The Starlighter is the result of thirty years of messing with Jazzmasters. Instead of heavily modifying existing guitars to fit my goofy electronics, I've made my own. To keep costs down, these feature imported bodies and necks with select hardware to get the most guitar for the money. They feature Gotoh tuners, Tusq nuts, Kaish tremolos, 9.5" radius saddles, alpha pots and switchcraft jacks. Pretty cool so far, eh?
Well now let's get to the electronics! There are three versions of the Starlighter, Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III.
Starlighter Mark I - $1,075 w gig bag
Tri-clops three stage single coil pickups
series/parallel and phase switching
Rhythm circuit with extended treble range
Rhythm circuit pickup assignment switch
25.5" scale / 9.5" radius
Gotoh split post tuners
Tusq nut
Kaish tremolo
Here we've got an extension of the classic - my Tri-Clops pickups have three output levels, classic, throaty, and hot! The pickups each have a three position rocker switch to select output level. The rhythm circuit can be assigned to either pickup, and has an extended treble range so it's less a rhythm circuit than an alternate circuit. Of course, I had to throw in series/parallel and phase switching too, because, why not?
The Mark I is the Starlighter most similar to a trad Jazzy - essentially the same layout with a few extras thrown in. If you're interested in expanding your sonic palette but still looking to paint like a classic, the Mark I is for you. Sort of how Van Gogh might put together a still life with Jazzy. Of course, he cut is ear off, so maybe not the best analogy. Not that comparing sonic range to oil painting makes a shred of sense, but work with me, I'm trying to sound sophisticated.
Starlighter Mark II - $1,275 w gig bag
Off Kiltertron multi-voice pickups
Master or independent voice rotaries
Volume sliders for each pickup
Treble and bass tone controls
series/parallel and phase switching
25.5" scale / 9.5" radius
Gotoh split post tuners
Tusq nut
Kaish tremolo
Kill switch
The Mark II takes the kooky up a level with my multi-voice Off Kiltertron pickups. The pickups work with a six position rotary switch to give you three unique single coil and three unique humbucking voices. Essentially it's a split, tapped humbucker with assymetric bobbins, and each coil section voiced to maximize the tonal range available - the voices are simply combinations of the three coil sections in the pickup. They've got names, of course - Jangle, Twangle, Wrangle, Tangle, Mangle, and CRUSH!! Theoretically that makes the voices easier to remember. At least that's what I tell myself.
To further expand the sonic palette, each pickup has it's own volume slider, plus treble and bass tone controls, and because that isn't enough, there's series/parallel and phase switching too. It also features a toggle switch by the output jack that can be used as either a standby or a kill switch. Why? Why NOT!!!
Starlighter Mark III - $1,475 w gig bag
Off Kiltertron multi-voice pickups
Bar-Belle single coil pickup
Master voice rotary
Five way pickup selector switch
Neck on/off rocker
Passive piezo bridge with independent volume and tone controls
25.5" scale / 9.5" radius
Gotoh split post tuners
Tusq nut
Kaish tremolo
Series/parallel and phase switching
Treble and bass tone controls
The Mark III answers the question - how snazzy can I make a jazzy? The guitar features four pickups - two Off Kiltertrons (neck and bridge), a Bar-Belle in the middle, and the bridge is a passive piezo pickup.
Passive Piezo?!?
The piezo pickup has it's own volume and tone controls on the upper control plate, and can be blended with the magnetic pickups or run independently on a stereo out. This means you can use the piezo to add "breath" to the magnetic pickups, or you can run it through an acoustic pre-amp and tap dance in a field of granola if you're so inclined.
Back to Magnetics
The piezo is all fine an well, but you get plenty of tone palette on the magnetic side, too. The two Off Kiltertrons share a single voice rotary, on the output plate along with the magnetic master volume. The three pickups are wired as a classic 5-way switch pattern, and there's a rocker switch to turn on the neck pickup - for those of you who love the neck + bridge pickups or all three at once. And of course the usual series/parallel and phase switching. Cool, eh???
