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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

3052.0. "Starfield Guitars?" by GANTRY::ALLBERY (Jim) Fri Mar 10 1995 18:06

    I've been recently playing my Starfield ES-175 copy a fair amount.
    This is the guitar I use on those occasions that I pretend I'm a
    jazz guitarist.  I've been playing mainly acoustic over the last
    couple years, and its probably been a year since I last got it out
    of its case.  My recent purchase of a Fender Blues Deluxe, coupled
    by finding out that the jazz band I play with will have its first
    gig in three years have spurred me to dust of this instrument and
    start practicing my "Guitar George" imitation.
    
    I'd forgotten how surprisingly good this guitar is...  It's basically
    a straight knockoff of a Gibson ES-175.  It's all maple with a 
    natural finish and sounds and plays great.  Blind-folded, I doubt
    you could tell it from a Gibson 175.  I've often thought about
    getting a "real" archtop, but with the price of carved top guitars
    being so high, an ES-175 is about the best I could justify.  
    Wheever I try one, however, I walk away thinking "why spend the
    money?": other than the Gibson logo (and resale value), what would
    I get that I don't already have?
    
    I bought the guitar used for about $300 (I think) eight years ago.
    I don't know much about the instrument, but it supposedly came from
    the Ibanez factory (at least that's what I've been told).  I would
    guess it's probably from the mid/late seventies.  I've heard that 
    Ibanez made some pretty decent archtop copies in that time frame.
    
    I've seen a couple other Starfield archtop copies (another 175, and
    a carved top (L5 perhaps?)), but I haven't had the opportunity to 
    play any of them.  I don't know if I just got very lucky with this
    guitar or what, but it is a much better instrument than I would 
    expect out of a relatively inexpensive copy.
    
    Does anyone else know anything about Starfield?
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3052.1About Starfield guitars - from the alt.guitar newsgroupSEESAW::PILANTL. Mark Pilant, VMS EngineeringFri Mar 10 1995 18:21164
Article: 40714
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From: btp513@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de (M. Diewald)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Starfield Guitars
Date: 6 Dec 1994 13:32:48 +0100
Organization: Universitaet Bayreuth
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Hi there,
 
I was offered a Starfield American Cabriolet guitar the other day. It 
plays fine and the hardware is of high quality. Any opinions on that
guitar or Starfield? Has somebody been playing Starfield guitars and
can comment on the long time experience/performance?
 
Cheers
	   Martin

Article: 41077
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From: MrLefty@PrimeNet.com (Scott Jennings)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Starfield Guitars
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 1994 23:35:47 -0800
Organization: Route 66 Guitars, U.S.A.
Lines: 22
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In article <3c1llg$9gc@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de>,
btp513@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de (M. Diewald) wrote:
 
> Hi there,
> 
> I was offered a Starfield American Cabriolet guitar the other day. It 
> plays fine and the hardware is of high quality. Any opinions on that
> guitar or Starfield? Has somebody been playing Starfield guitars and
> can comment on the long time experience/performance?
> 
> Cheers
>            Martin
 
 
They are a division of Ibanez. Some are made in the U.S., but most are not.
 
Scott
 
-- 
Route 66 Guitars * 21 North Altadena Drive * Pasadena, CA  * 91107 * USA
tel: (213) GUI TARS (484 8277) * fax: (818) 683 8693
Postal, email & fax stocklists available...Right & Left Handed Stringed Instruments

Article: 41093
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From: 3sds4@qlink.queensu.ca (Sitcoff Steven D)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Starfield Guitars
Date: 10 Dec 1994 17:59:18 GMT
Organization: Queen's University, Kingston
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Scott Jennings (MrLefty@PrimeNet.com) wrote:
: In article <3c1llg$9gc@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de>,
: btp513@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de (M. Diewald) wrote:
 
: > Hi there,
: > 
: > I was offered a Starfield American Cabriolet guitar the other day. It 
: > plays fine and the hardware is of high quality. Any opinions on that
 
 
: They are a division of Ibanez. Some are made in the U.S., but most are not.
 
Does anyone know of any US outlets that still stock them. I regret not 
buying one when I tried it last summer, before the line was pulled.
 
Article: 41141
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From: trucks@wpi.edu (Matthew Cross)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Starfield Guitars
Date: 11 Dec 1994 18:22:56 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Lines: 28
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M. Diewald (btp513@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de) wrote:
: Hi there,
 
: I was offered a Starfield American Cabriolet guitar the other day. It 
: plays fine and the hardware is of high quality. Any opinions on that
: guitar or Starfield? Has somebody been playing Starfield guitars and
: can comment on the long time experience/performance?
 
: Cheers
: 	   Martin
 
I own a Starfield Altair Custom SJ. 
It is a very beautiful guitar and I got a great deal on it.
I have a few probs with it.  The neck was made too small for that
style of guitar and I have had some minor problems in that area with 
buzz.  The trem on mine bites but some have wilkinson trems which are
very smooth.  I like the tone and the playability.  The control setup
is good too.  By the way the Cabriolet American is the best guitar
that they made so you shouldn't have any problems.  Ibanez sorta
absorbed the company and usted most of the design ideas on the
talmans that are out now.  I hate those...
BUY IT..(if it is less than five hundred bucks)
--
Searching for the world through a hole in my eye...
 
 
 
     cardBoArDbob

Article: 41214
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From: z036215@uprc.com (Franks Jr S. A. (Stacy))
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Starfield Guitars
Date: 12 Dec 1994 14:45:52 GMT
Organization: Union Pacific Resources Corporation
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In article 9gc@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de, btp513@btr0x1.hrz.uni-bayreuth.de (M. Diewald) writes:
> Hi there,
> 
> I was offered a Starfield American Cabriolet guitar the other day. It 
> plays fine and the hardware is of high quality. Any opinions on that
> guitar or Starfield? Has somebody been playing Starfield guitars and
> can comment on the long time experience/performance?
> 
> Cheers
> 	   Martin
> 
 
 
  They're nice guitars, but Starfield has gone out of business. They were built and
  distributed in the U.S. by Hoshino, they same (Japanese) company that builds Ibanez
  guitars. Part of the line was built in the U.S., and part in Japan. The American
  Cabriolet was one of the American made models. I believe this instrument originally
  listed for well over $1000, so if you could pick it up for a decent price it would
  probably be a good deal. They are well made, nice playing, good sounding guitars -
  especially the American made models. They just couldn't find their niche in an
  already overcrowded marketplace. 
 
                                     s.f. - f/w