The Fender Custom Shop continues to raise the bar and guitars like this prove it. This is simply a phenomenal instrument. Period.

So many of Leo’s original design ideas are present here - the body shape, bolt-on neck, six inline tuners, individually adjustable saddles, height-adjustable pickup... all the foundational elements we now take for granted came together on this groundbreaking guitar.

There’s a certain magic, for lack of a better word, in single-pickup guitars that two- and three-pickup models often can’t match. We’ve heard it before: “Yeah, but I can’t do as much with just one pickup. I need a neck pickup!” We respectfully disagree. The simplicity of an Esquire is exactly where its magic lives - in your hands, and in your ears.

It’s a lot like playing a great acoustic guitar, just louder. Want it brighter? Pick near the saddles. Warmer? Pick by the neck, roll the volume back slightly, and engage the 3-way switch (yes, it still uses a 3-way!) for subtle but meaningful shifts in tone. There's plenty to explore, but it’s up to you, the player, to bring it to life.

Specs include an Eastern White Pine body, Aged Nocaster Blonde finish, and a 7.25–9.5" compound radius fingerboard. To our hands, that 7.25" curve is part of the vintage Fender feel we love, while the 9.5" radius higher up makes for effortless bends. The best of both worlds.