A one-owner "White Guard" Esquire that combines some of the most desirable features of a "Blackguard" and the later 50s single-cuts.

A rather unique feature of this Esquire is the use of a seemingly rare "no stamp" bridge. In our limited but effective research, we've determined that Fender may have had a batch of bridges installed on a handful of Telecasters and Esquires without the 'Pat Pend' stamp. All other examples of this phenomenon are guitars that were date marked in July of 1956, denoting a very narrow window where these were used. The reason is unclear, but nevertheless it's yet another production quirk of the Golden Age period of Fender solidbodies.

The guitar has remained virtually untouched with the exception of an unfortunate removal and discarding of the original pickup. Thankfully, we've sourced a period-correct pickup with its original wind intact, reattaching it to the original wiring harness and circuit. It sounds spectacular! Full, clear, and woody, with a nice sparkle to the overall tone.

The original Esquire circuit is a joy to play with as well - setting up the middle position on the switch allows for use of both volume and tone controls, and then switching into the conventional bridge pickup position bypasses the tone control entirely. Think of it like a Verse-Chorus or Rhythm-Solo toggle - you can preset your base tone with the tone rolled off a bit, then kick things into high gear in the bypassed position for more cut and fundamental kick.

The guitar comes with its original hardshell case which is also in excellent overall condition. Included is the original ashtray bridge cover and Fender strap as well.