First released in 2019, the Espada is the latest and greatest trip into the mind of Leo Fender. CLF Research was the company that (Clarence) Leo Fender created to kick start his projects, and that would eventually turn into the G&L guitars. For 2023 they’ve released two new versions of the Espada: The HH and the HH Active. Let’s talk about the new HH:

Now if you're wondering why you've never heard of the Espada before now, that's because this guitar was in fact an unfinished work before Leo passed away. The folks at G&L regularly spend time in Leo's original office for inspiration and when someone came across the Espada drawings, it was like finding Atlantis. The crew at G&L then made it their mission to bring Leo's unfinished business to life.

Pricing reflects new 2024 MAP pricing:

This USA-made G&L Espada features:

• Swamp Ash body, Cherry Burst, 8.4 pounds

• CLF Research Espada 21-fret neck (1-11/16" width at the nut), 9.5" radius

• Modern Classic profile

• Caribbean Rosewood fretboard w/block inlays

• Vintage gloss finish maple neck

• Chrome control plate

• G&L AW4255 Alnico neck pickup

• G&L AW4470 Alnico bridge pickup

• Volume, Treble and Bass controls

• 3-way pickup selector

• Coil split toggle

• Kill switch toggle

• G&L Saddle Lock bridge

• CLF bar-type triple string tree

• G&L Split and Drilled tuners "Kluson" tuners

• Deluxe G&L gig bag

The Espada body is clearly derived from the "ASAT" family but it's slightly tighter waist and pronounced horns make it drift into the "Fallout" style as well. Overall it is sleek, refreshing and fully contoured for comfort. The curvy chrome control plate has a taste of art deco to it, and it gracefully follows the contour of the body. We dig the look of the big chrome knobs, but what we like even more is how they work; offering both high end and bass contour adjustment, which is especially handy for humbuckers. 

For pickups, G&L employs their excellent in-house humbuckers, and the model numbers of the G&L pickups indicate how they are made. The AW4255Z neck pickup has an Alnico magnet, is wound with 42 gauge wire for 5500 turns. The open coil configuration gives a little more attack than a covered humbucker, but it's still voiced on the warmer side. By using the passive bass control it's easy to lean out the pickup for lighter tones with more snap and jangle.

At the bridge, the G&L AW4470 Alnico Humbucker uses Alnico magnets, and 7000 turns of 44 gage wire. This is G&L's in-house answer to the venerable Seymour Duncan JB. Compared to the Seymour Duncan JB, the G&L AW4470B has a bit more midrange warmth and a smoother high end that's not quite as sharp and metallic as the JB. The G&L "AW" has a full-bodied tone without the over-emphasized midrange bump of many hot humbuckers. The balanced response of this pickup is very pedal-friendly, and overdrive tones are tight, crunchy with lots of harmonic detail and lingering overtones.

The first mini toggle switch is to split both humbucker pickups. The split coil sound is akin to a beefy Legacy. This won't replace a true S-type guitar but it's a nice feature that adds a little more versatility, especially for crisp rhythm playing. The second mini toggle is a kill switch. Huh? Our thought is they had an extra switch from the active version of the Espada that was not being used. Presto! Kill switch. So you can do your version of Tom Morello, or instantly quiet the guitar between sets.

The G&L Espada really is different, and props to G&L for unearthing Leo's next act and bringing it to life.

We are an authorized G&L Premier dealer located in Bellingham, Massachusetts, and this is a new guitar with all tags, tools, paperwork and certificates. We have a wide selection of G&L’s in stock at all times, and please feel free to browse our other listings, or contact us for information on a custom order.