Smitten by the Starcaster

G.E. Smith – Moonalice.jpg, originally uploaded by Thechadweb.

HK posted the following questions in the comments:

is that your guitar at the top of this page? what is it?

Yes, that is my guitar. It’s a Fender Starcaster.

Now, HK didn’t ask, but for the record, here’s a bit of backstory on my Starcaster. In 1997, I had some cash to burn and a jones for an electric guitar. One day, I was over at DeLaRuss’s apartment and got a chance to play his recently acquired Starcaster. I picked up the thing and was smitten.

Not long thereafter, I wandered in to Chelsea Guitars on 23rd Street in NYC. I asked them if they had a Starcaster in stock, and they did, although it wasn’t on display. As the guy went to the back of the shop to fetch the guitar, I heard someone say, “A Starcaster, huh? Do you play the blues?” I looked over – it was G.E. Smith (pictured above). That kind of sealed it for me.

Also for the record, I later learned that I paid way more than DelaRuss did for his Starcaster. Oh well. I stayed within my budget, even if I overpaid. A fair price is what a willing buyer pays a willing seller.