Perhaps the rarest Fender guitar is its first one—the single-pickup pine-body Esquire, the very first Fender electric solid-body guitar. It wasn’t even around for a full year, yet it changed guitar music forever. Fender shipped barely a handful of them before changing the body to ash and the finish to blonde.

This ultra-light 2.91-kilo instrument is based on perhaps the rarest model of vintage Fender. This Pine Esquire is an homage to some of Leo's earliest creations—barely produced for a year before switching to the Ash body and Blonde finish. Hand-selected tonewoods to vintage spec include period-correct appointments such as the super beefy 7.25"-9.5" compound radius '50s Riff Sawn maple neck with no truss rod and a slightly thinner body than your average Tele. Finished in NOS "Flash-coat" Nitro Aged Black, meaning the finish is a very light-coated finish with no buff, which exhibits some slight wear from the previous owner but looks in line with the factory finish and Closet Classic Hardware.

Includes a stock '50 Esquire conversion kit from the Custom Shop to convert this to a Tele config, as these bodies all have a neck pickup cavity. Hand-wound CS neck pickup, control plate, and single-ply pickguard. Ridiculously light, this thing practically needs to be tied to the ground to avoid floating away. Includes Limited Edition OHSC and all pictured paraphernalia. True to the original, this faithful recreation features a slightly thinner (1.5") laminated pine body. Its one-piece rift-sawn maple neck has a 1950 Esquire profile, no truss rod, a 7.25"-9.5" vintage compound radius, and 21 medium vintage frets. With its NOS "flash coat" nitrocellulose lacquer finish and Closet Classic hardware, the Vintage Custom 1950 Pine Esquire looks like a well-cared-for original with only slight aging to its metal parts. A hand-wound '50-'51 Blackguard pickup is outfitted with full-throttle Esquire wiring with a three-way switch. Other features include a single-ply eggshell pickguard, 1950 Esquire bridge with original-style steel saddles, vintage-style tuning machines, and disk string tree. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap, 1950 Esquire control assembly, and certificate of authenticity.

Specifications

• Model Name: Vintage Custom 1950 Pine Esquire  
• Color: NOS "Flash-coat" Nitro Aged Black  
• Weight: 2.91 kilos  
• Body Material: Laminated Pine  
• Body Finish: NOS "Flash-coat" Nitrocellulose Lacquer  
• Neck Material: One-piece Rift-sawn Maple  
• Neck Shape: 1950 Esquire Profile  
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)  
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.25"-9.5" Vintage Compound Radius  
• Number of Frets: 21  
• Fret Size: Medium Vintage  
• Nut Material: Bone  
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)  
• Neck Finish: NOS "Flash-coat" Nitrocellulose Lacquer  
• Position Inlays: Micarta Black Dot 7mm  
• Bridge Pickup: Hand-wound '50-'51 Blackguard Pickup  
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone  
• Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade (Position 1: Volume and Tone,
• Position 2: Volume, Position 3: Pickup Straight to Output)  
• Bridge: 1950 Esquire Bridge with Original Style Steel Saddles  
• Tuning Machines: Vintage-style  
• Pickguard: Single-ply Eggshell  
• Control Knobs: Knurled Dome  
• Included Accessories: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Strap, 1950 Esquire Control Assembly, Certificate of Authenticity