Members deva_da_man Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Now, I've always wondered why esquiers have pickguards....... ?? no need for pickup mounting?? is it REALLY to guard from damage that may be caused by the picK? me thinks maybe an esquier with no pickguard would be sexy discuss all things esquier i wanna get one, one of these days.... (yeah right ) have to get a tele first tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 I have one Esquire, and I love it. I am so lame at posting pictures (I am at work at the moment anyway) but mine is in the two colorburst color. I got mine used from blackhathunter, but it looked brand new. Really fun guitar, and very high quality. Why the pickguard? I am not positive, but I think the cavity is open. One can easily put in a neck pickup, like a traditional tele, and then slap on a traditional tele pickguard. I am not sure why you would do that, but it is possible, without having to route the space. But I could be wrong about this. You mentioned you have to get a Tele first. Well it really is a Tele, in every other way of course. What I like about the Esquire, is that with the switch in the middle, it sounds just like a Tele would in the bridge position. The tone works here, and if you turn it down, you can get some mellower sounds. Put the switch in the bottom position, and you turn off the tone control, and you get some extra sizzle. Something a Tele can't quite pull off. And the switch in the top position turns off the tone again, but it also rolls off the highs, and some of the volume too, for a more mellow sound. What I have found so far, and I am far from a hot {censored} guitar player, but when I use a fair amount of gain on my amp, and in conjunction with a bad monkey pedal, I really like the Esquire on the top position. It just takes off some of the sizzle that can be overbearing when using a fair amount of distortion. When playing cleaner, I like the middle position best. The upper position almost cuts off too much IMO, and in the lower position the extra gain can be too much. But I also use a Roland Cube, a nice tube amp could change all of that. But I love the diversity of it overall, especially with only one pickup. Pretty amazing really. I don't think you can go wrong if you don't have any Teles, and can get only one, with the Esquire. Like I said, it is diverse, and if you have to, adding another pickup I believe, is not that difficult (but I wouldn't). BTW, I believe BlackHatHunter is selling his other esquire, in blond. A lovely instrument too. He was great to do business with as well. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Glom-o Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Warmoth Stratosquire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Edward Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Didn't the Esquier and the early Teles (Broadcasters) come out at the same time? Nowadays, it's probably so they can use the same standard body blank for everything - most likely cheaper in the processing (same reason the - IMO unfairly - much-maligned swimming pool Strat happened along). Back in 51, though..... maybe not. Could have been to create a uniform look across the range.... TBH, I've always regarded guards as a largely cosmetic thing anyway - at least in a design that doesn't have them as an integral part of the construction. I don't believe they serve any practical purpose in real terms along the lines of protecting the body - maybe just me. I took the guard off my LP (hate the look of guard on LPs, so much classier without), and the only difference it made was it wasn't there getting in my way - no harm to the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Glom-o Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Fender thought that it was easier to rout all of the blanks for that body style for a neck pickup and wiring slot, even if they wouldn't be used, and not have to worry about maintaining separate inventories of Telecaster and Esquire bodies, as well as giving Esquire owners the option of easily retrofitting a second pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Originally posted by El Glom-o Fender thought that it was easier to rout all of the blanks for that body style for a neck pickup and wiring slot, even if they wouldn't be used, and not have to worry about maintaining separate inventories of Telecaster and Esquire bodies, as well as giving Esquire owners the option of easily retrofitting a second pickup. That is kind of what I thought too, hence the need for the pickguard, at least for these newer Esquires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Glom-o Posted August 9, 2006 Members Share Posted August 9, 2006 Originally posted by IRG That is kind of what I thought too, hence the need for the pickguard, at least for these newer Esquires. They were doing it that way from the very beginning on the Telecaster/Esquire bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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