When is a guitar an "Offset"-guitar ?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Sounds like a stupid question, asked by a 3year-old . . .


. . . but i have a book about guitars (big book  ) and in it they said that so and so guitars are offset, but they do not look like offset's to me !


Can anyone shed some light on this matter ?

Thanx

[zhivago]

click here...

index.php?topic=1556.0

[Naturality]

Yhere has been a number of threads about this, try searching before you post in future. The offset waist guitar type is explained here: index.php?topic=1556.0

[djetz]

As far as I can tell, an offset seems to be whatever people here think an offset is.

For a reason I do not understand, the Mustang is considered an offset. The usage seems to be "any Fender guitar that isn't a strat or tele."

Personally, I think a Gibson Firebird, and especially the "non-reverse" Firebirds, are offsets. And an arguement could be made for the Gibby Explorer and possibly even the Ibanez Iceman... the Ibanez Talman is an offset in my opinion...

[zhivago]

As far as I can tell, an offset seems to be whatever people here think an offset is.

For a reason I do not understand, the Mustang is considered an offset. The usage seems to be "any Fender guitar that isn't a strat or tele."

I think the reason is what it says on the headstock decal.... 

[Naturality]

It's usually best to use paint to draw a line on the guitar like in the previous link

index.php?topic=1556.0

[dinosaur]

I thought that there was an actual Fender patent for the offset waist, with exact details.  Isn't it the exact opposite of some arbitrary decision?

[Naturality]

There is a patent, but I haven't seen it. It's somewhere on the web and the 'Continuously Curving' From the header of the page is from that patent

[djetz]

I think the reason is what it says on the headstock decal.... 

Holy crap, you're right. It's been quite a while since I've handled a Mustang.

Though I still think it's only slightly offset, in terms of waist angle. But it does have an offset waist, you're quite right. I was thinking of Duo-Sonics and Musicmasters etc, which (I'm almost certain) are not offset.

[Naturality]

The 50's Duos and Musicmasters weren't Offset, but were then changed with the release of the Mustang

[Soiouz]

The "Offset waist design" is definitely patented and is definitely not just "whatever people here think an offset is"...


...and as discussed here many times, the Mustang is as much an offset as JMs and Jags:

[fullerplast]

The patent courtesy of mjet260:

http://www.hadton.com/fdp/patents/Jaguar.pdf

There's alot of cool info in there! 

[theswingincreeper]

According to the description, the Jazz Bass is definitely offset too, although it hardly ever gets mentioned. I've read somewhere it was invented to complement the Jazzmaster but eventually became far more successful.

[StevenO]

Yep, a jazz bass is most certainly an offset.

[Maggieo]

According to the description, the Jazz Bass is definitely offset too, although it hardly ever gets mentioned. I've read somewhere it was invented to complement the Jazzmaster but eventually became far more successful.

And compliment the Jazzmaster it does!