Reviving this thread with a question: The burst option for the Starcaster is described as Cherry Burst, but fjadams pictures seem to show a three color burst. Is that a trick of the camera? Or is it actually three colors?
Also, does anyone here but fjadams own one? I've read his short review and like what I see, and I'll be checking this thread for other stories, but I would like to know what people think.
And to fjadams: It's been a few months, do you have any more thoughts or anything to add?
Yes it is a three color burst. Main color is honey, going to a cherry, going to a darker cherry. The darker color reminds me of the root beer that was offered for a bit. I'm not usually a fan of bursts, with a few exceptions, but this one I do like. The burst on the bass and the six string aren't exactly alike and I like the bass coloring better.
Still like it. The neck is very good. Thin and shallow enough for my short and pudgy fingers. Not Vox thin, but thin and substantial at the same time. Frets were done well right out of the box, luthier didn't have to dress them at all. Tuners are standard Fender and work as expected. I might go with ultra lights at some point because of the overall weight of it.
The balance is good no neck dive at all.
On mine the bridge is set as low as it is possible to get it. The action is still a little higher than some of my other basses, but nothing that interferes with playing. By higher I'm talking somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8 higher up around the 16th or 18th fret. Maybe 1/16 at the 12th fret. Intonation is good, set up quickly and has stayed there.
Finding strings is harder than I thought it would be. With the bridge, neck length, and closeness of the tuners to the nut a lot of strings just don't fit real well. Ended up going with the GHS Precision Flats. They sound good and fit properly.
Do like the humbuckers. Lots of thump from the neck and mids and highs from the bridge. Having a StellarTone bass in the neck and a StellarTone jazz in the bridge gives me tonal options not available in the stock one. But stock it sounded good, I'm just a fan of StellarTones.
All around I'd give it four stars. It loses one because of the weight. But then again I'm old and a wuss, so YMMV on this.
Do think it looks better with the pickguard, more of a classic look. And I like thumb rests so that is why it's there. Are either needed, no, but I like them.
The only negative I have is the weight. It's heavy, actually very heavy. By far the heaviest bass I own, by a big margin. Not really Ovation Magnum heavy, but not far from it. In the range of the Squier Telecasters released last year. I use a wide Onori strap so it's not uncomfortable, but you know there's something hanging on you.
