Wed Jun 26, 2019 12:10 pm
Here's an Espada in 3-Tone Sunburst over swamp ash, tortoise guard, Carribean Rosewood board, Vintage Tint Gloss neck finish, pearl block inlays.
CLF1904237 is headed to Andertons Music Co. in the U.K.
Fri Jun 28, 2019 12:24 am
Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:01 am
Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:41 pm
Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:23 pm
Tooslowhand wrote:I really like this guitar and will be looking for one on the used market in the future. I wonder how different the pickups are from Comanche Z-Coils?
Sat Jun 29, 2019 7:38 am
neutralomen wrote:Still so sad they didn't go with the Cavalier!!
Sat Jun 29, 2019 8:43 am
Challenger wrote:neutralomen wrote:Still so sad they didn't go with the Cavalier!!
I'm with you on the Cavalier. Maybe someday... I enjoy my vintage Cavaliers, but would love to spec a new custom built Cavalier.
Sat Jun 29, 2019 8:49 am
Leo Fender’s Lost Design: CLF Research Espada
The CLF Research Espada is Leo Fender's lost guitar. The Espada’s blueprint was found among other of the
earliest CLF Research drawings in a filing cabinet in Leo’s office dating back to the 60’s. Featuring an all new body style,
pickguard design and a fresh new blade-sword-like control plate.
G&L Micro Preamp, MFD Split Coil Pickups and G&L PTB system complete the Espada's versatile tone palette.
Mon Jul 01, 2019 8:01 am
Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:30 am
Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:51 am
Wed Jul 17, 2019 9:16 pm
Wed Jul 17, 2019 9:24 pm
JagInTheBag wrote:Has anyone seen an overlay of the Espada body shape transposed with the ASAT? I am curious to see the dimensional differences...
Wed Jul 17, 2019 11:46 pm
Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:58 am
Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:55 am
Danley wrote:It’d look better without a pickguard, but lately I prefer them to scratching the wood. Just noticed, the neck heel is again Fender Strat 21 fret-spec. rather than G&L ‘Square.’
CLF Research Espada: 50 Years in the Making
Espada™ started development in the late 1960s at Leo Fender’s new CLF Research company, exploring his ideas for a bold, next-generation two-pickup guitar for his namesake company. In late 1969, styling for the new model was nearly complete before the project was suddenly abandoned. However, Espada’s blueprints and R&D artifacts remained deep within CLF Research archives. The styling was beautiful, featuring an all-new body shape, pickguard design, and visually dominated by a new sword-like control plate.
Fast-forward nearly half a century and brothers Dave and John McLaren set about visualizing how Leo may have evolved his original concept. With Leo’s original blueprints and R&D artifacts in hand, the CLF Research Espada was completed in the spirit of his original pioneering vision, leveraging his later technological developments for performance and versatility.
For example, today’s Espada applies Leo’s Magnetic Field Design to his long-pole split-coil prototype pickups of 1967-1968, now made even more versatile with a series/parallel switch for thicker, rounder sounds or thinner, sparkly sounds. Leo’s Saddle Lock bridge technology, completed ten years after the project was abandoned, also solved a major technological design goal for the original Espada project: an efficient means of transferring more string energy directly into the grain of the body.
While the original ’60s Espada concept included a full-time onboard buffer preamp powered by six AA batteries, today’s Espada features a modern G&L Micro Preamp powered by a single 9v battery, controlled by a mini-toggle switch with positions for off (passive output), on (buffered lo-Z output), and on with high frequency boost, equally useful for cutting through thick fuzz as it is showcasing the shimmering harmonics the pickups are capable of producing. Today’s Espada would not be complete without Leo’s G&L Passive Treble and Bass (PTB) controls, always on and ready to work in conjunction with the other controls…and your own imagination.
Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:01 am
Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:15 pm
Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:36 pm
Tooslowhand wrote:I really like this guitar and will be looking for one on the used market in the future. I wonder how different the pickups are from Comanche Z-Coils?
longer pole pieces for wider bobbin aperture, different wind specs. So def related, but we had freedom to optimize in conjunction with the control setup
Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:42 am
50 Years in the Making: The CLF Research Espada.
Learn more here:
http://glguitars.com/product/clf-research-espada/
Mon Jul 22, 2019 11:03 am
Danley wrote:It’d look better without a pickguard, but lately I prefer them to scratching the wood. Just noticed, the neck heel is again Fender Strat 21 fret-spec. rather than G&L ‘Square.’
Fri Jul 26, 2019 2:18 pm
Fri Jul 26, 2019 3:13 pm
art wrote:The series / parallel switch changes the relationship between the two pickups, right? Not between the two halves of each pickup? (What would that even sound like?)
art
Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:47 pm
Danley wrote:art wrote:The series / parallel switch changes the relationship between the two pickups, right? Not between the two halves of each pickup? (What would that even sound like?)
art
I’ll let someone else chime in with the final answer for the Espada, but lots of people actually do use single humbuckers in parallel; there’s also a possibility Cavalier pickups are wired that way from the factory. It sounds like ‘funk’ in a word, and retains noise cancellation. That said I’mm more uncertain what a parallel z-coil could sound like vs. humbucker.
Sun Jul 28, 2019 9:20 pm
DanDoulogos wrote:I'd love this with a no pick guard option.
Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:35 pm
Danny Donnelly getting bluesy with the Espada at Leo’s Lounge.
Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:40 am
yowhatsshakin wrote:Danley wrote:art wrote:The series / parallel switch changes the relationship between the two pickups, right? Not between the two halves of each pickup? (What would that even sound like?)
art
I’ll let someone else chime in with the final answer for the Espada, but lots of people actually do use single humbuckers in parallel; there’s also a possibility Cavalier pickups are wired that way from the factory. It sounds like ‘funk’ in a word, and retains noise cancellation. That said I’mm more uncertain what a parallel z-coil could sound like vs. humbucker.
I believe the switch on the Espada is to connect both halves either in parallel or in series. The choice between the 2 is not new to G&L. The Comanche VI, with its 6 mini-toggle switches to turn on each half coil, also connected them in parallel, whereas on the Comanche (V) the 2 halves are wiring in the more traditional series configuration.
- Jos
Hi Craig,
Series/parallel is in relation to the 2 halves of each pickup. The same as on an L-2000.
Thanks,
Spencer
Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:25 am
Craig wrote:
I got confirmation from Spencer about this:Hi Craig,
Series/parallel is in relation to the 2 halves of each pickup. The same as on an L-2000.
Thanks,
Spencer
Hope this helps.
Tue Aug 20, 2019 8:01 pm