In 1966, Paul McCartney purchased a 1964 Fender Esquire model with a sunburst finish and rosewood fretboard. Bruce Springsteen has used a 1952 Fender Esquire as his main touring and recording guitar throughout his career. Watch Guitar.com chief editor Chris Vinnicombe pit new against old in our video above, premiered on Guitar.com Live.In the modern corner, we’ve got the ’50s Telecaster and ’60s Stratocaster, and in the other, a 1964 Strat and a 1954 Esquire. George's father Fred Fullerton developed the truss reinforcement design still in use today. ), READ MORE: Understanding the Stratocaster Selector Switch George and Leo took a new Broadcaster out to show Jimmy Bryant at the Rancho Reveler soon afterwards. Designed for players seeking an affordable, stylish and versatile instrument, the Bullet® Telecaster® sports the classic looks and tone that made the Tele® an icon. The single pickup guitar was first manufactured in March of 1950, and made its commercial debut as the Esquire in Don Randall's RTEC Spring catalogue of that year. Top Rated Seller Top Rated Seller. Both have six adjustable saddles (vintage Teles had three saddles), but the Telecasterâs houses the bridge pickup, while the Strat bridge is a two-point tremolo system. The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele / ˈ t ɛ l i /, is the world's first commercially successful [note 1] solid-bodyelectric guitar.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Fender Squier Affinity Telecaster - Butterscotch Blonde Bundle with Gig Bag, Tuner, Strap, Picks, and Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD 4.5 out of 5 stars 63. TELECASTER. Telecaster and Stratocaster bodies are mostly constructed from alder â a lightweight, closed-pore wood with a resonant, balanced tone that imparts excellent sustain and sharp attack. In addition to its sleek contours that make it eternally comfortable to play, the Strat has another cutout on the upper horn for better access to the upper notes. Browse the best of the Esquire selection straight from the Dream Factory. Both guitars are beloved by casual players and iconic artists alike around the world and have been used to create just about every genre of music imagineable. Leo Fender later moved on to harder woods saying he wasn’t sure about using softwoods for the body. (Fender also makes Stratocaster and Telecaster models with humbucking pickup options. Syd Barrett, the original leader of Pink Floyd, was another prominent Esquire player. with a black phenolic pickguard and over the years faded to a "butterscotch" blonde. [1] The dual pickup version was first manufactured in May and June of that year. It was soon renamed the Broadcaster later that year; the single pickup version retained the Esquire name. [12] Beck bought it from the Walker Brothers guitarist John Maus while on tour with them. Over the winter of 1949/50, Fender refined the design. The Tele has a single cutaway and no body contours. All Rights Reserved. This guitar has significant wear and now belongs to pickup designer Seymour Duncan. The three-position pickup switch was put to even greater tonal use on the Esquire’s two-pickup sibling of the early 1950s, the Telecaster®, for which it served double-duty as a true pickup selector switch and a tone-shaping switch. Introduced in 1954, the guitar piqued curiosity when Buddy Holly played one on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957, but truly gained global acclaim in the hands of 1960s virtuosos like Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Robin Trower and Eric Clapton. The scratch plate (pickguard) was enlarged. However, it is actually a first-generation Esquire with two pickup routs. Consequently, Fender discontinued the Esquire in 1969. In 1986, Fender Japan began producing the Esquire, based on the 1954 version and under the brand "Squier by Fender". Learn more about Fender electric basses. Throughout his career Perkins used various Esquires. READ MORE: What Is Fingerboard Radius? That's not to mention the variations on each that have come out over the years, such as the new American Performer Series or Player Series, with assorted specs like pickup configurations, neck profiles and tonewoods. They each have a master volume control, but where the Tele only has one tone control, the Strat has dedicated tone knobs for the middle and bridge pickups. 1 shows the Eldred Esquire wiring schematic. [14], harv error: no target: CITEREFBacon_&_Day1998 (, Guitar Player Magazine, Rarebird - Fender Broadcaster 1973 by Robb Lawrence, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Legendary Guitar: Jeff Beck's 1954 Yardbirds Esquire", "Music Radar: Brian May's 'other' guitars", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fender_Esquire&oldid=992602749, Musical instruments invented in the 1950s, Wikipedia articles with style issues from April 2010, Articles needing additional references from January 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 04:06. It featured threaded saddles and a white pickguard with either a butterscotch blonde or metallic red finish. [10][citation needed] In 1954 Luther Perkins played a slightly modified Esquire, recording the first Johnny Cash songs "Wide Open Road" and "Hey Porter". The Esquires had Esquire pickguards to cover the neck pickup rout; Springsteen's guitar has a neck pickup installed, but not connected.