Back to navigation


A Dual-coil Addition to the Active Espada Family





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Leo Fender’s long-lost vintage 6-string design meets ultra-modern active humbucking power with the G&L Espada HH Active! The second entry into G&L’s active Espada series, 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. From the swooping control plate to the gorgeous Caribbean rosewood-topped hard rock maple neck, the Espada HH Active is largely a faithful re-creation of the original Espada, with one major dual-coil detour: two screaming G&L humbuckers that are emboldened with a parallel/split/series switch, versatile active preamp, and PTB tone knobs. All in all, the Espada HH Active is a hard-hitting and immensely flexible addition to the growing Espada family, proving that Leo Fender’s timeless 6-string designs are just as relevant today as when they were first dreamed up back in the late 1960s.





Related Videos: CLF Research Espada HH Active Electric Guitar - Vintage White


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 Espada HH Active takes a more modern route while paying tribute to the original’s specs. This guitar’s G&L Micro Preamp functions off of 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/split modes. Lastly, a high-octane pairing of AW4368C and AS4255C G&L humbuckers furnishes a clear, ultra-articulate take on classic HH tones.





Serial CLF2403161


Serial CLF2403161


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 HH Active’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.





Serial CLF2403161


Serial CLF2403161


G&L Espada HH Active Electric Guitar Features:


Inspired by a long-lost Leo Fender design from the late 1960s


Lightweight alder body boasts a balanced response across all six strings


Ultra-stable hard rock maple neck


9.5-inch-radius Caribbean rosewood fingerboard supplies smooth and fret-out-free bends in the upper register, with effortless chording at the base of the neck


G&L AW4368C and AS4255C run the gamut of humbucking tones, from open and airy neck-position chime to soaring, articulate leads and full-bodied rhythms on the bridge position


Enhanced control section including G&L PTB (passive treble and bass) knobs and a parallel/split/series switch


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