Fender Modern Player Starcaster Electric Guitar, with Maple Fingerboard

Preferred by experimental players like Johnny Greenwood, the Fender Starcaster boasts a unique semi-hollow design -- now updated with Wide Range humbuckers.

Overall User Ratings (based on 13 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(13) (see rating details)
Submitted January 22, 2015 by Elton A in Muscle Shoals, AL

"AWESOME!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I ordered the "blemished" cherry. Burst Starcaster last Friday and it arrived yesterday. I have barely put it down. This instrument feels as good if not better than some I have owned that cost much more and I have yet to find a blemish. The sales staff was knowledgable and helpful in a no pressure kind of way. My guitar shipped from New Jersey on Monday and found it's home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama Wednesday factory new looking and well packaged inside two Fender marked boxes. All that was needed was a quick tuning and off we went. Great tone through my Marshall, Great feel and the polished maple neck is butter smooth. In short, I could not be more tickled if I had an Indian war bonnet up my a**! I will definitely be shopping with zZounds again!

Musical Background:

Jamming at home with friends for 30 years

Musical Style:

Blues, rock
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Submitted January 31, 2016 by Robert Dryden in Fulton, MO

"Hollow within body but full within Sound"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Aesthetics- It is very pleasing to the eye, I could find absolutely no flaw in design nor in craftsmanship. The stain and clear coat are stunning in perfection, all of the furniture is well suited. Playability- One of the most comfortable guitars I have had the pleasure of playing, in both seated and standing position. Mobility while playing is enjoyable, it is light and buttery smooth to play. Quality- For the price I believe it is a good deal, after playing it I would have expected they would want more. Style most Suited For- I am rather a twist musical soul, I enjoy playing classical, country, blues, jazz, progressive metal, melodic metal, funk and gospel. And I have had no problem playing any of them on this. They all sound well suited, with the pickups and the controls you can adjust to your needs. Complaints- intonation was off, but that is very easy to fix and all I could find wrong with mine. I will buy another one for myself and 1 for my son. Fender has always been great people to work with, at least in my experience. And Zzounds is a very well put together company, very polite service representatives and an easy online site.

Musical Background:

I have been playing for 28 years, I play professionally, and play guitar, bass, piano alto sax and violin

Musical Style:

Classical, Jazz, Blues, progressive metal, melodic metal, funk, country and gospel
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Submitted February 2, 2014 by Dave C in Springfield, IL

"Fender Modern Players Starcaster"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I wanted one of these when they came out in the 70's, no dealer close by had one, so I finally was able to purchase this beauty. Great looks!!! Plays wonderfully, very well balanced both weight and sonically. The pickups sound huge! Sounds like a rocker..or a blues guitaror jazz or even country. All around I think this is one of the best semi-hollow guitars for the buck you can buy today!!

Musical Background:

been playing for 49 years, mostly just for fun anymore. Collect newer guitars.

Musical Style:

Rock, blues and a little jazz
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Submitted February 9, 2015 by a customer from gmail.com in Weston, FL

"Fender Starcaster"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I have had my eye on this guitar for quite sometime. I was in the market for a new guitar and I wanted something totally different than what I have had or have at the moment. First, I would just like to say the experience with zZounds has been great. Ordered on thursday afternoon and had it delivered saturday morning. The guitar was very well packaged. Finish is just beautiful (cherry sunburst), neck feels great and headstock just looks super cool. The only negative thing I have to say about the guitar is that its a bit on the heavy side but that does not bother me at all. This will def be my stage guitar from now on. I have a 6505 with a avatar custom speaker set up (vintage 30s & GT75 diagonal wired) and the guitar sounds huge. Pick ups in all 3 selections sounds great. It can handle tons of gain, handles effects really well, and clean just sounds beautiful. I play many different genres. Everything from blues and ambient to hardcore and metal. Very versatile guitar. Very happy with purchase.

