Squier Esprit

[Rudi]

I picked this up on Monday on a trip to Whitstable.

 

I was there looking at mij (Japanese) guitars because I love 'em, but was more impressed with this mik (Korean) model.

 

 

 

 

It’s a 2005 Squier Master Series Esprit. It’s a reprise of the Fender Esprit from the early 80s. Fender’s Gibson styled guitar, (just as Gibson made the Victory which was a Fender styled guitar).

 

 

 

These were only made in 2005/2006 I think. Build quality & finish is actually on par with the mij models.

 

 

 

Nice features are:

 

·         * Headstock design for straight string path (avoids the typical G binding and nut sauce cure)

 

·         * Scarf joined headstock (minimises breakage unlike the single piece construction)

 

·         * Through neck   (edited) No, it aint a through neck! It certainly looks like it with the neck tenon reaching back into the body though.

 

·         * Split coil pickups (push–push rather then push-pull)

 

 

 

Enjoying the sound so far, but only a gig will prove the pickups properly.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Rudi

[Rudi]

Ive now gigged the Esprit with both Blown Out (soul-ska-rock) on Saturday (2-7-16) and also Vinyl Frontiers (jazz-pop) on Sunday (3-7-16).

 

Blown Out is a lot louder & I used my Fender Stage amp with a Line 6 signal processor.

 

I used a small Fishman Loudbox Artist with VF. Clean tones only.

 

The Esprit sounded very good in both roles. However I've been wanting a (Fender style) single coil sound for a long time and thought this might be the guitar to do it with.

UK pickup maker 'The Creamery' make such single coil pickups that fit into humbucker apertures. They are called Domino Split Coils. I'm still wondering about it.

 

The Duncan Designed pickup were a lot better than I thought they would be though.

[TapperMike]

 

Many models never made it across the pond.  Back in the 60's Fender ventured out with the Coronado

They bring it back every ten years or so and when they do they'll often make a squire version

 

 

 

[Rudi]

8 hours ago, TapperMike said:

 

Many models never made it across the pond.  Back in the 60's Fender ventured out with the Coronado

They bring it back every ten years or so and when they do they'll often make a squire version

 

 

 

Mike,

Do you mean never made it to Europe?

 

I find it amazing that Fender made a Les Paul (Esprit/Flame) and that Gibson made a Stratocaster (Victory).

[TapperMike]

Actually mostly just GB.  Great Britain had huge tarrifs on imported goods back then.  It made importing Guitars from the US rather difficult for shop owners and put the price way out of the range of consumers.  If you look at ...The yardbirds they are all playing squire telecasters (esquire) Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page.  It's because "true tele's" were just so damn hard to get, even moreso with strat's and LP's (but that was a production issue back then as gibson had stopped making them.  Usually back then they all bought used from resale shops.  American Military personal stationed there would sell off their guitars for near what they bought them at.   A strat wouldn't last long... just ask  Paul McCartney.  He stated in the early days of the Beatles a Stratocaster came available at a resell shop.  He saw it in a window and the next day when he came into buy it...It was gone. Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) beat him to it..    Epi casino's and rick's weren't that expensive back then and even though they wanted more expensive bigger name new instruments in guitars the pickings were pretty slim in Great Britain.

 

Germany is another story.  Probably due to American influence.  Military bases and investment into German infrastructure.

Guitar Point in  Maintal Germany  Has one of the largest collections of vintage guitars (especially American) in the world.

 

 

I've been to a few of the huge vintage guitar stores in the states.  Where one can only `afford to drool.  Guitar Point wouldn't be able to operate financially if they had to import all of those vintage guitars from offshore places. Which means when they were new they were shipped to Germany.

 

The one thing that both you and I have to deal with on a daily basis is budgeting.  We don't make the type of money where money is no object.  In earlier years I could afford to have a huge stable of guitars.  I've got a ...modest collection of 12 now. and I still dream of guitars I'll never afford shy of winning the lottery.  Still a variax is on my bucket list.

 

I can get an open box Yamaha variax standard for 645.00 US  (499.13 GBP)  That's a deal.  I don't think you would be happy with the Yamaha Variax standard as it has a Slim "C" profile neck.  You wold prolly be happier with a JTV 69 as it has a slightly thicker C profile then a standard Fender C shape.  

 

Even if you get bored (as hard as that may seem) with all the included guitars  there is still Workbench HD which is a solftware tool that comes with all variax products.   

 

 

One thing to note..about variax in the general population of guitar players.   In recent years I've seen a few guitarists at free concerts switching over to variax guitars from Fender's and Gibson's.  These are all in 60's/70's/80's cover bands.  These guys will easily bring three or four guitars to a 2 hour show. It's just easier for them to flip a switch or turn a knob then to change guitars.  A few have Pod HD's so they can store the amp/effects/guitar settings on the stomp box.   It takes quite a bit of getting used to and some planning but all of them who have made the switch to variax don't regret it.

