Fender Starcaster questions

mart

I've finding myself really tempted by the look of the Starcaster reissues, especially the cherry burst, but there are a couple of things I wanted to ask before I take the plunge (or to help persuade me not to!)

I gather that the stock pickups are simple humbuckers and not proper wide-range pups. But what is the difference sound-wise? Can anyone describe to me how a wide-range pickup should sound - in what way is it different to a regular humbucker?

Secondly, is there any way of putting a trem on these? I've got a few hard-tails, but really miss being able to just add a light shimmer to chords with the tremolo arm. But a contoured and offset body looks like it could be a pain to get anything retro-fitted. 

OilCityPickups

A WR ... that is a proper one, has a big, fat, doubled up single coil sort of sound. Not any real mid compression, but big fat bass, juicy mids, and stinging highs. Some feel this sound is a bit OTT ... as it is very 'separate' on the strings, and did I say fat? That's fatness without mud :-)
They are an acquired taste ... capable of driving an amp quite hard, but requiring sensitive EQ-ing if they aren't going to sound overpowering. Not a pickup for metal really!

ICBM

It looks to me like you could put a Bigsby on one quite easily - but the B5 horseshoe type not the B7 trapeze. If you don't want to drill holes, the Vibramate V5 should fit.

I have been thinking about this too! Although I'd still have to get past the carpet slipper headstock, which I've never been able to so far.

mart

Thanks Ash, I was hoping you might chip in. So, let me get this right, a proper WR is, er, fat, fat, and fat.

Not good for metal, and fat but with good separation ... that all sounds good for me; I usually want a very clean sound or, occasionally, something up to sort of 70s rock levels of distortion. Is a WR good clean? 

mart

ICBM said:

It looks to me like you could put a Bigsby on one quite easily - but the B5 horseshoe type not the B7 trapeze. If you don't want to drill holes, the Vibramate V5 should fit.

I have been thinking about this too! Although I'd still have to get past the carpet slipper headstock, which I've never been able to so far.

I looove the headstock! It's like the big CBS headstock taken to the max, somehow echoing the Stauffer headstock.

I was worried that since, where the strap button is, the body edge isn't perpendicular to the strings, you'd end up with the tailpiece at a funny angle, with it then being pulled in directions it want designed to cope with. But I'm no expert on Bigsbys, so would be glad to hear otherwise.

stickyfiddle

Someone on offsetguitars put a Vibramate with B5 on theirs- looked great and they were v happy.

OilCityPickups

mart said:

Thanks Ash, I was hoping you might chip in. So, let me get this right, a proper WR is, er, fat, fat, and fat.

Not good for metal, and fat but with good separation ... that all sounds good for me; I usually want a very clean sound or, occasionally, something up to sort of 70s rock levels of distortion. Is a WR good clean? 

They excel at rhythm, clean and with crunch ... listen to my hero the Late Mick Green of The Pirates ... his sound was based around a Telewith a WR.

ICBM

mart said:

I looove the headstock! It's like the big CBS headstock taken to the max, somehow echoing the Stauffer headstock.

I did eventually come to love the big CBS headstock on Strats, so maybe there is hope . (Although I actually think the Starcaster would look far better with that one, too.)

mart said:

I was worried that since, where the strap button is, the body edge isn't perpendicular to the strings, you'd end up with the tailpiece at a funny angle, with it then being pulled in directions it want designed to cope with. But I'm no expert on Bigsbys, so would be glad to hear otherwise.

That's why you want the B5 and not the B7 (or B3) - it doesn't have the trapeze tailpiece part.

mart

stickyfiddle said:

Someone on offsetguitars put a Vibramate with B5 on theirs- looked great and they were v happy.

Ah, that is reassuring, thanks! I'll have a look on OSG and check out the details.

@TheGuitarWeasel, thanks for that. It does sound like it's ticking all the boxes.

@ICBM, Oops, I hadn't twigged that the B5 didn't reach down to the strap button!

So now I'm just left with two problems: how much it's all going to add up to, when I get the B5, the vibramate, and a pair of Buccaneers, and how to explain to the wife that I need another guitar. 

Oh, and the fact it'll mean learning how to fiddle with the electrics in a semi. I've managed to avoid doing that before. Surgical tubing is the thing, isn't it?

mart

ICBM said:

I did eventually come to love the big CBS headstock on Strats, so maybe there is hope . (Although I actually think the Starcaster would look far better with that one, too.)

You could always just swap the neck and put a Strat neck on it if you really can't stand the headstock. I'm sure there'd be plenty of people ready to take a Starcaster neck off you, just to get the distinctive headstock.

ICBM

mart said:

You could always just swap the neck and put a Strat neck on it if you really can't stand the headstock. I'm sure there'd be plenty of people ready to take a Starcaster neck off you, just to get the distinctive headstock.

I suppose so. Canoeists can't be that rare.