Traditionally 1 single-coil (some 1950 examples were equipped with 2 pickups); other configurations available
Colors available
white, black & shades of blonde Various sunbursts
The Fender Esquire is a solid-bodyelectric guitar manufactured by Fender. The Esquire was the first solid-body guitar sold by Fender, debuting in 1950.[1] Shortly after its introduction, a two-pickup version was built. It was soon renamed the Broadcaster later that year; the single pickup version retained the Esquire name. The Gretsch Company at the time marketed a drum set under the 'Broadkaster' name, and at their request, Fender dropped the Broadcaster name, eventually renaming their guitar the "Telecaster". The more versatile Broadcaster/Telecaster has since become one of Fender's most popular models with dozens of variations produced. Once the Telecaster was introduced, the Esquire became marketed as a lower-cost version. Over the following two decades, the availability of other low-cost models saw the Esquire's sales decline and the model was discontinued in 1969.
The model has since been reissued but remains a relatively "niche" guitar. Esquire users today prefer the model's increased treble over the Telecaster.[2] Although the Esquire was the original model introduced, given the popularity and uninterrupted production of the Telecaster, the limited reissued Esquire models are generally regarded and billed as variants of the Telecaster.
Early development
1st prototype of 1949 (replica).
The first prototype for the Esquire (and the later Telecaster) was completed by Leo Fender and George Fullerton in the fall of 1949. The prototype introduced the now-familiar square edged, dreadnoughtbody shape with single cutaway to allow easier access to the upper frets. Likewise, it already featured the distinctive combination bridge and pickup assembly, using the pickup from Fender's "Champion" lap steel guitar, with its individual pole pieces for each string, mounted at a slant, and the three bridge saddles which allow adjustment of intonation only in pairs, but individual string height.
The neck, like the first Esquires manufactured in 1950, was made from a single piece of maple without a separate fret board or truss rod. The neck was attached to the body with four screws and an anchor plate, unlike in traditional guitar construction, where a tenon on the neck is glued into the body. Unlike the Esquire, the neck was wider at the nut, and the head had 3 tuners on each side. The prototype differed from the later production guitars in several other respects: the body was made of pinewood, it was painted opaque white, its pickguard did not extend below the strings, it lacked a selector switch, and its volume and tone knobs were mounted on a slanted plate.[3] Like the production models, it had a removable pickup cover, but unlike the production models, the cover had straight sides.[4] The prototype had only one pickup, as did Esquires manufactured from 1951 onwards.
Over the winter of 1949/50, Fender refined the design. The neck width at the nut was narrowed to 1 5/8", and the head modified to accommodate all six tuners on one side, inspired by a Croatian design that Fender liked. A tone selector switch was added, and the controls were mounted on a plate parallel to the strings. The scratch plate (pickguard) was enlarged.[5] During late spring of 1950, Fender had added a second (Champion steel) pickup in the neck position. It was soon redesigned to pick around more easily with a smaller pickup, and encased in a metal shielding cover designed by Karl Olmstead (tool & die makers Race & Olmstead).[1] However, this last feature was not to make it onto Fender's commercially advertised guitar, as Fender's distributor, the Radio & Television Equipment Company (RTEC), had decided that it would be easier to sell the single pickup version of the guitar.[1]
The 1950 Esquire
The single pickup guitar was first manufactured in March 1950, and made its commercial debut as the Esquire in Don Randall's RTEC Spring catalogue of that year.[1][6] While the guitar pictured in the catalog was painted black with a white pickguard, later Esquires produced at the time were painted with semi-transparent blonde acetate lacquer, which over the years faded to a "butterscotch" blonde, and the pickguard was a black phenolic pickguard. Unlike the laminated 1.5" thick pine and ash wood samples, the Broadcaster was 1.75" and made of solid ash.[1] The dual pickup version was first manufactured in May and June of that year. Neither early Esquire versions had a truss rod at that time, Fullerton’s father Fred Fullerton developed the truss reinforcement design still in use today.
