Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire review – “I was having so much fun I forgot all about the neck pickup”
$599/£449, fender.com
Whilst players from Beck, Gibbons, Cropper to Springsteen have chosen the single-pickup Fender Esquire as their six-string of choice over the years, many players still prefer a Telecaster’s broader tonal palette courtesy of its dual pickup format.
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But can that still work when that magic is distilled into something a lot more humble than the guitars that those icons were using? Well, Squier’s latest addition to the impressive Classic Vibe range aims to make you a believer…
Image: Adam Gasson
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire – what is it?
In addition to having considerably more naming designations than it does pickups, the Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire eschews the blue-collar simplicity of what most of us would associate with the Esquire look for a classier double-bound early 60s custom colour look.
You get a poplar body and a maple neck with an Indian laurel fretboard – as is the norm for the Classic Vibe range – plus a single alnico single-coil pickup with a three-way selector switch (more on that later).
The Esquire is available in Candy Apple Red or the classy Sherwood Green you see here. It’s not often that a guitar unboxing gets all heads in the room turning – especially at this price point – but there can be no doubt that this Squier Esquire is a looker.
However, like a nightclub bouncer in a dinner jacket, looks can be deceptive; underneath the West Coast hot rod look, is there a bruiser waiting to be unleashed?
Image: Adam Gasson
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire – build quality and playability
With its double-bound body, the retro-feeling slim C-ish neck profile and 21 vintage-sized frets, it all adds up to a 60s Fender playing experience in the hand – there’s even a subtle hint of flame to the back of the neck, adding to the ‘how much?’ vibe.
The single Fender-designed alnico single-coil bridge pickup has controls for volume and tone, but also a 3-way selector. Why? Well, thanks to some clever wiring, position one has a capacitor to give a dark pseudo-‘neck’ tone, the middle position has the tone and volume controls connected and having the selector all the way back bypasses the tone control for a subtle lift in output and top end.
Image: Adam Gasson
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire – sounds
Plugging in, and instantly the drawback of that single pickup is felt. Unfortunately, to my ears, the pseudo neck position is just too dark and woolly to be usable in most musical contexts. It’s not the end of the world, however – there are plenty of simple wiring mods you could make to the capacitor value to change this should you be handy with a soldering iron, though I can’t really understand why Fender would persist with this as the default.
Getting to the good stuff, however, the Fender-designed single-coil pickup at the bridge is a sweet and punchy-sounding pickup, bright without being abrasive, offering plenty of snap and clarity to notes with cleaner sounds and a powerful punky snarl with more gain. Select the ‘middle position’ dial the tone control back and a mellower tone that contrasts well to the straight-ahead bridge sound emerges, and select the pickup alone in position three ups the brightness and output a touch, pure BFG, pure rock ‘n’ roll and loads of fun, offering more versatility than the single pickup initially suggests.
Image: Adam Gasson
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire – should I buy it?
I thought I’d miss those genuine neck pickup and middle position Jimmy Page Tele tones; however, the straight-ahead bridge sound, especially the snarling aggressive vibe of the bypassed tone control setting, meant I was having so much fun I forgot all about them!
This is a seriously cool guitar, head-turning elegant looks, retro feel, and tons of 60s Americana vibes. And it has some seriously good tones, too. For this price, you’d be crazy not to take a look.
Image: Adam Gasson
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Esquire – alternatives
For more classic single-pickup action, a good P-90-loaded guitar is a must, and the Epiphone Coronet ($449/£379) is a lot of guitar for the cash. Alternatively, for a wallet-conscious take on a Gibson classic, there’s the Sire Larry Carlton L3 P90 ($459/£279). For heavier music with the stripped-down simplicity and a cool range of colours, the humbucker-loaded Squier Sonic Esquire H ($230.99/£159) is a tempting proposition.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
