FENDER ESQUIRE : Problem on the dark switch position

[rhum66]

Hello everybody !

I have bought an esquire mex ( second hand), to a guy who prétended to be a guitar tech.

i have no problem on the two main switch position :1/ no tone bridge bright and 2/pickup with tone control.(classic télé bridge control).

My problem concerns the dark position ( neck position); when i switch on it, the loose of volume level is about 50% which make that change of switching unusable, because it is too weak compare to the two other positions.

I don' t think that it is just an "impression" du to the global loose of trebles, so please, spécialist of the Esquire, tell me if i have a problem of "dead cap" or anything else ( perhaps it is normal ?).

for information; The pickup is a seymour duncan broadcaster i have wired myself excatly on the wiring that was here before when i made the pickup change.( i have no prétention to be a guitar tech; ...)

I kown the prévious owner was a kind of "sunday guitar tech" ( technicien guitare du dimanche ...), so every thing is possible ...

What about the **** whah sounds i could get to have a real good third position, with a correct level of volume.

Excuse my english and please HELP me with your advices and expériences.

[TG]

I think there is a bit of volume drop on that position, but I can't remember how much now. I very quickly changed the wiring on my Esquire because I found that bassy sound to be unusable and pointless. I found the cocked wah wiring to be better, but even then it was just 'something' to do with that switch position because 'it's there'. I don't think there really is anything you can do with the 3rd switch position on an Esquire that is that wonderful. Not in my opinion, anyway.
But if you want to try the cocked wah sound it's very easy to do. Someone here will have a wiring diagram.


I no longer have a one pickup Esquire (I added a neck pickup and made it a telecaster) but were I to have one again I would probably disconnect the 3 way switch or even take it out altogether and just have a volume and tone control.

[Ricky D.]

I'm planning an Esquire build, and I've been fortunate enough to play some very good one at Mellicaster's shop.

The bass position in the traditional wiring doesn't appeal to me at all. Some who like it use a lot of gain, I've heard. The tone control bypass also seems minimally useful to me.

If I use a three position switch, I will use Arlo's cocked-wah wiring design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWZcV...eature=related

But I may keep it very simple. 250K tone and volume pots, .047 uF tone cap, no switch. And, of course, a Duncan Broadcaster pickup.

[nadzab]

Bonjour et bienvenue! A fairly dramatic drop in volume in the "dark" position is normal for standard-wired Esquires. I don't mind it, and think that position has its uses, but I may be in the minority on that.

[xjazzy]

I think the volume drop is caused by excess of low frequencies. You get the feeling there's a volume drop but maybe it's not that big.

[scosystems]

The volume drop is normal - see the diagram from Seymour Duncans web site - http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...ematic=esquire which is proberly how your esquire is wired.

If you want a more usable front posistion try the one I use (not my design but one found on these forums!) gives a great front posistion if used with an overdriven amp.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pick...questions.html

[Rolling Estonian]

You could also raise the neck pickup before replacing to see if that'll do it.

M

[Hiflyer]

Originally Posted by mlipping

You could also raise the neck pickup before replacing to see if that'll do it.

M

lol !!!

[Rolling Estonian]

Originally Posted by Hiflyer

lol !!!

Just seeing if anyone was paying attention!

M

[Mark Davis]

It all really depends on the resistor used on the dark switch. I just use the dark switch position when I use a fuzz box it works great for that.

[shades]

There are several resistor/capacitor combinations that work well in the Esquire controls. A forum search will provide some interesting and very useful schematics. The original fixed bassy tone has its place but most players opt for something more useful. In all aspects,an Esquire is an amazing guitar.

[boris bubbanov]

Wo0dman has a thread with a cocked wah sound for the third position, which I like.

Sounds to me like there's no pretend tech at all; that's that way the guitar comes in stock form.

[mijstrat72]

When building my Esquire, I chose to eliminate the switch all together since I found it to be of no real use to me. I like my guitars to be as simple as possible and uncluttered since I have some what of a wild picking style. Here's a pic;



Since this picture was taken I have switched to some black stratocaster knobs because I don't like to guess where my tone knob is, and the band I'm in we take about a 3 second pause between songs, so there's not alot of time for fiddling with knobs. This is by far my most favorite setup and I would reccomend it to anyone looking to simplify things. The control plate is available from Guitarfetish.com.

[Billy Bones]

Anyone know of any recordings where there's an esquire in the dark position? Would be interested to hear it. I've got one at my shop right now, but I haven't spent any time with them.

[xjazzy]

I have two videos where you can hear that.
Search youtube for "Squier classic Vibe Esquire".

[Arlo]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Wo0dman has a thread with a cocked wah sound for the third position, which I like.

Sounds to me like there's no pretend tech at all; that's that way the guitar comes in stock form.

For the record: Wo0dman is the person that influenced me to use his "Cocked Wah" wiring diagram. I did not create this but somehow get a lot of credit for it. Most likely Wo0dman didn't either but it was he who put me in that direction.

I really dig the "Cocked Wah" wiring but it has it's limitations depending on your style of playing. The forward position or the CW sound is useful for my style in many ways.

I use it for obtaining the tone of the following examples of music:

1. "Madeline" by Chuck Berry. With a little distortion it has an uncanny way of getting that sound Chuck gets.

2. T-Bone Walker on a slightly dirty/clean channel you get that T-Bone twang.

3. Billy Gibbons tone on "Just Got Paid" with an overdrive on a dirty channel it sounds really good.

Just a few examples of how useful the Cocked Wah is.