b3 GUITARS

Gene Baker of b3 Guitars is a legend in the guitar world, long known for his flawless builds and meticulous attention to detail. He was a Senior Master Builder at the Fender Custom Shop, also worked at the Gibson Custom Shop, and was the builder responsible for building the Koll, Gustavsson, Fano, Schroeder, and Giffin guitars under the Premier Builder's Guild brand to name a few highlights.
Location: Tehachapi, CA | Employees: 1 | Guitars Built Per Year: 30 | Notable Models: SL ~ Phoenix ~ Telstar

Meet The Models

SL

The SL, with its Strat-meets-Les Paul body, is incredibly comfortable to play. Better balance than a Les Paul, a tummy cut, effortless upper fret access...all while sounding and looking very much like an old Gibson.

Phoenix

Designed to be a Firebird dressed up in more comfortable Telecaster clothing, the Phoenix is a powerhouse of player-centric design. It's sleek and ergonomic - yet - retains a lot of what we all love about older guitars. The term "modern vintage" gets tossed around a lot but that's a really apt way to think about this model. 

Phoenix SN

Gene Baker has tossed his hat into the Tele-Paul ring with this fantastic Set Neck Phoenix model.

Monroe

This is a new model from Gene and the crew at b3 Guitars, which essentially takes their Tele/Firebird-inspired Phoenix model and applies that concept to an offset body shape, giving us the Monroe. Like its sibling, the Monroe features neck through construction, a 25 1/2" scale, a raised center section body, and a variety of pickup and bridge options.

Telstar

Imagine someone at Fender unearthing a long-lost prototype that Leo Fender was working on in the years after the launch of the Telecaster on his way to designing the Stratocaster. That, in a nutshell, is the concept the Telstar conjures up for us.