Pickup Help for Squier CV Esquire

I have the Cavalier Fat Lion in mine. It's a great mix of twangy and oomph, which works really well with a single-pickup guitar. Between that and working the volume and no-load tone controls, the variety in the guitar is ridiculous.

 

...another option is a tapped pickup with a 4 way switch. I have a tapped OC Duff in my Esquire, a 4-way wired for each tap as well as the Eldred mod circuit, and a no-load tone pot. I get a lot of versatility out of it!
If I was doing it again, I'd ask Rob to wind a tapped one with Nashville and Fat/Huge Lion values if you want to stick with A5s, or an Oildale/Holy Grail with A3s.

 

I've got a Lollar J-Street in my Esquire and it's my favorite.

 

What's wrong with the original ???

 

I like the Cavalier Nashville pickup in my Esquire. I would message Rob (Rob DiStefano on this board) and tell him what kind of sound you are looking for and he will fix you up. Great pickups, even greater person.

 

Thanks!

I wouldn't say any changes are necessary, it's more down to what it does and how well that matches what you want/need.

Mine started as an '80's Squier Tele that someone slapped a Bigsby on. It sounded good as I bought it, but I already had a standard-appointed Tele and thought it would be cool to make it an Esquire. So I decided to just replace all the electronics and start fresh. I got all Fender parts from Darren Riley, just because he usually has it all and I've always been happy ordering from him. The only exception was the control plate, which I got from Rutters because they sell one with the volume pot's hole scooched away from the switch slot, which I prefer. And the pickup, of course.

If you're going to replace the tone pot, I'd recommend getting a no-load pot, which lets you effectively remove the tone control from the circuit when turned all the way up. It's popular to have a switch position on an Esquire dedicated to volume control only, as well ass one for volume+tone. Using a no-load pot lets you have volume+tone as well as volume-only on the same switch position, saving a switch position for some other option (my Esquire has a 3-way; volume+no-load tone, Eldred and straight-to-jack).

 

Agreed. Tell him what sound you want and you're not getting from your current set-up, and what you're hoping to get from the Fat Lion (or whatever pickup you're considering). When I got the Fat Lion for the Esquire I was between that and the Nashville. He suggested the Nashville for more twang, Fat for more oomph (I had told him I wanted something capable of both). Oomph was my priority, so I went with the Fat.

A Nashville eventually found its way into my Tele along with a Lion King for the neck position.

 

I wouldn't change, until a proper setup, and adjust the pickup height. I have the same guitar I bought in 2019 from Anderton's.
That pickup is fender vintage spec A5 @7k. I love mine, and will never change. I can get this guitar to cover any music. Good luck with your choices..its your guitar, make it your own. cheers

 

I have Klein in my Esquire and it sounds great.

 

I'd choose the Bakersfield or Nashville Lion over the Fat Lion.
Rob says the Fat Lion is "not best nor meant for twang tone".
It's a popular pickup but a good ways away from classic Tele or Esquire tone.

For my dollar I find I can add fatness to a clear bright pickup better than I can add clarity to an over wound pickup.
The loss of clarity is more on the wound strings, but overall I just don't like the hotter winds in an Esquire.
I have four Esquires too, and would have one with that hot a pickup if I had maybe six Esquires.

Of course if you just don't like a bright clear Esquire at all, and want more of a P-90 end of things from an Esquire, maybe that's the right pickup for you. But if you want some twang from your Esquire you might be better served by one of his brighter A5 versions.
Tapped is always an option if you just don't know what you like, or if you really need switchable sounds from an "Esquire".

You didn't mention music styles you want to use the Esquire for?
If it's just Rock & heavy dirty Blues then maybe the Fat Lion really is the right choice.
As far as the Nocaster Holy Grail Lion, I don't like A3 magnets or 43awg winds, though the wing isn't really an issue in that model.
I just hear all the A3 mag pickups I've had as delivering a sort of dulled tone with less clarity.
Some players like that though.

 

Man, that strap is off the hook!

 

I got a Cavalier Hydra tapped Bakersfield/Nashville/Fat that will go into a James Burton Standard that I'm Esquiring with a no-load tone pot. Just waiting for the motivation to show up and it's late.

 

Knowing now that you already have a C Rex dulling your tone (I put one in an amp with no tone control to tame my Esquires bite), I'd lean even further away from the Fat Lion toward one of Robs brighter winds.

Depends on how you think of a Blues tone on an Esquire, I might like the darkest pickup for a clean fat Blues tone that might typically be made on a neck HB, but for Rock I want the cut and snarl of a brighter bridge pickup.
Once we add some dirt for a Rock sound, there really is no need for that much treble cut of both C Rex and Fat Lion.

So many ways to get to so many sounds...

 

How about a coil sized rail humbuckers that you could split?

 

My advice is to pair the Fat Lion with this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191635401472

It’ll give you all the variety of tone you need.

 

That’s what I was wondering. The videos I’ve heard sound pretty killer.

If I was going to spend money upgrading it, I’d focus on the hardware and electronics.