New Baker B3...it's a bird...it's Tele....it's a....

[faracaster]

Hi All.....
Here is the latest from the creative mind and talented hands of Gene Baker.
I just received this yesterday from Ray's Guitars (thanks Lance !!!!).
Wow what a cool hybrid. Take a Tele body shape, build it like a reverse Firebird with the neck thru body construction, carve the neck like a 59’ Les Paul, but it has a Fender 25.5 scale, add two mini humbuckers with a trad Tele pickup and bridge and voila !!! You’ve got a Firecaster....or a Telebird....Gene officially calls it a Metal XT/Phoenix (although for the life of me I don’t know what is metal about it) This one is one of the two first he’s made. The other had three mini hums and a trem.
This guitar has the most amazing feel when played standing. It has the familiar feel of a Tele with your right hand and arm, but has a LP type feel with your left. The tone is HUGE !!!! I have these mini hums in a Strat but they don’t sound like they do in this baby. Loud and clear with a huge amount of bottom end they actually match up very well with the Tele bridge pickup. The Tele pickup has a unique tone in that it it a twang master at any volume setting other than full up. When all the way up it compresses and smoothes out, driving the amp a little harder than a regular Tele.
Lovin’ this baby very mucho.
Cheers
Pete

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/Petefaragher/DSC00087.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/Petefaragher/DSC00066.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/Petefaragher/DSC00058.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/Petefaragher/DSC00061.jpg

[Tarbender]

Ga Ga Do Do .... all I can master is baby talk right now... can't find the words and don't know if I can .. visually wow... all I know is I want hold it and play it! Any chance Pete for us wanta be's .....? :bow:

[Budda]

that looks like it'd be fun to play!

firecaster is the cooler name, by far. it has "fire' in the title (dont we all love fire?!) and "caster" (raise your hand if you like strats or teles)... see? :)

[Robert1950]

Bugger Pete! You always get the really good shit. If a Telecaster had sex with a Firebird, this would definitely be the offspring!

[Scottone]

thats a stunner. Please don't sell this one....I won't be able to resist buying it :D

[jane]

Woow... that's gorgeous. I love sunburst plain top guitars and I like the grain on that. What kind of mini humbuckers are those?

I'll just sit here and stare at it for awhile... :D

[a Pack of Wolves]

Bee
You
Tee
Full

[simescan]

WOW,...just can't help but drooooool over this baby. It's goota have a good feel to it.........:bow: lofu

[Robert1950]

A set neck too! Don't ever work in social services. You will never afford a beaut like this. Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrghhh !!!!

[faracaster]

Ga Ga Do Do .... all I can master is baby talk right now... can't find the words and don't know if I can .. visually wow... all I know is I want hold it and play it! Any chance Pete for us wanta be's .....? :bow:

Hey absolutely !!!!!! Love to spread the gospel of Gene's work. Just PM me and we can get together.
cheers
Pete

[µ¿ z3®ø™]

Bugger Pete! You always get the really good shit. If a Telecaster had sex with a Firebird, this would definitely be the offspring!

brings new meaning to the 'guitar porn' expression.
being a bit of a teleholic, i can't help but be intrigued by a guitar like this. 5 way PUP selector?

[1PUTTS]

Wow, that's one of the nicest trans-bursts I've ever seen. I'm sure it looks even better in person but it looks to be very subtle and rich. What species of woods were used? It's weird because the "wings" seem to match the neck-thru in grain pattern.

Anyway, it looks fantastic.

[faracaster]

brings new meaning to the 'guitar porn' expression.
being a bit of a teleholic, i can't help but be intrigued by a guitar like this. 5 way PUP selector?

Yep 5-way. The volume control pulls up to split the two Firebird mini-hums.
Just used it in the studio on the weekend. Fantastic tracks !!!!! And those are just scratch tracks for drums and bass.
Pete

[GuitarsCanada]

What a fabulous guitar. Very nice work.

[µ¿ z3®ø™]

Yep 5-way. The volume control pulls up to split the two Firebird mini-hums.

all it needs now is for a push pull tone knob to put the PUPs out of phase.
sorry, i'm flashing back to the '80s now.
those baker's sure have their supporters amongst some pretty killer players.
scott lerner loves the bakers.

[laristotle]

I'm not normally a Tele fan, but that
firecaster is definitely sweet.lofu
I think that should be submitted as GOTM.

[µ¿ z3®ø™]

I think that should be submitted as GOTM.

i had the same thought.

[suttree]

THAT is a cool guitar! thanks for showing it off.

[Mr Yerp]

Man, everything about that guitar screams...
"Yup, I'm good......REAL good"! lofu

[Mooh]

There's just something about the Telecaster vibe that really turns my crank. Even cheap ones with lousy hardware, twisted necks, and bland paint jobs, make me sweat a little...must be the shape or something.

Usually my standard line about Telecasters is that Leo got it right the first time, but this one is fantastic! It's a Goddess among heathens.

I'm pumping GAS again!

Peace, Mooh.

[Chito]

What a fantastic looking guitar. It must play really well. Even just by looking at the photos, you can tell the work that has been put into it.

Congratulations Pete! :food-smiley-004:

[Steeler]

That is a beautiful piece of work!
I like the small pickguard, so more of the wood shows.

Might even be nicer without the pickguard.

I'll bet it sounds a lot more like a Les Paul than a Tele.

[PaulS]

That's a sweet looking guitar Pete. I love the raised middle and mini buckers. We'd have to call it a Tele-bird because it sure looks like it can sing... lofu