Fender Esquire Neck (1963).

Fender Esquire Model Neck (1963), made in Fullerton, California, natural lacquer finish, maple with rosewood fingerboard.

We don't usually sell loose parts (we prefer them attached to guitars) but this orphan neck came our way sometime back and the chances of the proper guitar showing up neckless are so slim we decided to put it out there in the hopes it will be mated to something worthy! This is an original Fender Esquire neck marked 3JUN63B on the heel; it would have been assembled to a full guitar in the summer or fall of 1963, or considering how slow sales of the Esquire were at the time perhaps not until 1964.

At the time the single-pickup Esquire was being built only in very small numbers, in 1963 even the noble Telecaster was experiencing a production lull before roaring back in the later 1960s. This neck is typical for the period, with a thin-lam, clay dot rosewood fingerboard over maple. The decal is the "Spaghetti" style used on the model up into 1969, the tuners are the classic Patent #, single line Kluson Deluxe machines used on all Fenders at the time.

This neck was definitely previously mounted on a guitar as there is a bit of the original blonde body finish still visible on the treble end of the heel. This is an exceptionally rare find, a clean original neck from the least-produced Fender guitar of the era; if you have a '63 or '64 Esquire with a missing, damaged, refinished or poorly refretted neck this is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to set it right!

Overall length is 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm.).

This is a very clean neck for the most part showing some light wear here and there but all original and unaltered. The bone nut is original as are all six tuners, the string tree and all attendant screws. The original lacquer finish is untouched; there are some very minor dings and dents on the back and a small spot of finish worn away just below the nut on the treble side. The headstock has a few dings, the biggest on the treble side taking out the first "Pat" marking on the decal, the rest of which is pretty well preserved.

The original small-wire frets have been crowned down a bit and have noticeable play wear in the lower positions. They are not too bad but a refret would be in order for some players depending on the playing style required. The fingerboard has some light wear, the most noticeable deeper dinks from picking at the body end. The truss rod works well in either direction, the high E string tuner shaft is a bit wobbly but turns freely. We don't know what happened to the rest of this guitar (RIP) but if you have been looking for this particular piece of the Fender grail you will know how rare it is to find one loose! Overall Excellent - Condition.