Esquire? Tele?

[williammiller]

What's the difference between a Fender Esquire and a Fender Telecaster? (Excuse my ignorance up front)

[cubby]

A Fender Esquire was a single pickup guitar which had a treble cut switch. A Telecaster (Broadcaster, Nocaster) added a neck pickup instead of using a treble cut. Some Esquires in the late 50's-early 60's were top-loading which meant that there was no string through.

[Nathan_Adams]

Although there were some 2 pickup Esquires as well... just to confuse everyone

[spongemonkey]

The Esquire has a single coil bridge pick-up a three-way selector and two pots (volume and tone)

the three postions select:

pick up through a capacitor and a resistor with volume but no tone to give pre-set bassy tone.

pick up through volume and tone

pick up direct to output jack no volume or tone

wiring diagram (http://www.provide.net/~cfh/esquire.gif)

Fender also made a very small number of dual pick up Esquires in 1950 these are exceptionally rare. selector configuration on this was the same as the Broadcaster, "No-caster" and 51-52 Telecaster, ie no proper tone control:

Neck pick up with the a pre-set bassy tone

Neck pick up through volume

Neck and bridge both through volume and blended by "tone" control

wiring diagram (http://www.provide.net/~cfh/bcastwir.jpg)

[Nathan_Adams]

dual-pickup Esquires were sold longer than that. One of my favourite guitarists has one from 1963. (Ryo Matsui, of The Brilliant Green and Meister)

[mnemonicspark]

Tele = Bolt on Neck
Esquier = Not

[spongemonkey]

Originally posted by Nathan_Adams
dual-pickup Esquires were sold longer than that. One of my favourite guitarists has one from 1963. (Ryo Matsui, of The Brilliant Green and Meister)

That's interesting have you got links to pictures or information about this?

It's possible that some dual pick up Esquire's might have been made later on, the dual pick up model was never officially on the catalogue and only sold directly to musicians rather than through RTEC. So it's possible that some where custom made later on.

It's also possible that Matsui's Esquire is a single pick up model with a neck pup added, like Springsteen's Esquire.


A.R. Duchossoir's book on Telecaster's reckons that:

"a dual pickup version of the Esquire was produced before summer (1950) in Fullerton. If one sample was taken by RTEC to chicago, it remained behind the scenes. Apparently Don Randall was of the opinion that the simpler one pick up guitar would prove more attractive and saleable in a market where the amplified music business was still largely in its infancy. On the contrary Leo Fender preffered the more advanced dual pickup version, of which a few samples were made in limited quantity for direct sale to local musicians"

"by fall 1950, the Fender dual pick up Spanish Electric Guitar was officially introduced [...] Since the the July trade show, the Esquire designation was mostly associated with the single pickup model and it was therefore decided to give new name to the "new" two-pickup guitar".

To me this suggests that they didn't make any dual pick up Esquires after fall 1950, as that would mean they'd have two guitars with the same specs but different names, which would be odd. Not impossible though and I could be wong.

[spongemonkey]

Originally posted by mnemonicspark
Tele = Bolt on Neck
Esquier = Not

From Esquire specification in the Fender Fine Line Instruments catalogue for spring 1950:

"the neck is replaceable and can be changed by the owner in approximately ten miniutes time"

to my understanding Fender stopped making the Esquire in 1969 and didn't make any fixed neck teles until the 1990s.

[Nathan_Adams]

I've got a picture of it in one of TBG official band score books. Can't make out the 'Esquire' on the headstock (although you can see it in one of their videos). The caption says "FENDER/Esquire '63 Front Pickup" - followed by two kanji which I don't understand. He talks a little about it in an interview on the same page, but seems to be mostly talking about another guitarist, 'Ichiro', who inspired him to get the Esquire or something to that nature. I don't see any mention of a custom shop job or a mod.

[spongemonkey]

this website (http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender2.html#sch) suggest you could be right about the '63 dual pickup esquire, it says that:

"I have seen a January 1951 Esquire that had *two* pickups, and the guitar appeared to be stock, but by 1951, one pickup was the norm for the Esquire"

Man I love Guitar geek I learn new stuff everyday



:D

[williammiller]

So in Syd Barrett's "Madcap Laughs" days was he using an Esquire or a Tele?

[SantaCruzMack]

on fender's site they have esquires with humbuckers (but theyre not the genuine esquires from the 50's ealry 60's)

[spongemonkey]

Originally posted by SantaCruzMack
on fender's site they have esquires with humbuckers (but theyre not the genuine esquires from the 50's ealry 60's)

have you got a link for that? I had a quick look but couldn't find any.

Originally posted by williammiller
So in Syd Barrett's "Madcap Laughs" days was he using an Esquire or a Tele?

from what I've read and seen just now on various sites Barrett had a 60s Esquire, which was covered in silver stickers and was repainted a few times, as well as a regular Telecaster

In this (http://www.andrewwhittuck.co.uk/images/PF09.jpg) picture it looks like the Esquire is single pick up.

