Starfire XII

[astav]

Hey all. Just grabbed this 12er off of the 'bay a few weeks ago and thought I'd share with you all. It looked pretty beat in the listing, but the price was right, I needed a 12, and the seller offered a 2 week return period. So, what the hell, I thought. I'd give it a shot, and if I couldn't deal with the bumps and bruises I'd just send it back. It arrived in a beater case and was indeed pretty "seasoned" - a player for sure. My heart sank with all the nicks, scrapes, and dings, but the real demoralizer was the binding shrinkage in both horns - undisclosed of course :evil:. I thought about just packing it up again right then and there but decided to tune it up and plug it in since God only knows when I'd get another one in my hands.

All I can say is I'm glad I didn't. It may look rugged, but It came set up perfectly and sounds killer. The frets are in excellent shape, the neck is true, and the mini humbuckers have a sound all their own. Very unique. They add a little growl to the chime and jangle, and for what we're doing, it's a perfect fit. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to send it back. I'm hooked...again. Here's a couple of pics. The last one is a side by side with the guitar that gave me the fever in the first place. Enjoy!

 

[drc]

congrats on the new guitar. How do you like the neck width? I'd like to have one some day but have concerns about the neck not being wide enough for all them strings.

 

[walrus]

Nice guitars! Glad the 12er worked out for you...

walrus

 

[jmix]

Beautiful XII, even if the tailpiece isn't stock (unless I missed something :?: ) and the pg is missing (but the guitar is also gorgeous without it).

Harp tailpieces come out quite regularly on ebay, one can use a regular 6 slot version that was often mounted originally on XIIs (as on mine :wink, I've even seen a 12 slot version on sale on the bay a few months ago.

As far as the neck is concerned, I think the XII's one is really playable.
I've got rather small/average fingers and appreciate the neck very much.
My band's lead guitarist, that has rather big fingers (but use them far better than I use mine :lol: ), has also played the guitar and found it great.

Was the case provided with the guitar, astav?

 

[astav]

I like the neck width. It plays nicely, and doesn't feel too cramped. I'd put it somewhere in between the old Univox 12 I used to have and the few Rics I've played (but never owned). The Univox had a wide, very comfortable neck. Sounded great, well made too, but way neck heavy (I actually added weights to counter the brutal neck dive) and I never could make friends with it. The Rics I've played were all pretty narrow neckwise. The Starfire is the perfect middle ground for me.

It came perfectly set up, so I don't think I'll be making any changes for the time being. The tailpiece is not original, but it is a 12 string unit by design and functions fine, so I plan to just leave it as is. No pickguard and no original case. It did come with a pretty beat but solid and well fitting hard case though. Plays like a dream. Think I'll go plug it in...

 

[Zelja]

Plays like a dream. Think I'll go plug it in...

"Made To Be Played" - in the end, how she plays & sounds is the most important thing. Glad you dig her & congratulations on getting her.

 

[jmac]

beautiful guitar...I bet it sounds as good as it looks