Anyone Own An S2 Starla?

I don't know if it matters to you or not, but the other big difference between the S2 Starla and the core Starla is the scale length... the Starla is 24.5" scale while the S2 is a 25" scale...

For my part, I own a Starla core and it's one of my most played guitars; I love the thing. I did have an S2 Vela for about a year, but let it go a few months back... I didn't like the bridge pickup as much in the Vela as in the Starla, and I would grab my Starla or Tele rather than the Vela pretty much every time...
 
I own this one, I was just playing it

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The biggest differences between this and the core so far as I can see are the scale length, and the top carve. I think the 25" works well and under your arm the bevelled top feels just fine. I wouldn't let the pickups be a deciding factor over the scale length and neck feel tbh...

This is my favourite guitar. I have spent more on others, I also have a PRS CE22 but this is the one I consider my 'best'. The neck is lovely, it feels like it was carved just for my hand. The bigsby works fine, no tuning issues whatsoever even with standard saddles which I thought I would have to replace. The finish feels nice and never sticky. The board is really dense feeling, very nice piece of timber. Guitar sustains well and is very snappy and loud unplugged.

The pickups are fine. I haven't played the core ones so can't compare, but I think these just get a bad wrap because of where they are made, they stand up well on their own. They're articulate and Gretschy, definitely a lot of character and I found I rather like them which is why I still have them - like the saddles, I was prepared to flip them. They're not hot pickups by any means, but they're punchy - the coil taps sound alright too with some dirt.

These pickups are very sensitive to height and pole piece adjustment, so keep that in mind. They sound great through a very middy loud amp. And I beg to differ about them not being metal - this sounds wicked in C with gain. The first time I saw a Starla it was in the hands of Brent Hinds from Mastodon
 
Precisely what I had been looking for... it’s funny, there were at least three of those for sale for like, 6-7 months when I wasn’t looking for one, all for less than a grand. I mean, that’s the way that stuff goes sometimes, right?
I almost bought that very one. I stared at it incessantly for days on end and I finally had to stop.
 
I had a Starla core for quite a while. Sold because of Bigsby and 22 fret (I really like 24 fret guitars). Starla core I thought had great sound and cut through the mix. Not a heavy metal guitar. It has a vintage vibe somewhat like a Gretsch. Never hplayed an S2 but heard the bodies of S2 are thinner. My core had excellent sustain, I wonder if that had anything to do with Bigsby. I have a pair Core Starla pickups you can try out in a different guitar if you like, check them out for a while. Someday I might sell them but I try them out once in a while when I want that vintage Gretsch vibe. Let me know I'll send them out to you. Not sure what new Starla pups are.

Would you happen to still have the Core Starla pickups? I have been on a search for some and would be interested in buying them if you could part with them.
 
My problem with the Starla was the Bigbsy just a pain in the As%% tried everything to like it now if it had a wrap or two piece bridge :)
 
Interesting! Did you do both parts? What change do notice?

yes, I did the string through bar and the roller bar. It was incredibly easier to string and keep in tune. I’m not sure if the roller bar really did anything but it kept the strings aligned much easier.
 
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