The Fender Esquire: A Short History
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
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CME's video on the '59 Esquire: • 1959 Blonde Fender Esq...
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My love for Esquires goes back to the 90's and Allen Hinds' recent use of just an Esquire for most of his gigs a couple of years ago was really inspiring for this.
One of the things I like about making videos at this point is being able to work with such great people from other channels. Chicago Music Exchange was VERY generous in letting me share their multiple clips on vintage Esquires here and Nathaniel, well, what can you say about a player like that!
Andertons, and Lee, the captain, of course, have also been very good working with me on these and here are they are again, very generous.
Of course friends I've made through the channel Rhett Shull and Robert Baker are both playing great stuff and were willing to let me use it again here. Without all of these folks the videos...would be quieter. :)
Hope you love it.
Keith
Books used when writing this script:
"The Fender Telecaster" by Dave Hunter
"The Fender Electric Guitar Book" by Tony Bacon
"Fender: The Golden Years" by Kelly, Foster and Kelly
"Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round the World" by Richard Smith
Any day that Keith puts out a short history video is a good day.
Amen Brother! ☮️ 2 U
Absolutely!
Any day Keith puts out a video is a very good day!
You are preaching the truth borther!
truth
We finally did it! Thanks for having me on the channel buddy the video turned out so good.
Thank you so much Robert! I keep learning stuff from you man.
Do you still have the 70th anniversary edition Esquire? Been looking for one on the used market...
Good to see you here!
Hell yeah Robert!!!💪🎸
Too cool, I knew that was you right away
As soon as I saw the title I thought of Syd Barrett. I built a replica of his ‘62. He’s sometimes forgotten and overshadowed by his successor, but he’s a brilliant guitarist in his own right. So glad you mentioned him and immortalized his very cool guitar in this short history video!
It's a dream of mine to be the person who finally locates Syd's Esquire. Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about how it's out there somewhere but nobody knows where it is.
@@danielstoddart me too! I suspect that whoever he traded it to for the black tele probably stripped it. In the mid 70’s, the “lore” and value of that guitar was a lot less than what it would have been now. Somewhere someone has a ‘62 Esquire stripped or refinished that was his… there is also the rare opportunity that someone has it in perfect Syd condition sitting under a bed or in a closet. That’s the preferred outcome!
@@stevev8592 I think of Syd's Esquire like I do the Ark of the Covenant sitting in a box in a warehouse somewhere...whoever has it has forgotten about it. Or maybe it is in a case under somebody's bed or in a closet.
@@danielstoddart well they are coming out with a new Indiana Jones movie, maybe it’s his quest to find Syd’s guitar! After all, it belongs in a museum!
Any chance Gilmour may have it?
I found my ‘85 MIJ Esquire in the early ‘90’s. I was at a music store in Clearwater, Florida. I left the store and headed home without it. About five miles down the road I turned around, went back and bought it.
In the 80s and early 90s the Fender Esquire was the unwanted stepchild. You could buy them for a fraction of a telecaster. Although I foolishly sold a few of them, I still have a 1960 Dakota Red and a 1963 Blonde. Thank you for such an informative video on an amazing instrument
Hardly unwanted...
Wow hard to belive that. They are Telecadter with neck pickup missing. Well market was different 30 years ago. Hell, I wasn’t even alive yet 😂😂😂
@@_-_Michael_-_ I was...
Yeh, they and Mustangs were easy and cheap to buy. Just not desirable then.
It's true, but it was a great deal because they had the neck pickup cavity routed, and you could just put a spare pickup you had laying around in there fairly cheaply.
As a long time Gretsch and archtop guy, I’m a recent convert to the telecaster. Probably the ultimate “platform” I’ve found as a player. They do it all. If you’ve got the fingers. We work and strive. The Esquire, a beautiful monster of its own.
Yeah man! I don't play much anymore but every time I see one of Kieth s vids I gotta spank the plank n piss off the neighbors
Esquire tip: Try balancing the switch between 1&2 to get the Capacitor WITH the Tone Knob. 2 kinds of great mud.