In this (http://www.progcdr.org/pinkfloydvh1legendsbook.jpg) one he's playing a two pick up guitar that i reckon is a Tele, but I've also seen a picture of him with a Telecaster Custom and a blonde/white Telecaster.

I do know that David Gilmour has '55 Esquire that Seymour Duncan put a neck pick up in, but that's a different guitar.

[SantaCruzMack]

Well I'm gussing Fender no longe makes them because I couldn't find it on their site or musician's friend, which it was both on. But here's a link to one i found off google.

http://www.fendereurope.com/product_reviews/EsquireCustomGT.asp

It's called an Esquire GT they also have like other Esquires (one with a celtic design on the neck, another with a skull and cross nones on the neck) all three have humbuckers

[spongemonkey]

Originally posted by SantaCruzMack
Well I'm gussing Fender no longe makes them because I couldn't find it on their site or musician's friend, which it was both on. But here's a link to one i found off google.

http://www.fendereurope.com/product_reviews/EsquireCustomGT.asp

It's called an Esquire GT they also have like other Esquires (one with a celtic design on the neck, another with a skull and cross nones on the neck) all three have humbuckers

Right I see what you mean now, they have a single hb in the bridge. and a set neck, these must be what mnemonicspark meant when s/he said that the esquire had a set-neck.

As far as I can tell they were introduced in 2003 and discontinued sometime this year.

[SantaCruzMack]

I belive that the GT, Scorpion, and the other Esquires were made post-1999 I may be wrong but I think they were made 2002-2003.

[williammiller]

In some of the pictures I've seen of Syd Barrett in his London flat in the late 60's it looks like he has a black Fender Telecaster. Can anyone tell me if he ever used that guitar on record or live?

[stratocaster83]

Originally posted by mnemonicspark
Tele = Bolt on Neck
Esquier = Not

I guess you're referring to newer mexican esquire, which have hums and bolt on... but they're talking about old fifties esquire, which are totally different!

[cubby]

The only "true" Fender Esquire in production:

http://www.fender.com/products/show.php?partno=0150060

The current Esquire with single humbucker is a Korean made guitarwith just a volume knob and usually has that gawdawful Seymour Duncan Invader pickup.

[telebastard]

Thanks for the info everyone. This is a cool thread.

I'm planning to convert my Tele into an Esquire-style guitar by removing the neck pickup and replacing the pickguard. I never use the neck PU. However, I can't decide if I'm going to rewire the bridge pickup and remove the switch (which always gets in the way of my playing), or just keep the switch and use it as a "kill" mechanism.

Anyone done this before?

[spongemonkey]

I'd rewire the switch like the original Esquire or, even better, like the Seymour Duncan Esquire, which keeps the tone control in all positions so gives more flexibility:

1. Full Output, Around 7.6K -- Punchy, Gutsy, Tele Lead Tone.
2. Tapped Output, Around 6.0K -- Brighter with Less Output.
3. Tapped Output with .022 Cap to Filter High-end for Rhythm.

That way you'll have a choice of tones. If you find after a while you only use one of them then ditch the switch. The switch is the ONLY thing I don't like about teles, dammned stupid place to put it. You can bend it out the way though.

[cubby]

Originally posted by telebastard
Thanks for the info everyone. This is a cool thread.

I'm planning to convert my Tele into an Esquire-style guitar by removing the neck pickup and replacing the pickguard. I never use the neck PU. However, I can't decide if I'm going to rewire the bridge pickup and remove the switch (which always gets in the way of my playing), or just keep the switch and use it as a "kill" mechanism.

Anyone done this before?

You can switch the plate around so that the switch is closer to the input jack and the tone and volume knobs are forward.

[spongemonkey]

Originally posted by cubby
You can switch the plate around so that the switch is closer to the input jack and the tone and volume knobs are forward.

and if you switch the volume and tone pots round as well it makes it much easier to do volume swells.

Although I found that I kept knocking the volume while playing so I changed it back

[cubby]

Originally posted by spongemonkey
and if you switch the volume and tone pots round as well it makes it much easier to do volume swells.

Although I found that I kept knocking the volume while playing so I changed it back

I've done it too and changed back but I like to switch pickups quite a bit so it was just more handy for me that way.

[lazlos]

Esquires had single pickups on the bridge, but also had neck pickup holes pre-routed out to make Teles, look under the pickguard and you'll find the hole. I have a '54.

[nastynate]

Fender makes a 50s reissue Esquire. I've been looking at it for a while.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/511313/


Fender's Spec (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0131502306)

[Aphoniser]

How do the 'preset' tones on an esquire sound, as compared to a standard tele wiring? Is it possible/worth it modding a tele to have the esquire switching options, just on the bridge pickup?

EDIT: Actually, this has me kindof interested now, although i can't see myself doing it without a lot of research and maybe a 5-way switch. It would be interesting to do, if its worth it. Are there any sounds there that I can't already get with my tele?