Rare Vintage Fender Custom Shop Esquire 1991

A rare find.

From the fourth year of the Fender Custom Shop, dated January 29th 1991, we have here a Fender 50's Custom Shop Esquire. It is in fully original condition with no modifications. It has no issues and minimal fretwear for its age. It sets up perfectly, plays like a dream and sounds incredible - everything you'd expect from a Custom Shop Fender, but this one comes with 35 years of history behind it. The Fender Custom Shop built approximately 1,200 guitars and basses in 1991. Only a small handful of them would have been Esquires, so this is truly a rare beast.

From the John Page era of the Custom Shop, this guitar was built in early 1991 as attested by the neck stamps and the pot codes. The body was made by Jay Madore and is two-piece swamp ash. The neck was carved by the legendary Herb Gastelum and is a mid-C profile one-piece maple, with the Custom Shop's favoured 9.5" radius. It's a slightly fuller C, so not huge and deep like the baseball-bat U profile but a nice balanced handful without being too fat. Gastelum was known as the "King of Feel", and playing this neck you understand why his work was so sought-after by people such as Clapton.

The pickup was likely wound by Abigail Ybarra (it is unsigned, but in this era of the Custom Shop she wound basically all of the pickups, so it's much less likely she didn't).

All the wear, patina and discolouration you see is 100% authentic and earned. This guitar was made four years before the Fender Custom Shop started making "relic" guitars. It's what collectors call "player-grade", and that just means this guitar was just too good to sit in a case under someone's bed. It's been played, toured and loved.

The case is original too, it is well-worn as you can see, but still in full working condition. Also included is the ashtray bridge cover, which looks like it has never been used.

As is common with guitars from this era, there is no certificate of authenticity or other paperwork. As the Custom Shop's records from that era are very patchy and were never digitised, it's not possible to gain more information about the original order for this guitar. I do however have an email from FMIC confirming based on inspection that it is a genuine Fender Custom Shop Esquire made in 1991 (see last image).

The specs:

Model: Fender Custom Shop 50's Esquire

Body material: 2-piece Swamp Ash

Finish: Translucent Blonde

Bridge: Vintage Fender 3-Saddle (Brass)

Pickup: Fender Custom Shop 50's Telecaster Bridge

Electronics: 3-way Blade Selector, Volume, Tone

Switching Layout: Bridge (Tone Bypass) / Bridge / Bridge (Fixed Tone Rolloff)

Jack: Vintage Cup-Style

Pickguard: Black 6-hole (Bakelite)

Neck Material: Maple 1-piece (Skunk Stripe)

Neck Plate: 4-bolt (Plain)Neck Profile: Mid-C

Truss Rod Adjustment: Heel

Fretboard Radius: 9.5"

Frets: 21 Medium Vintage

Nut: Bone

Tuners: Fender 6-in Line Vintage Style

Logo: 50's Style Esquire

Case: 50's Style Tweed

This guitar is difficult to price because so so few of them exist, but I have listed it at what I believe to be a fair starting point considering its age, rarity, condition and investment potential. I am open to offers, and I will consider trades and part-exchanges.

Viewings from serious buyers are welcome. I would encourage collecting this guitar in person, however I will ship if there is no alternative option.

If you have any questions, please get in touch.