90's Starfield Guitars

Behind the scenes

1992Starfield.pdf (hoshinogakki.co.jp)

The Starfield name holds a legacy on a variety of instruments produced by Hoshino Gakki in Japan spanning the 1970s to the 1990s. For our focus, we'll delve into the Starfield America line specifically crafted during the 1990s.

Not to be confused with the Starfield Drexel released around the same time but not in the U.S. market, this model was a knockoff of an Ovation, manufactured in a Korean sub-factory. Hoshino had an office at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Seoul, Korea, where a few of us attended a meeting where the Drexel was introduced. Aware of copyright issues with Kaman, we knew it couldn't be marketed in the U.S. The Japanese struggled with the pronunciation, often sounding like "DRUGSALE." I jokingly warned my colleagues not to say that at the airport if we were together.

During the meeting, they unveiled the sample, and when Bill Cummisky picked it up, it slid off his leg and fell to the floor. Reacting swiftly, he suggested a change, but Ken Hoshino remarked, "Too late, the mold is done." Bill looked up and quipped, "Typical FN Hoshino."

In the early '90s, Joe "Jumpei" Hoshino, the president of Hoshino Gakki, had a penchant for doing things differently. He was responsible for changing the SR bass logo to SR with Ibanez in smaller font, aiming to establish Ibanez as a distinct personality. Additionally, he introduced the Ibanez GIO low-end brand to avoid confusion with standard Ibanez models, like the relationship between Squier and Fender.

The name GIO was derived from pronouncing Joe's name and his admiration for Giorgio Armani. Despite attempts to dissuade him during a meeting in Japan, the decision was set.

While I was in Bensalem, we opened the LA office and a custom shop in North Hollywood. Joe, always brimming with ideas, conceptualized the Starfield brand. The name "Starfield" translates to Hoshino, explaining why both Ibanez and Tama models often incorporate the star motif.

Joe aimed to tap into the Fender-style market, considering Ibanez as more geared towards the metal scene. Ibanez was known as the pointy headstock company with Floyd Rose tremolos and DiMarzio pickups, and Joe believed that blues and rock players wouldn't favor pointy-head guitars.

He enlisted the help of the LA custom shop team—Chris Kelly, Mace Bailey, and Mike Lipe—to develop models, find endorsers, and launch the Starfield line. They used Fender's foundational elements in their designs, incorporating Alder or Ash bodies, Wilkinson tremolos, and Duncan pickups—pushing the design as far away from the typical pointy style as possible.

Chris Kelly, with his extensive contacts in the South, particularly from his time at Robbin Guitars, played a crucial role. The models were manufactured at Fuji-Gen and assembled at H&S in Hollywood, with some models produced in the US. The 1992 catalog featured the Altair, a double cutaway, and the Cabriolet, a single cutaway resembling a modern Telecaster, available in the Custom, Classic, and American Standard series.

Joe envisioned distributing the Starfield models through Hoshino USA and the Ibanez/Tama channels. However, Tom Tanaka, then president of Hoshino USA, opposed the idea, dismissing it as "Joe's Dream." Consequently, a separate dealer network was established, and individuals such as Dave Bruelinski and Kurt Schneck (whose brother, Bobby Schneck, played with Slash’s Snake Pit at the time) relocated from Hoshino Bensalem to Hollywood to spearhead the initiative.

For the 1992 NAMM show, a dedicated Starfield booth was planned, designed as a 1950s lounge. Chris, Mace, and I spent two days scouring movie studio prop warehouses for furniture and booth props. We discovered fascinating items like complete 1950s diner setups, jukeboxes, and vintage appliances.

However, the rise of the Grunge scene in 1992, marked by bands like Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine, caused a shift in the music industry. These bands rejected corporate products, preferring old, beat-up guitars. Coupled with the slowdown of Ibanez US production, H&S had to close, unable to turn a profit. Additionally, the separate distribution network for Starfield raised questions among dealers who wondered why they couldn't buy the same guitars from Hoshino USA along with Ibanez.

Starfield endorsers, Ritchie Kotzen jumped from Ibanez he wanted a more traditional guitar, he plays a Tele now, from his graphic models in the 80’s,  One of Maces favorites at the time 1000 maniacs Rob Beck, Donald Kinsey, WC Clark,

In Japan, Joe attempted a similar strategy, informing Ibanez dealers that they couldn't access Starfield unless they established a separate account. In response, Japanese dealers collectively decided to boycott Ibanez guitars throughout Japan. Realizing his mistake, Joe took a symbolic step by shaving his head, and the dealers resumed carrying Ibanez, marking the end of Starfield. Joe kept his shaved head for a while afterward, reminiscing about the good times in the '80s and '90s.