FenderRama

The Esquire, Broadcaster & Telecaster

1952 version of the original flyer depicting the attributes of the recently launched Broadcaster guitar. Leo Fender personally did all the photography because it was his other big hobby. After an unsuccessful contest to rename the Broadcaster (due to a conflct with the Gretsch Company), Don Randall came up with the new Telecaster name and it was soon added to the top of the colorful sheet.

The First Production Solid Body Spanish With great vision into the future, Leo Fender pioneered the world's first successful solid body Spanish guitar. Entirely new in the electric guitar field, the "Esquire (soon renamed the Broadcaster and then the Telecaster) created quite a stir among guitarists. Don Randall, Leo's super salesman bravely took three of the radically new Esquire samples to the 1950 NAMM Trade show, "I took it to the show and it received a considerable amount of ridicule and criticism because it was so different... We did get through to the Western boys though". As more and more players became familiar with the remarkable qualities of the new solid body guitar, its virtues were destined to be recognized. ©2000-2004 All rights reserved - Robb Lawrence

1950 Esquire description

The Original Esquire & Broadcaster After a few solid and semi-solid white prototypes in late 1949, the first Esquire samples were constructed of laminated pine bodies and solid maple necks without any truss rod reinforcement. Most were painted black while the last of the nearly two dozen Esquires were dual pickup blonde finished ash bodied versions similar to the standard Broadcasters. The very first ones were single pickup instruments like the following fifties and sixties versions. The earliest dual pickup prototype was done in white with an experimental squared-off Champion style steel pickup added. Tooling was soon done by Race & Olmstead for a chromed brass cover for the new slender profiled rythmn pickup. The pickup placement was ideal for rich and full bodied rhythm tones nearly right under the octave harmonic. These entirely solid maple necks from the springtime production gave the guitar a remarkably resonate and woody tone in comparison with the heavier truss-rod inserted Broadcaster models. The bodies were either two or four-way matched pine wood and were extremely light and resonant. A white plastic pickguard contrasted well with the cellulose acetate black lacquered body finish giving the original production Spanish guitar a very classy tuxedo type look. The lightweight pine naturally didn't quite have the ringing high-end and beautifully sustained tone of the denser ash hardwood. Therefore, the last dual pickup Esquire versions were done in their new translucent blonde furniture finish over distinctively grained ash. Some Fender steel models used ash wood bodies with blonde finishes at that time too. Still no headstock string tree was utilized on the first two strings! The open notes did buzz a little on those few sample guitars. After Don Randall's conversation with Al Frost at the NAMM show discussing the obvious necessity for a reinforcing metal rod to equalize the heavy string tension, Leo eventually capitulated and developed his simple but effective patented Fender truss system during the summer of 1950. As the production resumed in October with the legendary Broadcaster model, necks were still shaped very similar to the popular V shape Epiphone jazz boxes of the era. These were especially comfortable for players who enjoy using their thumbs on the bass strings. Evidently the great Jimmy Bryant, who first endorsed the new instrument, felt it hampered his particular style of playing and he sanded down the pronounced V part of the necks. Jimmy really enjoyed the great steel guitar-like tone of Leo's original Broadcaster Alnico 3 pickups, "They were the best darn pickups in the world". Excerpt from Fender Legends encyclopedia ©2000-2004 All rights reserved - Robb Lawrence

The Flaming Guitars

Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West had a great duo playing some of the most memorable pyro-technical musical exchanges ever recorded. This "Two Guitars Country Style" LP was released in 1955 on the Capitol label (T-520) as a mono "High Fidelity" recording. Speedy plays his custom built steel guitar by Paul A. Bigsby while Jimmy uses his favorite Fender Broadcaster with a special white pickguard. Tracks include: Blue Bonnet Rag, Arkansas Traveler, Midnight Ramble, Bryant's Bounce and Hop,Skip & Jump.