New guitar build day - Esquire

Painting? Routing? Set-up tips? Or just straight-up making a guitar from scratch? Post here, and post pics!

Moderated By: mods

User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

Further to my post below, I’ve finished my Esquire build

Specs are:

Satin nitro neck and body, I’ve polished the body to a semi gloss. The neck is a chunky 23.5mm at the 1st fret, 25mm at the 12th. It’s got a set of Fender tuners I had around, a compensated, cut down vintage style bridge, screw in Jack socket, single ply pickguard and (once I’d got it right) 50s Les Paul Jr style wiring - with no switch. The pickup is a fairly high output Bare Knuckle.

All set up and it plays great. No shim needed, just a tweak of the truss rod and a bit of intonation.
Attachments
8CCA1029-8FD5-4AA5-B23D-76D45B185A50.jpeg
8CCA1029-8FD5-4AA5-B23D-76D45B185A50.jpeg (3.4 MiB) Viewed 2418 times
80EE0CB9-1E99-4404-B16D-B8F6E8F033E7.jpeg
80EE0CB9-1E99-4404-B16D-B8F6E8F033E7.jpeg (3.3 MiB) Viewed 2418 times
User avatar
plopswagon
cutesy tag
Posts: 18487
Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: 3rd Fret
Contact:

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by plopswagon »

Looks great Nick, congrats!
► Show Spoiler
ekwatts wrote: Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:53 pm The word "moisty" has made me irrationally angry.
User avatar
sunshiner
.
.
Posts: 7998
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Around the corner

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by sunshiner »

Looks the business!
matte30is wrote:Someone man up and get a balloon.
User avatar
Thom
lamp
Posts: 6987
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Exeter, UK

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Thom »

That looks great!
User avatar
Freddy V-C
NOD FLANGERS
Posts: 5556
Joined: Sun May 17, 2009 4:55 pm

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Freddy V-C »

Amazing! Is the Bare Knuckle a Brute Force? If so, that's what I've got in my pink Tele/Esquire.
User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

Freddy V-C wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 5:24 pm Amazing! Is the Bare Knuckle a Brute Force? If so, that's what I've got in my pink Tele/Esquire.
No, it’s a True Grit, so a little less output than yours, but more than a vintage style. Same range as yours though.
User avatar
Freddy V-C
NOD FLANGERS
Posts: 5556
Joined: Sun May 17, 2009 4:55 pm

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Freddy V-C »

Ah, nice! The Boot Camp series is such good bang for your buck.
User avatar
sunshiner
.
.
Posts: 7998
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Around the corner

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by sunshiner »

One pickup guitars are the badassest and the bestest of all
matte30is wrote:Someone man up and get a balloon.
User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

sunshiner wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:42 pm One pickup guitars are the badassest and the bestest of all
I’m coming to the conclusion that one pickup, a volume and a tone are all I need.
User avatar
Gavin
I Beat BBC News
Posts: 12752
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:27 am
Location: Scotland

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Gavin »

Tone is all in the tone knob anyway.
User avatar
plopswagon
cutesy tag
Posts: 18487
Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: 3rd Fret
Contact:

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by plopswagon »

NickD wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 10:10 am
sunshiner wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:42 pm One pickup guitars are the badassest and the bestest of all
I’m coming to the conclusion that one pickup, a volume and a tone are all I need.
Image
► Show Spoiler
ekwatts wrote: Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:53 pm The word "moisty" has made me irrationally angry.
User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

plopswagon wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:25 pm
NickD wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 10:10 am
sunshiner wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:42 pm One pickup guitars are the badassest and the bestest of all
I’m coming to the conclusion that one pickup, a volume and a tone are all I need.
Image
I’d like to try one of those again, but with a wider and thicker neck than the one I had.
User avatar
Hurb
Peanut the Kidnapper
Posts: 7167
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:47 pm

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Hurb »

Lovely job nick
User avatar
dots
BADmin (he/him)
Posts: 1021906
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 4:16 pm
Location: Esco-A-Go-Go
Contact:

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by dots »

great work, nick. i dig the simplicity mixed with some modern touches.
User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

dots wrote: Tue Apr 26, 2022 10:38 pm great work, nick. i dig the simplicity mixed with some modern touches.
Thanks.

Aesthetically I was going for this (mid 50s Esquire) with a couple of modern touches, like the ability to intimate properly.
Attachments
10633CCB-2861-45BC-8269-54AC72189D8E.jpeg
10633CCB-2861-45BC-8269-54AC72189D8E.jpeg (264.37 KiB) Viewed 2286 times
User avatar
sunshiner
.
.
Posts: 7998
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Around the corner

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by sunshiner »

I thought they moved to the white guard at the time they moved to the blond finish.

On other matter, it's funny how guitarists are obsessed nowadays with all worn nitro necks with jizz soaked into the wood but at the time customers were probably pissed "I paid so much money(between $1000-2000 in today's money) for this stupid guitar and two years later the finish is all worn and cracking all over the place. Swindlers! Give me my money back!"
matte30is wrote:Someone man up and get a balloon.
User avatar
sunshiner
.
.
Posts: 7998
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Around the corner

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by sunshiner »

NickD wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 10:10 am
sunshiner wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:42 pm One pickup guitars are the badassest and the bestest of all
I’m coming to the conclusion that one pickup, a volume and a tone are all I need.
I play the bridge pickup in my guitar most of the time and I love all kinds of LP Junior style guitars
matte30is wrote:Someone man up and get a balloon.
User avatar
NickD
.
.
Posts: 5993
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Sheffield, Innit

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by NickD »

sunshiner wrote: Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:27 am I thought they moved to the white guard at the time they moved to the blond finish.

On other matter, it's funny how guitarists are obsessed nowadays with all worn nitro necks with jizz soaked into the wood but at the time customers were probably pissed "I paid so much money(between $1000-2000 in today's money) for this stupid guitar and two years later the finish is all worn and cracking all over the place. Swindlers! Give me my money back!"
I think they did switch over at that point - that is a transitional model.

Nitro used to be used on cars too - Imagine the finish checking on your brand new Cadillac!
User avatar
sunshiner
.
.
Posts: 7998
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Around the corner

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by sunshiner »

Yeah, a fully checked car that you haven't finished paying for yet :D
matte30is wrote:Someone man up and get a balloon.
User avatar
Doog
mid-century modem
Posts: 23021
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:49 pm
Location: London

Re: New guitar build day - Esquire

Post by Doog »

sunshiner wrote: Wed Apr 27, 2022 8:27 am I thought they moved to the white guard at the time they moved to the blond finish.

On other matter, it's funny how guitarists are obsessed nowadays with all worn nitro necks with jizz soaked into the wood but at the time customers were probably pissed "I paid so much money(between $1000-2000 in today's money) for this stupid guitar and two years later the finish is all worn and cracking all over the place. Swindlers! Give me my money back!"
:lol:

The Esquire looks great, Nick 👌
sunshiner wrote: You don't understand my kindness, drown in shit