1956 Fender Esquire

Dan Orkin of Reverb.com details the ups and downs of finding a vintage Fender Esquire at a reasonable price in today’s marketplace

For a lot of players, the Fender Esquire is classed as a less exciting Telecaster. The old-school Leo Fender design does, after all, sport the same body shape and general vibe, and for some, half as many pickups equates to half as much tone.

Broadcasters and early 50s Blackguard Teles accordingly rank at the top of the collectability scale for Fender single-cuts, but early-to-mid-50s Esquires can still command top prices on the vintage market if in original condition. The white-guard Esquire of ’56 is certainly no exception.

Like most Fender guitars in the 50s, the Esquire experienced a few minor spec updates through the decade with variations on small parts, like string trees and saddles, and more noticeable aesthetic changes, such as the switch from a black to white pickguard in 1954.

Unfortunately for collectors seeking an all-original Esquire, most 50s-era examples that come to market have been ‘upgraded’ at some point over the years. As you might expect, various mods to accommodate second pickups are not uncommon, as are non-original finishes. While this does make it difficult for a collector to find a totally pristine guitar, it also means that for savvy buyers willing to look past these mods or imperfections, a vintage Esquire can often be one of the more affordable tickets to genuine 50s mojo on the vintage market.

Pricing for the 1956 Esquire

Overall, the commonality of mods, re-fins, and other work that takes a guitar out of the vaunted ‘all-original’ column means that the market on Esquires is especially caseby-case and dictated by the specific vibe and playing quality of the individual instrument. While pristine, closet-find specimens can always command prices similar to that of a Telecaster, the Esquire market tends to be a bit more lopsided at the low-end.

At the top of the market, a ’56 Esquire in excellent, all original condition will likely sell in a range of £13,000 to £17,000. Those that have had some minor work done or exhibit any minor structural issues might go for closer to £10,000 to £13,000. Currently, re-finished guitars are typically selling in the £4,000 to £7,000 range, though there is quite a bit of variety in that range.

Alternative Buying Options

Both Fender and Squier offer a massive range of Telecaster-shaped guitars and there have been a few limited editions and signature models find their way into the Fender catalogue at different points. Additionally, the Fender Custom Shop will often produce high-end reissues of specific years of Esquire production.

Alternatively Danocaster and Nash are both popular boutique options for custom builds that can be designed to match the specs of a ’56 model quite closely. To that end, more and more players are also uncovering the joys of building their own ‘partscasters’. If you’re looking for a new project or hobby, trying your hand at piecing together your own Fender-esque guitar build is certainly a worthy endeavour to undertake.