Offset Special or Thinline Jazzmaster?

Let me start by saying that the two guitars that've been my favorite over the years for their diversity and functionality were my '72 Thinline Telecaster and my (current) Classic Player Jazzmaster.  If I were to build a guitar myself, it would somehow embody the 'twangy-humbucking-bite' of that Tele while being just a pick-up switch away from the 'well-defined-creamy-smoothness' of my Jazzmaster.  So, when the Fender Pawn Shop Series Offline Special arrived unannounced at our store the other day, I was more than excited to give it a try!  I play exclusively through a 'stock' Vox AC15 with a Fender Jazzmaster, cuz I think the Jazzmaster's special single-coil pickups compliment a 'chime-y' tube amp perfectly without getting too-bright.  My initial observation upon plugging this Tele into my Vox was that it sounded great clean. I tried "dialing-in" a few tone/pickup combinations, but I feel like this guitar sounds best the less you mess with it.  This guitar is semi-hollowbody and very light in weight.  Guitar chords sound full and bright, while single-note playing retains the smooth characteristics of the pick-ups!  I would go as far as to say that this guitar sounds terrible through an overdriven amp and distortion pedals.  I tried adding a little "fuzz" and "crunch" from various guitar pedals, but couldn't achieve anything but a flat, dull tone.  Rent this guitar for studio work, but don't expect it to be versatile in live situations. 

- Jared Paul Boulanger (guitarist, The Sour Notes)