Esquires?

stickyfiddle · August 2013

I'm sure this has been asked before, but not on this board yet.. Considering trying Esquire-ing my black paisley T.

What makes an Esquire different than just a Tele without a neck pickup? I assume it's less damped by pickup magnetism because there's one less pickup, but how does that affect the sound and pick attack/feel?

And then switching/wiring- how do people wire up the 3-way when you only have one pickup?

monquixote · August 2013

I just don't see the point of Esquires.

For me a lot of the point of a Tele is the fantastic both pickups on sound and the neck pickup can sound ace (intro to Since I've been loving you anyone)

WezV · August 2013

the usual 3-way wiring is:

1) tone control bypassed

2) tone control active

3) tone preset - treble roll off

personally i would go with the eldred mod and make position 3 a cocked wah tone

I like single pickup guitars

stonevibe · August 2013

I'm going to be making one sometime soon. I totally get 'one pickup' guitars.

p90fool · August 2013

Most of the difference between Teles and Esquires is in your head, which is not the same as saying it isn't real.

With a Tele you end up compromising your amp EQ so it'll work on both pickups, but with an Esquire not only do you tweak everything to work with your only pickup, but you really get into your volume and tone knobs and how versatile they can be.

ICBM · August 2013

stickyfiddle said:

I'm sure this has been asked before, but not on this board yet.. Considering trying Esquire-ing my black paisley T.

What makes an Esquire different than just a Tele without a neck pickup? I assume it's less damped by pickup magnetism because there's one less pickup, but how does that affect the sound and pick attack/feel?

Makes it more aggressive and biting.

p90fool said:

Most of the difference between Teles and Esquires is in your head, which is not the same as saying it isn't real.

With a Tele you end up compromising your amp EQ so it'll work on both pickups, but with an Esquire not only do you tweak everything to work with your only pickup, but you really get into your volume and tone knobs and how versatile they can be.

I disagree entirely! With a Tele, the EQ (and volume) difference between the two pickups is perfect to go from deep clean(ish) to midrange crunch with just the pickup selector on the guitar, if you've got the amp set right. That's something I always loved about Teles.

WezV said:

the usual 3-way wiring is:

1) tone control bypassed
2) tone control active
3) tone preset - treble roll off

personally i would go with the eldred mod and make position 3 a cocked wah tone

I like single pickup guitars

Position 3 is actually a midrange-only setting - not treble roll-off - since there's a bass-cut cap in line with the pickup as well. It's just that the values are chosen for a "wah at heel down" type setting. You can change the "position" of the "wah" by altering the cap values.

I also like the Jeff Beck (I think) wiring, which is Vol&Tone/Vol/control-bypass, which gives you three tone and volume settings a little like a Tele.

I do love the look of Esquires and that really savage crunch they have, but I've always prefered the versatility of a real Tele. I've tried mounting a powerful pickup under the guard too... doesn't really work all that well - to get anything like a volume balance it has to be a very powerful pickup, which either sounds very muddy or dampens the strings depending on whether you go for a big coil or a big magnet.

WezV · August 2013

i was going to type "fixed bassy" for my description of 3, i think its referred that way in a lot of wiring diagrams - but we all get the idea

its not really a setting I have a lot of time for which is why i like the eldred mod

Adam_MD · August 2013

I just got my Jooky esquire back with a nice new nut and have been playing the hell out of it all week. I'm really digging positions 1 and 2 but really can't find a use for the third bassy as fook position. I've been investigating the eldred mod and will probably try it next weekend to see if it's more usable.

I never really got single pickup guitars before but then I've never had one. I'll get a proper thread up on it later if I get a chance.

Chuffola · August 2013

Pics, or it's all just a figment of your imagination!

Pazmuzak · August 2013

I've got a Jooky Esquire (Old no7 one) with a Mojo pickup and wiring loom. Great sounds from position 1 and 2, but looking to change the Position 3 to an eldred "cocked wah" mod as I can't get a sound I like from that setting!

If I can work out how, I'll post a photo!!!

p90fool · August 2013

ICBM said:

I disagree entirely! With a Tele, the EQ (and volume) difference between the two pickups is perfect to go from deep clean(ish) to midrange crunch with just the pickup selector on the guitar, if you've got the amp set right. That's something I always loved about Teles.

I must be doing it wrong then! I've always found that I need so much treble from the amp for the neck pickup that the bridge pickup becomes too harsh, which is why I have Strat neck pickups in both my Teles.
I'm using a completely different range of amps these days though, maybe I'll chuck a stock neck pickup back in one of them and try again...

ICBM · August 2013

It is true that Tele neck pickups vary...

Good ones don't sound a lot different from a Strat pickup really.

That combination of deeper/cleaner neck and middy/dirty bridge is why the Tele is the most useful of the classic guitar designs (with the original pickups) for me - it's the others which need the amp adjusting! Or the neck pickup is too powerful and thick and the bridge too bright and weak. The volume difference with the Tele pickups helps too.

Adam_MD · August 2013

I always had trouble with the neck pickup on teles. I have a pickup winder local to me who said he could wind me a neck pickup that was more useable. He used 43 gauge wire and alnico iv magnets and its stupidly good. I always used to find them super dull before and could never get a nice balance with the bridge but this one with a broadcaster style bridge pickup are just the business.

stickyfiddle · August 2013

Cheers all. Both my Tele neck pickups are outstanding- one BK Boss and one Mojo Born To Run. The BKP Brown Sugar is also wonderful.

I think I'll keep the Tele as-is for now. I'm just always looking at ways to make it different from the #1 Tele but this doesn't feel the right option for me. A rosewood board and non-Tele neck pickup would be more appropriate I think, since it's already routed for a bucker at the neck.

Pazmuzak · August 2013

Just bought a Thinline Tele with a Grestch Filtertron as the neck pick-up, very powerful and very versatile. (Again, if I can learn how to upload photo's I will!!!

Chuffola · August 2013

I am clearly insane. Tele neck pickups are my 2nd favourites (decent ones, anyway) after Tele bridge pickups!

OilCityPickups · August 2013

Adam_MD said:

I always had trouble with the neck pickup on teles. I have a pickup winder local to me who said he could wind me a neck pickup that was more useable. He used 43 gauge wire and alnico iv magnets and its stupidly good. I always used to find them super dull before and could never get a nice balance with the bridge but this one with a broadcaster style bridge pickup are just the business.

All Tele neck pickups are wound with 43 awg ... otherwise you simply couldn't get enough wire on the bobbin

personally I like Alnico 3 quite a lot ... about an 8k wind and a nickel cover.

I little known fact is that Fender patented an under-pickguard pickup for the ill fated Marauder guitar in the sixties. It used a little known magnet proximity effect to 'jump' the field far enough for decent output while keeping string pull within reasonable bounds.

WezV · August 2013

OilCityPickups · August 2013

That's them ... the patent having run out, I was seriously considering building one and trying it out in an Esquire.

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