The Phoenix V from CA-based b3 Guitars is perfect for players that love both Fender and Gibson guitars, but are looking for something a bit more modern and refined.

Why We Love This

The modern elements are subtle on first glance - it simply looks like a gorgeous Tele - but you certainly feel them when you play. This is one of the things about Gene Baker's guitars that we've always loved - while they visually draw upon vintage style designs, they're anything but. It's almost as if Gene has taken the hot-rodded spirit of the best 80s guitars and rolled them into more traditional forms. The proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will.

This Gibson AJ-inspired Phoenix V sports a spruce top and mahogany body, perfect fretwork (22, 6105 frets), a "barely there" neck joint making for effortless upper fret access (this is one the 80s style references we're talking about), a very well made / stout bridge plate that's ergonomic and comfy to rest your hand on, easily adjustable neck pickup (the screws aren't buried under the guard), and the perfect 50s Gibson-style neck carve.

This modern / vintage approach yields a lightweight, balanced, and incredibly easy playing guitar that is the perfect sum of it's parts (Fender/Gibson). The Lollar Special T pickups coupled with the spruce and hollow mahogany body deliver Thinline-esq tones - ie, slightly fatter, beefier Telecaster tones that will cover a wide range of both clean and overdriven tones.