The Esquire is among the most sought-after instruments in our entire family of Telecaster guitars. Introduced in 1950, its unique circuitry and biting bridge pickup created a tonal sensation. It later became the weapon of choice for greats including Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen, and has re-emerged time and again in the hands of many other great players.
Our ’50s Esquire features an ash body, a C-shaped maple neck, a vintage-style three-saddle string-through-body Telecaster bridge, and a vintage-style single-coil Telecaster pickup with custom-wired three-way switching.
Basically, three-way switching on a single-pickup guitar gives you three preset tones. In the bridge position, the pickup is connected only to the volume control (the tone control is disconnected); this minimal circuitry produces more top-end sparkle than is possible with a Telecaster. In the middle position, the standard tone control circuit is activated. In the neck position, the tone control is again disengaged, but a tone-shaping capacitor rolls off much of the top end and some bottom, producing a darker tone and slight volume loss.
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