Squier Esquire pickup

Trelf1980

Hi folks, I picked up a FSR esquire a year or so ago and I've not modded it yet

Was wondering if anyone has fitted a single coil sized humbucker and then used the three way switch to give full Hb, series and parallel split?

What model did you go for? I'm not worried about the full fat sound I'm worried that the split sound will be too thin?

Thoughts??

Funkfingers

Yes. Tried that circuit with a Duncan Li'l '59 for Telecaster and a Custom Shop Pearly Gates for Telecaster. The former has a ceramic magnet. The latter has Alnico and is rather like the Red Devil model for Stratocaster.

In both instances, I only remember being impressed by the full output series mode. Things might have been better if I had opted for a partial coil split via a capacitor or resistor.

Consider the STHR-1B Hot Rails or a DiMarzio DP384 Chopper T.

As a fan of raunch and twang, I prefer a regular T-type single coil pickup through a switch that selects between Eldred mod preset, vol + tone, vol only.

YMMV

Trelf1980

Funkfingers said:

Yes. Tried that circuit with a Duncan Li'l '59 for Telecaster and a Custom Shop Pearly Gates for Telecaster. The former has a ceramic magnet. The latter has Alnico and is rather like the Red Devil model for Stratocaster.

In both instances, I only remember being impressed by the full output series mode. Things might have been better if I had opted for a partial coil split via a capacitor or resistor.

Consider the DiMarzio DP384 Chopper T.

As a fan of raunch and twang, I prefer a regular T-type single coil pickup through a switch that selects between Eldred mod preset, vol + tone, vol only.

YMMV

Was the split sound just to wimpy?

Remember having a tone zone s in the mid position of a RG470 - I split that permanently and it was terrible!

Funkfingers

The split coil sound of both the production line and Custom Shop Duncan pickups failed to sound like a "proper" Telecaster bridge/Treble pickup and also to be interesting in its own right.

Admittedly, the PG4T is intended to sound like a Gibson. It succeeds in this up until about the fourteenth fret. Thereafter, the mechanical sustain of the screwed-on neck construction fails to keep pace with a set-in neck (and a stud-mounted bridge and tailpiece combination).

Funkfingers

Trelf1980 said:

FSR esquire

Which version?

There has been a "Fifties" version with a maple neck and pine body, followed by a "Sixties" version with a brown fingerboard, nato body and all of the Custom Esquire cosmetic trimmings.

Trelf1980

Funkfingers said:

Trelf1980 said:

FSR esquire

Which version?

There has been a "Fifties" version with a maple neck and pine body, followed by a "Sixties" version with a brown fingerboard, nato body and all of the Custom Esquire cosmetic trimmings.

Mine is the fifties version sounds like going the humbucker route might compromise the traditional side - it's a trade off I guess!!

paulnb57

My own opinion is that I have never been happy with the single sound of a split humbucker, it just doesnt do it for me, neither does a Tele single bridge pickup, I just hate it, so both my Teles have Lil 59’s, it works for me.
If I wanted traditional Tele bridge sound then Id have a Standard Tele, if I wanted one with a humbucker at the bridge, Id have a second Tele so equipped…

victorludorum

You could go for a nice coil tapped pickup. Oil City do one I believe, but I can't remember which model. The Whapping Wharf maybe... It won't give you the split sounds you're after, but it'll be more versatile than the standard setup.

4string

victorludorum said:

You could go for a nice coil tapped pickup. Oil City do one I believe, but I can't remember which model. The Whapping Wharf maybe... It won't give you the split sounds you're after, but it'll be more versatile than the standard setup.

Yes, it's the Whapping Wharf. Works well in a single pickup guitar.

Trelf1980

paulnb57 said:

My own opinion is that I have never been happy with the single sound of a split humbucker, it just doesnt do it for me, neither does a Tele single bridge pickup, I just hate it, so both my Teles have Lil 59’s, it works for me.
If I wanted traditional Tele bridge sound then Id have a Standard Tele, if I wanted one with a humbucker at the bridge, Id have a second Tele so equipped…

Might just bite the bullet with the esquire - pickup decisions to be made!!