NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

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NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:42 am

The Guitaristas got me jonesing for a Squire Esquire. I used to have a MIM Fender Esquire but foolishly moved it on in the early 2000s. Ah, so many regrets... :fp:

I found some demos of this Squier FSR Classsic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire. Here's one by Tom Roger Thu.

Finish options: Double-bound cream on Black, Lake Placid Blue, and Sunburst. The tuxedo look won me over. :?

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Because I can't help myself from modding/tinkering, I also bought a cream Esquire pickguard via Amazon. I've never been a fan of stark white pickguards. Here are some quick photos with the cream pickguard on top of the white one.

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Some YouTubers have pointed out that it looks cool without a pickguard, too. Not my thing, but YMMV. Also, no neck pickup routing on this one. I believe there's neck routing on the Fender Esquire models.

I'll definitely give the stock pickup a fair shake as it sounded pretty good to me on the YT demos I've watched...although... I do have a spare Fender Custom Shop Texas Special bridge pickup... :whistle:

If 60 cycle hum gets to me, I might get a Fralin split steel poled Tele (hum-cancelling P90) bridge pickup. I've got one paired with a Fralin Hum-Cancelling Split-Blade Telecaster neck pickup on my Thinline Tele and it sounds awesome.

The neck is a standard Squier "C" shape. I like the vintage tint finish. I'll wipe down the laurel fretboard with some boiled linseed oil when I swap out the stock strings (9s) and put on my D'Addario 11s.

I've only played it unplugged for now. After I put the 11s on, I'll play it through my amps and probably do a demo in the near future. 8)
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by DaddyDom » Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:34 am

Yum!
That's very cool, but then I am another Esquire owner ;)

Top tip - you may well know this but the cheapest, best and first option there is for altering the tone is the pickup height screws. I saw that on the Kinman site and I had completely forgotten about that piece of wisdom.
It's no word of a lie, so try that before you swap pups!

Mine is a r/w fingerboard but wasn't dark enough for me so I successfully darkened it a shade with lemon oil.
HNGD!

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by MattK » Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:08 pm

Oh nice. The binding takes it to the next level. So impressed with how good the vintage tinting is on this line.

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Embenny » Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:27 pm

Wow, that looks amazing. Also, the demo sounded amazing.

Since you mentioned noiseless options, I feel compelled to point out that an Esquire is the perfect use case for Novak's Tel-HC model. It's a half-and-half wind like the Fralins, but uses proper alnico poles instead of steel blades and bar magnets. There's one really old demo from 2011 on YouTube that sounds amazing, and I basically never see it mentioned anywhere since it doesn't have a corresponding neck pickup. But for an Esquire, that's no problem.

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:43 pm

Thanks all and I appreciate the tips! :)
mbene085 wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:27 pm
Wow, that looks amazing. Also, the demo sounded amazing.

Since you mentioned noiseless options, I feel compelled to point out that an Esquire is the perfect use case for Novak's Tel-HC model. It's a half-and-half wind like the Fralins, but uses proper alnico poles instead of steel blades and bar magnets. There's one really old demo from 2011 on YouTube that sounds amazing, and I basically never see it mentioned anywhere since it doesn't have a corresponding neck pickup. But for an Esquire, that's no problem.

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I appreciate it, Mike, thanks! If I end up going hum-cancelling, I'll probably go for the Fralin this time around as I'd want the P90 sound. Here's the Fralin Steel Poled Tele pickup description:
Noiseless P90 Tone in a Tele Bridge Position? Yep – we got that! Enter the Fralin Split Steel Pole Tele Bridge: a Noiseless P90 for Telecaster. This pickup features a fat, thick midrange and aggressive highs. It’s a perfect drop-in replacement for any Fender Telecaster Bridge pickup and for those looking for that versatile, unique P90 tone for their Tele. Get inspired and discover what you’ve been missing.
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That said, I'll definitely check out the Novak's Tel-HC for a full set for one of my other Teles. ;)
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Embenny » Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:58 pm

Ah yes, if the P90 tone is the goal, then yes that's a better choice!

I'm a bit surprised that you like it this much after mentioning the standard neck profile. I thought, on a Tele especially, you'd go baseball bat or bust! Are you starting to appreciate slimmer necks, or is it just such a fun guitar that you're willing to overlook it this time?
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:57 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Thu Sep 29, 2022 4:58 pm
Ah yes, if the P90 tone is the goal, then yes that's a better choice!

I'm a bit surprised that you like it this much after mentioning the standard neck profile. I thought, on a Tele especially, you'd go baseball bat or bust! Are you starting to appreciate slimmer necks, or is it just such a fun guitar that you're willing to overlook it this time?
I can get on with this C profile (it's really more of a Fender Modern C - I think the 9.5" Radius makes it more comfortable for me) for now.

I'll always prefer a boatneck, chunky U, or at least a mid-60s C neck profile. If I want to get a better suited neck for me, I might opt for a used Fender Vintera '50s Tele neck. CME currently offers pre-orders on Fender Esquire necks. I'd totally be fine with a maple neck instead of one with the laurel fretboard.
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by del » Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:23 pm

I love single pickup guitars!

