just turning this thing into a super strat, idc if it's a waste of money, it'd be fun to just turn this thing into a beast.
Theres one if these at my local pawn shoppe for 49$. I think imma pick it up next time im there!
24:02 That was my question - are the only differences between this and a Squier SE the headstock and the retailer? (I thought Squier SEs were sold in big-box stores, too....)
They were sold at big box stores, sometimes, but not exclusively. The major differences are the headstock and the fretboard radius. Most SE’s were 9.5” and the Starcaster is 12”.
A month later... I pulled my pickguard off to make a few changes. It's a HSS model. Discovered it's routed for HSH. Looks like it's got ceramic coils that have no markings. Tiny pots with an import style switch. Figured I'd share the info I've found out so far
Cool, thanks!
@@BigJakeMusic not sure if you're looking for another one with an arrow style headstock but I seen one on Facebook for $80 in Jacksonville FL
I’m very far away from there but I would love another arrow headstock!
I just love that headstock ❤!!
Thought my comment was going here.. why I deleted it.. Bro, I just rescued another. A 09 with particle board full thickness body. Black with gold peral sparkle. Neck was straight but needed a level and crown. I was so excited that I did it in one night. These Starcaster guitar's really have my heart. The body will have to eventually go. It's all about the necks. They are great bones. Wood now lacks the weight and character these have. People are waking up. I have 3 now. One flame maple, one really strange but nice burst with a bone nut and the new one. They all are 💎. I cried after playing the recent one cause there's no way a cheap old neck could ever sound that good. I simply can't believe it. Of course I am, Fretzilahhh!
It’s an absolutely amazing hidden gem, and I intend to save every S1 I can find!
@@BigJakeMusic took the words right outta my mouth.
😊
So fender literally just sold squiers at big box store for what they should acrually cost, instead of inflating prices and selling them at music stores. Neat
Try playing it through a bass amp,mellows out the high bright tones.I have a 2004 great necks as good as my Mexican and USA necks.
I love the neck on mine!
Great job on this video
One thing I'll say is , you shouldn't compare a squier or starcaster body to a usa fender just because both are red.. The usa fender comes from a totally different premium stock of wood and made with less pieces glued together and tighter tolerances ..the finish is totally different and made to last where China uses cheaper Inferior stuff. I still agree 💯 that it's not no 200 dollars better, but there is differences. I'm Watching because there's one for sale local cheap and I never hear much about them. I do remember seeing them at the stores but they also sold Spectrum and first act guitars where I'd go and mess around with them to see if they were half decent. Imo, the first acts blow all of them away.. they were well built even for big box stores .
I scored one of these S1 Starcasters for $14.99 at a thrift store. According to the SN, it's an Indonesian arrowhead model from 04, just before they swapped to that CBS-era headstock.
Mine's the black body with a rosewood neck and is an HSS configuration. The body has similar damage on the jack side, although it's more to the finish with no underlying wood visible, just scuffing. The neck is dead straight with no warping or damage whatsoever, just regular fingerboard wear. The tone knobs are the same as yours with the gold lettering.
The pickups on mine are different, tho; the magnets have the staggered pole pieces like you mentioned and the reverse of the pickguard revealed a different style (I can see the poles, there's no bar magnet), leading me to believe these are Alnico, but I have no idea what rating.
The original white 3-ply pickgurard had been thrashed and discolored to more of a yellow in some places, and was covered in stickers, so I swapped it with a 3 ply pickguard for a MIM Strat: perfect fit for an extra $10. I also opted for the reverse tuxedo look, which IMO makes it look gorgeous.
The only issue I noted was the 2nd tone knob had a cold solder joint (every other solder joint was bright silver and looked factory applied, but since the pot retaining rings had loosened on the volume and tone knobs, I bet it got spun a bit too far and the cold solder joint cracked). All it needed was some fresh solder and a good going over and it was back to fully functional.
I also scored a Fender tube amp for $24.99, and a Korg chromatic tuner for $12.99. Each was scored from a different thrift store, but came together for a fun and great sounding little practice rig.
There really isn't much info on these; I've found more info for the later models than the S1 and it's nice finding someone else who appreciates it for what it is instead of just telling me I should have gotten something else. I actually like how it sounds.
I watched your 2nd video as well. Spectacularly done! I'm going to get better with playing it before I attempt any mods, but it's good enough as-is to practice with. Seeing the potential for an upgrade path over time tho is rather exciting. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much! I've said it before in other videos, but the only guitars worth owning are the ones that inspire you. This one inspires me because I love the headstock design and it's an absolutely incredible guitar. The full-size body, great fingerboards and necks, and pickups make it as good as any of the Mexican Fenders I own. Haters and snobs be damned; we will enjoy our stuff!
