Sonic question about Esquires...

[Cole]

As a newby on the forum and new to the Esquire concept, I'm fascinated with the simplicity and the looks of the the Esquire. Judging by all the cool member pics of their Esquire projects it seems to be pretty popular, alive & well! I've poked around looking at the different wiring diagrams and it made me wonder about the advantage/disadvantages between a 2 pup tele & Esquire.

Since I don't have one handy to play, I would like to have an Esquire owner sonically define the following:

1. Which Esquire wiring diagram offers the biggest variety of tone & useability/practicality in your opinion? Is one better than another?
2. describe what what I can expect to hear with each of the 3 positions of a Esquire to sound like... (comparing it perhaps to the sounds I am familiar with with a typical 2 pup/3 position set up.)
3. Any sonic advantages/disadvantages with the Esquire setup compared to a 2 pup tele?

Just trying to get a better sense between the two...

[Tremolux]

Here's a cool variation, called the "Eldred circuit." It was posted by forum member lupowitz. It's fully explained in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJEt-KO4ShQ

[Cole]

this video was perfect... thanks for the demo link! Gosh no wonder folks is crazy 'bout them Esquires! Now I want to build me one!

[Arlo]

I have not seen the video but I like the "Cocked Wah" diagram that was discussed here on the forum.

It is extremely useful if you are prone to third position as a distortion sound.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech...ns-inside.html

I used this as a guide with twinge of variation. You could also experiment with the caps for the sound that fits your ear.

PS: Watched the Vid and that is what I am talking about pretty much. Great demo of the so called CW sound.

I really like the wiring scheme I used on mine and the combination of the Bill Lawrence Keystone PUP. The thing has a killer tone when the amp is cranked and you throw the switch into position 3.



I also have one Esquire set up with the SD BG1500 and that pickup will really kick out some BTU's

[TG]

There have been many threads about esquires. Do a search and have fun reading.

In my opinion the advantages of an esquire are:
1) the lack of a pickup, and therefore the lack of a magnetic field, near the neck where the strings are vibrating most freely (especially when you are playing a solo). If the strings aren't being 'dampened' by magnets then you get a bit more sustain and more harmonics, ie, a better more 'musical' sound. The difference is subtle, but playing hard thru a turned up tube amp it makes a difference, I find.
2) Having the 3-way free to allow a tone pot bypass (or even a tone and volume pot bypass straight to the output) adds another subtle, but helpful, edge to the sound.
3) the simplicity of only having one pickup forces you to rely on your playing to deal with different musical settings. Some players like the challenge.

Disadvantages are:
1) you don't have the gorgeous telecaster neck pickup and 'both on' sounds. If you like 'em and use 'em you'll miss 'em.


Personally I find that in some venues I can use the bridge pickup all night, but I don't really like to. And in others places the acoustics are such that I don't much use the bridge pickup and really need the other settings and being stuck with an esquire all night would be hell.
So although I can hear and appreciate the 'esquire difference', in practice I just find it too limiting. The bands I currently play in aren't suitable for a bridge pickup only guitar, I think.

So I've added a neck pickup to mine and made it a nice telecaster.
(The Classic 50s Esquire I have is generally too good a guitar to just sit in the case and rarely be used.)

[voided3]

Originally Posted by TG

There have been many threads about esquires. Do a search and have fun reading.

In my opinion the advantages of an esquire are:
1) the lack of a pickup, and therefore the lack of a magnetic field, near the neck where the strings are vibrating most freely (especially when you are playing a solo). If the strings aren't being 'dampened' by magnets then you get a bit more sustain and more harmonics, ie, a better more 'musical' sound. The difference is subtle, but playing hard thru a turned up tube amp it makes a difference, I find.
2) Having the 3-way free to allow a tone pot bypass (or even a tone and volume pot bypass straight to the output) adds another subtle, but helpful, edge to the sound.
3) the simplicity of only having one pickup forces you to rely on your playing to deal with different musical settings. Some players like the challenge.

Disadvantages are:
1) you don't have the gorgeous telecaster neck pickup and 'both on' sounds. If you like 'em and use 'em you'll miss 'em.


Personally I find that in some venues I can use the bridge pickup all night, but I don't really like to. And in others places the acoustics are such that I don't much use the bridge pickup and really need the other settings and being stuck with an esquire all night would be hell.
So although I can hear and appreciate the 'esquire difference', in practice I just find it too limiting. The bands I currently play in aren't suitable for a bridge pickup only guitar, I think.

So I've added a neck pickup to mine and made it a nice telecaster.
(The Classic 50s Esquire I have is generally too good a guitar to just sit in the case and rarely be used.)

I stuck a GFS Fatbody in the neck position on my Classic 50's Esquire and kept the stock switching by just adding on/off toggles for each pickup. That way I can still have those sweet tone presets! The only disadvantage is you lose the look and add more magnetic voodoo to your guitar, but I put on a black pickguard so the pickup "blends in the scenery" and since the Fatbody is so powerful, I can get away with having it set lower, i.e. less magnetic pull. I used to have it "stealthed" under the stock pickguard, but I felt I wasn't getting its full potential that way, and I was right. A high output humbucker probably would have been fine though.

[Wardpike]

Originally Posted by TG

And in others places the acoustics are such that I don't much use the bridge pickup and really need the other settings and being stuck with an esquire all night would be hell.
So although I can hear and appreciate the 'esquire difference', in practice I just find it too limiting. The bands I currently play in aren't suitable for a bridge pickup only guitar, I think.

There is an alternative!
If you add a "middle" pickup, you open up a world of possibilities without tearing the guts out of the fabled tone by having a second magnetic field closer to the bridge and away from the 'sweet spot' of string vibration, the neck pup area.

I recommend engaging it with a push/push pot switch, using the volume pot for this. The reason is that you can leave the the esquire's wiring intact, although you only have two options: Bridge pup with the 3 tone positions, and B+M pickups with the 3 tone positions.

Something to consider, I hope! I love my esquire and wouldn't change a thing on it for the world. The 3 tone options and compensated playing can open up a world of possibilities.

kindest regards

[Wild Rice Chris]

Here are two videos of a variant circuit I like and use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmXs7mf24n8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJw0_l69gjg

[Cole]

I'm getting some great ideas from all this input! Thanks!

[Tele Fan]

Hey Cole, welcome to the party fellow Louisvillian!

[Jaxson612]

Does anyone know thw specs of the Eldred circuit? Sounds great in the video!

Wild Rice Chris-very nice videos! What is the variant circuit you use?

[Wild Rice Chris]

It uses the switch to modify the tone control's function. PM me if you want a diagram.

[Tele295]

My Barden-equipped Esquire (otherwise stock MIM circuit) is a different beast than my 2-pup Barden-equipped Telecasters. The easiest way to understand is to have both at hand and go back and forth. I would venture to say the difference is more in response than actual tone. There is no doubt when playing either that you are hearing the best tone Fender has to offer.

CAVEAT: The aformentioned Esquire and Teles tend to sound more similar to each other when I'm playing alone at home, but there is a much larger difference when playing with a band. I found it very frustrating to use a Tele as a backup to an Esquire when I bust a string. The Tele doesn't have the same punch, despite the same pickup, bridge, strings, and type of wood. Go figure.