[7][8]. Fig. Soon after the two-pup Broadcaster was revealed. $279.99. But the Stratocaster has a noticeably larger headstock, whether the original iteration or the bulky one that was used from 1965-81. FOR THIS MODEL WITH SLIGHT. Springsteen has claimed that the guitar he is pictured with on the Born to Run album cover is, in fact, a hybrid of two guitars, a Telecaster body and Esquire neck. He first played it on the edge of the stage with an admiring crowd up close. GUARD OR A TRACING. The best thing to do is refuse to let the stereotypes themselves lead you down a certain path. His successor David Gilmour used an Esquire with an added pickup on several songs, including "Dogs," "Run Like Hell" and his work on Paul McCartney's album Run Devil Run. Great deals on Fender Esquire Electric Guitars. Retro in style, but kitted out with modern hardware and custom electronics, this Esquire is the perfect guitar to see you progress through your guitar journey. The neck, like the first Esquires manufactured in 1950, was made from a single piece of maple without a separate fret board or truss rod. Steve Cropper with Booker T played his fifties Esquire through a Fender Harvard amp for such tunes as Green Onions and Dock of the Bay with Otis Redding. The MIM Player range is the most affordable Fender series, and the Telecaster is one of the best models in the line-up. Whether a Tele or a Strat is right for you is a matter of personal opinion. Jeff Beck used a 1954 Esquire with the Yardbirds to create the famous guitar parts on "Over Under Sideways Down", "Shapes of Things", "I'm a Man," and "Heart Full of Soul". [citation needed], At Eagles 1977's live performance at the Capital Centre, Joe Walsh used an Esquire for a majority of the performance. Throughout the ages, guitarists have gravitated towards either the Strat or the Tele. It was soon redesigned to pick around more easily with a smaller pickup, and encased in a metal shielding cover designed by Karl Olmstead (tool & die makers Race & Olmstead). The prototype introduced the now-familiar square edged, dreadnought body shape with single cutaway to allow easier access to the upper frets. The Custom Esquire and Telecaster models both were produced in far fewer quantities, and except for the addition of the word "Custom" to their respective names, they are identical to their "unbound" brethren. The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele / ˈ t ɛ l i /, is the world's first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music. Neither early Esquire versions had a truss rod at that time. As you’d expect, price varies widely in every category. The neck width at the nut was narrowed to 1 5/8", and the head modified to accommodate all six tuners on one side from a Croatian design Leo liked. READ MORE: Ash vs. Alder: What's the Diff? The use of the Fender Esquire by several country musicians is popularly credited for the creation of one of the most distinctive and recognized sounds in American music history. It is also notable that the Avril Lavigne signature Telecaster sold under the Squier by Fender brand resembles an Esquire since it only has a single pickup. Image: Fender. Brian May played the same guitar on Crazy Little Thing Called Love; having been unable to find a 'Telecaster sound' on his own guitar, producer Reinhold Mack suggested he "just use a Telecaster". Fender PlayHOLIDAY SALE: 50% off an Annual or Monthly plan.UNLOCK THIS OFFER. Understanding the Stratocaster Selector Switch. By the following year, a single pickup version called the Esquire was launched. As for the Stratocaster, Leo was initially looking to refine the classic Tele design, but during the development process, an entirely new model rose from the sawdust. Once the Telecaster was introduced, the Esquire became marketed as a lower-cost version. The Fender Custom Shop also manufactures a 1959 Esquire reproduction as part of its "Time Machine" series, a model distinguished by its top-loading bridge design. S p E 5 W o J M n s o r 5 Z e d R B L P. Fender 70th Anniversary Telecaster Esquire Maple Fingerboard Surf Green From JP. Early reissues of the Stratocaster (left) and Telecaster. 0 bids. With the switch in the rear position, these tone controls were bypassed entirely for a "hotter" lead tone. [citation needed]. The guitar was designed as an electronic instrument with no acoustic manipulation of the tone. Mike actually prefers a hotter bridge pickup model with a more prominent midrange. HOLIDAY SALE: 50% off an Annual or Monthly plan. Numerous guitars were shipped in 1951 with the clipped "Fender" logo decal and no model name (poorly referred to these days as the "Nocaster") until the name Telecaster was adopted in August. Though the guitar was a right-handed model, McCartney restrung it lefty. A Brief History Lesson As the world’s first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar, the Telecaster was groundbreaking when Leo Fender introduced it in 1951.. At the time, rock and roll was still a few years away, and Leo and his staff were building guitars and amplifiers for western swing guitarists looking to get more volume and projection. Squier by Fender 50's Telecaster - Maple - White Blonde 4.8 out of 5 stars 17. New Squiers top out at around $ The switching, however, is another story. A tone selector switch was added, and the controls were mounted on a plate parallel to the strings. DIFFERENCES. The Stratocaster and Telecaster generally have similar electronics. This is because of its unique wiring and also because the lack of a … Pepper sessions, and on "Helter Skelter." It was reintroduced with a truss rod in January 1951. McCartney would use it on "Good Morning, Good Morning" during the Sgt. Esquires are defined by their single pickup setup on the body of a Telecaster. Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. However, with the introduction of cheaper student models such as the Mustang, the more expensive Esquire became a less attractive option, and it was sold in smaller and smaller quantities. [3] Like the production models, it had a removable pickup cover, but unlike the production models, the cover had straight sides. $200.00 shipping. These Esquires were imported to the USA. The more versatile Broadcaster/Telecaster has since become one of Fender's most popular models with dozens of variations produced. [4] The prototype had only one pickup, as did Esquires manufactured from 1951 onwards. [2] Although the Esquire was the original model introduced, given the popularity and uninterrupted production of the Telecaster, the limited reissued Esquire models are generally regarded and billed as variants of the Telecaster. The prototype differed from the later production guitars in several other respects: the body was made of pinewood, it was painted opaque white, its pickguard did not extend below the strings, it lacked a selector switch, and its volume and tone knobs were mounted on a slanted plate. [citation needed] He can be seen holding the guitar on the cover of his 1975 album Born To Run. $3,500.00. Generally, this wiring sounds best with two 250k pots and a traditional Esquire/Telecaster bridge pickup. Maus had hand-shaved the body to be contoured like a Stratocaster. Copyright ©2020. Bruce Springsteen, for example, has long played an Esquire modified in this way. Is the Esquire the predecessor of the Telecaster … The Fender Esquire was the Telecaster family’s first-born, and its very early life tells us an enormous amount about how fluidly and progressively, not to mention how quickly, Leo Fender was thinking. Whatâs more, it is mounted on the Teleâs metal bridge plate, which can give it a more powerful tone. [1] However, this last feature was not to make it onto Fender's commercially advertised guitar, as Fender's distributor, the Radio & Television Equipment Company (RTEC), had decided that it would be easier to sell the single pickup version of the guitar.[1]. While Fender has made several iterations of both guitars over the years, here is a breakdown of what separates is thought of a traditional Tele and Strat. PG 4374: FENDER 62 REISSUE. Owing many design elements to the Telecaster, in addition to the Precision Bass that also came out in 1951, the Strat was a step up, boasting three pickups with switching and controls that created greater tonal versatility, a contoured body, and an innovative bridge. Here is a basic guide between the two. [5] During late spring of 1950, Fender had added a second (Champion steel) pickup in the neck position. ... 1966 Fender Telecaster / Esquire 3APR66B Esquire neck 1966 Telecaster body . And oftentimes, players sit somewhere in between. Some guitarists claim that the larger Strat headstock gives the guitar more sustain and tone, but that debate has raged for years. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Looking for a beginner guitar? Some people report that there was also a blackguard version, as well as a sunburst finish. Player Telecaster. Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. Yes, the Esquire sports only a single bridge pickup, while the Telecaster has two pickups, but the Esquire is not a Telecaster with a missing neck pickup, but rather a distinct model with its own sound. mounting screws. By October, the revised dual pickup version acquired one and was renamed the Broadcaster. When the Fender Telecaster was born, Elvis Presley was a schoolboy; rationing was still a reality in post-war Britain; and the Queen's old man, King George VI, was on the throne. Fender‘s new Vintera Road Worn series applies beautiful relic-ing to solid workhorses, but how do they stack up against actual vintage instruments?. The Telecaster typically has two single-coil pickups, with the bridge pickup being wider and longer than its Strat counterpart. FOR A PERFECT. The Strat bridge is attached to springs that allow the player to raise or lower the pitch of the strings through the use of a âwhammy bar.". Stratocaster vs Telecaster: The History Leo Fender and his team in Fullerton, California, began work on the guitar that would become the Telecaster back in 1949. In the 50s the original Telecasters and their look-alike predecessors the Esquire and the Nocaster were made from Pine. [citation needed] This guitar can also be heard on all records before "I Walk The Line", for which Perkins played an Esquire. The Telecaster and the Stratocaster â two