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Post subject: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 1:23 am
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Hey Guys,

I get a lot of questions about the Guitar I built in tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire. Here is a quick video tour of the guitar. I wanted a guitar that looked like Jeff's but took advantage of modern features like a compound radius fretboard, compensated saddles, better switching system, and a better relic job.

Here is the result, I hope you like it.

Don

http://youtu.be/vCccKAdZYr8


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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:35 am
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Great job Don
You can be proud of the result :D

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:53 am
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alainlafrance wrote:
Great job Don
You can be proud of the result :D


+1 Very nice detail!

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:15 am
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What is the "Eldred Mod"? I turned my Squire Affinity Tele into a modern Esquier and would like to try that mod.

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:20 am
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Doth wrote:
Hey Guys,

I get a lot of questions about the Guitar I built in tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire. Here is a quick video tour of the guitar. I wanted a guitar that looked like Jeff's but took advantage of modern features like a compound radius fretboard, compensated saddles, better switching system, and a better relic job.

Here is the result, I hope you like it.

Don

http://youtu.be/vCccKAdZYr8

Hi Doth! I don't usually frequent this Forum but Miami Mike cued me to this project of yours which is very nicely done. My question to him, via private mail, was that it would have been of value to know your costs. There may be others out there who are interested in vendors you used to craft the parts you employed, and what the overhead in total turned out to be as compared to what a Masterbuilt guitar would run in both money and time. Thanks.

Doc :wink:

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:23 am
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bluesky636 wrote:
What is the "Eldred Mod"? I turned my Squire Affinity Tele into a modern Esquier and would like to try that mod.

Tonally, it sounds to me like the 2/4 positions on a Stratocaster. If you Tele people don't own The Mike Eldred Trio's CD '61/49' its a must. :idea: You'll certainly get an idea of what that guitar and Mike are capable of. :wink: This entire Forum should be supporting him in that endeavor.

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:31 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Doth wrote:
Hey Guys,

I get a lot of questions about the Guitar I built in tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire. Here is a quick video tour of the guitar. I wanted a guitar that looked like Jeff's but took advantage of modern features like a compound radius fretboard, compensated saddles, better switching system, and a better relic job.

Here is the result, I hope you like it.

Don

http://youtu.be/vCccKAdZYr8

Hi Doth! I don't usually frequent this Forum but Miami Mike cued me to this project of yours which is very nicely done. My question to him, via private mail, was that it would have been of value to know your costs. There may be others out there who are interested in vendors you used to craft the parts you employed, and what the overhead in total turned out to be as compared to what a Masterbuilt guitar would run in both money and time. Thanks.

Doc :wink:



It's probably more time/labor intensive than the cost of the parts?

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:50 pm
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Thank you, guys, for the compliments. I am very happy with the result, and it triggered another project that I will be sure to do a video of shortly.

Bluesky656 - The Eldred mod is a modification made to Esquire's to give the forward position more of a usable tone. The stock bassy position doesn't appeal to many people, so you can make some modifications to replicate the tone of playing through a "cocked way" pedal. Mike Eldred is the director of the Fender Custom shop. There is a similar mod attributed to Arlo West. Here are the diagrams of the mods:

Arlo's Mod:
Image

Eldred's Mod:
Image

ZZdoc - I listed my estimate of the price in the description. To the Best of my recollection, here is a breakdown of the costs:
$500 - USACG Body and neck. (I know there are less expensive bodies and necks, but I already had necks built by Tommy and was familiar with the quality of his necks and I didn't want to go the cheap route).
$500 - Finish by MJT Aged Finishes (again, I could have gone less expensive, but Mark is the best, far better than Fender Custom Shop)
$550 - Callaham Distrissed Kit with Bakelite PG and engraved Neck Plate (Again, I could have gone less expensive, but I wanted Callham and I chose to buy the kit, but I think a lot could be saved by using a different PG)
$110 - Lollar J-Strett Pickup (This is not on their website, so I forget the specific price)
$100 - Fender SKB Hardshell Case

That puts the total at about $1,760 which is quite a bit less than the Fender Custom Shop and about $200 Less than a Bill Nash. I liked that I was able to make it exactly the way I wanted with the compound radius neck, components, color, etc. This is not something I would have been able to do with with either Fender or Nash.

