Esquire-esque

New - first - build.

Possibly "ambitious" - but we will see.

It's to be an Esquire (1 pickup) with a few differences:

• 24.75" scale length
• No pickguard (at this stage)
• No switch (just a "Gibson Junior" style volume and Tone setup)
• Output Jack moved onto the control panel
• Slight change of shape so as to be a tiny bit offset.

So far - I've got a kit that should arrive in a day or two - minus the body which I'm making myself (so far it's a blank of made from an old post - we think it's Douglas Fir and a "top blank" made from the same old post.

So - this is what the "plans" are so far....

And now I've received the Kit - it's in context with the neck.

Attachment 45447

Cool idea, looking forward to watching this unfold.

+1 for a cool idea, and I think that shape looks really nice.

I have been thinking about other things in that length one might try... And up pops your post! Will be watching with interest, and especially to hear how you find it compares to traditional Tele/Esquire guitars.

Good idea to put the jack on the control plate. Less trouble and more out of the way, especially sitting, than the side jacks.

Are you going to stick with the traditional Tele bridge pickup?

Yes - I normally use a headphone amplifier - and it restricts where I can sit....

I'm using the TL kit with the following changes:
Make own body
shorter scale length neck
moving the jack and removing the switch
not using the neck pickup or the pickguard and
I thought the Grover tuners were a good idea

If it works out - or if I learn enough to do a "better job next time" - I'll possibly upgrade to the BABICZ FCH CHROME TL BRIDGE and a Kinman pickup.

So far....

Attachment 45452

Sounds like a pretty good plan ;-)

The latest "mock up - I've shaped the headstock (trying for a "reverse" of the normal tele shape mixed in with the Coronet "batwing"...).
The neck's been sanded to 240 grit and has a couple of coats of Danish oil. A few more sandings and coatings to go (then it's the fretboard to concentrate on (a couple of the frets are raised and a lot are a bit "grubby")..

I've loosely put the Grovers on to give a better idea what it'll look like (alongside the guitar I already have - a Jet 350).

Attachment 45468

I've also started thinking the body shape might be better without the shaded areas - I'll give ti a few more "looks" over the next week to see if I still think so.

Next is to get the proper router bit so I can do the neck socket and fix that in (then measure out where the bridge actually goes)


What would be really great is if it were possible to get a control plate about 15 to 20 mm longer... any ideas?

FWIW, I think you are right that it will look better without the shaded parts. I am also a big fan of the Epiphone batwing headstocks, ever since I got my first bass, an Epiphone Newport, that sported one.

I have seen also sorts of custom tele control plates...but I am not sure where you'd get one that is longer. Since you don't have a switch, I am wondering why you'd want it to be longer? If you don't mind it being a bit banana shaped, you might find an undrilled Music Man bass control plate. That would be longer. You could probably find someone to make you a longer Tele plate if you don't mind the expense.

Thanks for the feed back.

I always think it's best to "look away" for a while and then come back to see if the thought is still the same.
Always good to get another point of view... as well.

For not having a switch:
There's only the one pickup - so theres nothing to "switch to".... unless I make a few options with different resistor etc (and that's be well out of my capabilities at the moment - maybe when I've a little more experience in this type of thing).
I can get a different "voice" by changing to a "no load" pot at a later stage.
I'm currently of the thought that pedals are more "effective in creating different sounds anyway (but then I've never used one - I hear you can make them yourself though!)
.... but I wanted to make room for the output Jack on the control panel.


I'm sure that a longer control panel is "out there somewhere" - it's just a matter of finding out where (or how)....