Not too long ago, the Fender Custom Shop introduced a new model that captured a lot of attention: the Limited Edition Red Hot Esquire Thinline Relic.  This unique take on a long-held secret weapon, the single pickup Esquire, lives up to its name.  We just took it in, and were blown away by how resonant it is, how easily it plays, and of course how amazing it sounds.

 

The design blends vintage-inspired appointments with a touch of modern playability for a phenomenal playing experience. Its two-piece select ash chambered Thinline body with classic “F” hole delivers all the sweet midrange and lively response you’d expect from an ash body, presented in authentically worn-in Relic flash-coat lacquer finishes in Super-Faded Aged Candy Apple Red.  Yes that's a mouthful for a color name, but it makes sense.  The "Super Faded" element is achieved by adding white to the base coat, to lighten the appearance, and the "Aged" element is created by adding yellow, to mimic the aging of the finish over the years.  The end result is rather beautiful.
 
The one-piece bird’s-eye maple neck is sculpted with a 1952 “U-shaped” profile for full-hand yet super-comfortable feel, topped by a vintage compound-radius (7.25” to 9.5”) maple fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo (6150) frets and a bone nut.  It's super comfortable to play.  It's not a skinny neck by any means, but it's also not too fat - it simply has a great vintage Tele feel to it.

 

Where this Esquire Thinline really shines is the moment it's plugged in.  A single Custom Shop Josefina hand-wound  “Red Hot” Telecaster pickup rocks the perfect blend of bite and twang.  The output is strong and the tone will give you the ability to cut through any mix. 

 

A unique feature of this guitar is reverse-angle configuration for this pickup.  Typically, the angling has the bass strings closer to the bridge and the treble strings further away, providing a brighter tone on the higher strings and a warmer tone on the lower strings. A reverse-angle bridge pickup reverses this effect, resulting in a brighter tone on the bass strings and a warmer tone on the treble strings. It's actually quite incredible.  The guitar has three-way tone switching and reverse Esquire “cocked wah” wiring, known as the Esquire Eldred Mod.  Here are the positions:

• Position 1. Bridge (Tone control off)
• Position 2. Bridge (Tone control on)
• Position 3. Bridge (Tone control off, preset treble roll-off)

Other premium features include a single-ply parchment pickguard, reverse Nocaster® bridge with compensated RSD (Research Special Design) brass saddles, vintage-style tuners, wing string tree, and a bone nut.  The guitar comes with a deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.

 

This Red Hot Esquire Thinline is a truly incredible guitar.  It's in excellent condition and has been setup to play perfectly by the techs in our shop.  We don't see it lasting here for long.