The Esquire model of 1950 would seem to have been the most basic, elemental, electric solidbody guitar possible but, in 1956, inspired perhaps by the success Gibson was enjoying with it’s Les Paul Junior, Fender introduced the Musicmaster.

Although it’s double-cutaway body shape was more modern than the Esquire’s, it was thinner and lighter in weight so that it did not feel as substantive to a player.

It’s single pickup did not have the separate polepieces of the Esquire’s pickup and it’s short scale length of 22.5 inches limited it’s appeal to beginning players.

Despite it’s place at the low end of the Fender line, early Musicmasters were outfitted with the gold-colored metal pickguard (made of anodized aluminum) that would appear on Fender’s high-end Jazzmaster in 1958.