My Review of Starshine 12 String

[spirittoo]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...AC_SL1200_.jpg

For those that are interested here is what I thought. First of all ... I'm not an expert on what is a good or bad guitar. I have several guitars acoustic and electric. I purchased an effect pedal and I was planning to buy an electric acoustic 12 string and by chance I found this one. I could not believe how great it looked. Shaped like a strat ... nothing like it among the high priced solid body 12 strings I could not afford. I never knew something like this even existed.

I am a low budget guitar buyer. My most expensive guitar was under $400. I never heard of the Starshine brand before, but I saw an expert do a review on one on youtube of their guitars and he gave a good review. As soon as I saw this guitar and the price I had to have one.

The little amp is okay if you don't have anything else to use. It does have a hum to it. I don't know much about amps though. The gig bag offers some protection, but not much. It doesn't matter to me because I keep my guitars on a stands.

The tuners were not the greatest and it was difficult to restring so I replaced them with locking tuners which makes it much easier to restring. Two sets of tuners from Amazon cost me about $60. They fit like a glove. I also replaced the strings with better quality ones. It stays in tune fairly well with the better strings after they settle. In order to restring it there are holes on the back to string the low strings and holes in the bridge to restring the high strings.

As far as pickups ... I can't tell a good one from a bad, they sound okay to me. I would guess someone that knows more about them might want to change them. The frets ends feel okay.

The action is good. However there is some slight twanging with the second B string when not hooked up to the amp. The volume and tone knobs seem okay to me along with the switch.

If you are the type that can do some modifications you can have a fantastic electric 12 string for less than the price of solid body 12 strings on the market even with the mods. Furthermore I didn't think any of the expensive ones that looked nearly as good as the ones Starshine offers.

To me the sound is good, but I don't have a refine ear like a musician. It is pretty heavy too. Feels like a well made guitar, but I don't know what kind of parts or wood they used. I don't know if it has a plastic nut or a bone one.

To sum it up I love this guitar ... even though the tuners weren't the greatest and I'm sure some of the other parts might not be the greatest quality ... but because it is well worth the price and the look is beautiful I will give it 5 stars. Perhaps some trained musicians may not like it, but for a novice like myself it is wonderful and if you are like me, you will love this guitar too.

Thanks for reading my post

[Steve DeRosa]

No problem - IME sometimes a bargain-basement beater just fills a niche or scratches an itch, and if you've got the time and inclination they can make great mod platforms (upgraded tuners - which you've already done - pickups, hardware, etc.)...

Use it well, often, and jangly...

[Chickee]

I have to ask you a couple of things, if you don’t mind of course.

Does the guitar finish look anything close to how cool the finish looks in its ad picture? Just my own curiosity.

Does the bridge have tiny Allen screws to adjust the string height? If yes, Did it come with an Allen key?

Did it come with a truss rod key? the adjustment hole is under the string guide on the headstock.

The fact you changed the tuners and restrung a 12 string says you are relatively handy. If you look down the length of the neck from the headstock is it straight, bent forward to the front of the guitar, or backward to the back?

How far away are the strings from the pickups? A lot? A little?

If you run your palm along the edge of the fretboard are the fret ends sharp or smooth? Does the fretboard look dry, like it could use a good long drink?

All of these things were areas I had to address on my 2001 Danelectro 12 string bought new way back when. It took that little guitar from a zero to a hero. However this guitar was delivered to you, I guarantee with a few well placed tweaks it will come alive more than what you realize the potential is right now.

[TJN]

Enjoy and remember that electric guitars are meant to be played loud; at least some of the time.

[spirittoo]

Originally Posted by Chickee

I have to ask you a couple of things, if you don’t mind of course.

Does the guitar finish look anything close to how cool the finish looks in its ad picture? Just my own curiosity.

The finish is just as awesome as in the picture.

Originally Posted by Chickee

Does the bridge have tiny Allen screws to adjust the string height? If yes, Did it come with an Allen key?

Yes the bridge does have the tiny allen screws and it does come with a little allen wrench.

Originally Posted by Chickee

Did it come with a truss rod key? the adjustment hole is under the string guide on the headstock.

Yes it does have a wrench to adjust the truss rod.

Originally Posted by Chickee

The fact you changed the tuners and restrung a 12 string says you are relatively handy. If you look down the length of the neck from the headstock is it straight, bent forward to the front of the guitar, or backward to the back?

I looked and as far I as I can tell it looks straight to me. Looking down from the headstock with guitar flat and on the side ... I don't know if I am doing it right but that is what I see.

Originally Posted by Chickee

How far away are the strings from the pickups? A lot? A little?

It's hard to tell about a 1/16" maybe ... it's hard to read. Like the first line of a tape measure.

Originally Posted by Chickee

If you run your palm along the edge of the fretboard are the fret ends sharp or smooth? Does the fretboard look dry, like it could use a good long drink?

The fret ends are smooth ... not too sharp at all. They could probably be rounded off some, but they aren't that bad.

Originally Posted by Chickee

All of these things were areas I had to address on my 2001 Danelectro 12 string bought new way back when. It took that little guitar from a zero to a hero. However this guitar was delivered to you, I guarantee with a few well placed tweaks it will come alive more than what you realize the potential is right now.

I agree. Anyone that has the know how can make this guitar a real hero, depending on what they want to upgrade and the cost it could still be less than the expensive solid body electric 12 string.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[Chickee]

As far as that “twangy” B string, loosen the string just enough to lift it out of the saddle. Run your fingernail thru the slot a few times to see if you feel something rough against your nail. If you do, there is a metal burr catching the string and making it not play clean. If you have a glasses screw driver(really tiny) gently run it through the saddle a few times to remove the burr. I’m guessing you wouldn’t have files small enough to clean the slot. Good luck.
fd