Electric Guitars   Bass Guitars   Acoustic Guitars   Guitar Amps   Effects Pedals   Keyboards   Microphones   PA Systems   Mixing Desks   Studio   Software   Accessories   Books & DVDs   Home Contact Us FAQ Forums

Squier Esprit Electric Guitar

 

Review of the Squier Esprit by The Man in the Jar  

A Squier that doesn't look like a Fender is one thing. A Squier that looks like a Gibson is quite another. 

Features of the Squier Esprit

Tuners - Sealed minis. These share the same Satin Platinum finish as the rest of hardware. I wasn't very taken with this at the beginning, but it did grow on me after a while.

Headstock - Modern headstock design with three-a-side. It's nice and compact with a kind of Ibanez feel to it. 

Nut - White plastic, nice and tidy.

Neck - A very slim mahogany neck that immediately felt a tad wide across the fretboard for my quite small hands. However it only took a few moments to get used to it and adapt. Once I'd made the adjustment I found the neck very fast and comfortable. The moulded heel on this set neck is beautifully done and adds an authority and solidity to the guitar. 

Fretboard - Dark rosewood fretboard with cream binding that has a white edging on the playing face. This compliments the fretboard really nicely. The fret markers are a thing to behold, rectangles of white pearloid with a diagonal flash of abalone across the top left corner of each one. There's also a marker on the first fret which is an old-fashioned touch that I really like for the visual balance it provides. 

Frets - Medium fat, well-rounded and highly polished. These make for excellent playability.

Action - Extremely good straight from the box, no need for adjustment here at all.

Body - Quite large mahogany slab body with a kind of solid-bodied Gibson 335 vibe. The weight of the mahogany is made manageable by tone chambers routed in the body (which also help to shape the sound). The chambers are covered by a carved top that swells nicely up to the pickups and bridge. Again the flavour of a 335 lingers. The edge binding is cream with three black pinstripes. This looks very classy and compliments the Antique Burst finish very well. The grain of the mahogany top shows through the finish to add a final touch of class.  

Bridge - Tune-o-matic with stoptail emphasise the Gibson-inspired aesthetics.

Pickups - Two Duncan-designed humbuckers sit in black plastic mounts, the single row of pole pieces on each pickup again bring the 335 to mind.

Controls - Two volume and two tone controls give individual pickup control. The three way selector sits in amongst these controls rather than on the top horn where tradition would dictate. 

Strap-buttons - Quite small, but adequate with a new strap.

Output Jack - On the lower edge of the body in a square plate.

Finish - Very good all round. Once you get used to the Satin Platinum hardware this is a lovely looking instrument.

 

Sound of the Squier Esprit 

Plugged in to a clean amp the airiness of the tone chambers was immediately apparent in the sound. The bridge pickup has a beautiful crisp, almost brittle high-end edge that almost makes it to the outskirts of Tele-Town. I loved this sound for country-style chord work. The neck pickup has a deep soulful blues voicing that is perfect for... well, the blues. Mixing the two together gave a beautiful rich, ringing, chiming tone that held on and died gracefully thanks to the mahogany's sustain.

Overdriving this guitar did not seem like a natural thing to do. But I found the bridge pickup delivered a really nice gritty overdriven sound reminiscent of classic 70's hard rock. 

 

Overall Impressions of the Squier Esprit 

The Esprit really feels and looks like a solid alternative to a 335 type semi-acoustic. But it adds its own charm to that basic premise. As a weapon to inflict blues, jazz or country damage on your audience it would make an excellent choice for anyone wearied by the traditional choices. It has professional looks and an excellent playability which belie its £370 price tag.

I have a sneaking suspicion that these Squire Esprits are made at the same facility as some Ibanez lines. Certainly the quality of the build and the playability out of the box is up to Ibanez standards. If this is Squier's attempt to step out of the Fender shadow then in my opinion they've hit the bullseye with this lovely instrument.  

Visit the iMuso Guitar Forum

What our customers say

Resources

Track TNT Parcel   Reviews of Electric Guitars   Other Equipment Reviews   Learning Resources 
Other Shopping   Bands to See   Studios to Use  

Resource and Learning 

Copyright Musik Produktiv MMV - Home of Electric Guitars Online