29 Offset Guitars With Humbuckers – When Style & Tone Meet

Offest guitars can be incredibly comfortable to play instruments…like out of this world comfortable! And with versatile humbuckers, oh man, just awesome.

The truth is, while I love offset guitars with humbuckers, I prefer my Mustangs and etc. coming with gnarly P90s (if you love that kind of stuff too, check this article about offset guitars with P90s). But as I said, humbuckers fit an offset guitar really well too. That’s why I was happy to put together this article that gathers the cream of the crop offset guitars with humbuckers together. I also reveal my 3 favorites…and if you have any questions, check the FAQ section of this article or leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

“People’s heads will turn to look again when you play this guitar” is usually part of marketing jargon, but not with this Guild. It’s versatile, it really doesn’t look like any other guitar, but somehow I really dig it. If you see it in a music store, try it out. There’s a high chance that you are going to like.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $149-399

$$= $400-799

$$$= $800-1199

$$$$= $1200-1799

$$$$$= $1800

Model	Pickup	Body Style	Price Range	Check Current Price (affiliate links)
Squier Bullet Mustang HH – Cheapest	2 x Standard humbuckers	Mustang	$	Sweetwater* – Thomann*
Harley Benton MR-Modern	2 x Artec AHC-90 Soapbar Alnico-5 humbuckers	Strat-style	$	Thomann
Squier Paranormal Super-Sonic	2 x Atomic humbuckers	Paranormal Super-Sonic	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Squier Paranormal Toronado – Best Budget	2 x Atomic humbuckers	Paranormal Toronado	$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Squier Contemporary Active Jazzmaster HH – Cheapest Offset Guitar With Active Pickups	2 x Squier Ceramic Active humbuckers	Jazzmaster	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Squier Contemporary Jaguar HH	2 x Atomic humbuckers	Jaguar	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Epiphone Explorer – Excellent Value	ProBucker-2 (neck) & ProBucker-3 (bridge) humbuckers	Explorer	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Epiphone Firebird – Excellent Value	Probucker FB720 (neck)- & Probucker FB720 (bridge) humbuckers	Firebird	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
EVH Wolfgang WG Standard Exotic	2 x Direct Mount Wolfgang Humbucker	Wolfgang Standard	$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Sterling By Music Man St. Vincent	3 x Music Man-designed mini-humbuckers	St. Vincent	$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
Fender Player Jazzmaster – Excellent Value	2 x New Player AlNiCo II humbuckers	Jazzmaster	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Guild S-200 T-Bird – Unique Guitar	2 x LB-1 humbuckers	T-Bird	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Framus D-Series Idolmaker	Seymour Duncan SH-1n (neck) and SH-4b (bridge) humbuckers	Idolmaker	$$$	Thomann
Ibanez Paul Stanley 120	Seymour Duncan ’59 and Custom 5 humbuckers	Paul Stanley Signature	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Sterling by Music Man Petrucci Majesty 6 ICR	2 Sterling by Music Man designed humbuckers	Majesty	$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
Fender Player Plus Meteora – Best Overall	2 x Fireball humbuckers	Meteora	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Evh Wolfgang Special Stealth	2 x EVH Wolfgang humbuckers	Wolfgang Special	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Schecter Ultra-III	3 x Schecter Diamond Alnico Plus Gold Foil Humbuckers	Ultra-III	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD Phoenix	Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic & Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico humbuckers	Phoenix	$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Fender Vintera ’60s Jaguar Modified HH	2 x Atomic humbuckers	Jaguar	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
BC Rich Mockingbird Legacy ST	DiMarzio D Activator Neck & DiMarzio D Activator Bridge humbuckers	Mockingbird	$$$$	Guitar Center – Thomann
Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar	DiMarzio PAF DP-103 36th Anniversary Humbucker & DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion Humbucker	Jaguar	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
ESP LTD Sparrowhawk	2 x Seymour Duncan Distortion Gold Cover humbuckers	Sparrowhawk	$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster – Best Premium	EMG 81 and EMG 60 Active humbuckers	Jazzmaster	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gibson Explorer	Burstbucker 3 and Burstbucker 2 humbuckers	Explorer	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Framus Pro-Series Idolmaker – Stunning Axe	Seymour Duncan SH-1n & SH-4 humbuckers	Idolmaker	$$$$$	Thomann
Gretsch Billy Bo Jupiter	2 x TV Jones Power’Tron Plus humbuckers	Billy Bo Jupiter	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Music Man Mariposa Galaxy Pearl	2 x Custom Wound Music Man humbuckers	Mariposa Galaxy	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann
Gibson 1965 Firebird V Non-Reversed	2 x Firebird AlNiCo V humbuckers	Firebird Non-Reversed	$$$$$	Sweetwater – Thomann

3 Best Offset Guitars With P90s – My Favorites

Why I don’t like Synthetic Bone as a nut material? Based on my experiences it wears off really easily. It’s not completetly terrible and wont’ stop me buying a guitar that I otherwise like, but Synthetic Bone is still my least favorite nut material.

