Posted 13 years ago
Guitarded
(4 items)
The Starforce company was started in 1988. These medium quality solid body guitars feature designs based on the original Stratocaster, as well as the superstrat, and were produced in Korea for Tropical Music of Miami. Early production models were the 6000 series and did not include the USA sub text. Its unknown when or why USA was included.
The "USA" models produced were; the 8000, 8001, 8002, 8003, 8004, 8005, 8006, 8007, 8008 and 8009. There was also a series of bass models.
Body materials varied. (Except for the 8009 which is an accoustic/electric strat shaped hollow.) Some laminated, some solid and all had maple necks w/rosewood fret boards. Most were bolt-on and few were set and sported a variety of slick headstock designs.
Pickup configurations ran the gamut from s/s/s to h/s/h and were marked SKORCHERZ.
Hardware was either Floyd Rose type bridge/trems or Wilkenson type bridge/trem and Tuners. Ping Tuners appeared on most upper end models. Branding on the headstock ranged from block to script style fonts thruout the production years.
The 8000 was the entry level (basic strat config), 8009 the top of the line (stratacoustic).
This 1989 model (8005MBK) is rarely seen in the market and may have had a low number of production. The “Tele” style body is hefty and has a cream binding top and back as well as along the neck. The finish is a black metallic.
As with all Starforce guitars, it has the “Skorcherz” pickups that just scream, Wilkinson type tremelo bridge and Ping machines. Inlaid “planetary” fret markers were a signature of these guitars, some with Stars or Saturn (as on these models).
Also shown are models 8007WGRA (White Graffitti) 8007CKBL (Blue Crackle) and 8008BGRA (Black Graffitti).
Tropical Music of Miami is now Tropical Music Export Enterprises, Inc.
(www.tropicalmusic.com) and still located in Miami. Although the headstock reads Starforce USA, the company only served Central America, South America, the Caribbean, & the B.V.I. so these guitars were never directly sold in the U.S.
I have a Starforce Guitar which i bought new for £100 about 23years ago 1988/1989. It was originally a strat copy, all black with a 24fret maple neck and fret board. The headstock was black with Starforce USA in script writing.The body is laminated construction. The neck i had to replace as the truss-rod broke, so currently has a samick 24fret neck.The machine heads were replaced too, as the old ones became loose and now i plan to overhaul the guitar for sentimental reasons.The paint has flaked off in chunks on the back and the oiginal pickups went quite and buzzy,but now have 'hotrails'.I would like to know what model it is, but also i would like to ask if anyone could email me a large photo of the headstock logo in script, with the USA logo so that i can get it reproduced to go on the current headstock once ive repainted it all
Hi Robyn.
Id be glad to shoot the headstock for you
Shoot me your email and Ill get it back to ya.
Good Luck on your project!
I have a 6001 (you can see It in facebook Starforce guitars)
I heve a starforce 6000 ???? flying V great axe cant find anotheronr anywhewre ? mystery still their for me
I have a Starforce 8006 red quilted mapletop set neck that is the best playing guitar i've ever played. I set everything up, and kept all original parts, but modified them to perform better. How rare is this guitar? How much is it worth? I just want to know if it's too rare to scallop the neck. Thanks.
Looking at these pics of guitars, my headstock logo is in rounded block letters, and is completely different from all these. Also, my down headstock is close to the telecaster pic. It's shaped like a Kramer.