G.E. Smith's Tele is actually an Esquire. He tells a story about how he was always confused why the headstock said Esquire, and yet it had the Tele neck pickup. Years later someone showed him an old Fender catalog that said that if you had an Esquire, you could send it back to Fender and for $25 they would add the neck pickup. Whoever owned the guitar prior to him must have had that modification performed.
Seeing that dude witha pick jammed under the knob to hold it in place, and thrashing on the vintage guitar made my day man. Those guitars were built to be work horses and this guy knows whats up and plays his as intended. Super rad. I can NOT stop watching these videos man.
I mentioned you maybe doing ESP, Jackson, Schecter, KRamer one day. I would be willing to help research anyone of these if needed.
As detailed by Andy Babiuk in “Beatles Gear”, Paul McCartney used a right-handed (strung left-handed with a strap button moved to the body’s cutaway horn) Sunburst Fender Esquire with a maple neck and white / black / white pickguard during the Sgt Pepper Abbey Road Studio 2 recording sessions. The Esquire went through a Selmer Thunderbird Mark II 50- watt 2 x 12 Combo amp.
Not 100% sure, but I think that Esquire was the same guitar Paul played for the solo on "Taxman" for the Revolver album.
The taxman solo was definitely Paul’s Epiphone Casion. He used the esquire on his Helter Skelter solo.
He used the Esquire in Good Morning Good Morning
I just purchased a classic series Esquire. I'm a huge Syd Barrett fan and I really look forward to having the guitar in my hands in 5 days thank you for the video.
I want to find Syd's Esquire. Somebody must have it and I'm guessing they're unaware of what they have.
Leo is my GOAT. Designs that stand the test of time. Also, I got to see the Boss rock his Esquire on the Born in the USA Tour. He ripped it hard on the opener. Great solo. Great show. Changed my life really.
Well done and gave me insight into my 64 w/ a 67 maple capped neck. Mistake police- you placed a pic of David Gilmore to represent Syd Barret for 1967 mention. oops! 😁
14:21 that pickguard is almost shaped like a modern metal guitar
I've been obsessed by Springsteen's tele/esquire since the early 1980s. I knew he'd bought the guitar from Petillo and then toured the world with it several times over. Literally symbiotic with the Boss's rock n roll image and persona. Love it. Thanks Keith!
Watching all these tele videos is killing me. Been waiting a year and a half for my masterbuild Bludgeon.. About 6 months to go. It's unbelievable how much a person could love and appreciate something that they claimed, would never own. Many thanks.
Gee I am only now at 65 enjoying owning a Telecaster. Until now I had NO Idea these existed. Robert and Many thanks for Keith way to tell the story. FAN.
I made a mid 1950 Esquire with no truss rod and a true one pickup Esquire. Wound the pickups and everything. Two of my favorites.
Yay for the Robert Baker clip!
Not an Esquire, but my favorite guitar that still stands above anything I’ve ever owned, is my original 1985 Kramer Baretta banana headstock single pickup guitar. It’s loaded with an early Seymour Duncan ‘59. There isn’t any style of music that I can’t play on it. Since I still play gigs (miracle), when someone yells out for a country tune, my Kramer will pull off a very convincing Tele bridge sound just by the way I pick the strings and hold my hand over the original wood screw mounted Floyd Rose. A one pickup guitar is way more versatile than most people would consider.
I agree with you on Zac's informative knowledge of vintage Fenders; Barbara Lynn played an early-60s Esquire as well... thanks for another great one!
Your documentaries are so great, I watch every one! MORE BASS please!!
Having seen Roy Buchanan at the Park West in Chicago at least twice, I'm glad you corrected my impression that he was using a Tele. I didn't know esquires used 2 pickups at one point. So seeing him play, I thought it was a Tele. My brother and I were basically watching him play in amazement. He got so much tone and feel from the guitar(with no pedals), we were just mesmerized. I didn't check the headstock for the brand of Fender he was using. Thanks for the correction.
