‘50s Esquire Telecaster®
013-1502-xxx Maple

The Esquire is among the most sought–after instruments in our entire family of Telecaster guitars. Introduced in 1950, its unique circuitry and biting bridge pickup created a tonal sensation. It later became the weapon of choice for greats including Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen, and has re–emerged time and again in the hands of many other great players.

Our ’50s Esquire features an ash body, a C–shaped maple neck, a vintage–style three–saddle string–through–body Telecaster bridge, and a vintage–style single–coil Telecaster pickup with custom–wired three-way switching.

Basically, three–way switching on a single–pickup guitar gives you three preset tones. In the bridge position, the pickup is connected only to the volume control (the tone control is disconnected); this minimal circuitry produces more top–end sparkle than is possible with a Telecaster. In the middle position, the standard tone control circuit is activated. In the neck position, the tone control is again disengaged, but a tone–shaping capacitor rolls off much of the top end and some bottom, producing a darker tone and slight volume loss.