If you're in the market for a high-performance, modern leaning guitar that's still got vintage vibe, feel, tone, and attitude? Look no further.

Why We Love This

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. Oh, and Robben Ford slung a Baker guitar for many, many years (as have many other pros).

No doubt Gene has a tremendously deep well to draw from with his designs, and this fantastic Phoenix VII model is the perfect encapsulation of his experience and knowledge. Designed to be a Firebird dressed up in more comfortable Telecaster clothing, the Phoenix VII is a powerhouse of player-centric design.

From the super comfy 59 style neck carve (soft V, .89-.98) to the fast neck-through heel construction, to the gorgeous sounding Lollar pickups (Special T and Firebird) with a versatile wiring scheme (volume, tone - push/pull which activates all 3 pickups, 5-way), to the rock solid hardware and beautiful finish work, it's all so well thought out and executed. It'd be a mistake to say this is "just" a Tele-style build though - it's got its own (familiar) feel and truly melds all the best parts of each guitar (Firebird/Tele) into something new, very inspiring, and just plain cool.