 

 

[Rudi]

Well we still pay more than 20% more than you in the US.

Nice links. I like the variax interface. So much easier than the Pod HD which is like this

 

I am used to it now. At first I tried doing all the sound construction on the Pod unit itself. Damn is that hard! Now I just connect to the laptop and tinker away.

 

I left the Pod HD400 at home yesterday and played with Vinyl Frontiers using just the little Fishman (built for acoustics) Loudbox Amp.

We played very quietly as we were at a beachside restaurant and had to carry all the gear down the banks from the road.

 

TBH it was nice for a change just to just use the amp by itself.

 

 

I always learn something when you post Mike.

Thanks

[Rudi]

I have now gigged the Elite with both Blown Out and with Vinyl Frontiers.

It did well. I used the Fender Stage amp + POD HD400 with Blown Out, and the small Fishman LoudBox Artist amp with VF.

 

The LoudBox is a small amp for acoustic guitars. I was also using it at very low volume. So I got as clean a signal as it was possible to get really.

It proved what I suspected with the full size rig; that the Duncan Designed pickups are a little rich for my taste. I don’t know what the output is, but its ‘hot’.

 

So I am researching alternative pickups. Here are 2 from the Creamery here in the UK. I’m considering the Domino Split Coils:

http://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/custom-handwound-pickups-from-the-creamery/domino-split-coil-single-coil-voiced-humbuckers.html

and this, Classic Black Cat:

http://www.creamery-pickups.co.uk/custom-handwound-pickups-from-the-creamery/black-cat-humbucker-sized-filtertron-style-pickups.html

[TapperMike]

Duncan's vary much from model to model.  Two things that catch my ear the most about the JB and the Jazz are... Rich(sweet) and slightly hot.  I love them on my Parker.  Sometimes I think it's too sweet. I can go about six songs before I want to play something with a little more traditional / warm tone.

 

Creamery makes some great pickups.  For the cork sniffer so does Lollar

[Rudi]

I'm still waiting on Jiamie (the Creamery fellow) to respond to a question. I know form other interested parties that this can take a while. He's obviously busy.

 

 

Jaime already said that the Domino Split Coils were more like a Fender single coil sound. This would be enough to sway me, but the output seems much higher. That may only be because of the way its configured though. I just dont know!

 

 

Yes Lollar and Kent Armstrong are always going to be on any shortlist.

[Rudi]

Well the Creamery Domino Split Coils were fitted into the Elite last month. I also replaced the bridge and stopbar because I couldn't use the thumbwheel to adjust the bridge. The new one has screw threads at the poles. Its a little beefier too.

 

The good; The pups sound great. Plenty of definition and fine tone. A distinct improvement over the originals.

 

The not so good: However they still don't sound the way I had hoped. I may have needed alnico 5 instead of alnico 2 in there. Its also just as likely that the guitar build just isn't suitable for the Fender tones I'm hungry for.

 

I tried them clean through the Fishman. The Elite could be used for jazz now.

 

I constructed a new tone on the Line 6 POD for it. I gigged it weekend before last. It didnt work out. The mids were muddy. I rejigged POD and tried again on last Friday's gig. Result: rubbish! That tone will have to go. The Elite sounds pretty good with the set I made for the Ric though. Surprisingly, pretty much every guitar sounds great using the Ric set!

 

Back to the drawing board with the POD tone, and complete rethink as to the quest for a Fender sound. I'm wondering now whether to replace the 2 single coils in the HSS Jackson Soloist with Fender specced pups.

 

Edited October 14, 2016 by Rudi

[TapperMike]

I'm not a fan of alnico 5's  The humbuckers on my blacktop telecaster are,,,,"fair" at best.  The magnetic single coils on my yamaha variax standard are way way to brash makes me feel like I'm in a punk band.  We can't all have the same ears.  

 

Have you thought about changing the eq and adding a preamp to boost the signal before it hits your input.  It's funny the more I have the more I want.   As I dabble with the variax I'm constantly wanting a helix or a pod hd.  So I can assign everything (including the variax to a single preset. I find myself constantly trying different settings on my thr amp to balance the output 

 

In other news I've yet to really start work on my website famous sounds  Between the new kitten, doing things for users of SWiSHzone products (now that the company has shut down, taking on a student and more.  I've just lost interest.

 

 

[Rudi]

56 minutes ago, TapperMike said:

Have you thought about changing the eq and adding a preamp to boost the signal before it hits your input.  It's funny the more I have the more I want.

 

Yes. Already doing this. I plugged in the Deuce last night, and it still has my favourite tone. Those are alnico 5 HBs, and I use it with the coil split. It's a dark sound but balanced. At gigging volume the highs appear (they're mostly obscured at room volume). Its not dissimilar to a Gretch Filtertron sound.