instruments that set the standard for electric guitars since their inception in the 1950s. Both guitars have a rich history and countless devotees, but the feel and sound can differ greatly. Like the two-pickup guitar, these Esquires had a routed cavity in the neck pickup position. By the late 1970s, cumulative changes in the details of the various classic guitar models on the market – Fender’s Stratocaster and Telecaster, and Gibson’s Les Paul – were so numerous that the instruments barely resembled their original versions. With this guitar, Perkins created the legendary "Boom Chicka Boom Sound" that identified Johnny Cash's music. Unfortunately, he retired the Esquire from road duty, so these days Springsteen plays clones on stage, even if he still records with the original. The Telecaster has always carried a three-way switch, but after guitarists found that they could get more tonal versatility by jamming the Stratâs original three-way switch in between the first and second position and second and third position, Fender outfitted it with a standard five-way selector. At the time, rock and roll was still a few years away, and Leo and his staff were building guitars and amplifiers for western swing guitarists looking to get more volume and projection. WE HAVE SEVERAL PATTERNS. As for the body silhouettes, both are instantly recognizable. Don held a contest and no one came up with a suitable name. It's a little more complicated than some of the other answers have suggested. David Hekhouse of The Tearaways tours with a 1959 Esquire. Jimmy Wyble with Spade Cooley was the first Esquire endorser for Don Randall's advertisements. Construction The Body. Following the renaming of the dual pickup Broadcaster, production and promotion of the single pickup Esquire was briefly discontinued. [6] Following objections (a telegram) to Don Randall (Fender) from Gretsch who produced the "Broadkaster" banjo and drum kit, this iconic name was dropped. Although the Esquire had only a single pickup, it retained the three-way switch of the two-pickup guitars. Its appearance is another pragmatic mixture of eras, while the six bent-steel bridge saddles mean the overall look is reminiscent of the recently superseded American Standard Telecaster. Youâll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. READ MORE: How the Strat Came to Have Two Heads. The model has since been reissued but remains a relatively "niche" guitar. [13] Gilmour also uses an Esquire on his 2015 solo album, Rattle That Lock, notably on many of the album's guitar solos. Of course, it does come out for special occasions, like the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in 2009. Here is a lovely example of a Post-CBS "Custom Telecaster." Likewise it already featured the distinctive combination bridge and pickup assembly, using the pickup from Fender's "Champion" lap steel guitar, with its individual pole pieces for each string, mounted at a slant, and the three bridge saddles which allow adjustment of intonation only in pairs, but individual string height. The Gretsch Company at the time marketed a drum set under the 'Broadkaster' name, and at their request, Fender dropped the Broadcaster name, eventually renaming their guitar the "Telecaster". Over the following two decades, the availability of other low-cost models saw the Esquire's sales decline and the model was discontinued in 1969. The first prototype for the Esquire (and the later Telecaster) was completed by Leo Fender and George Fullerton in the fall of 1949. Both the modern Telecaster and Stratocaster bolt-on necks largely feature 22 frets and a 25.5â scale, with identical nut width and 9.5â fretboard radius. Fast & Free shipping on many items! From United States +C $57.62 shipping. Custom Guitar and Bass Necks and Bodies, Pickups, Bridges, Tuners, and Pickguards at Warmoth - The Original Custom Guitar Shop! As the worldâs first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar, the Telecaster was groundbreaking when Leo Fender introduced it in 1951. Amazingly, traditional versions of the Stratocaster and Telecaster have gone largely unchanged for more than 60 years, and their popularity shows no signs of waning. Thus, with the purchase of a neck pickup and replacement or modification of the pickguard, players could upgrade their instrument to a guitar identical to the Telecaster in every respect except for the model decal. On the single, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, guitarist Michael Monarch played an Esquire. The Fender Esquire is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, the first solid-body guitar sold by Fender, debuting in 1950. For those looking to purchase a first Fender or Squier Tele or Strat, there are a few differences that could help you choose between this iconic pair. READ MORE: Decoding Standard Pickup Arrangements. Vintage 1964 Fender Telecaster / Esquire / P-Bass Wiring Harness Controls Tele . Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. Ash, mahogany and other tonewoods have also been used. This switch modified the tone of the pickup by making it bassier in the forward position, while enabling use of the tone control knob in the middle position. 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