Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition '50s Pine Esquire, Nocaster Blonde

Player's Perspective

We're stoked to bring you another beautiful creation from our friends over at the Fender Custom Shop! This guitar is modeled after the famous single-pickup Esquires of the early 1950s, and aged to perfection to look like it's seen its fair share of late nights playing in clubs and smokey studios.

The neck on this does have a compound radius, which may seem odd, but that actually did exist back in the day - albeit due to natural wear and tear more than something consciously thought of. Some of those guitars that people would feel magically different in some way, and sometimes it was that the fretboard had a compound radius (again, most likely unintentionally so). People came to realize that it's really nice to have the rounder fretboard down by the nut and a flatter as you go up the neck for lead lines, bends, and the like. This feature was recreated as a deliberate choice on this guitar, and it's an absolute joy to play. The fretwork is immaculate and the worn-down feel of the maple is like butter as you're sliding up and down the neck. 

Sonically, it's everything you'd expect and want out of a vintage recreation. The pickup is hand-wound, and it's got all of that bright, twangy goodness that you crave from an Esquire.

As you'd expect, this Custom Shop creation is top-notch through and through. An incredible piece to add to any guitarist's collection, this limited-edition guitar is pure joy!

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