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Aftermarket Report: 2025 Monoprice OS-20 Offset Electric
These are observations after seven months on the Monoprice guitar, which is basically an offset of a Jazzmaster type body with an HSS strat pickup configuration.
Ergonomics: My initial impression that it was a lighter Fender jazz master hasn’t changed. How you feel about that depends on how you feel about a basswood body but it’s an extremely comfortable guitar with the feel of a Fender but less weight. I think the old observations about basswood being a lesser material stems from the old days when people still thought that tone woods made a difference with electrics and it was considered to have mediocre resonance. It was often used with economy, guitars with economy electronics, so a lot of the judgments about sound quality fell on the wood instead of the pickups.
Pickups: My impression of the pickups has changed. My judgment on the middle and neck pickup, being strat type, has settled down and I feel that they’re OK but not great pickups. The two strike me as being around Fender Sonic quality. My evaluation of the humbucker at the bridge is now higher than seven months ago. I had said that I originally got it hoping to get the same type of performance as the Kurt Cobain Jaguar bridge HB and I think they’re quite similar. Add to that a nice blues sound and you got a nice versatile pickup. Given the price of this guitar, I’d say it came out ahead.
Basic Hardware: No problems with the basic hardware; tuners still work OK, tremolo bar has held, and it doesn’t throw the guitar that much out of tune except with heavy use, frets weren't bad, but did require some leveling. There was some fresh sprout when the weather changed here where I live, it became extremely hot, but that could’ve happened with any guitar. Neck has been stable and is in fact, one of the best parts of the guitar, particularly at this price range. I’m not a big fan of rosewood fret boards on a Fender type guitar but this one works fine.
Value: I got mine when it was on sale, I believe it was a flash sale so I got it at $160. The normal price on Amazon is about $200, and that hasn’t changed much. At that price range this guitar is easily as good as an Affinity-level Squier and in some ways better; in particular the bridge humbucker and I think the neck is as good or better. This guitar would be a superior value as a used guitar.
Al Handa
July 16, 2026
Specs:
Brand: Monoprice
Color Sunburst
Top Material Type: Basswood
Body Material Basswood
Back Material Type: Basswood
Neck Material Type: Maple
Two single coils and a humbucker: OS-20 classic guitars feature two single coil pickups and a humbucker at the bridge.
Material: basswood body and a fast-action maple neck.
Vintage styling: Os20 offset
Gig bag included
controls: 3-way blade switch, volume knob, tone knob
String material type: steel
Guitar bridge system: Adjustable
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