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Leo Fender’s Long-lost 6-string Returns





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Based on archival Leo Fender blueprints from the late 1960s, the G&L Espada represents some of Leo's most forward-thinking 6-string ideas. This guitar’s curvy, contoured alder body represents a more comfortable update on one of Leo’s earlier designs, complete with a rock-solid Saddle-Lock bridge for enhanced sustain and ringing resonance. An incredibly stable hard rock maple neck in G&L’s Modern Classic profile forms a speedy foundation for your fretwork, then finished off with a high-performance 9.5-inch radius Caribbean rosewood fingerboard. However, the Espada’s electronics section is where things truly get interesting: A series/parallel switch, 3-position active preamp, and supremely balanced MFD split-coil humbuckers unlock an almost unmatched level of sonic versatility and allowing you to cover almost any sonic situation with a single instrument. Frankly, the Espada was a guitar about a half-century ahead of its time ? and we’re only now catching up with it.





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Elevated Espada Electronics





While Leo designed the Espada in 1969 with a comprehensive buffer preamp ? along with six AA batteries to power it ? Sweetwater guitarists appreciate how the G&L’s reimagined Espada takes a more modern route while paying tribute to the original’s specs. This guitar’s G&L Micro Preamp functions off a single 9-volt battery granting you pure passive tones, buffered lo-Z output, and active/high-frequency boost output with the flip of a 3-way switch. Moreover, the second switch provides more sonic sculpting possibilities via series/parallel modes. Lastly, two MFD split-coil humbucking pickups seal the deal with a tone that effortlessly glides between the single-coil and humbucker worlds. These pickups grant you both sparkling highs and deep, robust lows, with a unique split design that maximizes balance across all six strings.





The G&L Espada: Leo Fender’s lost design





After leaving his namesake guitar company in 1965, Leo Fender returned to the music business in record time with a wholehearted dedication to furthering 6-string innovation. Many of his most cutting-edge ideas became the basis for G&L’s classic models, but one particularly promising instrument never saw the light of day: the guitar we now know as the Espada. Perhaps it was too ahead of its time, but 50 years Leo Fender first dreamed it up, it’s finally time for the ultra-innovative G&L Espada to shine.





Saddle-Lock bridge





The Espada’s Saddle-Lock bridge reduces lateral movement of the saddle pieces by tightening an Allen screw on the side of the bridge. Additionally, the Saddle-Lock bridge has a solid protrusion on its backside that is sunk firmly into the instrument’s body wood. Together, these two features make it easier for string energy to travel into the body and translate into a rich, resonant, and sustaining sound.





G&L Espada Electric Guitar Features:


G&L’s tribute to a long-lost Leo Fender design from the late 1960s


Exceptionally stable hard rock maple neck, finished off with a 9.5-inch-radius Carribean rosewood fingerboard


Dual MFD split-coil pickups offer maximum string-to-string balance, with a tone that grants bot single-coil sparkle and full-bodied humbucker fury


G&L PTB tone knobs and parallel/series switch provide superlative sonic versatility


Active preamp with 3 positions to swap between: Passive, active, and a treble-boosted active settings


G&L Saddle-Lock bridge for the utmost in setup stability, in addition to increased sustain and string-to-body resonance


Rock-solid Kluson tuning machines