Esquire pickup suggestions

[d barham]

Just picked up a Squier CV custom esquire from sweetwater. I really like it but would like to have more, bigger, slightly darker tone out of the pickup. It’s not bad as is, just kinda wanting to experiment. Thanks.

 

[drmordo]

I have only tried a couple of PUs in my Esquire, but I find that I lean toward a hotter PU so that when I back off the tone or switch to the Eldred position the PU is still hot enough to drive the amp.

So, I personally am running a GFS Hot Lead Alnico, and I like it a lot. But is definitely not a dark PU.

 

[Cjteleforum]

I have a Mojotone Broadcaster clone in mine and I am really digging it. "bigger, slightly darker tone" sounds about right for it. I would have gone for a Cavalier Nocaster Holy Grail, which is also a Broadcaster clone, but I didn't know about them at the time.

 

[donrichfan]

bigger, slightly darker tone

That describes the Lollar J Street exactly. I have one in an Esquire and it handles the single pickup duties wonderfully.

 

[SPUDCASTER]

If it's routed for a neck pickup. I'd suggest the Cavalier Stealth and the Holy Grail Bridge.

 

[nickmsmith]

Probably not what you are looking for, but I put a Tele hot rail type in the bridge of one of mine, with a push-push coil split… it’s awesome.

It’s both the darkest and the brightest Tele style I own. And both settings really sound unique and good.

 

[d barham]

No neck route. Cost saving measure I suppose.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Cavalier Nocaster

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

Another vote for the Holy Grail. It’s named that for a good reason.

 

[Spox]

A Tele bridge sized take on a P90 could be an option, I have a set by The Creamery in one of my Teles.
If you're using a valve amp it'll drive it faster than a lower wind option, you lose a bit of the twange treble
but whilst darker it isn't muddy. I'm sure that US based winder will have the same option available, Fralin Steel Pole being an example.

 

[fenderchamp]

Get something tapped, cavalier has great options. I have an esquire wired with a 4 way, the cocked wah and a mini toggle for the tap. It’s very functional. The pickup is a Q 5/2 but I don’t remember the resistance values.

I would gets rob(cavalier)s ‘**** of the walk’ nocaster hot wind whatever he calls it and then a cooler wind below it if it was me. I’d probably get a2 magnets too.

I’d use my fulltone fullbost in front of the esquire first to fatten it up and roll a little treble off in the meantime. The fat boost is made to order for what you want.

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

Get something tapped, cavalier has great options.

Another great idea. I considered doing that but I’m trying to move away from the “Swiss army knife” concept.

 

[fenderchamp]

Another great idea. I considered doing that but I’m trying to move away from the “Swiss army knife” concept.

There is nothing Swiss Army knife about it. It’s all esquire. I have a vintage wired esquire as well With a lollar vintage style bridge pickup no tap and they are both very much the same breed. They both operate under pretty much the same fairly narrow parameters

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

There is nothing Swiss Army knife about it. It’s all esquire. I have a vintage wired esquire as well With a lollar vintage style bridge pickup no tap and they are both very much the same breed. They both operate under pretty much the same fairly narrow parameters

I get it and fully agree. Just not for me anymore.

 

[Hodgo88]

I hate that Don Mare doesn't do them anymore, but his 2-speed StangRay really opens up an Esquire

 

[Frisco 57]

A Cavalier No Caster Holy Grail in this one.

 

[Shango66]

Something tapped. Twang on the tap, beef on the full wind.

 

[archetype]

Before you change hardware, the tone might already be there. Guitar tone and volume down, amp up.

 

[regularslinky]

DiMarzio Pre B-1. A bit fatter and darker than a regular Tele pickup, P-90ish, ballast but cleans up when you back off the volume, perfect for rock, perfect for an Esquire.

 

[Ben Harmless]

I've been Esquiring for about... Wow... Um, not quite 20 years now. In the first say, 10 years, I went through probably 15-20 bridge pickups. I think it was about 9-10 years ago that I had Rob wind me a dual Lion - the Nashville and the Fat Lion winds. That pickup ended the quest. The winds are different, but they both handle individual amps differently. That's good or neutral depending on what you want. I recently built a partscaster, and Rob wound me a pickup in between those two. So far, it's nailing everything I want. One pickup. One volume knob. All I really need. For your purposes, I would say the Fat Lion is chunkier than typical stock tele pickups, and a little darker, but with very decent articulation.

EDIT: specificity.