Tom Delonge Starcaster .......

Dominic

Anybody got/played one ......I think they look quite cool
Do they sound vaguely 335 like or more like a thinline Tele
Any other observations ?

stickyfiddle

It's a 25.5" scale so I"m guessing closer to a Thinline Tele than a 335, though not that close to a "trad" 72-style Thinline with an SD SH-5 rather than WRHB

Habanero

We were at the recent Lindsay Ell gig in London. She used one for a couple of songs that were quieter, and I thought it sounded good. She's also pictured with it on some recent social media, and in her work as part on the JBL Bandbox launch.

Amusingly though, she did step on the wrong switch on her pedalboard, and for a second or two it went very distorted, which I thought was the Delonge fighting her. 

GJK1959

I have a Squier Affinity Starcaster, so not strictly the same - but I can say it sounds pretty good thru my Marshall DSL with a fuzz pedal… 

Dominic

good to know

Philly_Q

stickyfiddle said:

It's a 25.5" scale so I"m guessing closer to a Thinline Tele than a 335, though not that close to a "trad" 72-style Thinline with an SD SH-5 rather than WRHB

It's got a Duncan Custom?  Interesting choice.

Dominic

Why interesting Phil ? ........do you think it's a bit too hot ?

Philly_Q

Not necessarily too hot, I just think a fairly high-output, ceramic-magnet pickup is an unusual choice, at least in a world where guitars of this type (whether you regard it as a 335-alike or a Thinline Tele with a big body) tend to have "traditional" low-output pickups.

But of course Tom DeLonge isn't a blues player.

I've no idea how it would sound in this guitar, but it's quite a bright pickup so I guess there's scope to get different sounds by varying where and how you pick, and playing with the volume control.

Dominic

I don't think the vol control will make much difference because its a bleed circuit 
my guess is you're right about the brightness .......but it's an interesting animal ...if it's too bright I could always swap pickups
It's funny but I find the higher output pickups are 'softer' in sound .....the harshest thing I ever had was Seth Lover low output PAFS in a Knaggs Chena .......they were thin and wiry and very schrill 

Philly_Q

Yeah, I had a Hamer with Seth Lovers and really hated them!  Good point about the treble bleed, I did notice that in the specs and wondered if the guitar would be better without it.

Dominic

Ha , ....those Seth Lovers ....I don't get it ....they were microphonic , weedy , spiky etc ..just horrible things .
Rather than no treble bleed ........instead add I tone control
I think it's a bit left field and quite pretty (especially the Goldtop ) and an interesting alternative to a 335 type 
I like the roast maple neck too

guitargeek62

I’ve played a couple, they’re fun. I’d have one but they feel a bit pricey for what they are - definitely pick up a used one!

The guitars are 99.99% confirmed to be coming out of the same factory as the Squier Starcaster, so it’s a helluva markup to have better hardware and one less pickup…

elstoof

Yep, crafted in Indonesia

guitargeek62

guitargeek62 said:

I’ve played a couple, they’re fun. I’d have one but they feel a bit pricey for what they are - definitely pick up a used one!

The guitars are 99.99% confirmed to be coming out of the same factory as the Squier Starcaster, so it’s a helluva markup to have better hardware and one less pickup…

@Dominic - apologies, I realised I didn’t actually answer your question! More akin to a 335 than thinline tele, but not really either. I have a TD strat-clone that I’ve added an SH-5 to recently, and it doesn’t sound wholly dissimilar from how I remember the Starcaster being. The 25.5” scale plus hot PAF/HB does move it away from a traditional 335 sound, but not so much that your average punter would notice.

Nature_1

I've got one, absolutely love it. Set up in drop A# and through a 5150, it's pure chonk. Fabulous guitar.

Totally different from the 333 Sig he had years ago, and the strats.

Dominic

That's what the demos all seem to show ....metal type sounds ;I want it for trad rock , Southern Rock and general pop type stuff .......not sure it is flexible enough for this aganda

ICBM

I do have to love Tom’s consistent approach to guitar design - take any guitar, remove everything apart from the bridge pickup and the volume control, fit a high-output humbucker, and paint it in a pastel colour... done .

Every one I’ve ever played - not the Starcaster yet - has sounded great, and the treble-pass cap/resistor on the volume control makes them much more versatile than you might think, it’s almost more like a coil split than a standard volume control since it makes the sound brighter and clearer as you turn it down, as much as it affects the volume.

I always used to joke about the snobs on TGP who would go on about ‘great players use the volume control to get shades of tone’, and point out that actually the best example is Tom Delonge . (He is a great player in my opinion, though apparently not theirs.)

Sporky

guitargeek62 said:

The guitars are 99.99% confirmed to be coming out of the same factory as the Squier Starcaster, so it’s a helluva markup to have better hardware and one less pickup…

There could be other factors - more time on fret work and setup, for example.

Plus it has an SD pickup instead of whatever not-really-WRs go in the Squier, rosewood instead of laurel board... 

Habanero

I mentioned Lindsay Ell above. By coincidence, one of the songs she used the Delonge on "fence sitter" was released as a live single this week. It's definitely not metal.

Sporky

I'm not sure Mr Delonge has ever done metal. 

Offset

I like them.  It would have to be in pink or white though, both of which have the black h/w.

P.S.  @dominic - there's one in as-new condition - still boxed - on Reverb for £699.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/93777137-fender-tom-delonge-starcaster-2024-olympic-white