A few questions about Esquires

[teletwang67]

I've never played an Esquire. To me they're just a Telecaster without a neck pickup. Can someone explain why I might like an Esquire more than a Tele and how they would sound different than a Tele? They look cool, but I like neck pickups too much to give it up unless there's something it would give me that a normal Tele won't.

[EsquireOK]

Mainly, they use a different control philosophy. They are easier and more intuitive to use live (opinion). As opposed to a Tele, which uses pickup selection to get different tones, Esquires use "presets" for a single pickup, which I've always preferred to other methods of switching. You have your two fixed presets with the front and back position, and your one variable position, in the middle. The tone knob is only engaged in the middle position. Set your tone knob for a rolled-off treble tone (full dime, a little rolled back, a lot rolled back, or rolled back all the way), flick back for full treble, and flick forward for cocked wah or dark. And no matter which preset you are using, you always have the snappy and cutting "character" and "attack" of the bridge pickup.

They have a tone pot bypass built into the blade switch.

They have a front switch position that can be set up for whatever sort of filtered tone you want, via cap selection. You can have a dark setting (old-style stock), a cocked wah sound (a mod that has become stock on most models), a bass cut setting, etc.

They sustain for longer, and they are slightly louder and snappier (debatable, but I think it is true...or at least it has been in every example I have tried). This is due to decreased magnetic pull on the strings.

They are better looking (opinion).

They are slightly lighter (though not enough to notice).

They are routed for the Tele neck pickup anyhow, so you are not stuck with a single pickup if you don't want to be.

I think that Teles can do a wider range of tones. But if you play primarily within the realm of bridge pickup tones, the Esquire is the superior tool, because it offers finer control over the bridge pickup's tone.

[joaopazguitar]

Originally Posted by EsquireOK

Mainly, they use a different control philosophy. They are easier and more intuitive to use live (opinion). As opposed to a Tele, which uses pickup selection to get different tones, Esquires use "presets" for a single pickup, which I've always preferred to other methods of switching. You have your two fixed presets with the front and back position, and your one variable position, in the middle. The tone knob is only engaged in the middle position. Set your tone knob for a rolled-off treble tone (full dime, a little rolled back, a lot rolled back, or rolled back all the way), flick back for full treble, and flick forward for cocked wah or dark. And no matter which preset you are using, you always have the snappy and cutting "character" and "attack" of the bridge pickup.

They have a tone pot bypass built into the blade switch.

They have a front switch position that can be set up for whatever sort of filtered tone you want, via cap selection. You can have a dark setting (old-style stock), a cocked wah sound (a mod that has become stock on most models), a bass cut setting, etc.

They sustain for longer, and they are slightly louder and snappier (debatable, but I think it is true...or at least it has been in every example I have tried). This is due to decreased magnetic pull on the strings.

They are better looking (opinion).

They are slightly lighter (though not enough to notice).

They are routed for the Tele neck pickup anyhow, so you are not stuck with a single pickup if you don't want to be.

I think that Teles can do a wider range of tones. But if you play primarily within the realm of bridge pickup tones, the Esquire is the superior tool, because it offers finer control over the bridge pickup's tone.

great reply, thanks!

[teletwang67]

Originally Posted by EsquireOK

Mainly, they use a different control philosophy. They are easier and more intuitive to use live (opinion). As opposed to a Tele, which uses pickup selection to get different tones, Esquires use "presets" for a single pickup, which I've always preferred to other methods of switching. You have your two fixed presets with the front and back position, and your one variable position, in the middle. The tone knob is only engaged in the middle position. Set your tone knob for a rolled-off treble tone (full dime, a little rolled back, a lot rolled back, or rolled back all the way), flick back for full treble, and flick forward for cocked wah or dark. And no matter which preset you are using, you always have the snappy and cutting "character" and "attack" of the bridge pickup.

They have a tone pot bypass built into the blade switch.

They have a front switch position that can be set up for whatever sort of filtered tone you want, via cap selection. You can have a dark setting (old-style stock), a cocked wah sound (a mod that has become stock on most models), a bass cut setting, etc.

They sustain for longer, and they are slightly louder and snappier (debatable, but I think it is true...or at least it has been in every example I have tried). This is due to decreased magnetic pull on the strings.

They are better looking (opinion).

They are slightly lighter (though not enough to notice).

They are routed for the Tele neck pickup anyhow, so you are not stuck with a single pickup if you don't want to be.

I think that Teles can do a wider range of tones. But if you play primarily within the realm of bridge pickup tones, the Esquire is the superior tool, because it offers finer control over the bridge pickup's tone.

I use the neck pickup on my Strat 75% of the time, the other 25% is trying to get the bridge pickup to sound like a Tele!

What about an Esquire with a switch to add a neck pickup? I could have all of the sounds of an Esquire and a Tele and more. I knew how the switch worked, I just didn't think it would be much different than a Tele bridge pickup. The wah thing sounds interesting. I also agree that they look better.

[IPLAYLOUD]

Um...what he said.