Musical Background:

10 + years - studio and band
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Submitted December 10, 2014 by Billy W in Morris Plains, NJ

"Amazing Guitar!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Finally got a hold of one of these to try out, and I HAD to have one (which zZounds generous payment plan made possible). Pickups are my thing- very few of my guitars keep their stock ones- and the stock WR 'buckers in the Starcaster blew me away- they're crisp and articulate, but dirty up real nice when leaned on a little. At this price, I expected generic 'buckers in WR covers, but these're anyting but that... Combined w/the Maple 'board and 25.5" scale, they make this axe a beast. Fit, finish and playability are all top-shelf. I set it up w'some 11s, and I don't think I've ever bonded w/any guitar this quickly or completely.
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Submitted January 3, 2014 by Daryl Winn in Small Town, IL

"The Fender Starcaster"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I just received my Fender Starcaster yesterday. Man, what a great guitar. I know somebody is aking "is it made in China?" Yes, it is. I took a magnifying glass and looked this guitar over good. There is not a single flaw in this guitar. I was kind of disappointed in the delivery time. It took a week for the guitar to get here and it was shipped from Nevada not New Jersey. From now on I'm going to have all my orders overnighted. Yes, its a little expensive but to me its worth it.. Just to let you know, I buy 90% of my gear from zZounds.com. They know what they're doing and they will help you get your order as fast as possible.

Musical Background:

Been playing for 49 years. I don't go out to gig anymore so I just jam in my small studio built on back of my garage

Musical Style:

rock, country, blue, christian and of course oldies.
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Submitted January 23, 2018 by Michael C in Swartz Creek , MI

"Love this guitar "

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This guitar was good to go right out of the box. It was barely out of tune. This has never happened to me when I’ve ordered a guitar online. Usually they need some tweaks before I’m happy with the sound. I’m blown away with the stock pickups. They have a great cleaned sound and an even better dirty sound. My big muff and boss OS-2 have never sounded so good. I’ve only played this guitar through an orange micro terror with a Laney cab so far but if it sounds good through this relatively cheap rig I’m sure it’s going to sound good on any amp. Good luck finding a better hollowbody for less. I absolutely love this guitar!

Musical Background:

Been playing for about 10 yrs and pretty much exclusively play fenders mostly telecasters

Musical Style:

Alternative, classic, experimental, indie, hardcore and metal.
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Submitted March 4, 2014 by Vesey Kevin in Smithtown, NY

"fender starcaster is a great guitar"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This is an amazingly well made instrument with great action. it is very well finished and so very playable your fingers float up and down the neck. thepickups have great sound. The neck has beautiful grain. It's also a very comfortable guitar to play on your lap. It was delivered practically overnight and the service was excellent.

Musical Background:

play with band and duo amateur

Musical Style:

rock
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Submitted March 15, 2017 by Ronnie M in Mt Airy, NC

"A great value"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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A great value for the money...plays great, made well. The only reason I gave it a 4 is because I was thought the humbucking pickups would have had more of a bite to them than they do...they sound good but guess I was expecting to much. I have a Gibson 330 that I didn't want to take out and I also have a Nashville Telecaster and this Modern Player Starcaster is not a 330 Gibson but sounds good for the money and kind of between the two I have because of the semi hollow body. Also it was a little heavier than I expected. I put a set of Elixer super lights on it and it stays in tune well and intonation is good. Love the neck and it is a great value.

Musical Background:

50 years guitar, drums, bass....played professionally when young

Musical Style:

country, rock, now play Christian for the last 20
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Submitted February 16, 2014 by Johnnie M in Brooklyn, NY