Best Budget – Squier Paranormal Toronado

What I like

• Comfortable C neck shape paired with a shorter scale length (24.75″) make this Toronado really easy to play
• Atomic humbuckers offer really good classic-rock sound
• Surprisingly versatile
• Stable tuning
• Humbuckers handle clean tones really well
• Stunning classy looks
• Easy to handle offset shape

What I don’t like

• The synthetic bone nut is not the best nut material, but for this price it’s OK
• Sometimes lemons slip through the quality check

Who is it for?

If you are after an easy to handle offset guitar that offers versatility, but shines with classic rock tones, the Squier Paranormal Toronado is a solid choice. It offers high value, good quality hardware (except synthetic bone nut), and for sure is fun to play.

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Best Overall – Fender Player Plus Meteora

What I like

• The repertoire of different tones available is stunning (has a coil-split)
• Locking tuners hold the pitch
• Modern C neck paired with 12″ radius and Medium Jumbo frets offers really comfortable feel
• Sounds excellent with everything…cleans, crunch, and distortion
• Pickups have a little gnarly P90 vibe (I love this)
• Usually comes with a gig bag
• Looks awesome

What I don’t like

• Fender should ditch the Synthetic Bone nut from every guitar costing over $500

Who is it for?

If you are after a really cool-looking offset guitar that offers hot tones, stays in tune like a beast thanks to locking tuners, and is a ton of fun to play, Fender Player Plus Meteora is one of the best options. It’s a sure head-turner when it comes to looks and sound, it’s versatile(equipped with a coil-split), and it usually comes with a gig bag. The synthetic bone nut is my least-favorite nut material but if you replace it with TUSQ, NuBone, or real bone nut, this Meteora gets even better!

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Best Premium – Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster

What I like

• 12″-16″ compound radius makes riffing near the nut and shredding near the body smooth
• EMG 60 & EMG 81 pickups ensure mean tones
• Comfortable & easy to play
• Locking tuners, stays in tune like a beast
• Great all-around quality
• Usually comes with a hardshell case
• Premium feel

What I don’t like

• Synthetic Bone in a $2k guitar? I would replace that ASAP.
• Expensive
• Same pickups can be found in a lot cheaper guitars

Who is it for?

This Fender has a premium feel to it. Its pickups do sound hot and heavy. It has a really smooth playability with a modern C neck and a compound radius. It’s a premium instrument for sure. But… it has a synthetic bone nut. I even prefer a plastic one over those. This doesn’t ruin the guitar, and it still sounds and feels good. But I would change that nut ASAP for a Bone or Tusq one. This improves the tone and sustain. Still, this guitar has that spark for me, it’s so smooth playing and mean sounding. That’s why it’s my best premium pick.

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FAQ

Asymmetrical= having two sides or halves that are not the same : not symmetrical

Symmetrical=having, involving, or exhibiting symmetry

Usually double-cut guitars, where the “horns” and cutaways have different sizes, are not enough to make the guitar an offset guitar.

But here’s something that can also help you to decide…The pros and cons of the playability of the offset guitars below!

Pros

• Most offset guitars have shorter scale length which reduces string tension and makes strings easier to press down.
• Offset shape just fits some players(you have to test to find out).
• Some offset guitars have a smaller body size that fits especially smaller players really well.

Cons

• Offest shapes can feel alien to people used to playing guitars with more symmetrical bodies.
• Short scale length and reduced string tension don’t fit everyone(again, you have to test to find out).

Is A Stratocaster An Offset Guitar?

Even though Stratocasters have different-sized “horns” and cutaways, the body is otherwise really symmetrical from the waist to the bottom of the body. This is why Stratocaster is not considered to be an offset guitar.

Is The Gibson Explorer An Offset Guitar?

Gibson Explorer has an asymmetrical body shape from the top to the bottom. That’s why it’s considered to be an offset guitar.

Is The Gibson Firebird An Offset Guitar?

As the photo above reveals, Gibson Firebird has an asymmetrical body shape from the top to the bottom. So the Firebird is an offset guitar.

Typical Offset and Non-Offset Guitar Shapes

Offset

• Explorer
• Firebird
• Jazzmaster
• Jagstang
• Mustang
• Jaguar

Non-Offset

• Stratocaster
• Les-Paul
• Telecaster
• SG
• Flying V
• ES-330

Conclusion

Wow! What spectacular guitars we had here! Especially that Fender Player Plus Meteora…instant crush. And that Guild T-Bird for sure is impossible to forget too… Let me know in the comments what guitar made the strongest impression on you.

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!