Fender Starcaster Olympic White 1975

The Fender Starcaster was introduced in 1975 as Fender’s entry into the semi-hollow, double-cutaway market, intended as a direct competitor to Gibson’s ES-335. Designed by Gene Fields, it featured several distinctive departures from Fender’s traditional solid-body lineup, including a bound maple semi-hollow body with a unique offset waist, large headstock, and wide-range humbuckers.

Although production only ran until around 1982, the Starcaster has since gained a cult following among players and collectors for its distinctive tone that blends semi-hollow warmth with Fender “spank”. Notable users include Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Dave Keuning (The Killers), and Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys).

This early Olympic White example has just standard wear for its age, and has been refretted with jumbo frets so it’s a killer player, while the highly coveted original CuNiFe Wide Range humbuckers scream. Weight is 3800g. It comes with its original hardshell case, which has a lot of wear and a replaced handle.

Overall, this is a well-preserved early Starcaster that captures the unmistakable 1970s Fender aesthetic. A supercool guitar with a groovy vintage vibe and an increasingly rare finish.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Body type: Semi-hollow with center block
• Body wood: Laminated maple top, back, and sides
• Binding: Multi-ply top, single-ply back
• Neck: Maple, three-bolt attachment with Micro-Tilt adjustment
• Neck profile: “C” shape
• Fingerboard: Maple with black dot inlays
• Frets: 22 (refretted with jumbo frets)
• Scale length: 25.5″ (648 mm)
• Nut width: 1.615″ (41 mm)
• Pickups: 2 Fender Wide Range humbuckers (CuNiFe magnets)
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch
• Bridge: Fender Adjusto-Matic style with stop tailpiece
• Hardware: Chrome
• Tuners: Fender-branded sealed tuners
• Finish: Olympic White (polyurethane)
• Weight: 3,800 g
• Case: Original hardshell, worn, replaced handle