Warmoth Mooncaster

**helios** · 09-09-2014, 04:20 PM

Short Fender Starcaster History:
The Starcaster of the 70's was an ill fated attempt of Fender's to compete in the semi-hollow market dominated by Gibson. With QC of the era at a low point (CBS in control--not Leo Fender) and with the Starcaster sporting the notorious "three bolt neck", it wasn't long before Starcasters vanished form the marketplace like an unpleasant dream, as did the Wildwood series before it. It didn't help Fender's marketing situation that nobody famous elected to play one. Nevertheless, I personally felt Starcasters were cool in an off-beat sort of way (although I never had seen one until recently). I have harbored a lingering (and perhaps misguided) regret for never having acquired one. But perhaps patience may have served me!

Warmoth Mooncaster:
The Warmoth (Starcaster-styled) "Mooncaster" is with certainty an improvement over the original Fender design. I cannot speak of the reissue Starcaster, as I have not played one.
The Mooncaster has a four bolt neck, and it's CNC body machining is flawless, IMHO. Countless neck/body wood options are available. I decided to save a few $$, and finish the guitar myself. The guitar finishing idea was a leap into the unknown, as I have never done anything like this before.

Mooncaster Finishing Process:
A real woodworker will probably tell you to avoid using "Minwax Polyshades". This product has dye suspended in the polyurethane, eliminating the two-step process of having to stain, and then add a protective finish separately. This product worked so poorly, that I had to sand everything back to bare wood, and start all over again (sometimes a mistake can punish one very harshly).
Finish attempt Take Two: I first used a ebony dye (most of which was sanded off) to add contrast to the maple grain on the top, and then applied Minwax "Red Mahogany # 225 on three separate occasions (the maple top was NOT very stain permeable, unlike mahogany which soaked up stain). I then applied four coats of polyurethane, smoothing with 0000 grade steel wool between coats. I finished the surface with a pneumatic powered foam buffing disc, to which I applied Meguiar's "fine Scratch and Blemish Remover" (obtained from an auto parts store). The ivoroid binding was pretty much impossible for me to mask properly, so I had to scrape away the adhering stain/urethane with a razor. All of this was in good fun though, and I would do it again, bearing in mind that I must allow for the unexpected to occur. Although the end result didn't align completely with my initial vision, I am fairly pleased with the outcome (it's not perfection, but it's good enough for me).

Mooncaster Options I Selected:
This Mooncaster neck has a 24.75 scale, a compound radius (12-16"), 59' LP chunky "C" profile, dark Indian rosewood fretboard, mahagony shaft, and medium large "gold" appearing brass alloy frets (special fret wire from Germany). Note: the neck ended up costing more than the body (for every special neck option I selected, there was a loud cha-ching!). The pickups are a Lindy Fralin Humbucker pure PAF in the neck position, and a Duncan Seth Lover in the bridge position. I anticipated that the Mooncaster would probably be "bright" in nature, so I selected woods to counter the brightness as best I could (mahogany body/neck shaft, dard Indian rosewood FB). The maple top is only a veneer.

The Earvana Graphite Nut:
Each string slot on the 1/4" (cross-section width) nut is CNC compensated for intonation, somewhat akin to a compensated bridge. I never heard of this process before, and it differs from a Buzz Feiten approach.

Incidentally, for those interested parties, there are several completed Mooncaster bodies featuring diverse woods and finishes on the Warmoth website.
Included are a few photos of my completed Mooncaster, and an amateur video of me playing "Round Midnight" so you can get an idea of the sound.
Best wishes, Jeff

**loudneighbor** · 09-09-2014, 04:29 PM

Very nice! I used to own a Starcaster, regret selling it. Even though there's significant differences (stoptail vs string through; no master volume; 4 bolt vs three bolt {definitely a plus}) it's a pretty and good sounding guitar.

Congrats!

**Jim Soloway** · 09-09-2014, 04:53 PM

Congratulations. I've been lusting over these since about two days after they came out. Does it really sound like a hollow body?

**Frank67** · 09-09-2014, 05:09 PM

super nice! congratulations. Warmoth is a great choice. You did a great job on the finish and I really like the look of the guitar. Couldn't watch the video on the road but if it sounds as nice as it looks you scored big time. I have three Warmoth guitars and they all play superbly nice (love the 59 neck profile and the compound radius) and they sound great. Enjoy your NGD!

**robertm2000** · 09-09-2014, 06:23 PM

Great sounding and looking guitar! It sounds as clear as any great guitar I've heard in the past. I may be looking at a Starcaster type guitar in the future - the Fender Starcasters I've seen have been OK, but yours is at least an order of magnitude above them in its sound.

**helios** · 09-10-2014, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

Congratulations. I've been lusting over these since about two days after they came out. Does it really sound like a hollow body?

Hi Jim,
It was your original post about the Mooncaster that led me down this pathway, so you can share the credit & blame!
The video I posted is grainy, but the sound is pretty close to what you'd hear standing in the same room. I'm used to archtops, so the ergonomics are great (the gift I get for it's lacking in acoustic presence). Jeff

**Jim Soloway** · 09-10-2014, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by helios

Hi Jim,
It was your original post about the Mooncaster that led me down this pathway, so you can share the credit & blame!
The video I posted is grainy, but the sound is pretty close to what you'd hear standing in the same room. I'm used to archtops, so the ergonomics are great (the gift I get for it's lacking in acoustic presence). Jeff

I'm glad to know I'm still capable of inspiring a little bad behavior in others.

Where exactly are you in the PNW? I'd love a chance to play one of these for a minute or 10.

**helios** · 09-10-2014, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

I'm glad to know I'm still capable of inspiring a little bad behavior in others.

Where exactly are you in the PNW? I'd love a chance to play one of these for a minute or 10.

Jim,
Sometimes I think this whole forum is about steering others toward NGD and NAD acquisition behavior, but that's the kind of "bad" I can live with. I'm in Olympia, WA, and you'd be welcome to stop by and try out the Mooncaster.
I'm still in guitar set-up mode. My "B" string is a bit dull/buzzy sounding. The neck appears flawless, so I think my bridge/tailpiece break angle may be a little too severe. I have to make some more adjustments. Best wishes, Jeff

**bassface732** · 03-11-2019, 05:39 PM

Hi Helios!

I know this post is several years old now, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about the finish you used on this guitar! It's really beautiful- I'm currently looking at building my own Mooncaster on Warmoth, and I'm wondering if there is a finish option I can select that will come out looking like yours!

Thanks a bunch!

**helios** · 03-12-2019, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by bassface732

Hi Helios!

I know this post is several years old now, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about the finish you used on this guitar! It's really beautiful- I'm currently looking at building my own Mooncaster on Warmoth, and I'm wondering if there is a finish option I can select that will come out looking like yours!

Thanks a bunch!

Hi,
In my first post in this thread, read the paragraph: "Mooncaster Finishing Process".

**bassface732** · 03-12-2019, 02:38 PM

Thanks! I did see that originally but I guess for some reason I wasn't sure what kind of dye you wound up using after sanding it and starting over again, but looking back again now I saw you mentioned the ebony dye. So sorry for asking a question you had already answered!

One other thing... the video you had posted no longer seems to work. Is there anywhere else I could see it? I'd love to hear what your guitar sounds like!