It's also been refretted with jumbo fretwire, and while it's not vintage-correct, it adds a modern playing experience that is not often found on these guitars. The work was done by 30th Street Guitars in NYC, who also managed to keep the fretboard planing to a minimum, showing off a very nice dark Rosewood veneer fingerboard.

The early '68 neck features the transitional decal often found on Fenders in 1967. It's been through a few tuner sets and is currently running with some aftermarket F stamp tuners. The string tree has also been replaced, and there's evidence of a second string tree having been added in the past.

Under a period-correct Esquire pickguard lies a large humbucker rout, likely done at the hands of a prior owner. While we recognize the newfound opportunity to hot rod the guitar and install a great HB or P90, the Esquire format remains for the next owner to decide. Vintage-correct electronics wired up for vintage Esquire functionality are also loaded into the guitar.

Coming in at just a tick under 8lbs on our scale, it's a nicely balanced and lively sounding Esquire with some serious vibe!