Modern offsets at yesterday's prices. Take up to $170 off Fender Meteora electric guitars and basses at Sweetwater's Black Friday deals

A Fender Player Plus Meteora bass guitar and a Fender Player Plus Meteora HH electric guitar
(Image credit: Fender)

As much as I love the classic look of a Strat or Tele, I’ve always had a soft spot for Fender’s offsets. That’s why I picked up my Fender Jazzmaster 60th Anniversary model a few years back, and it’s why I still lust after Fender models like the Jaguar, Mustang and Duo-Sonic. It’s also why I think the Player Plus Meteora HH is one of the hottest-looking electric guitars to come from Fender in recent years. And if the offset shape rocks your world, right now is the perfect time to add the Meteora to your collection, whether you’re a guitarist or bassist. That’s because Sweetwater is offering $160 off select electric guitar models and $170 off basses during Black Friday. While four finish options are available for the guitar and three for the bass, here are the two that caught my eye.

Fender Player Plus Meteora HH electric guitar
Fender Player Plus Meteora HH electric guitar: was $1,049.99 now $889.99 at Sweetwater Sound

The Player Plus Meteora HH looks fantastic in this Fiesta Red finish with pau ferro fingerboard. The guitar sports an alder body, maple neck, two-point tremolo, a pair of humbucking Fireball pickups for a guitar that combines classic styling with modern features and a versatile tone palette. The guitar is also available in Bel-Air Blue with a pau ferro fingerboard, 3-Tone Sunburst with maple fingerboard, and Silverburst with maple fingerboard.

Fender Player Plus Active Meteora bass guitar
Fender Player Plus Active Meteora bass guitar: was $1,099.99 now $929.99 at Sweetwater Sound

Player Plus Active Meteora bass with 3-tone Sunburst finish looks classic, while its active/passive electronics expand its tonal palette to suit a range of modern tones. The alder body and maple neck and fingerboard are a classic combo, while the three-band EQ and pair of humbucking Fireball pickups let you point it toward what style of music you want to play. The Meteora bass is also available in Opal Spark and Tequila Sunrise, both with a pau ferro fingerboard.

If the Jazzmaster, Mustang et al represent the classic take on offset, the Player Plus Meteora is most assuredly a modern take on it. Like those models, the Meteora is built for comfort when sitting down and designed to cut a striking image when you’re standing up onstage. And with guitar and bass models available, it’s an ideal choice for six- and four-string players.

In that same way, the Meteora satisfies elements of Fender’s classic guitars while it strikes out a decidedly futuristic path. From a vintage angle, the guitar has the classic alder body/maple neck combo. The pau ferro fretboard, on the other hand, is in keeping with Fender’s recent move away from rosewood, and it’s the same wood famously found on the guitar maker’s celebrated SRV Strat. It looks beautiful and plays and sounds as good as maple or rosewood.

As for the pair of high-output Fireball pickups, they sound just like the name implies. But hit the SC-1 coil-split switch and they clean up nicely, presenting pristine single-coil tones. Either way, the Fireballs offer wonderful string-to-string articulation, making them ideal for a range of style, from rock to pop to country and more.

It all adds up to a guitar that’s as versatile as it is stylish. If you want a guitar that can do it all and not become just another one-trick pony in your collection, the Player Plus Meteora HH delivers.

For bassists, the Player Plus Active Meteora Bass boasts all that shapely style and tonal versatility, thanks to an active three-band EQ and switchable active/passive electronics that deliver everything from warm, thuddy grooves to punchy riffs. A pair of humbucking Fireball bass pickups serve up classic Fender bass tones as well as low-end with an aggressive modern edge.

Sweetwater’s Black Friday deals make putting a Meteora electric guitar or bass in your hands even easier. Check out the range of features and finishes at Sweetwater.

And be sure to see more early offers on our dedicated Black Friday guitar deals page.

GuitarPlayer.com editor-in-chief

Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of GuitarPlayer.com and the former editor of Guitar Player, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.