[EsquireOK]

I might try this:

- DPDT push/pull volume pot for neck on/bridge off.
- One dual concentric pot in the tone spot - lower knob = neck tone, upper knob = bridge tone.

You'd get all the Esquire switch goodies for either pickup...but never both pickups at once. No loss IMO, but some people really love both pickups on at once, so it won't work for them.

If you had to have the option to have both pickups going at once, you could do it by sacrificing the individual tone controls for each pickup. That is, instead of a push/pull and a dual concentric, you'd use two push/pulls, each one being an on/off switch for one of the pickups. It gives you the options, but would be kind of a bear to use on the fly IMO. Switching from bridge only to neck only, or vice versa, would require pushing one pot and pulling the other. Doable in the studio, but a PITA live (though Brian May used on/off controls with three pickups, so it can be done, and done well).

Yet another option for combining the features of Esquires and Teles is to go with standard Tele wiring, and use two push/pulls. One push/pull bypasses the tone control and goes straight to the jack. The other push/pull bypasses the tone control and goes through a preset filter of your choosing. (If they're both pulled up, you get the filtered tone.)

It's all too much monkey business for me. I like that I don't have to think about much with a standard Esquire.

[teletwang67]

Originally Posted by EsquireOK

I might try this:

- DPDT push/pull volume pot for neck on/bridge off.
- One dual concentric pot in the tone spot - lower knob = neck tone, upper knob = bridge tone.

You'd get all the Esquire switch goodies for either pickup...but never both pickups at once. No loss IMO, but some people really love both pickups on at once, so it won't work for them.

If you had to have the option to have both pickups going at once, you could do it by sacrificing the individual tone controls for each pickup. That is, instead of a push/pull and a dual concentric, you'd use two push/pulls, each one being an on/off switch for one of the pickups. It gives you the options, but would be kind of a bear to use on the fly IMO. Switching from bridge only to neck only, or vice versa, would require pushing one pot and pulling the other. Doable in the studio, but a PITA live (though Brian May used on/off controls with three pickups, so it can be done, and done well).

Yet another option for combining the features of Esquires and Teles is to go with standard Tele wiring, and use two push/pulls. One push/pull bypasses the tone control and goes straight to the jack. The other push/pull bypasses the tone control and goes through a preset filter of your choosing. (If they're both pulled up, you get the filtered tone.)

It's all too much monkey business for me. I like that I don't have to think about much with a standard Esquire.

I love the sound with both the neck and bridge pickups on, so I think I'll try the normal Tele wiring with a switch for the bridge pickup to go straight through.

[H. Mac]

The Esquire experience is tough to describe. It does not compare to playing the bridge pickup only on a Tele. Not even Position 1 (bridge pickup only) on Nocaster compares to an Esquire.

An Esquire is to a Tele what a Tele is to a Strat. It's similar to the difference between a tweed Champ and a silverface Twin. If a Tele was a car, an Esquire would be a Harley. If a Tele was a sailboat, the Esquire would be a turbocharged speedboat. If a Tele was a birdie (one below par in golf), the Esquire would be a hole in one. If a Tele was like the first kiss with a special woman, the Esquire would the most passionate sex with her that you could ever imagine.

The Esquire experience is tough to describe, even to someone who knows Teles.

This thread will fill with comments from posters like me, who struggle to explain the Esquire experience in terms of the absence of neck pickup magnetism, the 3 way switching characteristics, eliminating the tone pot from the circuit, the "vibe," etc., but in the end, I doubt that it can be explained.

The only way it can be understood is to play one.

[e-merlin]

You're not going to notice it at low volume. When you crank the amp you're going to feel it. Yes, feel it. While there is a difference in tone, it's really a feel thing. And a control thing. It's really hard to describe. I love a good neck pickup on a Tele, and my #1 is still a Tele, but my #2 is an Esquire. And the number of times I reach for the Esquire rivals the number of times I reach for my Tele. You just have to experience the difference with a cranked amp.

Said the guy with this pic:

[ad720]

Originally Posted by H. Mac

This thread will fill with comments from posters like me, who struggle to explain the Esquire experience in terms of the absence of neck pickup magnetism, the 3 way switching characteristics, eliminating the tone pot from the circuit, the "vibe," etc., but in the end, I doubt that it can be explained.

The only way it can be understood is to play one.

This. It's just a whole different thing. I reach for the Esquire more than the Teles anymore.

[Mark Davis]

cause they sound like this raw and gritty.

[el cheapo]

This topic has been discussed quite a lot. So much so that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Nobody in my area had one that I could check out, so I snagged a cheap SX STL50 off CL and turned it into an Esquire. I figured that if I didn't like it I would just put the neck pickup back in.



That will never happen, my friend! The Esquire has a unique sound. It's hard to describe, but it definitely has more "attitude" than the tele. You really just have to try one out for yourself to understand.

