1963 Fender Esquire Custom - Sunburst

Serial Number L18136

The Esquire Custom pictured has a neck date of July 1963, and displays the characteristics of that year. These include a 3-color sunburst double bound alder body, a maple neck with a curved rosewood fingerboard (replacing the thick “slab” rosewood board used from 1959 into 1962), and a 3-ply greenish celluloid pickguard.  The headstock decal uses a gold Fender spaghetti logo with “Custom Esquire” in small bold black lettering (the decal remained the same until the late ‘60s when the lettering changed to the big black CBS style). The neck on this example is made with an unusually attractive Birdseye maple.