An Esquire with two pickups is known as a double Esquire. They are, essentially, Teles.
Built an Esquire out of mahogany in 2018 as well as a couple other bodies, it's my main electric and it's beyond versatile.
I've been waiting for this one. Thank you!
Indeed... a Fender Esquire is a fine machine...
I try not to search for Esquires on Reverb too, lol! Yet I seem to often, waiting for that perfect deal to show up on a vintage one. I like Zac Childs’ videos about his Esquire, adding a neck pickup and suddenly you basically have a pre-CBS “Telecaster” ! Great vid, as always, Keith!
Great Video! thanks! it brought back some good memories when I was just learning to play guitar back in the 80's. a classmate had a late 50's/early 60's custom Esquire that I would play every chance I got. I remember my amazement of the low action that took almost no effort to push the strings against the frets compared to the dreadnaught acoustic I was still learning on.
I bought a 1989 US Standard Tele with a vile greenish plasticky paint job, it was cheap because of the finish ... I took it straight to my workshop to remove the finish and respray it, whilst I was about it I routed for two Strat pickups. It stayed like that for a while but when I again refinished it I kept the front Strat pickup, lost the middle pickup and fitted a Seymour Duncan Broadcaster in the bridge .... a couple of years later I refinished it again in Sonic Blue cellulose and converted it into an Esquire and over 20 years later it still does everything I need ......... less is always more.
I was at a local pawn shop a few years ago less than an hour after someone came in to sell his grandfather's LP gold top. He also brought along another guitar to sweeten the deal but didn't know much about it. The pawn shop gave him an extra $500 for the throw-in; they thought it was just some Fender Esquire reissue with a neck pickup.
I looked it over and immediately suspected it was something special. The tuners had been swapped out with locking tuners, and the bridge plate wasn't stock, but everything else looked 100% vintage.
I talked them into removing the neck and the pickguard. The date on the neck pocket was 9/50, and I was able to verify the name under the date as a factory worker at Fender. The pots and cap were early 50's, the cloth wiring looked original, and the control plate was wired exactly as you would expect for an early Equire. The flat head screws, button string tree, and thermalite pickguard all seemed to be original as well.
I don't know if the pawn shop ever sent it to Fender for authentication, but everything seemed to indicate it was an extremely rare 1950 Double Esquire - one of only a handful ever made.
They wouldn't sell it to me, but I did get a chance to play it - and it was one of the best-playing guitars I've ever held.
Yes! Thank you, Keith! This is an awesome Short History! Well, they all are, but I've been wanting this one for some time now!
Once again, great job, Keith. Thanks for your efforts on our behalf.
Great episode! I love the Esquire so I've been waiting for this one for a long time. A few important Esquire players who didn't make it into the episode: Roy Montrell, the guitarist for Fats Domino and Little Richard, played an Esquire. Paul McCartney played an Esquire on the sessions for "Revolver" and "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by the Beatles. Joe Walsh of the Eagles also occasionally played an Esquire. Steppenwolf guitarist Michael Monarch played an Esquire on their hit song, "Born To Be Wild." Both Brian May and Roger Taylor of the band Queen played an Esquire on the songs "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
Great list. Thanks man!
Ok. I get to watch this twice. Forgive me, I'm busy! So much t learn. I was raised Gibson. Zac Childs! A legend in the world of lore! Thanks Keith, for helping me properly fill out the empty rooms in my still, and ever beginner's musical brain. P.s. My 5Watt Hoodie is perfect!!! Minnesota cold you know! Sooo needed.
Thanks Keith. I really, really enjoyed this. I have a Squire Esquire that I really enjoy. Sometimes when I'm stuck, using the Esquire with its simple layout brings out something new. Peace.