"RI Fender Starcaster"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Always had a jones for this guitar. The crazy machete headstock. The offset body. The Seth Lover WRHB (unfortunately, that is definitely not what these pups are). Completely floored when Fender reissued this. That being said, though my review will be biased, I'll try to be objective as much as I can.The guitar arrived in a well packaged cardboard case (what's up Fender with no case??). However, it shipped with the strings tuned down a half step. I always prefer guitars to be shipped with less string tension. Also, there were a few blemishes on the back of the body. Not a huge deal. I'm a player. I'm not going to hang this beauty on a wall and forget about it. I just wish that the scratches were a fault of mine, not someone else.
Sound
I play Indie Rock/Alternative through a Vox AC50. So, the sounds I dial up tend to use modest gain (some Big Muff sounds for weird fuzzed out leads) and boat loads of reverb. Playing this guitar stock yielded some pretty decent sounds. It's the only semi-/hollow body guitar I own. However, I'm familiar with the kind of sounds a semi-hollow body produces. Surprisingly, these RI WRHBs had solid articulation with some gain. Though the neck pup tend to be a little muddy. Also, it has plenty of beef in the low end. I have since installed a B5 Bigsby with V5 Vibramate plate (w/Vibramate Spoiler). Since this is an archtop the V5 doesn't sit flush with the body. But, it doesn't seem to affect the tuning in any way. In my experience the Bigsby tends to add a nice mid range shimmer to the guitar. I'm awaiting arrival of my MIM '72 RI WRHB reworked by Curtis Novak. Once that arrives, Champtone Custom Guitars is going to install the pups with Gibson '50s wiring.
Features
It has a modern C neck which is not too thick and not too thin. It is a really well balanced guitar too.Typical Gibson HB/PAF setup. 3 way toggle switch (Neck, Neck/Bridge, Bridge). Separate Tone and Volume controls for the neck and bridge pups.
Ease of Use
Played really well out of the box. Just plug and play. I'm a modder by nature. So, don't mind me. It's really a good guitar to play stock. I actually did a show with this (stock) and had no issues.
Quality
Well, the build quality is really fantastic for a MIC guitar. The frets were dressed properly. It seems like it has 20 million coats of lacquer. But overall, very well made. My one issue lies with the wiring. I haven't looked at the pots and the wiring yet. But all of my Google research indicates that the wiring is inferior. Yesterday, after I installed the B5, the bridge pup connection started failing. I noticed when I had the guitar in perpendicular to the ground the connection started to "buzz" out. When I laid the guitar flat it started to work again. I gave it the old Fonzy bang on the side of body and I had no problems with it the rest of the day (though in no way do I condone doing that...I'm just an idiot sometimes).
Value
Excellent value. I believe the original retailed for around $900.00 when it debuted in '76. That was a lot of money then. For $699.00 today you get a pretty well built reissue of a much beloved oddball from Fender.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't had to deal with Fender regarding this guitar.
The Wow Factor
This is a crazy looking guitar. It was originally Fender's attempt at entering the hollow body market dominated by Gibson (though the Coronado was first and that had no center block). It's well documented that the Starcaster has seen a resurgence as of late, especially in the rock world, by its use by Jonny Greenwood, Dave Keuning, et al. It has its detractors of course. "It's such an ugly guitar!"/"It never sold well in its first run". But if you like offset guitars, semi-hollowbodies, and Fender. This is the way to go. You can mod the hell out of it like me to customise your sound a bit. Or you can play it stock. It's a steal for the price!

Musical Background:

Playing 20 years. Guitar/bass/vox/drums. Semi-professional.

Musical Style:

Indie rock
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Submitted February 5, 2016 by Jon Bullock in Englewood, FL

"Truly Satisfied"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I do as much research as I can for every guitar I purchase. I was pleased that this updated version fulfilled all my expectations. It's really hard to put it down and walk away. Fun to play. Sounds fantastic with its wide range. I will enjoy the Starcaster for many years to come and am so happy to have added it to my collection.

Musical Background:

Self-taught and played for 45 yrs. Guitar, banjo.Attended college in the music field. Primarily a vocalist.

Musical Style:

Play all genres of music, things that interest me and have a sound that speaks to me. Primarily country, 50's-80s' rock, a littl
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Submitted March 30, 2014 by jesse mancillas in elk grove, CA

"deserves respect"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Mad awesome sustain and musical feedback. Sounds defined in a heavy reverb/delay chain and has cut my need for compression/drive to occasionally and just for flair. Cant compare to classic starcaster but i will say it murders for my band "cemetery sun" sound. Has moved my johhny marr jag to backup status. Finish well done and looks expensive. Dont see a need to upgrade anything yet except maybe a bigsby.

Musical Background:

17 years. professionally

Musical Style:

Indie ambient some occasional hardcore
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Submitted October 16, 2015 by PETER DIXON in CAPE CORAL, FL

"NEW GUITAR / STARCASTER"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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NEEDED COMPLETE SET UP , WORKING WELL NOW ,NICE SOUND ,LOVE THE MAPLE NECK ON A BLUES GUITAR REAL LOW ENDS KNOW MATTER WHAT AMP

Musical Background:

30 PLUS YEARS /BANDS/ SESSION PLAYER NICE SOUND GUITAR A LITTLE BASSEY KNOW MATTER WHAT AMP , LOVE MAPLE NECKS , NEVER HAD A SE

Musical Style:

ROCK , BLUES, COUNTRY
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