[psyched]

IMO, what an Esquire does is force you to get tone via technique and not with different knob and pickup combinations. True, you still have the position where the tone knob works, but in general it puts the burden of tone in your hands and not on the electronics. Best I can figure how to explain it. You need some knowledge of how to pull things out of a guitar to really hit the points on the continuum between mellow and snarling with an Esquire. Your attack, how much you snap the string, where you pick in relation to the bridge... it all makes a difference, and an Esquire can make you acutely aware of that--and be rewarding if you learn to work with it. That said, the pickup is a vital component in this equation, in some ways it makes or breaks the guitar. But you have to finesse it a little more, even if you're aiming to make it just sound mean... which it can do quite effectively.

[telefunken]

An Esquire with Camo Cargo shorts just makes you feel alive!!!!!!!!

[RedTele58]

Originally Posted by telefunken

An Esquire with Camo Cargo shorts just makes you feel alive!!!!!!!!

You, my friend, are my newest hero!

[teletwang67]

Originally Posted by psyched

IMO, what an Esquire does is force you to get tone via technique and not with different knob and pickup combinations. True, you still have the position where the tone knob works, but in general it puts the burden of tone in your hands and not on the electronics. Best I can figure how to explain it. You need some knowledge of how to pull things out of a guitar to really hit the points on the continuum between mellow and snarling with an Esquire. Your attack, how much you snap the string, where you pick in relation to the bridge... it all makes a difference, and an Esquire can make you acutely aware of that--and be rewarding if you learn to work with it. That said, the pickup is a vital component in this equation, in some ways it makes or breaks the guitar. But you have to finesse it a little more, even if you're aiming to make it just sound mean... which it can do quite effectively.

I think I'll start with it as an Esquire. I have a Strat for neck pickup tones.

[trev333]

I Esquired my trial horse ZO0 Tele... this body has the HB front rout. an easy mod...

. I'm quite used to this bridge PU .. with various neck PU combos ... it's a modern Fender Esquire PU off the web...

took out the P90....tried a few different diagrams/caps/pu height etc, I'm working on it to fine tune the switch settings for the whaa setting,,...

the .047 was too dark.. the .001 is more like the open position, thin.. I'll find one in between for a bit more duff...

apart from the switching options.... it sounds like it did with a neck PU in the body... a tele bridge PU.. twangy and very Tele like,
I play clean into a twin.... it may growl more with pedals?....

Can't say I didn't try..

I'll leave it like this for a while to test further... I have others to play neck pu's on... and other bridge pu's for that matter..

to be honest I've always preferred neck pu's in the past.... regardless of guitar....

[Twang Tone]

"Can someone explain why I might like an Esquire more than a Tele?"

You might not. The Esquire is a different animal altogether. As others have said, it's hard to describe and therefore the best (some say "only") solution is to get one and see for yourself.

I too like the neck pickup on the Tele, but when you play an Esquire, because of the very absence of a tone-sucking neck pickup, the bridge pickup tones alone make you wonder why you didn't try one sooner. To me, it seems more responsive to pick attack and harmonics than a Tele.

Thanks,

[sonny wolf]

Esquires are cool if you are content with using a bridge pickup tone exclusively and have no need for the middle and neck position tones found on a Telecaster.But for someone like me who uses the neck pickup as much as the bridge I find the Esquire's range limited for my needs.On an Esquire the difference between the 1 position(tone control bypassed) and the 2nd(with tone control active) is extremely subtle and hardly anything I ever distinctly noticed while playing much less what the audience will percieve.The 3rd position with the treble rolled off is not something I have any use for.I'd rather have a regular 2 pickup Telecaster and benefit from having 3 distinctly different and usable tones that can cover a wide range of bases.

[Actionless]

Originally Posted by H. Mac

The Esquire experience is tough to describe. It does not compare to playing the bridge pickup only on a Tele. Not even Position 1 (bridge pickup only) on Nocaster compares to an Esquire.

An Esquire is to a Tele what a Tele is to a Strat. It's similar to the difference between a tweed Champ and a silverface Twin. If a Tele was a car, an Esquire would be a Harley. If a Tele was a sailboat, the Esquire would be a turbocharged speedboat. If a Tele was a birdie (one below par in golf), the Esquire would be a hole in one. If a Tele was like the first kiss with a special woman, the Esquire would the most passionate sex with her that you could ever imagine.

The Esquire experience is tough to describe, even to someone who knows Teles.

This thread will fill with comments from posters like me, who struggle to explain the Esquire experience in terms of the absence of neck pickup magnetism, the 3 way switching characteristics, eliminating the tone pot from the circuit, the "vibe," etc., but in the end, I doubt that it can be explained.

The only way it can be understood is to play one.

This is bang on. The Esquire is a totally different animal. It is somthing I didnt understand either until I put mine together. Until I played it myself I just didnt get it, thought it would just the same as a Tele with the neck pickup unplugged. How wrong was I! By far my most favorite guitar now. It not just the sound they FEEL different. If you were given two exact same Teles, one wired up standard Tele and one wired up Esquire you can tell the difference if you were blind and deaf. I believe it the lack of the neck pickups magnetic pull on the strings that give it a more free feeling, more sustain more power. Just love the feeling I get just playing a simple open chord and let it ring, its like a kick in the nuts, dont get that from any of my other guitars.

Shorter version - GET ONE