By October, the revised dual pickup version acquired one and was renamed the Broadcaster.[6] Following objections via a telegram sent to Don Randall from Gretsch, who produced the "Broadkaster" banjo and drum kit, this name was dropped. Numerous guitars were shipped in 1951 with the clipped "Fender" logo decal and no model name, these days referred to as the "Nocaster", until the name Telecaster was adopted in August. Randall held a contest and no one came up with a suitable name. Television was just becoming popular and the name stuck.
The guitar was designed as an electronic instrument with no acoustic manipulation of the tone. Rather the guitar's pickup was designed and placed to transmit the richest signal for later manipulation by the tone switch and other electronics.
After the renaming of the dual pickup Broadcaster, the production and promotion of the single pickup Esquire briefly ceased. However, it was reintroduced in January 1951, now equipped with a truss rod. The second generation Esquires shared external similarities with the Broadcasters and Telecasters of 1951, except for the absence of a neck pickup and the presence of the "Esquire" label on the headstock. Despite having only one pickup, the Esquire retained the three-way switch found on the two-pickup guitars. This switch allowed players to modify the pickup tone by adding more bass in the forward position and utilizing the tone control knob in the middle position. When set to the rear position, the tone controls were bypassed entirely, resulting in a hotter lead tone.
Like the two-pickup guitar, these Esquires had a routed cavity in the neck pickup position. Thus, with the purchase of a neck pickup and replacement or modification of the pickguard, players could upgrade their instrument to a guitar identical to the Telecaster in every respect except for the model decal. Bruce Springsteen, for example, has long played an Esquire modified in this way. Springsteen has claimed that the guitar he is pictured with on the Born to Run album cover is, in fact, a hybrid of two guitars, a Telecaster body and Esquire neck. However, it is actually a first-generation Esquire with two pickup routs. The Esquires had Esquire pickguards to cover the neck pickup rout; Springsteen's guitar has a neck pickup installed, but not connected.[7][8]
Initially reintroduced in 1951 to provide a more affordable option for musicians who couldn't afford the two-pickup guitar, the Esquire faced declining popularity as cheaper student models like the Mustang entered the market. Consequently, Fender made the decision to discontinue the Esquire in 1969.
From 1986 to present
In 1986, Fender Japan began producing the Esquire, based on the 1954 version and under the brand "Squier by Fender". It featured threaded saddles and a white pickguard with either a butterscotch blonde or metallic red finish. Some people report that there was also a blackguard version, as well as a sunburst finish. These Esquires were exported to the USA.
The Fender Custom Shop also manufactures a 1959 Esquire reproduction as part of its "Time Machine" series, a model distinguished by its top-loading bridge design. It is also notable that the Avril Lavigne signature Telecaster sold under the Squier by Fender brand resembles an Esquire since it only has a single pickup. Although the pickup in the Avril Lavigne Telecaster is a humbucker rather than the usual single coil, the guitar also features a 3-way selector switch that allows the player to isolate one coil of the pickup at a time, thus offering single coil tones just like the Esquire or even a normal Telecaster, or both coils at the same time for the intended humbucker sound.
The use of the Fender Esquire by several country musicians is popularly credited for the creation of one of the most distinctive and recognized sounds in American music history.
Jimmy Wyble with Spade Cooley was the first Esquire endorser for Don Randall's advertisements. George and Leo took a new Broadcaster out to show Jimmy Bryant at the Rancho Reveler soon afterwards. He first played it on the edge of the stage with an admiring crowd up close.[10][citation needed] In 1954 Luther Perkins played a slightly modified Esquire, recording the first Johnny Cash songs "Wide Open Road" and "Hey Porter".[citation needed] This guitar can also be heard on all records before "I Walk The Line", for which Perkins played an Esquire. Throughout his career Perkins used various Esquires. With this guitar, Perkins created the legendary "Boom Chicka Boom Sound" that identified Johnny Cash's music.[citation needed]
Bruce Springsteen has used a 1953 Fender Esquire as his main touring and recording guitar throughout his career.[11] He can be seen holding the guitar on the cover of his albums Born to Run (1975), Live 1975–85 (1986), Human Touch (1992), and Greatest Hits (1995).[12] Springsteen's guitar is a combination of an Esquire neck and Telecaster body. He bought the guitar in 1971 in Belmar, NJ, for 185 dollars.
David Hekhouse of The Tearaways tours with a 1959 Esquire.
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