New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Steadyriot. » Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:12 am

sirspens wrote:
Sat Aug 31, 2019 6:30 am
alexpigment wrote:
Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:45 pm
Whoa. Need a full report on it. That's the one that's catching my eye.
The first thing that really jumped out at me (and I don't know if this is true to the original Starcaster) is that the 22 fret neck isn't an overhang, the neck is full length 22 frets, so it would not fit on other Fenders. The neck also has a LOT of angle on it.
That's how they came originally!

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by sirspens » Sat Sep 07, 2019 1:08 pm

Debaser wrote:
Thu Sep 05, 2019 10:21 am
Still hoping somebody could chime in on the distance from bridge to strap button end. I hope to use a Bigsby B3 on mine :whistle:
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Debaser » Sun Sep 08, 2019 9:24 am

alexpigment wrote:
Thu Sep 05, 2019 3:08 pm
I just did the math for you from a stock photo. Should be 6.85 inches from the back of the bridge to the beginning of the strap button. Some margin of error there (due to the photo, and also the curvature of the body itself), but hope that helps.
sirspens wrote:
Sat Sep 07, 2019 1:08 pm
Image
Thanks to both of you for this. Looking a little tight for a Bigsby B3. On the other hand, the B3 would need a custom spacer block to compensate for the offset body, so it would add a little room by the bridge. Not sure....might stick with a B5..
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Mechanical Birds » Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:14 am

Speaking of trem options - is the top still curved stupidly on this so I can’t put an offset Vibrato on it or what

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by alexpigment » Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:36 am

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 5:14 am
Speaking of trem options - is the top still curved stupidly on this so I can’t put an offset Vibrato on it or what
Curved stupidly? It's a carved-top guitar, just like the originals. Were you hoping they would cut corners and make it flat?

A Duesenberg Les Trem should work on this, for what it's worth.

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Mechanical Birds » Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:38 pm

Yes actually that is what I was hoping for lol

Not stupid that it’s curved so much as it’s curved and I don’t want it to be. I got to play a Les Trem recently and it’s so much more responsive I dunno if I could deal. I got used to the Offset thing and now anything else feels weird. A decent floating Strat deal feels ok, otherwise it feels weird to me

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by thisisnickpaige » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:36 am

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:38 pm
Yes actually that is what I was hoping for lol

Not stupid that it’s curved so much as it’s curved and I don’t want it to be. I got to play a Les Trem recently and it’s so much more responsive I dunno if I could deal. I got used to the Offset thing and now anything else feels weird. A decent floating Strat deal feels ok, otherwise it feels weird to me
Is it even more responsive than a Strat trem? That was my second option if a Bigsby was a no go, but I’ve never played one.
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Mechanical Birds » Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:17 am

Oh god yes at least the one I played felt like a Mustang trem just tons of range and beyond easy, like the smallest touch made a big dent in the sound. I don’t kow if you can adjust that or what but the one I played with on an actual Duesenberg was fuckin bananas. I’d still choose it over a bigsby just because I’ve never seen or played a bigsby that works how I’d need it to or feels good, but a little goes a long way and not only am I obsessed with the Offset tremolo, but I think it’d look dope as hell on one of these. Shit, I know it looks awesome because BiLt already does it.

I wonder if it’d be possible to make some sort of riser thing to put between the trem and the body of one of these to possibly make it work like that. It makes sense in my head but I have zero idea on how to articulate what I’m thinking - like a slanted and relatively thin piece of wood/plastic/whatever that would create a flat surface for the trem to be able to sit flush up against. Does this sound totally idiotic? I’m thinking something in the same realm as a Vibramate for Bigsby shit

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by thisisnickpaige » Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:35 am

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Fri Sep 13, 2019 10:17 am
Oh god yes at least the one I played felt like a Mustang trem just tons of range and beyond easy, like the smallest touch made a big dent in the sound. I don’t kow if you can adjust that or what but the one I played with on an actual Duesenberg was fuckin bananas. I’d still choose it over a bigsby just because I’ve never seen or played a bigsby that works how I’d need it to or feels good, but a little goes a long way and not only am I obsessed with the Offset tremolo, but I think it’d look dope as hell on one of these. Shit, I know it looks awesome because BiLt already does it.

