Fender semi's

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Tried the new fender ramparts amp today and used a USA tele, sounded great really liked. However my son was with me and wanted to know what the Starcaster and Corronado sounded like, so having never played either, originals or reissues thought I would have a go. Starcaster was anonymous, to me a generic semi tone, lacking any character, but felt comfortable. The Corronado sounded really great, very much it's own voice not Gibson or gretsch but a lovely tone very usable and well worth a try.
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  • Jimmie Vaughan ( one of my top guitar heroes) is an occasional user of an old (1967) Coronado. 
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    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • LixartoLixarto Frets: 1618
    edited December 2013
    Shame the new ones don't have the vibrato tailpiece :-S
    "I can see you for what you are; an idiot barely in control of your own life. And smoking weed doesn't make you cool; it just makes you more of an idiot."
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  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    Shame they're not hollow either.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Or have anything like the right pickups.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
    I saw them in the flesh in Denmark Street a few weeks back, they look like what they essentially are, 60's and 70's curios. I personally think they both look horrible and should remain a footnote in guitar history.
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  • I really like the idea of a Starcaster, but in photos the new ones look kinda cheap and plasticky, and I know I won't like the necks or pickups. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    I actually like the Coronado, but I don't think I'll be shelling out 600-odd quid for a new one. If they'd been more vintage accurate (I know, sorry) I'd probably be more keen. They are nice enough guitars, and do look good, but I already have enough semi-acoustics.
    It's a shame that they aren't fully hollow, but obviously fender think there'd be less demand than for a semi. After all, nobody buys Casinos.

    The Starcaster blows it with the TOM and stop-bar tailpiece.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    dogload said:
    I actually like the Coronado, but I don't think I'll be shelling out 600-odd quid for a new one. If they'd been more vintage accurate (I know, sorry) I'd probably be more keen. They are nice enough guitars, and do look good, but I already have enough semi-acoustics.
    It's a shame that they aren't fully hollow, but obviously fender think there'd be less demand than for a semi. After all, nobody buys Casinos.

    The Starcaster blows it with the TOM and stop-bar tailpiece.
    Exactly.

    I'm not a purist about vintage accuracy for the sake of it, but to me the problem is that they've dropped some of the features that made the originals *distinctive* and different from what else is on the market.

    I particularly don't like the use of Gretsch pickups and Gibson hardware on them, it's just wrong. (I'm not even massively keen on it on new models.)

    I'm still not a fan of the Starcaster headstock though.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Starcasters were always rubbish. They failed the first time around, cannot imagine why they have been reissued.
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  • BabonesBabones Frets: 1204
    I remember a conversation i had earlier this year in a guitar shop, where a salesman said that people don't want to spend over £500 on a Chinese made guitar. I wonder what they make of these then. Personally, £600 + for a Chinese guitar is a bit steep, no matter what the brand.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Starcasters were always rubbish. They failed the first time around, cannot imagine why they have been reissued.
    Two words which explain why...

    Killers
    Radiohead

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Most fenders give me a semi

    What?

    Oh, right.

    Sorry
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12647
    OK, feeling in a minority here but... I quite like the look of the Starcaster and like the idea of the Gibbo tune-o-matic etc, as they *work*. I also like Fender necks and the Fender scale length/feel etc...

    The reason I won't buy one, though, is that the pickups are shocking. I still find it hard to believe that Fender can't make Wide Range Humbuckers that at least try to sound like the originals - yet you can buy pickups that are voiced to sound like the originals from the likes of Ash, Mojo etc. With the amount of money and the size of their R&D dept, Fender can't get it right, yet these small operators can... poor. VERY poor. 

    So you end up with a generic sounding Semi acoustic with a daft price tag... as opposed to something that could be genuinely different and interesting. Nice one, Fender <slow hand clap>
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • JookyChapJookyChap Frets: 4234
    I really like the look of the Starcaster - love the headstock (sorry) and even don't mind the boring C neck, but I must admit budgeting for replacement pickups before you start on top of what is quite a high RRP leaves me a little cold.

    Not that I buy anything new anyway, so I probably will feel different in 2017 when I get around to seeing one at the right price..

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  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    JookyChap said:
    I really like the look of the Starcaster - love the headstock (sorry) 
    Don't apologise!  I thought that the omission of the Starcaster-style headstock on the recent 'Marauder' effort was the worst thing about it (oh, along with the lack of other Marauder-isms, of course!)
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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    As a yoof I was around when the starcaster existed and did have a bit of lust for it at the time. My paper round was just not up to it though so I never got one.

    Not sure I'd buy one now other than as a curio, given the latest interest the used price of originals and the new price of reissues puts them beyond practical price.


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