Playing with an idea, esquire or custom?

[finboy]

Some of you may recognize this andrewdoeshair / Paul Rhoney collaboration, it's a thinline with a 24" conversion neck, if have been enjoying it as an esquire, it's a fun instrument to play. I came upon a good deal on some creamery wide range pickups, I am putting the lower output (9.5k) in the bridge of my john 5 tele project (matching with a 7.9k gibson minihum). I have an overwound one (about 12k), which I am thinking could be cool as something like this...



To match the output, if would need to pick up a gfs fat body, I've had luck with them in the past, but I dunno, would this guitar lose its charm if I had just another 2 pickup tele?

[Fran]

I've got the Telebastard set up as an Esquire, it has its charm and the simplicity helps concentrate on playing and using the tone knob more. I also have a standard Telecaster, they are the same but two different guitars in terms of your own mindset how you play them.
I'd keep it Esquire.
This is quite interesting actually, I think more guitarists should own one pup guitars at some point. They really make you explore the controls and work on your technique like picking dynamics. Some things that get dismissed at times.

[othomas2]

Stick to the one pickup, cool guitar. I'd love to own it.

I always think hum up front and single at the back, is back to front. Keep it as is I say

[robert(original)]

i like it as an esquire myself. but its your guitar.

[paul_]

I wired up a RI WRHB in a Tele Custom clone I slapped together and spent a few months agonizing over pot choices between it and the single coil, etc... without anything new or exciting (over any other neck-bucker guitar) ever emerging to my ears. To me all the fussing was just messing with that classic '60s bridge position Tele sound, which I considered more essential (going as far as to build a second Tele like a straight '62 RI).

I also agree with Fran that a single pickup guitar is oddly more liberating than hindering, I never really felt limited with my Juniors going straight into a Marshall or Champ even after years of Strat/Jag/Les Paul/pedalboard rockin', despite having been a big neck-position single coil/trem devotee at one time... It just kind of demanded more focus on my actual playing and working with the guitar's volume/tone knobs which I'd never done so much before.