I wonder if it’d be possible to make some sort of riser thing to put between the trem and the body of one of these to possibly make it work like that. It makes sense in my head but I have zero idea on how to articulate what I’m thinking - like a slanted and relatively thin piece of wood/plastic/whatever that would create a flat surface for the trem to be able to sit flush up against. Does this sound totally idiotic? I’m thinking something in the same realm as a Vibramate for Bigsby shit
Nah, that math sounds good if you could pull it off and make it secure enough...and it doesn't crack the top. ;D

Totally agree, the Jazzmaster/Jaguar trem is my all time favourite, it was the trem that got me to actually use trems on guitars. With the Strat trem by responsive i meant you barely touch it and it jack knives (drastically responsive). Where the Jazzmasters trem's quite smooth through the whole flow. Or is that what you mean with the les trem?

I currently have a Bigsby on my Veritas 503 and that thing works great, stays in tune, and is the closest thing i've played in feel to a Jazzmaster trem.
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by JPCordingley » Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:13 pm

alexpigment wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 12:21 pm
A few years ago, I would have jumped all over this. I don't know what it is, but this just isn't piquing my interest. If the pickups are the same as on the VMs from a few years ago, then the neck pickup is way too dark even when the bridge is just right. The AOM and stopbar don't d⁹o anything for me either.

On second thought, I do wonder what would happen if you modified these with an AmPro bridge and a Duesenberg Les Trem II. Oh crap, I think I want that Walnut CV now ;)
I stuck a Les Trem II on my Fender MP Starcaster and I haven't regretted it. My only regret is that the MP didn't come in a lovely walnut finish but I'm not about to go buying a second Starcaster. Do the Les Trem thing though! It's utterly delicious!

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Mechanical Birds » Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:00 pm

Strat trem seems to vary a little more in my experience, like the one on my av62 is hard as hell to manipulate and isn’t floated at all. The Les was like, touch it at all and it feels like it goes wildly in whatever direction. Like way way too responsive, pitch moving too much with too little pressure.

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by thisisnickpaige » Mon Sep 16, 2019 4:04 am

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:00 pm
Strat trem seems to vary a little more in my experience, like the one on my av62 is hard as hell to manipulate and isn’t floated at all. The Les was like, touch it at all and it feels like it goes wildly in whatever direction. Like way way too responsive, pitch moving too much with too little pressure.
That’s true, those springs are all so different. Okay, got to know about the Les.

Does anyone know if one of these would fit inside regular mono gigbag (M80) or if I’d need the hollowbody one? Thinking for a one time trip in the overhead bin on a plane.
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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Mechanical Birds » Mon Sep 16, 2019 4:26 am

Feel like I should point out that if I were gonna put a trem on one of these, and I would without question, I’d take the Les over a Bigsby 100/100. Bigsby would be a whole lot less shitty to me if the bar didn’t have that obstruction thing that keeps you from moving it completely over the strings. People usually have a hard time understanding what I mean with that - just imagine doing the Kevin Shields thing where you hold the bar always - can’t do it on a Bigsby and the bar won’t move up past like the high e. Sucks!

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Mon Sep 16, 2019 1:43 pm

These classic vibes are great. Just played one in a shop. Not too heavy. Set-up out of the box was surprising although it had the factory 9s. Neck was nice with no sharp frets. Finish was good. Even the squire branded HBs didn’t sound bad to my ears. I definitely would like to pick one up eventually and probably will be.

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Re: New Squier Starcasters - Classic Vibe, Contemporary, and Affinity

Post by matbard » Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:44 am

Anyone tried to mod a MP/Squier Starcaster to vintage spec? I was interested into a fixed, one piece bridge.

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