Sometimes I regret modding it. The end result is what I wanted, and it sounds great and is fun to play. But I do miss its original stock qualities. I'm on the lookout for another one to leave stock!
@@BigJakeMusic I'm new to Electric Guitars. I just started learning how to play. Don't know a thing about electric guitars. Fortunately or unfortunately, I bought a S1 Starcaster at Costco way back in '04 for my son. He never really picked it up. All original with the Whammy bar. So, it's been tucked away never really been used. It's black with the Rosewood Neck. This one was made in Indonesia per the Serial Number. Never knew that one day this would be the guitar I first learned how to play on.
@@jaimeg1611 It's an amazing guitar and better than pretty much any Squier I've come across. It gives my Mexican Fenders a run for their money as well. Regardless of experience level, the S1 is a keeper. I have and will continue to gig mine regularly!
@@BigJakeMusic Yeah. It's pretty much in new condition. I think I've played it more then my son did ever did and that's not much at all. :) Per your video I have looked around for any specifications or any history on this S1 version. No luck. It's almost like it was a ghost of a electric guitar. It's similar to the one you picked up with the exception of one Humbucker, 2 coils and Rosewood neck. It will be a keeper :)
@@jaimeg1611 Awesome! I'm planning on finding another one to leave stock. I absolutely love these guitars!!!
Just bought 3 of them (one for $35.00) and all are in excellent condition. They are a bargain...
Absolutely!! I am always on the lookout for more of these.
This dude is pretty cool...
How is it about your black logo strat? I would love to see a update after the time you spend with the guitar :)
I will definitely post an update after gigging with it a few times!
Interesting video! I saw they brought the Starcaster name back. Was in a shop today and they had them, in a totally different shape though.
The original Starcaster was a Gibson 335-esque semi hollow. This one reused that name for some reason. The new ones are actual Starcasters as they were originally!
@@BigJakeMusic oh okay. That makes sense. It was a larger, swooping sort of shape with the larger headstock style. Didn't. Otice it was a semi-hollow as it had no f-holes or anything.
They make a Starcaster with no f-holes that’s hollow. It’s an interesting concept and I’m curious to see how it might feel and sound to play!
@@BigJakeMusic that's probably the one I saw. I have an LP Supreme that's hollow with no f-holes and it's probably my best sounding guitar.
That’s awesome! I bet it sustains well and has a great tone.
after 2 years of playing on that neck it's the only neck for me know and I might buy the two left on ebay, just in case lol
It does not have raised pole pups because of the neck radius.
Maybe the Starcaster has contributed to so many people's disdain for the CBS era Strat bigger head stock today. They identify as cheaper. It's my personal favorite growing. Reeks of character. Interesting video.
Thank you! I love the headstock on it. That pointed “arrowhead” is one of my favorite headstock designs!
I'm so glad that all happened. Gave us old guy's a chance to sip on some starcaster fun. I'll never have a Fender due to the nature of the price beast. I like the older less appealing ones because it allows me to have pick of the litter until other's catch on.
That’s the beauty of these older, cheaper models. Some of them are absolutely incredible and can be obtained for next to nothing!
@@BigJakeMusic yup, no doubt why people are going nuts to find them now. Engendered wood doesn't have any character.
I've got a Squier bullet 1 neck from a 86 I think. The body I don't desire to bolt back on. It needs to go on a Telecaster but looks like a stratocaster neck. Confusing times for the contemporary stratocaster and plywood body. (Telecaster body style with SSH) all stratocaster with a twist of Telecaster look.
I guess I have the model 1 with the arrowhead!! Pretty awesome guitar
That one is my favorite!!! It’s an amazing guitar with a little TLC, but even as/is it is better than new Squiers in my opinion :)
@@BigJakeMusic yeah man ! They make awesome work guitars. That arrowhead is gonna be cool to use live since it looks so unique
Agreed 1000%!!
I have a Maestro SG with a very similar story.
I have a black one.
I've been trying to decide on a Fender, Squire, even other mfgrs versions but nothing holds to me like my Epiphone ES339 PRO generation 1 with a set neck. I even like My Epiphone Muse with the chambered body over their Acoustasonic versions. The Acoustasonic versions have never interested me.
I recently got a Gibson Firebird Zero(I just published my video about it) and I definitely prefer it over my Fenders for several reasons. It feels and sounds better in my opinion. But I guess that’s why there are 10,000 different types of guitars-different strokes for different folks!