 

I've just e-mailed Jaime, the Creamery guy, and asked it was advisable/easy to change out the magnets to compare.

 

You've taken on a student? Guitar?

[TapperMike]

Yes,  I just wish he was a little more motivated.  I've had to change my direction musically hoping to gain more of a connection interest. Which does to an extent.  I'm pulling out some melodic metal (Joe Satriani, queensryche and some others)  I'm also trying to expand his musical awareness with some jazz.

 

If he would just practice scales for 15 minutes a day and then chords for another 15 he'd advance dramatically.  Right now he practices one day a week and gets frustrated that he hasn't progressed.  Partly I blame the app he's also using to learn guitar.  

 

 

[Rudi]

17 hours ago, TapperMike said:

Yes,  I just wish he was a little more motivated.  I've had to change my direction musically hoping to gain more of a connection interest. Which does to an extent.  I'm pulling out some melodic metal (Joe Satriani, queensryche and some others)  I'm also trying to expand his musical awareness with some jazz.

 

If he would just practice scales for 15 minutes a day and then chords for another 15 he'd advance dramatically.  Right now he practices one day a week and gets frustrated that he hasn't progressed.  Partly I blame the app he's also using to learn guitar.  

 

 

 

This is what I found with the last pupil I had. Thankfully, he was into classic rock, so I didnt have to try to tap or sweep pick.

 

It sounds like you are working harder than he is in this arrangement. Not exactly ideal.

[TapperMike]

I agree I am working harder then he is. but also it's a great motivator for me. I haven't had an audience per say in many many years.  So even an audience of one is a plus at this point.

 

I've written out a very concise document for him in music theory.  It explains keys and chords and how to read chord charts.  It's about 8 pages long.  None of it is guitar specific.  I'm trying to cultivate his knowledge and make him work towards applying himself.  When He first came to me he knew nothing about chords, could only read single note tablature and then hadn't developed any fingering techniques.  There is a limit to what I'm willing to teach him if he is unwilling to commit further.  

 

Partly I blame his stupid app.  It isolates things one string at a time then builds up things to add more strings.  The other part I suffer as well as in these years.  He won't practice without the app running,  So it's become a crutch for him He has to see it and hear it to do anything and easily gets lost when he doesn't have a reference point.

 

  

[Rudi]

9 hours ago, Gravity Jim said:

That guitar has a 24.75" scale, so it is never going to have the high-tension snap associated with Strats and Tells with their 25.5 scale. You can swap pickups for a long time, but if what you want is a Telecaster, buy one. Even a cheap Squire CV Tele will tear your head off with a good set of pups installed.

 

While true, its not the whole story.

 

I was recently very impressed by the 'Fender sound' of a Fender Duo Sonic. That has a 24" scale. I could find no information on the pickups. So I asked Fender. I read a reply this morning from...

 

Blake Gillett (Fender)

Nov 2, 17:56 MST

Hello Rudi,

Thanks for contacting Fender. Here are the specs for the neck and bridge of the Duo Sonic Offset:

Appearance Details: / Ceramic 8 magnets / White cover
DC Resistance: 7.20K Ohms
Pole Length high E: 27/32
Pole Length B: 27/32
Pole Length G: 27/32
Pole Length D: 27/32
Pole Length A: 27/32
Pole Length low E: 27/32
Weighted Resonance: n/a
Natural Resonance: n/a
Inductance: n/a
DC Resistance: 7.20K Ohms
Polarity: South
Magnet: Ceramic 8
Bobbin: Molded Plastic
Turns: 7400
Wire: 43 gage Poly
Description:
Part Number: 0041649000
Used On Models: Duosonic
Position: Neck
Pickup: Duosonic

Appearance Details:/ Ceramic 8 magnets / White cover
DC Resistance: 7.20K Ohms
Pole Length high E: 27/32
Pole Length B: 27/32
Pole Length G: 27/32
Pole Length D: 27/32
Pole Length A: 27/32
Pole Length low E: 27/32
Weighted Resonance: n/a
Natural Resonance: n/a
Inductance: n/a
DC Resistance: 7.20K Ohms
Polarity: North
Magnet: Ceramic 8
Bobbin: Molded Plastic
Turns: 7400
Wire: 43 gage Poly
Description:
Part Number: 0041650000
Used On Models: Duosonic
Position: Bridge
Pickup: Duosonic

Thanks!

Blake Gillett
Consumer Relations Representative/Direct
Sales Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
17600 N. Perimeter Dr., Ste-100 Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Pretty damned impressive. I was expecting Alnico 5 or 2

 

I am often shocked at how a guitar can sound when it become apparent that 'it dont always work the way I thought it did'.