1951/53 Fender Esquire Partscaster

When the Fender Esquire rolled out in 1950, it was a simple, effective solid-body guitar with a single bridge pickup and a few controls to help manipulate the sound. While the single pickup design may seem limiting, sometimes simplicity encourages freer expression. Via the subtleties of your picking attack and Leo's original three-way switch design, you're able to access a wider variety of tones than the single pickup may suggest.  This blackguard Esquire has an interesting story. It features all the right early '50s parts, but it is a partscaster that took over a decade to get 100% there. Put together by our friends at Category 5 Amplification, the story starts with a 1951 Esquire neck. It has a very comfortable soft V carve, and the Maple shows some subtle Birdseye figure. At the time, this neck was on a different Partscaster, and it was the only authentic '50s part. Well, that began a yearlong search (and frankly, an obsession) that led to this monster Esquire! This 1951/53 Esquire