Fender Custom Shop Ltd Edition 1950 Esquire Reissue. Journeyman Relic.

Originally launched in 1950 ahead of its bigger sister the Fender Broadcaster (renamed Telecaster in late 1951) the Fender Esquire was the first solid body electric guitar to come off the Fender production line. The Esquire and Broadcaster were essentially the same guitars, the main differences being the addition of the neck pick-up and slightly different wiring on the Broadcaster. There are a small number of Double Esquires that were custom ordered in 1950 and which pre date the Broadcaster by some months.

The first run of Esquires featured a pine body, a solid maple neck with no truss rod and came with white guards. Early pine body Esquires were made in relatively small numbers and are rare and highly sought-after guitars. This reissue is based on the original spec 1950 Esquire and was made as a Limited Edition for Winter Namm 2020.

Unplugged this guitar is one of the loudest solid bodies we’ve ever heard and is so resonant it literally vibrates in your hand. The hand-wound pick-ups are perfectly balanced and combined with the guitar’s natural resonance deliver a big Tele tone with loads of natural sustain. It comes with the Custom Shop Single and Double Esquire conversion kits. It’s a simple 20 minute job to configure it as a Double Esquire or vice versa. Presently the guitar is set up in Double Esquire configuration.

The Esquire experience is quite different though to a Double Esquire/Tele played on the bridge pick-up. The Esquire control plate is wired in ‘full throttle’ configuration – position 1 = direct out bypassing the volume and tone controls; position 2 = with volume control only; position 3 = with volume and tone controls. This set-up provides a good deal of versatility from the single pick-up. The Double Esquire control plate is wired to modern Tele wiring – position 1 = bridge p/up with vol and tone; position 2 = both p/ups with vol and tone; position 3 = neck p/up with vol and tone.

The neck profile is a chunky U profile and features a 7.25 – 9.5in compound radius fret board, which makes for easy note bending on a low action. The neck doesn’t feel overly big though and combined with the light weight (6lb 5oz) makes this a very comfortable guitar to play. It’s a guitar that demands to be picked up and played as often as possible.

The icing on the cake is the Journeyman relic finish which is very tastefully done and looks totally authentic, with just the right amount of lacquer checking, hardware tarnishing and small nicks and indentations to give this a true vintage vibe.

If you've been looking for a good Custom Shop 50's Tele reissue but would like something a bit different to the usual Blackguard or Whiteguard Tele reissues then this Limited Edition 1950 Esquire reissue is a seriously great contender in either Single or Double Esquire configuration. It really is a killer guitar and is well worth checking out. It's a firm favourite around here.

Comes is a deluxe Fender Custom Shop G&G tweed case, along with the Single and Double Esquire conversion kits, COA, shop floor traveller, ashtray bridge cover, strap and case candy.

Weight: 6lb 5oz in Single Esquire configuration and 6lb 7oz in Double Esquire configuration.

Pick up readings: Neck 7.62k, Bridge 8.97k