Offsetting September

Besides the Squier Paranormal Rascal bass, Fender Japan has two other offset models this September which we should know of. This 30" scale length Jaguar bass you see above is the signature model for Mike Kerr (Royal Blood). I don't know him, of course. I have a soft spot for offset basses, especially the scaled down ones but this being a signature offering, it's just visual fodder in the mean time. Expect a S2K + listing for this if it ever makes its way here.

I have no idea what the big deal is with this tune-o-matic / stop tail Jazzmaster, really. First time seeing an offset with dual humbuckers & a non-whammy bridge?

A similar take was done to the Jaguar; equally Japanese but back in 1995, nobody cared because Japanese Fenders were less accessible to the rest of the world (especially State-side) unless your dealer has a special arrangement to bring those in.

Fast forward 2011, Fender's Blacktop Series simplified the HH Jaguar in terms of the electronics & look at how close this was to the aforementioned Japanese HH Jazzmaster. 

At this point in time, it's interesting to see how the Japanese Fenders are being made available outside Japan & Fender has no issues with these being in competition with the American / Mexican counterparts. Prices for Fenders are going up so having a slightly more competitively priced alternative in the guise of the Japanese iteration, with on-par quality compared to the Americans, helps push sales. People are not buying some Fenders but they are buying other Fenders which are still Fenders so in the end, Fender still wins. Get it?

Pics: Fender Japan / Kurnia / G-list