When the Fender Esquire rolled out in 1950, it was designed as 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 the three-way switch Leo designed in the early '50s, you're able to access a wide variety of tones.
This Partscaster is constructed from all genuine Fender parts, and it is a faithful recreation of the classic Esquire template. It features a 2019 made-in-Mexico Fender Telecaster neck with a Pau Ferro fingerboard, and a 2020 Fender Classic Series '60s Telecaster body in Olympic White. With a genuine Fender bakelite pickguard and vintage-style Fender 3-saddle tele bridge, it captures the vibe of the early-'50s blackguards, but the "C" shaped neck, Pau Ferro fingerboard, 9.5" radius, and medium jumbo frets give it a more modern feel and playability.
For pickups, it sports a Fender American Vintage '62 Telecaster bridge pickup. Its control plate has been reversed, so the volume knob is more accessible for volume swells. This also prevents the player from accidentally hitting the switch. The switch is wired to '50s specs—fixed tone cap, volume and tone, volume no tone. It's amazing how much versatility you'll find in such a simple setup. In all settings, it remains transparent sound, so how you play has a huge effect on the tone character.
This 2019/20 Fender Partscaster Esquire is gently used. It shows some minor signs of playwear, and there is a chip in the finish on the back edge by the input jack (see photos). It's a great player. The sealed Fender tuning machines and micarta nut keep it in tune nicely. All-in-all, this is a fantastic, well-executed Esquire build, and it's cool that it's all genuine Fender parts.