Heya From The Roc! Gawd, I always loved Joe's Tele sound. Saw The Clash w/ David Johannson & The Who @ Rich Stadium in '82 & they killed it. Thanks for the vid! May your 'Plates (only Rochester people will get this...) always be hot, tasty & cheap! ps...Hope you get your Esquire back...
It doesn't matter what the subject is, Klon, early pauls or Marshalls 5 watt world delivers quick clear and concise fact.Truth & accuracy is a necessity for resolution and advancment this channel does this better than any other.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Fabulous story about the Esquire!
The Syd Barrett Esquire might just be the most sought Esquire out there. Its somewhere.
Thanks, that was fun! I did an esquire build a few years ago based off the black guard era, 4 piece offcuts pine body finished badly by me and a wonderful pickup made by South Australia's Mick Brierley that is a work of sonic art, it rings like nothing else, and it's surprisingly versatile, totally dadrocks as well as absolutely dooms and all points in between
Keith, your taste in Esquires is exquisite. I absolutely adore those MIJ Esquire Customs. Oh, and I love these Short History videos!
One of my biggest influences was Steve Cropper, and he played an Esquire on those early Sattelite/Stax recordings.
i love his peavey, too. i had one briefly, but like all peaveys, they recently became worth too much not to flip, so i sold it.
Thank you! My first "Tele" was a blonde maple neck MIJ ESQUIRE I bought used in '90. I went through a period of a couple of years where it was my only electric and it made me a better player. You can't hide your mistakes on a guitar like that. I'm building one now. You've inspired me to get off of my behind and finish her. Great video and thanks again.
Paul McCartney acquired a 1964 2 tone Esquire with white pick guard which he used on one of the most important and iconic albums of all time- Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. He played the lead on the title song as well as the leads on Good Morning, Good Morning. It’s also debated if he used it for the leads on Helter Skelter
Hi Sir, I got your message via email but don’t know how to reply
I’m not running a give away if that’s what you mean. Likely a scam.
@@fivewattworld gotcha i just looked at it again and it said send through nicegram? Idk- it did say from five watt. Whole quote was “nice comment…. Message me right away I have something for you. Sounds like you have an imitator out there
For what it’s worth, I love it when people help me get the most music from the least amount of gear.
I recently built an Esquire themed guitar out of an old Hondo 781 1 pup explorer body and an after market Tele neck. Have always wanted a real one. Someday I suppose.
I played a show years ago with Rick Neilson at the House of Blues in Chicago, he showed up with an Esquire and a modified Fender Deluxe Reverb and rocked it!!
I do love your videos on the “history of”. For me they make me want to know more. Next stop an Esquire
Thanks Keith! I love Esquire 's
I first saw Bruce on that fateful night of November 20, 1978, which was a life changing event. I’ve listened to Born To Run hundreds of times, and I’ve looked at that album cover hundreds of times. Before today, I NEVER NOTICED the empty pickup cavities in that guitar! These Short History videos are great.
Short History. Long on enjoyment. This is a gooooood one Keith!
I love my Squier CV 50’s Esquire. I have a DiMarzio chopper T in it with the switch wired for series, split, and parallel. I get mini-humbucker, p90 and classic tele bridge sounds all out of one pickup. It’s “vintage white” which is somewhere between a custard and tv yellow, so I stuck a black pickguard on it to make it look a little more like a Les Paul junior. I’ve played American fenders that don’t feel and sound as good as that $400 Squier sounds.
The Esquire, at least to me, is the epitome of "less is more" when it comes to guitars. I'm throwing together a guitarfetish partscaster special with a slight modern twist and with the Eldred wiring layout, it'll be a good exercise to see what I can pull out of a single bridge pickup.
It was John Maus (aka Walker) that sanded down the beveled edge on the Tele. I think the Yardbirds would have opened for the Walker Brothers. The Brothers were huge in England, much more than the Yardbirds. More likely they opened for the Walkers. Seymour Duncan had done some work for Beck. Beck sent a roadie around with a bag containing a few guitars. Duncan was told to pick out one as payment for his repairs. He recognized the Tele and grabbed it. Beck regrets getting rid of it now.
