Fender Esquire Solid Body Electric Guitar (1955)
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Item #9044
Fender Esquire Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1955), made in Fullerton, California, Blonde lacquer finish, ash body, maple neck, original tweed hard shell case.
This lovely 1955 Fender Esquire is a very well-preserved transitional instrument, a super rare "Blackguard" from the beginning of the "Whiteguard" era. The lacquered black pickguard is an unusual holdover for this period but not unheard of, and it appears both under the naked eye and UV light examination the correct lacquered phenolic material, with an edge bevel typical for 1955. This oddity gives this Esquire a unique character, and it remains a fabulous example of 1950s Fender greatness as well as an extremely fine-sounding guitar.
While the Esquire was cataloged as a separate model, it was really just a single-pickup Telecaster, which allowed Fender sales to offer a slightly cheaper alternative for the buyer who couldn't quite spring for the Tele's $189.50 price tag. This would be one of the last instruments to feature the original 1951 style black phenolic pickguard instead of the newer white plastic "Whiteguard". The grainy ash body has a slightly yellowed blonde finish, not as dark as the earlier '50s style but more toned than the later 1950s "white-blonde". The body is dated 5-55 in the neck cavity, and there is a script "esq" penciled under the finish beneath the pickguard. The neck is dated 6-55 with a relatively chunky profile that shows just the beginnings of the "V" in the lower positions that became more prominent in 1957. The serial number stamped on the neck plate is still the original 4-digit series.
The maple neck has the original small frets, Kluson Deluxe tuners, and the script Fender logo decal positioned below the original-style round-style string tree. The visible pot code is 304-515 designating the 15th week of 1955. The single flat-pole pickup back at the bridge is still in "blackguard" territory sonically. It is controlled by a volume, tone, and 3-way switch with a "top hat" tip offering three tonal options: the #1 bass-heavy rolloff setting, the #2 straight tone control, and #3 "bypass" sending the signal straight to the jack. This last setting is the Esquire's secret bonus, offering some of the finest, snarliest tones ever to emerge from the Fullerton factory. This one was wired up in early June 1955; the masking tape tag is still intact in the cavity but it is hard to read the assembler's name.
This is a fantastic-sounding guitar, a joy to play...even just to hold! 1955 Blackguards are extremely rare, assembled either to use up the old materials, or to a special order for the older style. We asked Blackguard guru Nacho Banos about this and he offered this wisdom "Fender used some guitars in 1956 with black pickguards in the catalog because they believed they photographed better with the light blonde and dark guard. I wouldn't be surprised if this guitar would have been used for show display or catalog photograph thus the black pickguard. If the guitar is original and the guard looks like it has been in there since forever, that would be my theory." Thanks Nacho! This beautiful Esquire still resides in a very fine original 1955-only center-pocket tweed HSC, which has a cool old clear plastic handle Fender never should have stopped using. A lovely piece of Fender history and a wonderful guitar to boot.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a very clean and 100% original guitar, with only some typical light finish wear and no repairs or alterations. As is typical with these the lacquer is rubbed away somewhat on the upper back edge of the body, and there are some dings and dents scattered around but the finish shows little checking or color change. The pickguard is also original and quite well-preserved with some minor scuffing on the top surface, and a small spot on the horn of very light disturbance where perhaps a strap lay on the lacquer for a while.
The neck finish is also very clean but does have some light wear mostly in the first position -- the only notable fingerboard wear is in the "cowboy chord" zone. All hardware on the instrument is original including the tuners, pickup, wiring, knobs, and bridge components. The chrome is still shiny with hardly any wear. This guitar appears to have been played over the last 65 years, but not much! The only thing missing is the "ashtray" snap-on bridge cover. All this, the original Center-pocket case...and it SOUNDS fantastic too! Excellent Condition.
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This lovely 1955 Fender Esquire is a very well-preserved transitional instrument, a super rare "Blackguard" from the beginning of the "Whiteguard" era. The lacquered black pickguard is an unusual holdover for this period but not unheard of, and it appears both under the naked eye and UV light examination the correct lacquered phenolic material, with an edge bevel typical for 1955. This oddity gives this Esquire a unique character, and it remains a fabulous example of 1950s Fender greatness as well as an extremely fine-sounding guitar.
While the Esquire was cataloged as a separate model, it was really just a single-pickup Telecaster, which allowed Fender sales to offer a slightly cheaper alternative for the buyer who couldn't quite spring for the Tele's $189.50 price tag. This would be one of the last instruments to feature the original 1951 style black phenolic pickguard instead of the newer white plastic "Whiteguard". The grainy ash body has a slightly yellowed blonde finish, not as dark as the earlier '50s style but more toned than the later 1950s "white-blonde". The body is dated 5-55 in the neck cavity, and there is a script "esq" penciled under the finish beneath the pickguard. The neck is dated 6-55 with a relatively chunky profile that shows just the beginnings of the "V" in the lower positions that became more prominent in 1957. The serial number stamped on the neck plate is still the original 4-digit series.
The maple neck has the original small frets, Kluson Deluxe tuners, and the script Fender logo decal positioned below the original-style round-style string tree. The visible pot code is 304-515 designating the 15th week of 1955. The single flat-pole pickup back at the bridge is still in "blackguard" territory sonically. It is controlled by a volume, tone, and 3-way switch with a "top hat" tip offering three tonal options: the #1 bass-heavy rolloff setting, the #2 straight tone control, and #3 "bypass" sending the signal straight to the jack. This last setting is the Esquire's secret bonus, offering some of the finest, snarliest tones ever to emerge from the Fullerton factory. This one was wired up in early June 1955; the masking tape tag is still intact in the cavity but it is hard to read the assembler's name.
This is a fantastic-sounding guitar, a joy to play...even just to hold! 1955 Blackguards are extremely rare, assembled either to use up the old materials, or to a special order for the older style. We asked Blackguard guru Nacho Banos about this and he offered this wisdom "Fender used some guitars in 1956 with black pickguards in the catalog because they believed they photographed better with the light blonde and dark guard. I wouldn't be surprised if this guitar would have been used for show display or catalog photograph thus the black pickguard. If the guitar is original and the guard looks like it has been in there since forever, that would be my theory." Thanks Nacho! This beautiful Esquire still resides in a very fine original 1955-only center-pocket tweed HSC, which has a cool old clear plastic handle Fender never should have stopped using. A lovely piece of Fender history and a wonderful guitar to boot.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This is a very clean and 100% original guitar, with only some typical light finish wear and no repairs or alterations. As is typical with these the lacquer is rubbed away somewhat on the upper back edge of the body, and there are some dings and dents scattered around but the finish shows little checking or color change. The pickguard is also original and quite well-preserved with some minor scuffing on the top surface, and a small spot on the horn of very light disturbance where perhaps a strap lay on the lacquer for a while.
The neck finish is also very clean but does have some light wear mostly in the first position -- the only notable fingerboard wear is in the "cowboy chord" zone. All hardware on the instrument is original including the tuners, pickup, wiring, knobs, and bridge components. The chrome is still shiny with hardly any wear. This guitar appears to have been played over the last 65 years, but not much! The only thing missing is the "ashtray" snap-on bridge cover. All this, the original Center-pocket case...and it SOUNDS fantastic too! Excellent Condition.
