1968 Fender Esquire, Bigsby, Blonde
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
At a Glance:
Model: Esquire (Factory Bigsby)
Year: 1968
Finish: Original Blonde (yellowed)
Neck Date: MAR68
Fingerboard: Rosewood with Pearl Dot Inlays
Nut Width: 41mm
Neck Profile: Medium/slightly flatter C
Neck Depth: 21.8mm (1st Fret) / 23mm (12th Fret)
Frets: Original
Nut: Original
Tuners: Correct F-Stamp
Pickguard: Correct 3-Ply White/Black/White
Pickups: Correct Fender Single Coil
Pots: 2 x CTS (Week 42, 1966)
Bridge: Mastery (replacement)
Vibrato: Correct F-Stamp Horseshoe Bigsby
Case: Original, orange lined Fender hard case
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
1968 Fender Esquire, Bigsby, Blonde
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
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1968 Fender Esquire, Bigsby, Blonde
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Description
The Esquire has always been the purist’s Tele: one pickup with nothing to hide behind, By 1968, Fender were well into the CBS era, but these late transition logo models still carry a huge amount of mid-’60s DNA. This particular example is a factory Bigsby model finished in blonde that has aged and yellowed in the most glorious way, oozing mojo.
This is a late transition logo example, with the larger gold/black headstock decal and a rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. The neck is stamped MAR 68 and carries a medium, slightly flattened C profile that feels instantly comfortable, not oversized, not too slight. It retains its original frets and nut, correct single string tree and correct F-stamped tuners.
Under the hood, both pots are CTS dating to week 42 of 1966. The wiring harness is correct, and the single coil bridge pickup is just what you want from an Esquire being bright and direct. There’s an immediacy and snap here that only a good Fender single coil delivers! Despite having just the one pickup, the Esquire’s three-way switch gives you a surprising amount of tonal range: bridge pickup straight through (no tone control) for maximum bite and presence, bridge with tone control engaged, and the darker preset circuit for that thicker, warm bassy tone. Despite the single pickup there are loads of usable sounds here!
The Bigsby is the correct F-stamp horseshoe style, factory-fitted, and it adds a nice extra dimension to the Esquire's relatively simple design. The bridge has been changed to a Mastery version, which adds tuning stability.
The blonde finish has aged beautifully. It’s heavily yellowed, no doubt from decades of UV exposure and smoky clubs. The nitro neck finish has worn and mellowed just right, giving the instrument a nice, played-in feel.
For the player, this is a lively, resonant Esquire with added expressive range thanks to the Bigsby. For the collector, it’s a very appealing late transition logo, factory Bigsby example with bags of visual character. A seriously cool Esquire that proves, once again, just how much guitar you can get from a single pickup! Comes complete with original orange lined hard case.
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At a Glance:
Model: Esquire (Factory Bigsby)
Year: 1968
Finish: Original Blonde (yellowed)
Neck Date: MAR68
Fingerboard: Rosewood with Pearl Dot Inlays
Nut Width: 41mm
Neck Profile: Medium/slightly flatter C
Neck Depth: 21.8mm (1st Fret) / 23mm (12th Fret)
Frets: Original
Nut: Original
Tuners: Correct F-Stamp
Pickguard: Correct 3-Ply White/Black/White
Pickups: Correct Fender Single Coil
Pots: 2 x CTS (Week 42, 1966)
Bridge: Mastery (replacement)
Vibrato: Correct F-Stamp Horseshoe Bigsby
Case: Original, orange lined Fender hard case
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.