Was the cost justified for me? Absolutely. Everybody that has played it has asked to buy it from me, this includes Phil X. Phil is a good friend and has played many, many vintage guitars (search for him on YouTube), and to have his approval on the guitar, justified every penny.
Image

Would I do the build again? Yes, and I did. I loved the body and neck shape, components, and finish so much, I started a second build within a few days of finishing this one. If you guys are interested, I can do a video of that one too. Here are a few photos:
Image
Image

I hope I answered all the questions, if not, just let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

I really appreciate you taking the time to check out my project. I love this guitar and it probably shows.

Don

Image


Last edited by Doth on Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:13 pm
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I forgot to mention that the build went extremely easily. Anybody that has purchased a neck and body from Tommy know that they fit together better than Fender Custom Shop.

I did have the body routed for a humbucker in the neck (should I ever change my mind).

There was was small hiccup in the build, the original pick guard that Bill sent was for a Telecaster, so that had to be swapped. Bill was fantastic with the error and shipped out the new one immediately. Of course, I couldn't wait, and played it without a PG while I waited.

Image

Here are a few more photos of the outstanding job Mark Jenny did:
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Image

You can also check out more photos at: http://s817.photobucket.com/albums/zz92/Doth72/Beck%20Tribute/


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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:15 pm
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Thanks, Don. I appreciate the schematics. I'm gonna try it tonight. :D

BTW, I do know who Mike Eldred is. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:26 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Thanks, Don. I appreciate the schematics. I'm gonna try it tonight. :D

BTW, I do know who Mike Eldred is. :wink:


Very cool. I have heard the mods sound remarkably similar. On paper the Eldred mod is slightly simpler, but the are both really basic.

Make sure you post your results!

Don


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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:34 pm
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Doth wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Thanks, Don. I appreciate the schematics. I'm gonna try it tonight. :D

BTW, I do know who Mike Eldred is. :wink:


Very cool. I have heard the mods sound remarkably similar. On paper the Eldred mod is slightly simpler, but the are both really basic.

Make sure you post your results!

Don


Hey, Don.

I just finished installing a .0047 mfd cap that I picked up tonight at Radio Shack. I removed the original style Esquire wiring from the neck pickup and did just the basic "Eldrid Mod". I love it! It sounds great, especially with a little overdrive. I use a .022 mfd cap for the basic tone control circuit and this mod really makes a noticable difference in the three switch positions. Thanks again for the schematic. :D

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:59 pm
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Maybe it's time for Fender to do an Eldred Signature Tele with that electronics. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 5:52 pm
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ZZDoc wrote:
Maybe it's time for Fender to do an Eldred Signature Tele with that electronics. :idea:


Not a Signature, but Fender did do a Tele with the mod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJEt-KO4 ... r_embedded

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Post subject: Re: My Tribute to Jeff Beck's Famous Esquire
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 6:19 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Doth wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Thanks, Don. I appreciate the schematics. I'm gonna try it tonight. :D

BTW, I do know who Mike Eldred is. :wink:


Very cool. I have heard the mods sound remarkably similar. On paper the Eldred mod is slightly simpler, but the are both really basic.

Make sure you post your results!

Don


Hey, Don.

I just finished installing a .0047 mfd cap that I picked up tonight at Radio Shack. I removed the original style Esquire wiring from the neck pickup and did just the basic "Eldrid Mod". I love it! It sounds great, especially with a little overdrive. I use a .022 mfd cap for the basic tone control circuit and this mod really makes a noticable difference in the three switch positions. Thanks again for the schematic. :D



That's awesome! You are right, it definitely sounds best with a little dirt. I really like that it is three very useable positions vs. the Standard Esquire wiring. What kind of pickup are you using?


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