This vintage 1974 Fender Starcaster has one of the most flamey tops I've ever seen on a Fender. The Starcaster is one of the rarer vintage Fender guitars out there-it had a short production life. It was expensive to produce-as it really didn't share any parts with anything else Fender was producing at the time-other than the Fender Humbucker pickups designed by Seth Lover, as found in the Telecaster Custom and Deluxe models...My favorite feature is the crazy foot-shaped headstock with the carved relief. It is unique to this model and very cool. This guitar was produced at the original Fender factory in Fullerton, California U.S.A. It is one of the very first ones produced-I have only seen one other one with a lower serial number. This one comes complete with its original hard case-be sure to check out that photo. The guitar is clean and solid with no issues. It is all-original with the exception of the switch-which was replaced with a quality Switchcraft unit. It is set up and ready to go-it needs nothing.
The body is the 335-style design with a solid wood block through the middle and hollow chambers with F-holes around it. The Fender version adds the strings-through body design for maximum sustain and resonance. The binding is very clean on the front and back. The top is an amazing flamed maple as you can see for yourself. It is really striking. The clear gloss finish has a nice shine and in excellent condition. The back has flame as well-but not nearly as vibrant as the front. The finish has been verified as original and black lights perfectly. There is some factory white epoxy sealer and rouge buffing compound stains inside the neck slot and pickup cavities. The neck joint is an excellent fitment.
The neck itself is clean and straight. It has what I would call a slim-C profile. The nut width is 1 5/8" wide and the neck depth measures .822" at the 1st fret and .905" deep at the 12th fret. There are a couple of nicks in the finish on the backside of the neck-it still feels smooth and comfortable. The tuners all function smoothly and the guitar stays in tune great. The headstock and logo displays very nice with just a touch of patina. The maple fingerboard is clean and smooth. The frets have been professionally leveled, crowned, cleaned and polish and appear near-new condition. All of the Starcasters appear to have had the larger sized frets and this one does as well. They look and feel crisp and smooth-see photos. The action is low for an easy playing experience. The string height measures .010" at the 1st fret and .050" at the 12th fret. The guitar plays like butter up and down the fingerboard.
The pickups are the original Seth Lover designed wide-range humbuckers (these were designed to bridge the gap between Gibson's humbuckers and Fenders single coil clarity). They have an excellent signal and balance. The neck position measures 10.75 ohms and the bridge position measures 10.55 ohms. The wiring harness is in excellent condition and all of the controls function smoothly and quietly. The 3-position toggle selects between neck-both-bridge positions. The controls are standard volume/tone for each pickup and a master volume. The bridge is in great condition and all of the saddles function. The pickgurad is clean and flat.
The guitar is very comfortable and sits on your lap really nicely. It is a lot of fun to play-even acoustically-but plugged into any quality amp it is a blast. You'll have a hard time putting it back down once you pick it up. The original Fender hardcase is the only one like it I have ever seen. I have seen later versions-but they don't have the same outside lines or crazy red "poodle" interior. This guitar will really be a standout in your collection. It is so nice and clean and solid-it will only appreciate in value so it is a good investment as well. Lastly-it would make a stellar gift to that special someone in your life that NEEDS a vintage Fender Starcaster.
