What is a hipster ? Ask a hundred random people about this near-mythical modern day strawman and you ’ ll likely get a hundred different responses , but ask a guitarist and the answer will be much more specific , and likely include some mention of a Jazzmaster or other vintage offset Fender guitar . The roots of this association between the hipster and the Fender offset line run deep in guitar culture , all the way back to the beginning of punk rock and the alternative music revolution . These instruments , once considered pawn shop oddities , became ubiquitous among underground artists due to their wide availability , low cost , and poor reputation among collectors of the day . As the alternative has slowly seeped into and subsumed the mainstream , however , the offset guitar has become something more than an inexpensive , functional tool for the working musician ; it is now a symbol of a larger cultural movement with all the extraneous connotations that come along with that .
Because of all the cultural and identity-oriented baggage that is now associated with Jazzmasters , Jaguars and the like , they tend to be very polarizing to many members of our community . Indie and punk dudes love them , metal dudes and classic rock geezers think they ’ re garbage . This is the dominant paradigm many of us are familiar with , anyway . The truth is much more complicated , of course , but either way , an offset Fender guitar tends to provoke strong responses one way or the other in guitar people . Do a Google search for offset guitars and the ranting and frothy-mouthed forum fights will come fast and furious , each more preposterous than the next . Fender offsets are quite clearly at peak popularity , far outstripping their original sales , which is part of the reason for these strong responses and the comically over-the-top backlash against them .
Offset Fenders get all the simultaneous love and hate these days , but what about the far more numerous non-Fender offsets ? Many non-Fender offsets still ooze a hipster vibe that tends to get them lumped in with the Jazz and Jag gang , but unbeknownst to many , there exists a whole world of offset guitars that have no relation or resemblance to Fender ’ s higher profile products . In the strictest sense of the word , the “ offset ” descriptor denotes only a certain asymmetry of body shape , nothing else , and Fender certainly doesn ’ t own it ( at least not yet , but I have no doubt that the lawyers are working on it ). In fact , there are plenty of offsets that are stone cold rockers , with unique body shapes and aggressive sonic characteristics that evoke the strutting , ballsout , rock-n-roll swagger that would make the typical eye-rolling indie strummer ’ s head explode ( at least in the imagination of the typical online ranter ). In the interest of shining a light on these overlooked , asymmetrical beauties , I present to you a grip of my favorite anti-hipster offsets , both vintage and modern .
What is a hipster ? Ask a hundred random people about this near-mythical modern day strawman and you ’ ll likely get a hundred different responses , but ask a guitarist and the answer will be much more specific , and likely include some mention of a Jazzmaster or other vintage offset Fender guitar . The roots of this association between the hipster and the Fender offset line run deep in guitar culture , all the way back to the beginning of punk rock and the alternative music revolution . These instruments , once considered pawn shop oddities , became ubiquitous among underground artists due to their wide availability , low cost , and poor reputation among collectors of the day . As the alternative has slowly seeped into and subsumed the mainstream , however , the offset guitar has become something more than an inexpensive , functional tool for the working musician ; it is now a symbol of a larger cultural movement with all the extraneous connotations that come along with that .
Because of all the cultural and identity-oriented baggage that is now associated with Jazzmasters , Jaguars and the like , they tend to be very polarizing to many members of our community . Indie and punk dudes love them , metal dudes and classic rock geezers think they ’ re garbage . This is the dominant paradigm many of us are familiar with , anyway . The truth is much more complicated , of course , but either way , an offset Fender guitar tends to provoke strong responses one way or the other in guitar people . Do a Google search for offset guitars and the ranting and frothy-mouthed forum fights will come fast and furious , each more preposterous than the next . Fender offsets are quite clearly at peak popularity , far outstripping their original sales , which is part of the reason for these strong responses and the comically over-the-top backlash against them .
Offset Fenders get all the simultaneous love and hate these days , but what about the far more numerous non-Fender offsets ? Many non-Fender offsets still ooze a hipster vibe that tends to get them lumped in with the Jazz and Jag gang , but unbeknownst to many , there exists a whole world of offset guitars that have no relation or resemblance to Fender ’ s higher profile products . In the strictest sense of the word , the “ offset ” descriptor denotes only a certain asymmetry of body shape , nothing else , and Fender certainly doesn ’ t own it ( at least not yet , but I have no doubt that the lawyers are working on it ). In fact , there are plenty of offsets that are stone cold rockers , with unique body shapes and aggressive sonic characteristics that evoke the strutting , ballsout , rock-n-roll swagger that would make the typical eye-rolling indie strummer ’ s head explode ( at least in the imagination of the typical online ranter ). In the interest of shining a light on these overlooked , asymmetrical beauties , I present to you a grip of my favorite anti-hipster offsets , both vintage and modern .