When is a one-pickup guitar not a one-pickup guitar? To answer that riddle, we’ll let you in on a little secret.

Brad Paisley and Seymour Duncan are both big fans of the Fender Esquire—a single-pickup guitar that curiously still has a 3-way switch that selects tonal variations on the bridge pickup. Brad wanted to add some neck-pickup versatility while still maintaining the classic Esquire look. Enter the Secret Agent, a neck single-coil that resides under the pickguard, stealthy, hidden from sight. (Get it?) Seymour went with a medium-output ceramic bar magnet to help the Secret Agent accomplish its mission. Because it’s further from the strings with less magnetic pull, this design provides a full, warm, almost jazzy neck-pickup tone, which perfectly complements the Esquire bridge model’s bark and snarl. It all adds up to what Brad calls “my favorite Tele neck pickup.”

Want to turn your Esquire into an undercover operation? You’ll need the Secret Agent. The Brad Paisley Signature Custom Shop “Secret Agent” Esquire Neck Pickup. Hand built in Santa Barbara, CA.