When you said "switch to neck pickup and roll tone off" that took me back years. To my Aria Pro II LP clone and learning (with great difficulty) Garry Moore. Thanks for the memories 😁
I forgot to give credit to Nacho Banos and Deke Dickerson for the Junior Barnard info I shared with you.
Roy was a local hero, I was so sad when he took his own life, I was working right across the street when he passed, Sweet Dreams Roy...
"Amazing content,Thank you for all you do"
Well done Keith! I agree about Zac and his wealth of knowledge that he shares so willingly
I play an Esquire because Syd Barrett, though I think most of the tones I associate with it are actually probably a danelectro and Selmer amp
Howdy Keith. As always, top shelf content. I appreciate you turning me on to Mr. Childs.
Good Job... Excellent source of Fender Musical Instruments history. Rest in peace Leo Fender.
Nate on the 58, sounding so acoustic, but not, has encouraged shopping here. But all the players were great! Leo's genius marches on, and his unique abilities, one man on a singular focused mission should be an inspiration to any who seek. Oh, and gosh, thanks a million Keith!
Awesome beard, even more awesome video.
A 1985 MIJ Esquire and a 1996 Godin LG are the two guitars I miss and regret selling. The Esquire was my main guitar from 1986 to 1993. Never done that since. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
The irony is not lost on me that the man whose byline is (basically) "how to get the most, out of the least gear" is also the person that fuels my GAS more than anyone on RUclips (and that's saying something). 🤣🤣🤣 You're the best, Keith. It's been a pleasure to witness your journey here. 🔥❤👊
The first Fender guitar I ever got to play was a blackguard early ‘50s Esquire at Columbia Music in San Francisco, about late ‘64 or early ‘65. I was fourteen, had been playing guitar for about four years, and I’d just gotten my first electric for my fourteenth birthday, a St George-branded Teisco. I was obsessed with Fenders but had never played one and when I found out that Columbia Music was the official Fender dealer in town, I got my dad to drive me there one afternoon. They had no new Fenders in stock-they sold as soon as they came in-but they did have this beat-but-stock blackguard Esquire. I wasn’t too sure about it at first-it wasn’t streamlined and modern like a Stratocaster-but I picked it up and the maple neck felt like it was made for my hand, plugged it into an amp and, wow, instant James Burton! It wasn’t “vintage” at that time, just a beat-up used guitar, and they wanted $75 for it!! Which was $10 less than the St George had cost, and I begged my dad to let me trade the St George in on the Esquire. No go! Dad said, “You’re not going to trade your new shiny St George for that beat-up old thing! You buy something used and you’re buying someone else’s headache!” That may be true about shoes or cars, but not necessarily guitars…Oh, well, I probably would have stripped it down and painted it all psychedelic a few years later when that became the fashion!
Single pickup Fenders are incredible. I've got a '78 Bronco and a 2002 Custom Shop '59 Esquire (top load bridge - extra bright). Rich Robinson played an Esquire a ton in the early 2000s.
Keith, Zac, Robert, Esquires! Life is so damn good here in FWW.
We really enjoy these. We'll pull them up and put 'em on the smart tv with the surround sound
Thank you, again, for your much loved Short Histories.
Okay, modding my Tele for just the BU, this video convinced me
so i just bought a 2004 "Classic" series Esquire. black with a white pickguard! she is sweet!!! Them Mexican made GITTARS are awesome as i also have a Vintera VINTAGED sonic blue tele!!!! The luthier at Rockin Robin gittar shop here in Houston RAVED about my vintera. he hasnt seen the esquire yet...
I just wanna say Keith, I really like how you write your scripts! That’s another detail of the time and quality of these amazing videos!
Thanks. I spend about half the production time writing.
Great video, Keith! - Thanks!
