Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition '57 Esquire Aged Gold Paisley Makeover (2017, Private Stock)

`17 Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition '57 Esquire, one-off Aged Gold Paisley makeover, rosewood neck, Amber Vintage single coil in the neck position, electronics by Suwak Custom Guitars, 3.55 kg – from Ede's Private Stock and more.

Gold and paisley on a Custom Shop Tele?? At Meister Ede, it works!

The starting point was a 2017 Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition '57 Esquire, factory-finished as a Journeyman Relic with Closet Classic hardware in Wide Fade Chocolate 2-Tone Sunburst. The Custom Shop released this Limited Edition in 2017 for its 30th anniversary, which is why the back of the headstock carries the "30th Anniversary 1987–2017" logo. Its most striking feature is the all rosewood neck: neck and fingerboard are rosewood, with no skunk stripe and fully finished in nitro lacquer. It has a feel all of its own. Add to that a comfortable 57 Style Soft V profile.

The real highlight, however, is revealed in the notes on the Shop Floor Traveler: "2017 LTD Prototype". This very guitar is the prototype that served as the blueprint for the entire Limited Edition run. And a prototype like this has to be especially convincing, because only if it wins over everyone in the Custom Shop does the series go into production at all. Accordingly, a great deal of care and attention to detail went into every step. So if you are looking for one of these Limited Editions, this is, in a sense, the original that all the others had to measure up to.

Then came the makeover: the guitar received an extensive, one-off finish in Aged Gold Paisley. A gold base with the paisley pattern on top, all aged to match, with wear on the edges and fine lacquer cracks. There is no second Tele like this one.

The Custom Shop built it as an Esquire, but with a Tele conversion kit. So the route for the neck pickup came straight from Fender, and no wood had to be removed for the upgrade. The neck position now holds a hand-wound Amber Vintage single coil with Alnico V magnets and a chrome cover (approx. 7.5 kΩ), while the original Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound '58 Tele Bridge pickup still does its job at the bridge. The initials "LD" on it show that it was hand-wound in the Custom Shop by Loretta Díaz.

The electronics were completely renewed by Suwak Custom Guitars. The guitar left the factory with Esquire wiring, which Suwak converted to classic Tele wiring with a three-way switch. A push-push pot on the tone control was added as well: normally the neck and bridge pickups work in parallel in the middle position, and at the push of a button they are switched in series. That sounds fatter and more mid-focused, almost like a humbucker, while still remaining a Tele. There is no extreme jump in output, it all sounds very musical, because the two pickups blend really well with each other. That means even more flexibility without losing the typical Tele feel.

A leather pickguard is currently fitted. It came with more screw holes than the body has. To keep the look right, Suwak glued screw heads into the extra holes, so it looks as if the body had matching holes too – attention to detail down to the last screw. The original white pickguard of the Esquire version is of course included.

The neck plays effortlessly: 9.5" radius, 21 Sanko 6105 frets, bone nut, and the back of the neck is satin-sanded from the 1st to the 12th fret. At 3.55 kg it is not one of the lightest of its kind, but that is exactly what gives it a punchy tone with plenty of midrange, something you rarely get from a Tele in this form.

And the sound? Punchy, with loads of twang. No matter how much gain you play, this Tele cuts through without ever getting shrill or harsh. The response is extremely fast, and while playing you get the feeling that the guitar's tone has a springy bounce to it. Highly addictive!

Included are the Fender Custom Shop tweed case, the certificate of authenticity, the Shop Floor Traveler, the hang tag, the fitted leather pickguard, the original white Esquire pickguard and the original tone pot with its knob.

A Custom Shop limited edition with a story that exists only once – from Ede's Private Stock.