John Maus was the guitar player for The Walker Brothers, a trio from California who moved to England in the 1960s to be a part of the beginning rock and pop movement there. They had a string of hits, including "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" in 1966.
The Walker Brothers played a few shows together with the Yardbirds, whose lead guitar player at the time was Jeff Beck. John Maus sold Jeff Beck one of his Fender Esquire guitars; the now famous "Yardbirds Esquire", a 1954 model John had modified by cutting Stratocaster like contours into the body.
John owned a second Fender Esquire, which he left in its original shape. This is the other one, a beautiful and fully original 1953 model. It plays and sounds exceptionally great.
Whether you look at this as a piece of Rock and Pop music history, or just a really great blackguard Esquire, it's an exceptional piece either way.
