For the Esquire fans...

[Ian Price]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rX9v1cxNGQ

Good stuff Dave - is that standard tuning you are playing in or just a diferent key? I was strumming along and noticed Under the Bridge sounds different.

My Esquire is wired slightly differently - bridge isn't connected to tone, middle is and neck is c--ked wah sort of sound but not as pronounced as yours. Would playing through an OCD affect the c--kyness of the 'neck' position?

[FernandoDuarte]

Nice guitar and clip!!

[Twinfan]

I was playing in standard tuning, but I've been tuning the guitar to itself for a week or so (not a tuner).  Probably safe to say I'm not at 440hz then!  :lol:

My Esquire is wired slightly differently - bridge isn't connected to tone, middle is and neck is c--ked wah sort of sound but not as pronounced as yours. Would playing through an OCD affect the c--kyness of the 'neck' position?

I swapped the neck/middle controls over compared to yours Ian.  With just a volume pot connected, a vintage single coil is even thinner sounding so I only use it for clean parts with the volume rolled back a bit.  It makes sense to have it in the middle and flick to the bridge (with the tone pot connected so I can roll it back a bit) for lead parts.

I believe the Eldred Esquire wiring (which yours is) uses a smaller cap.  I have a 0.015uf but yours is, I believe, a 0.0033uf.  This will affect the c--ked wah tone.  Yours will be a bit brighter and not quite as bassy?

[Ratrod]

That's a great mod. I've seen it before on the Tele Discussion Page.

Mine is still stock except for the switch. I was thinking of putting a Filtertron in the neck position and adding a Bigsby but this Esquire idea is getting more and more appealing.

[Sollophonic]

I too love Esquires, and the process of "Esquiring" a Tele is yet another of those nouns that have become verbs in modern lexiconography!
I had an old BSB Squier, which played nicely, but the neck pickup was awful, whereas the bridge one was suprisingly bright and loud. Mine is wired so that the swich does the following. Front;- Tone and volume, Middle;- Volume only, Back;- Stright to jack socket. Very versatile IMO.


I also until recently had a really stripped down Esquire with no pickguard and no controls, which was fun for a while. Homemade pine body, cheap copy neck.


I rebuilt it to look more like this, then sold it


I have another Esquire type, with a Hohner neck and a beech body, which my daughter plays a lot
Esquires are fun guitars!

[Philly Q]

D'you reckon this would work best with a regular-output pickup or something hot?  Maybe it's time for me to get that BKP Boss....

[AndyR]

Nah, you want a Piledriver Philly...

(Fernando has finally converted me :lol:)

[Sifu Ben]

While I don't really love single humbucker guitars, Esquires are growing on me. (actually, maybe it's the pickguard, I don't mind a single humbucker strat either). That wiring mod is seriously useful.

[Philly Q]

I would like to try a Piledriver, but not sure I'd want it as the only pickup on the guitar - maybe a bit too powerful to be really versatile?  

I might get rid of the Joe Barden on my black Tele and replace it with a single-coil (it has a neck minibucker).  But the PD might be too powerful for that too....

[FernandoDuarte]

Nah, you want a Piledriver Philly...

(Fernando has finally converted me :lol:)

:lol:

Wait 'till you play the Nonsense Tele :twisted:

[Ian Price]

I swapped the neck/middle controls over compared to yours Ian.  With just a volume pot connected, a vintage single coil is even thinner sounding so I only use it for clean parts with the volume rolled back a bit.  It makes sense to have it in the middle and flick to the bridge (with the tone pot connected so I can roll it back a bit) for lead parts.

I believe the Eldred Esquire wiring (which yours is) uses a smaller cap.  I have a 0.015uf but yours is, I believe, a 0.0033uf.  This will affect the c--ked wah tone.  Yours will be a bit brighter and not quite as bassy?

There is an additional cap in the case that the guitar came with - not sure what it is though, maybe 0.0022uf if there is such a thing (it definitely has .22 in it somewhere). I don't understand all of this stuff so will probably leave the guitar as is!

[Plexi Ken]

Guitar looks great, very nice looking neck for an instrument in that price range.

[Philly Q]

There is an additional cap in the case that the guitar came with - not sure what it is though, maybe 0.0022uf if there is such a thing (it definitely has .22 in it somewhere). I don't understand all of this stuff so will probably leave the guitar as is!

It's probably just an alternate cap to use on the switch if you find the existing one doesn't have a sufficiently dramatic effect!  I've seen diagrams using everything from 0.047 to 0.001, the 0.047 would give more of a bassy sound, lower values should give a brighter, more "nasal" sound.

I think the original Esquire wiring used a third cap and a resistor too, and was actually intended to give a pseudo-bass tone in the "neck" position.

[Twinfan]

Yep, you're right Phil.  The original Esquire has a 0.047uf cap and a 3.3k resistor in series.

Ian - I think yours has a 0.0033uf cap as standard, but there's a 'brighter' 0.0022 in the case.  Interesting, as I didn't know you got an extra cap  :)

[Twinfan]

Guitar looks great, very nice looking neck for an instrument in that price range.

Thanks Ken.  It's flamed maple ( :o ) and I believe the factory gives them a Plek setup.....