Pickup for Esquire?

[Teleseeker]

Newbie here.
I'm going to convert a squier tele to an esquire. Has anyone done this? What pickup did you use/recommend? I play mostly blues but would like a rich twang that you could also use for country.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

I use a JD Lead in my solid ash tele and it does everything a good tele should.

 

[Teleseeker]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Thanks Benjy 26. I assume that's a Jerry Donahue? Did you use standard esquire wiring?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Yep, its the Donahue lead.

Actually, I use it paired with a SM-1 mini in the neck.

 

[Rev Donzo]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

+1 Donahue

 

[Teleseeker]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Thanks Rev. Any other suggestions?

 

[gripweed]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Here is a thread posted just recently regarding Esquires

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=61165

The Donahue is a *great* pickup IMHO. I had it in a Tele that was very bright, so I swapped it out for a Fender Texas Tele. The Fender was hotter and darker and fit the guitar better. I would not hesitate to put it in another Tele though (except I traded it with B Bent. )

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

A Broadcaster would be nice, I bet. I have a Voodoo 60's in my Esquire and it sounds beautiful and is very versatile. For a while, I had a Broadcaster type pu in an Esquire and it was nice, too. Just depends on what type of Tele tone you prefer.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

I'd go for Tele Hot Tapped...or a Jerry Donahue.

The Tele Hot Tapped is a great pickup in a Esquire because you can use the 3 way switch to go from vintage Broadcaster style output to Hot output.

An Esquire is such a simple one pickup guitar that it's nice to be able to get more than one pickup tone out of it...the Tele Hot Tapped is ideal for an Esquire.

Lew

 

[Dave]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

I love my JD, but I wish it would come a bit hotter and tapped. For an esquire, I think youd have more versatility with the hot tapped lead, per lew.

IN other teles however, the JD can't be beaten!

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Tele, it kind of depends on what you want the guitar to do, too, and if you have other guitars that are more versatile. An 'old school' Esquire with a vintagey pickup is a beautiful (and surprisingly versatile, up to a point) thing, but if you need the guitar to be more of a Swiss Army thing there are a lot of more high tech options out there which are cool as well.

 

[Dr.John]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Thanks for the replies everyone....I'm going with the STL-2 Hot Lead tapped.

 

[Teleseeker]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Falstaff,
I have 2 tele's and 2 strats so the Esquire doesn't need to be a "Swiss army knife" so to speak. I'd like to get the Esquire tone for it's own sake. So what's your suggestion for the "vinatgey" sound?

 

[Teleseeker]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Lewguitar,
Is there a wiring diagram available for the hot tapped lead?

 

[flank]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

the JD is one awesome pickup..i use it almost exclusively for everything i play

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Falstaff,
I have 2 tele's and 2 strats so the Esquire doesn't need to be a "Swiss army knife" so to speak. I'd like to get the Esquire tone for it's own sake. So what's your suggestion for the "vinatgey: sound?

Just my take on it (YMMV, IMHO, etc., etc.), but I would either go for a Broadcaster type pickup (the SD is very highly regarded) or something like a 60's type Tele pickup (the Ant II or the Voodoo). Something with a certain element of rawness that can be tamed a bit by fooling with the volume and tone knobs. You can always get less nasty, but getting mo' nasty is difficult.

Again, just IMHO, you will more than likely be pleasantly surprised by the level of versatility an Esq will give you. You can really get a lot of different sounds by varying where you pick and by twisting the knobs a bit. I just got a Dwight Yoakam DVD and Pete Anderson really did a lot with an Esquire. On the other end of the (vintagey) Esquire spectrum, Neil Young used one on "Tonights the Night," sounding exactly like Neil Young, of course.

Good luck...you'll love it!

PS..I never tried it myself, but I have heard a lot of good things about the JD in an Esquire, too. You'll have to consider whether the guitar is naturally mellow or bright, too.

 

[Teleseeker]

Re: Pickup for Esquire?

Flastaff,
Thanks again for your suggestions. I'll have to stew on this a bit before I decide. I'll post my results when I'm done.