Fender Esquire

[Bob]

Hi Folks,
I am hoping some of you might be able to help me with my guitar. I'm 64 and have owned this thing since I was 17, or so. I traded my acoustic for a Fender Esquire (1954). The guitar had been painted red ( I know)....and it didn't really work. I had a company in Houston restore it (I know) in 1990. They removed the red paint and put new frets on it. Here's the thing. They also removed the writing below the pots. It said "Mary 1/54". It really hasn't had any use since 1964...zero...and none since its restoration in Houston. I'm stumped. People who look at it are troubled by the fact that the back plate has no serial number on it. I researched that and found that serial numbers on the back plate didn't appear until the middle of 1954. So, that would explain why it has no serial number on the plate. The pick guard also appears to have been replaced as I'm pretty sure it isn't Bakelite.

I'm not a musician, though I do watch this guitar whenever I see info. But, really I'm pretty clueless. I know you folks live and breathe this stuff. So, I'm taking a shot and hoping you might tell me something about this piece of history.

Thanks!
Bob Miller

[Spud1950]

Up until that mid 1954 point,the Esquire serial number was located on the bridge plate. Here's an example, right under the "Fender Pat.Pend." stamp.



If you find the number there,this is the dating.

"Esquires, Broadcasters, Telecasters 1950 to 1954 (number on bridgeplate). This system of serial numbers is unique to these three models until about the early summer of 1954 (when Fender switched to a universal neck plate serial number system for all models):


Telecaster, Numbers On Bridge Plate
0001 to 0999 = 1950 to 1952
1000 to 5300 = 1952 to 1954"



It would be nice to see some pictures of your Esquire. A very historic guitar indeed!

[Bob]

[Spud1950]

The "Mary 1/54" pretty much nails the exact date, January 1954. At that time period at the Fender factory,the person who did the assembly of the guitar signed either their name or initials and the date when they did the work. Too bad it got covered up. As to value, I'm no expert. In the past. I have seen asking prices for Esquires from around that same year,in nice all original condition, anywhere from $20,000-$35000 over the years. Because of the poor economy, vintage guitar prices have gone down quite a bit. You also have some issues because of what was done to the finish and the non original pick guard,which on a highly collectible guitar such as this also hurts the value. The re fret, depending on how it was done, could also effect the value. If it was done without disturbing the original finish on the fretboard or neck, then it really doesn't have much of an effect as it is perfectly acceptable to expect a guitar of that age to eventually need new frets at some point. If however the neck was re finished in any way,then that will also be some value lost. Even with all those non original things,you still have a very valuable guitar. You really need to get an appraisal from a qualified expert. I would suggest that you go the Gruhn Guitar site and check out his on line appraisal service. George Gruhn is one of the worlds most knowledgeable and respected vintage guitar experts. It's only $50 and well worth it to have the appraisal and documentation.Here's the link.



Edit- I just checked the Inventory section on the Gruhn site. In the Fender Electric section, he has two 1956 Esquires for sale, one for $22,500,the other for $16,500.

[Bob]

Spud,
Thank you very much for your valuable information! You clearly know your stuff and I really appreciate your willingness to share.

Thanks again,