Gibson did the same thing with the Epi line of budget guitars...less quality than Epiphone.
just bought one an hour ago for 20$ used from a guy in front of a gas station, it needs work, but its really nice. I have a imposter strat made by silvertone and I think the Fender is way better and its so beat up, the silvertone looks brand new, but just sucks compared to this guitar, its the black and sunburst body and looks identical to your red guitar here
It’s an amazing guitar and plays as well as any of my Mexican Fenders!
I'm new to your channel.. Learn something new here.. Thanks for sharing 🎸 🎶
Of course! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
I have a bit of corosion on a fret or two .Can you suggest a way to polish them?
mine has a humbucker
This guitar is needing a boost in publicity. Seeing them go for 250 now. I think that 500 is where they should be. People down talked so much that everyone sorta bought it. The necks are real genuine Fender. That's value. Big sticker or not. Squier had their day too.
I think the neck on this is my very favorite Fender neck besides my '89 HM Strat and '06 MiM Strat!
@@BigJakeMusic , yeah, I've got 3 again. A 89 Squier 2 and a 86 bullet 1 contemporary stratocaster/tele that needs a neck reset. The arrowheads are my favorite. One has a AAA bird's-eye and flame maple neck with rosewood fretboard. The body is the hollow body which I think adds to the sustain. People can knock these but they are very resonate. To top it all off I have a 13 classic vibe with a maple fretboard that I practice on. I had many styles of more expensive guitar's but they all left in favor of those mentioned.
@@BigJakeMusic I have a first-year starcaster p-bass, the rarest of all the starcaster models...I replaced everything on it right down to the paint with genuine fender or better, it's so awesome and amazingly light, I ended up selling my mexican p-bass which was a boat anchor by comparison...mark my words, they are the collectables of the next generation
strange I just got my first electric guitar from a friend and recently an amp he gave me a starcaster said i was 5th person to own it as a first electric. I really like it but hear bad things online so now im intrested in buying a new guitar. But intresting to find out its pretty rare haha
Don’t let online reviews skew your opinion of your guitar! If it feels right in your hands, isn’t cutting you when you play it, and has functional switches and knobs, then it’s probably ok. In my opinion it’s better than any Squier currently in production below the Classic Vibe line!
@@BigJakeMusic Yeah Im having a blast on it. I was kind suprised by how cheap it was so it made me wonder what a good electric is like compared to this one. Cause a gibson acoustic is worlds better then my yamaha one haha.
Generally speaking, those big brands are noticeably better. BUT, in some strange cases, a very cheap guitar can play as good as a very expensive one. My Starcaster plays and sounds as good as anything I own, including Gibsons, American Fenders, etc. That doesn’t mean that every Starcaster is that good, but some of them can be. I think you got lucky too, and you have a good guitar and don’t need to get another one :)
Did Fender produce any of these with whammy bars? I bought one exactly like the one you got from a friend about 4 years ago, and it came with a whammy bar that I don't think can be removed.
I’m fairly certain they all came with vintage style tremolo systems. The tremolo arm can be removed by rotating it counter-clockwise until it comes out. To put it back on, you rotate it clockwise. To my knowledge they did not release one with a permanent tremolo arm!
Yeah mine came with a whammy bar, just take it to guitar center, and get it all set up there!
I did a cheap pick swop with eliexpress $35 SSS on a strat and ended up with the exact same looking nobs in the same order, vol white and two darker tones. It was cause the volume that came with the check pickups was super cheap and felt like it would break and the tones were good so I used my old volume, are the fonts slightly off?
Alinco's where on the rare 85 Fender Performer you didn't mention, had the same neck :)
@@Ro-Bucks Wow, that Fender Performer just made my list of weirdo guitars to search for. I absolutely love that and I did not know it existed!!! Thanks for bringing it up. The fonts were slightly different, so I wonder if the durability of the stock knobs is to be questioned and if they were replaced at some point.
@@BigJakeMusic They might have been, I just won an auction just now for a starcaster neck and now my Aria that was a fender is now a starcaster with the same nob discolor as yours and same guts. I should send it in to compare lol
the only part thats not right on mine now is the bridge is cheaper then fender ever made.
@@BigJakeMusic would your red one look better with a with fret board? I got to a white fret board on a black starburst now and think it would better with your darker neck :)
BigJake Music...You are so humble...Lusting after the the cheapest...made for big box stores... Chinese garbage....you rock....lololololol
So thats where the fortnite festival default guitar designs came from
The serial number is on the neck you gotta take it off of the guitar
Long story short... fender made the starcaster strat because harmony quit making them.