Some guitars shout. Esmé doesn't need to.
Built around a lightweight one-piece mahogany body, exceptional handmade components and my own PAF Replica pickups, she delivers timeless humbucker tones with a level of strength, refinement and attention to detail that's unmistakably Eternal.
The body is paired with a three-piece laminated mahogany neck, offering significantly greater strength and long-term stability than a traditional one-piece design. The result is all the warmth, sustain and feel you'd expect from a classic mahogany guitar, but with a far more robust neck construction that's built to stand the test of time.
The chunky C-profile measures 23mm deep at the first fret, gently increasing to 24.2mm at the twelfth. A bound rosewood fingerboard with a comfortable 12-inch radius, 22 medium-jumbo frets and a hand-cut bone nut provides an effortless playing experience, while pearl position markers and traditional tortoiseshell side dots complete the classic appearance.
A pair of Eternal PAF Replica humbuckers capture everything I love about the finest late-1950s humbuckers. Open, articulate and beautifully dynamic, they clean up effortlessly from the guitar's controls yet produce rich sustain and harmonic complexity when pushed. Whether you're chasing warm jazz tones, gritty blues or classic rock, Esmé responds with clarity, balance and exceptional touch sensitivity.
The electronics follow the traditional twin-volume, twin-tone layout, using CTS brass-collar 500k potentiometers, Bumble Bee capacitors, a Switchcraft three-way toggle and Switchcraft output jack throughout.
Premium hardware complements the rest of the instrument, with a Kluson ABR-1 bridge, lightweight nickel-plated aluminium stop tailpiece and Gotoh vintage-style tulip-button tuners providing dependable performance and excellent tuning stability.
The finish deserves a mention too. Rather than simply spraying Pelham Blue, I wanted to capture the rich emerald hue that vintage examples often develop as their nitrocellulose lacquer matures over decades. So, instead of waiting half a century for nature to take its course, I mixed my own interpretation by introducing just enough warmth to create the colour I call Pelham Green.
Applied in thin nitrocellulose lacquer and gently aged by hand, the finish has the character of a guitar that's been cherished and played for a lifetime rather than artificially distressed. Lightly aged nickel hardware and hand-cut white plastics complete a look that's unmistakably vintage without ever feeling contrived.
At just 6 lb 13 oz, Esmé is exceptionally light for a twin-humbucker mahogany guitar. The reduced weight makes her wonderfully resonant, perfectly balanced and comfortable enough to disappear on a long gig, while the lively acoustic response translates directly into the amplified sound.
She comes complete with a vintage-style tweed hard case.
Specification
Model: Eternal Esmé
Body: One-piece lightweight mahogany
Neck: Three-piece laminated mahogany
Fingerboard: Bound rosewood
Markers: Pearl face dots with celluloid tortoiseshell side dots
Neck Profile: Chunky C
Neck Dimensions: 23mm at the 1st fret, 24.2mm at the 12th fret
Radius: 12"
Frets: 22 × Dunlop 6130 medium jumbo
Nut Width: 43mm
Nut: Hand-cut bone
Finish: Thin nitrocellulose lacquer, lightly aged Pelham Green
Plastics: Hand-cut white with black/silver reflector knobs
Bridge: Kluson ABR-1 Tune-o-Matic
Tailpiece: Lightweight nickel-plated aluminium stop tailpiece
Tuners: Gotoh vintage-style tulip-button tuners
Pickups: Eternal PAF Replica humbucker set with nickel covers
Controls: Independent volume and tone controls for each pickup
Electronics: CTS brass-collar 500k potentiometers, Bumble Bee capacitors, Switchcraft three-way toggle and Switchcraft output jack
Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10–46
Weight: 6 lb 13 oz
Case: Vintage-style tweed hard case included