Robert's guitar (and playing) is out of this world! When the 2020 came out I was about to get one, but I had already bought a Broadcaster and could not justify the expense. Also, Danish Pete's and Nathaniel's skills are out of this world, that rendition of "Born To Run" is spectacular!
The black Esquire that Leo used in his first catalogue had a PUSH BUTTON switch instead of a blade. The switch was from a LAMP.
So good! The ultimate minimalist guitar! Now I want one....
13:47 Neck "4" resembles MODERN strandberg neck profile. Every time I watch these videos I realize something I thought was new, isn't even close to new, but old enough to be new once again.
Excellent as always, I’m now shopping for an Esquire
Robert Baker!
Thanks for featuring him, Keith!
I always loved the slick look of Esquire with bridge cover present. That is absolute clean and killer looking thing.
Of all the great short history videos, this one might be my favorite. It's inspiring to me as I'm about put together my own Esquire partscaster. Thanks Keith.
Do love the Fender Esquire. Big fan, and glad to know they're still available.
great guitar with great sounds. roy Buchanan was amazing.
The Esquire was a truly fine ax! I had a chance to play one only once, but it was absolutely a guitar you could fall in love with in roughly two seconds flat! Leo really had his licks down when it came to the Esquire. It was a guitar you’d either love virtually immediately, or NEVER! Just the way it felt in your hands had the word “GREAT” written all over it, or it didn’t. There was no middle of the road here - either it was one of the greatest guitars EVER, or it didn’t do a thing for you. Man, I’ve been kicking myself for parting with it ever since I did!!! It was one of the greatest guitars to ever come out of Fullerton, or you didn’t know enough to realize what you had! Leo and company really knew what they were doing when they made it.
Like that Beard Keith 👌. Seems like all of you youtubers know each other, that's nice to see collaboration and not competition ✌️
After so many years playing I finally bought a Tele and it's my favorite guitar! She feels and sounds great and is unforgiving!
The body of Snakehead and first pine Esquires was in fact made of 4 pieces, 2 at top, 2 at bottom... like a Norlin pancake cut in half 😅 .. I only played once a Fenders CS 1950 Esq pine replica with no trussrod, and I regret to this day I didnt buy it. Fact is, I never had to tweak the trussrod on any of my Fenders ever, and that Esq sounded just incredible... maybe, one day.. 😊
Great video thanks. Been away from the channel for a while, glad I found this to rekindle my viewing.
thanks
Hey Keith, Love it! You've created a sense of nostalgia in me with your videos. I was so excited to hear you were working on this video as you mentioned it in your last live. The video delivered, and this morning I've had time to do some extra geeking out and watched it twice. Thanks!
I missed the premier because RUclips didn't notify me before 20 minutes into it, shame on RUclips.
I got a 2003 Fender Esquire CS Seymour Duncan signature, great sound and light weight
I love these videos. As a metalhead, the specific guitars don't always interest me, but it's still interesting to know the history. (I'm still hoping for a history of Steve Harris' Precision bass... the man has used one bass predominately since the 1970's, and it was an oddball from Fender with a maple body that has been refinished several times, that bass is the driving force of one of metal's most influential bands... there is a story to tell there)
Bassist in Iron Maiden
YES! Some Robert Baker action! He's one of my favorite guitarists/teachers here on RUclips! That Esquire he's got is absolutely gorgeous, and sounds phenomenal.
Agreed! He’s a cool person too!
Thank you Keith for another great "Short History". Every time you post a "Short History", it is the making of a great day for me. While I am not a Telecaster or Esquire, I do have a high degree of appreciation and respect for the artists that use the Telecaster and Esquire style guitars. So, until the next time please stay well and be safe
Great video, Keith.
What a killer wirey tone in the intro! Amazing! I'm amazed at just how well intonated it sounds at 11:30.
Thank you for the great video, Keith!
I love my Esquire partscaster so much I thought about making another one. Slightly different but that 1 pickup goes a long way.
Was really looking forward to this one & it did not disappoint! Thanks Keith!!
Another excellent video 👍