jjulch Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I found a Gibson Star Acoustic in a local pawn shop for $1,000. Seems like a lot for a guitar no one really talks about. I found a similiar one for $800 on Ebay. For those who are interested, its like a J-185 in Ebony with a Star inlay on the headstock and all the fret markers are stars. Its very interesting. If anyone has watched August Rush, you'll notice the father in the movie carried one strapped to his back walking through New York. Does anyone own one of these and would you pay a grand for it???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I found a Gibson Star ... Does anyone own one of these and would you pay a grand for it???? The Gibson Star was, arguably, the best acoustic-electric guitar of its day, and definitely looked sharp on stage. Unfortunately, its day was a long time ago. Unplugged (which wasn't really the intended use), it sounds pretty terrible. Plugged-in, it sounds like an early-90s acoustic-electric -- i.e., pretty terrible if you want something approximating a natural acoustic tone. If I didn't already have a nice acoustic-electric, I might take a Star as a free gift. -- Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaPic Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Jorma Kaukonen uses of one of them on his 'Acoustic Guitar of Jorma Kaukonen - DVD 3'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Jorma Kaukonen uses of one of them on his 'Acoustic Guitar of Jorma Kaukonen - DVD 3'... Ya but Jorma could make a wet rag sound good:-" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 I didn't bother picking the guitar up and strumming it. Its funny because the one I found on Ebay only has dot inlays and has a cutaway. This pawn shop has the star inlays on the neck and its a full body, no cutaway.... Were there different verisions of this guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Jorma Kaukonen uses of one of them on his 'Acoustic Guitar of Jorma Kaukonen - DVD 3'... He used a Starburst -- a slightly later, blingier version of the Star -- for a few years as his main stage "acoustic guitar". He said this about the SST, which he also used as a stage guitar, but it pretty much applies to the Star too: it doesn't really sound like an acoustic guitar, but it can play the same role. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 I didn't realize it would sound bad. I assumed Gibson guitars all sound good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I didn't bother picking the guitar up and strumming it. Its funny because the one I found on Ebay only has dot inlays and has a cutaway. This pawn shop has the star inlays on the neck and its a full body' date=' no cutaway.... Were there different verisions of this guitar?[/quote'] There were six versions: the Star ('91-'92), the Starburst ('91-'92, '94, '98, '01), the Starburst Elite ('92-'94), the Starburst Flame ('93). the Starburst Standard ('93-93), and the Starburst Studio ('92-'94, '96). Ihe one with the single stars up the neck has stars that get bigger as you approach the nut -- kind of like an Everly Bros -- it would be a Star (although I didn't realize these could be had w/o a cutaway); if they stay the same (small) size, then there should be three stars on the headstock and three on the bridge, and its a Starburst Studio (again, I didn't realize these could be had w/o a cutaway). If the one on eBay really had dots on the neck, it's not a Star or Starburst -- probably an EAS Standard, especially if the cutaway is Venetian (rounded) rather than Florentine (pointed) -- but the stars on a Starburst Studio might easily be mistaken for dots in a less-than-great photo. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I didn't realize it would sound bad. I assumed Gibson guitars all sound good... Star(burst)s are kind of like J-160Es: they're optimized for playing plugged in' date=' not acoustically. In particular, they were designed not to feed-back even when the volume was cranked up. They're not really meant for use as an acoustic guitar. At the time, they sounded as good as any acoustic-electric you could buy, and 'way better than most, when plugged in. However, acoustic pickup technology has improved [i']enormously[/i] since the early '90s. The J-185EC is just a far superior guitar, both when played acoustically and when plugged in. The only two reasons to be interested in a Star, IMHO, are: (1) you're aiming for early-'90s-Jorma (or Michael Falzarano, or some other Star-player) tone, just as the only reason to be interested in a J-160E is if you want to sound like John Lennon (or George Harrison, or some other J-160E-player); (2) you love the looks. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Thankfully I never got swept up in that whole early 90s EA fad. The one good thing it did was that it may have steered some pointy headstock tremolo thrashing spandex dudes over to the acoustic side. I'm sure most of them kicked and screamed the whole way, not wanting to give up their Marshalls, thinking an acoustic was something you played at the beach to woo some underage drunk chick. Playing an acoustic would immediately lower their testosterone level but the effect was decreased in direct proportion to how many EQ slides were contained in the little black box on the side of the (thin cutaway) body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 I knew there might be a reason why that guitar would still be for sale. Personally, I do not like star inlays, but I also didn't think I could go wrong with a Gibson. I'm not a fan of who the guitar was originally designed for (actually, I barely heard of the artist as it is). But I'll take the advice about not buying a guitar that has poor acousitical properties.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsl Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Here's some pictures I found: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 Nope, I haven't seen one that looks like that. LOL. The stars were all single star inlays. Guitar was black and there was no cutaway. Very bland, but clownish features....thanks for the pics though! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Like this? If so, it's a J-180. Whole different breed of cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 That is exactly what that guitar looked like. Nice find... so what's everyone's thoughts now??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsl Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I would of bought it in a heart beat... if it played well. What time does the shop open? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Jorma Kaukonen uses of one of them on his 'Acoustic Guitar of Jorma Kaukonen - DVD 3'... Himself: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185-4Me Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 eBay Starburst Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185-4Me Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 eBay Star Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjulch Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 I'll keep my eye on how much it sells for. Maybe I'll know its value then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsl Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I'm not sure the ebay one is the same. It's a cutaway w/ no double pickguards & it's a dreadnought instead of a "thin J-185 Body". The one at the shop appears to be a Gibson J-180 - an Everly Bros. reissue from the mid 80's. Although, I could be wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadz Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 I used to have a Starburst Flame. The guitar was really easy to play and sounded great plugged in, but not so great acoustically. I paid $1200 for it new back in 1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_Marietti Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Hi , it's really hard to find pictures of Gibson Starburst Sunburst 1992 It's an Electro acoustic guitar with Fishman Transducer. So I send some of mine that I've bought in October 1992 By Manny's NYC for 1000 $ Gibson Starburst Acoustic Electric Guitar. Made In Bozeman Montana, Solid Maple Back, Sides, Top, And Neck, With Rosewood Strips. Rosewood Fretboard With Star Inlays. Gibson deluxe machine heads gold Fishman Transducers Keep on playing !! You can also hear it on : www.myspace.com/raymarietti please don't shoot at the ( bad ) guitar player :D [ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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