Fender/Squier Esquire, Musicmaster and Bronco; Gibson/Epiphone/Kalamazoo Juniors, LP SG 100, Melody Maker, Coronet, Firebird I; Danelectro U1; Gretsch models-that-I-can't-think-of... Mercy!

Bridge, middle, or neck - a single pickup guitar really shines as powerhouse of hands-striking-strings musicality.
The Kinks - The Fall – The Bad Seeds - Spacemen 3 - The Gories - Royal Trux
"The idea is to put a pick in one hand and a guitar in the other and with a tiny movement rule the world." - David Fair

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:01 pm

Count me a new fan of single pickup guitars. :)

Played the Esquire last night and the stock pickup was fine...but I decided to put in the Fender CS Texas Special bridge pickup. :derp:

During the transition, my Solomon SL-30 soldering station from Stew-Mac decided not to generate any heat. I swapped out the tip but it looks like either the cable to the soldering iron is bad or something internal in the station is off. There's a fuse or two (no idea, honestly) but I didn't see any burn out or anything amiss (like I'd actually recognize anything, lol).

I did a little research last night and decided on a Weller WE1010NA Digital Soldering Station. It arrived this morning so today I finished putting the Esquire back together. Glad I got the Weller, it heats up fast and does the job.

Some of the cream pickguard's screw holes are ever so slightly off so I've got a little bit of a raised gap on the left side of the pickguard. I'll probably take it back off and see if I can make it fit better.

I put some boiled linseed oil on the laurel fretboard while I had the strings off. Looks much nicer now. I put on my D'Addario 11s.

I'm doing alright with the neck "C" shape. I was pleasantly surprised that the tuners are rock solid - I think I've had only one other Squier guitar (Squier VM Surf Stratocaster) that had such solid, stable tuners. Most of my Squier guitar tuners have been alright but these tuners on my Esquire are fantastic.

Sounds great, looks great! 8)

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by BoringPostcards » Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:23 am

Great looking Esquire. Good score!
Det er mig der holder traeerne sammen.

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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:06 am

Thanks, BP! :)
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Embenny » Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:42 am

Glad you're getting on with the neck. FWIW, I love laurel fretboards. I think they look and feel great. Yours definitely looks nicer after that linseed oil.

Not that I'm trying to feed the little devil on your shoulder, but if you're sticking a noiseless P90 style Fralin in there and are considering a swap to a big fat neck, you could make it a 24.75" conversion neck while you're at it. That way, you're really splitting the difference between an Esquire and an LP Jr.

As someone who's moderately obsessed with crossover/mashup guitars, I couldn't help but have that thought pop into my head. Do with it what you will :D

I do think it's great as-is though, and I kinda like letting a cheap Squier remain a cheap Squier if none of the parts require replacement. It's great when a guitar is just plain good without breaking the bank, and that seems to be what you've got here. Certainly a massive cut above that maple neck JM with the misrouted neck pocket.
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Re: NGD - Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Esquire

Post by Surfysonic » Sat Oct 01, 2022 4:11 pm

mbene085 wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:42 am
Glad you're getting on with the neck. FWIW, I love laurel fretboards. I think they look and feel great. Yours definitely looks nicer after that linseed oil.

Not that I'm trying to feed the little devil on your shoulder, but if you're sticking a noiseless P90 style Fralin in there and are considering a swap to a big fat neck, you could make it a 24.75" conversion neck while you're at it. That way, you're really splitting the difference between an Esquire and an LP Jr.

As someone who's moderately obsessed with crossover/mashup guitars, I couldn't help but have that thought pop into my head. Do with it what you will :D

I do think it's great as-is though, and I kinda like letting a cheap Squier remain a cheap Squier if none of the parts require replacement. It's great when a guitar is just plain good without breaking the bank, and that seems to be what you've got here. Certainly a massive cut above that maple neck JM with the misrouted neck pocket.
Thanks! Thankfully, the Esquire's pretty quiet. My largest pedalboard can be noisy with some of my amps. Some day I'll sort that out. :derp:

The Fender CS Texas Special bridge pickup is killer. The tuners on the neck are super solid and I'm totally fine with this neck profile. I'm with ya on leaving it be a cheapie - albeit, a really, really good cheapie. I don't think I need to go any further modding at this point.

This way, I can continue to obsess/GAS for a Les Paul Jr with a Dog-Ear P90. :shifty:

I might just go for the Epiphone Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr in classic white - the set neck one with the spiffy hardshell case with the leopard spots plush interior. Supposedly has a chunky neck. Always liked Green Day well enough, anyhoo. Plus, it's cheaper than a Gibson LP Junior, heh. :whistle:

Yeah, the Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage Edition Jazzmaster broke my heart - I'll likely do a parts build JM some day with a Musikraft maple boatneck to help me heal. :D
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