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Thread: parts o esquire

  1. #1
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    parts o esquire

    Picked up a nice quality parts o esquire at a so Cal pawn shop...nice feel but messed up wiring.

    Any thoughts for how to wire it?
    Several guitars in different colors
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  2. #2
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I just wire mine up vol & tone. I've tried the switching, me no likey. So KISS it is for me.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  3. #3
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I think you're on to something Chuck.

    It's funny, whoever built this thing brought it to 99%. RW Mighty Mite neck with a forbidden decal, frets all seem nice and polished, brushed finish Sperzels, decent home finish on ash body, electrosonic jack, solid brass knobs, Corona neckplate, nice neck fit, duncan pickup. Unsoldered switch and pots?

    I paid a buck and a quarter to the pawn shop. I talked 'em down from $199, because it didn't work, and somebody would need to fix it.

    They were happy. I was happy. I stuck it in the trunk of the rental car, and took off.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  4. #4
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Sounds like the time I opened up a Marshall 4x10 only to find Fender speakers... Sad part is they wouldn't come down on the price.

    Great score dude!
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  5. #5
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Nice price! I like Chucko's recommendation, but as long as you have a switch...

    ...I'd wire one position for normal operation, another with no tone control and I'm not sure what to do with the other.

    I had originally wired my T-Style like a Broadcaster with no tone control and liked it a lot.

  6. #6
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    I'm not sure what to do with the other.
    That is the crux of the Esquire dilemma. WTF do you do with the third position?
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
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    orange picks

  7. #7
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    You might be able to find an old two position switch cheap.

  8. #8
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Fixed it, and strung it up. Sounds real nice - nice and 'spanky' whatever that means, but the nut needs to be recut/replaced. Off to the store.

    Pickup is an alnico 2 pro.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  9. #9
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    One of these days I'm gonna sit down with a decade box and a capacitance box and figure out a usable sound for that third position. I've been thinking that a "combined" tone would be useful. Like DON I sometimes wire it "blow", vol/tone, and then ?. Or I just do like I posted before and just wire it vol/tone, I do however leave the switch in so it doesn't look goofy.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  10. #10
    Gravity Jim
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Quote Originally Posted by Kap'n View Post
    That is the crux of the Esquire dilemma. WTF do you do with the third position?
    Kill switch. For those Buckethead solos.

  11. #11
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    That actually had crossed my mind, but I was thinking more of Mick Ronson.

    If I decide to replace the pickup - no plans yet - I might get a tapped pickup.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  12. #12
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I did that briefly with an Esquire setup. I had some kind of a tapped hot Duncan pickup.

  13. #13
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    How did you like it?

    I'm sort of bummed. I got the guitar together, and promptly brought it out to get the nut worked on. So I had it in my hands for an hour.

    I'll get it back on Monday.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  14. #14
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    It was hot and muddy when it wasn't tapped. I only ever used it tapped. I sold the pickup after a short while.

    You don't do your own nut work?

  15. #15
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    You don't do your own nut work?
    No. I'm not to be trusted with cutting objects.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  16. #16
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    In the past I've wired HB's so they're in parallel, that seems to clear up the mud. I was jamming on my hollow esquire last night and with some distortion the it sounded good on the "cocked wah"" setting which is a .0033 cap to ground. Doesn't sound good clean, but dirty you get a faux strat combo sound with light gain and a sort of HB tone really dirty.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  17. #17
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I have mine as

    1) no tone
    2) tone
    3) cocked wah (With a mini trim pot I used to dial it in.)
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  18. #18
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Hey Kap'n,nice snag!

    Here is the obligatory Esquire wiring from the Seymour Duncan site.


    Some things I did to my Equire that made ALOT of difference was---
    (1) Instead of hardwiring the front switch position to the cap/resistor unusable woof tone,I used a trim pot and experimented with different value caps.When I found one I liked,I slowly turned the trim pot with a screwdriver till I got the desired warmth,and then super glued the pot and taped it off (sorry,can't remember the value--but I think it might have been an .047)
    (2) For the tone pot,I used a push/pull DPDT pot....this switches me between a standard .022 and the .0047 "cocked wah" sound,which sounds really good for slide.
    Here is a short sample I did about 5 years ago---excuse the clams.
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=4309597
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  19. #19
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Thanks!
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  20. #20
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    You're welcome---keep us posted!
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  21. #21
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Ordered a Zhang "Paul Bunyan" pickup today. I'm looking forward to it.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  22. #22
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    You're gonna dig it, I loved the one I had in my 70's RI strat.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  23. #23
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Or if you can find one try a G&L ASAT classic! $40
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  24. #24
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    David makes great stuff.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  25. #25
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Yes he does, and a nice guy to boot!
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  26. #26
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Quote Originally Posted by Kap'n View Post
    Ordered a Zhang "Paul Bunyan" pickup today. I'm looking forward to it.
    Wiring my 2nd Paul Bunyan in my Esquire as we speak!
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  27. #27
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Some pics of my Esquire wiring---
    disclaimer: I had to reverse the cap and wire going from the switch to the trim pot

    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  28. #28
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Interesting. What does the push/pull do?

    I used an old white Aero cap I grabbed from an old O-scope I was junking for the tone cap, and used a linear pot for the tone knob.

    For the "Eldred" cap (similar to a the brighter of the two tone switches on a Gretsch), I just used a yellow Weber cap.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  29. #29
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    The push/pull switches me between a standard .047 cap and a .0047.With the latter backed off,it is a gnarly slide tone,kind of cocked wah sound.You can hear it in post #18.
    Post some clips,Kap'n......I'd love to hear those caps!
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  30. #30
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I need a web host.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  31. #31
    Forum Member refin's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Quote Originally Posted by Kap'n View Post
    I need a web host.
    Use soundclick......http://www.soundclick.com/
    "My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
    PS. 73:26

    MY JAMS--
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music

  32. #32
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    New headstock decal


    I went with a 50's location, rather than the later one, which just looks wrong.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  33. #33
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Nice!
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  34. #34
    Gravity Jim
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    Re: parts o esquire

    That's trick!

  35. #35
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I like it!

  36. #36
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: parts o esquire

    Of course, it is the Esquire that is to be feared, not me.
    Several guitars in different colors
    Things to make them fuzzy
    Things to make them louder
    orange picks

  37. #37
    Gravity Jim
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    Re: parts o esquire

    I just mostly dig that you sanded off the standard symbol of component insecurity and replaced it with something cool. No less than I would expect from The Kap'n.

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