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Did Leo get it right the first time, or are legions of Nashville session pickers right in shrugging off the Esquire as an incomplete Tele?

Hell_Guapo wrote:Did Leo get it right the first time, or are legions of Nashville session pickers right in shrugging off the Esquire as an incomplete Tele?

If I ever have the privilege to play an Esquire, I will know for certain; otherwise, I'm damn happy with my Tele.

Maybe Leo got it right the last time? Where's your ASAT poll option, champ?

good point.

Seeing as my Esquire is a frankenstein MIM Tele that I completely bastardized, I think it would only be right to include all variations of the telecaster design. Did G&L ever make an Esquire? Every G&L I've ever played was a damn fine instrument. I guess the poll breakdown would be Tele = 2 or more pickups, Esquire = 1 pickup.

My tele was one of the Mexican made American Deluxe dealies (much better quality than your average MIM tele) that sounded great as a tele, but after reading up on Esquires, I decided to rip out the neck PU and wire the switch to Esquire specs. It really brought the guitar alive and changed the way I play. Picking style greatly changes tone, and it is anything but thin sounding. Far from the one trick pony some would have you believe it is. I highly recommend anyone that is into Teles to have a go at an Esquire. If aggressive playing is your schtick, the Esquire will be your best friend.

Notable Esquire players:
Luther Perkins
Syd Barrett
Jeff Beck
Paul McCartney

Hell_Guapo wrote:Notable Esquire players:

Syd Barrett

He is why I got a Tele. I couldn't afford an Esquire, so it was obvious to get a Tele.

Syd's Esquire was probably more of a bastard than mine. I read somewhere that he was constantly changing pickups/wiring looking for far out sounds. Esquires are more than Teles? To be fair, I have never owned a "REal" Esquire, so I don't know what they cost. I think they only make Esquires in Mexico these days (last I checked), which, for what the guitar is, could go either way on quality I guess. They were known as the entry level student model after the Tele was born.

Fender used to sell a kit to change Esquires into Telecasters (once your playing improved enough to need a "pro" guitar I guess). Changing a Tele into an Esquire is a peice of cake, provided you know at least a little soldering.

(I better shut up and give others a chance to answer before my obvious bias towards Esquires starts tipping the poll)