• Model: Fender Custom Shop Founders Design Stratocaster GB, Gene Baker
• Edition / Series: 2017 Founders Design, Fender Custom Shop 30th Anniversary, limited to 30 units
• Designer: Founding Master Builder Gene Baker
• Base Model: 56 Strat
• Finish: Wide fade Chocolate 2 Tone Sunburst
• Finish Type / Ageing: Relic, nitrocellulose lacquer
• Body: 2 piece alder
• Body Shape: Half Strat upper body, half vintage Tele lower body
• Neck: 1 piece maple, 5/4 quarter sawn
• Neck Joint: Bolt on, 4 bolt
• Neck Profile: 10/56 V, .880" at the 1st fret, .980" at the 12th
• Neck Finish: Medium tint nitrocellulose
• Headstock: 50s Strat headstock with a Tele headstock on top, 52 to 60 Tele decal, Gene Baker decal on the back
• Truss Rod: 50s style
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
• Frets / Fret Type: 21, Sanko 6105
• Inlays: Black micarta dots, wide spacing, black side dots
• Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650"
• Pickup Configuration: SSS
• Neck Pickup: Hand wound 69 Strat Relic
• Middle Pickup: Hand wound 69 Strat Relic, reverse wound reverse polarity
• Bridge Pickup: Hand wound Broadcaster bridge Relic
• Electronics: 250K pots
• Controls: Gene Baker Strat/Tele layout on a Tele style control plate, 52 Tele knurled chrome knobs
• Switching: 5 way lever with vintage Tele switch tip
• Bridge / Tremolo: American Vintage Strat bridge, relic, vintage Strat arm with white tip
• Bridge Cover: Included
• Tuners: Vintage staggered, relic
• Hardware: Chrome and nickel
• Pickguard / Back Plate: Gene Baker Strat/Tele pickguard, parchment Strat back plate
• Neck Plate: Founders Design 1987 to 2017 neck plate with Gene Baker signature and serial
• Weight: 7 lb 8.8 oz
• Case: Founders Design G. Baker tweed case with red plush lining
• Case Candy: Founders book, Fender hang tag, strap
• Certificate / Documentation: Fender Custom Shop certificate of authenticity, Shop Floor Traveler
• Serial Number: GB4936
• Country: USA (Corona, California)
• Year: 2017

In 2017 Fender marked 30 years of the Custom Shop by bringing back its eight Founding Master Builders and letting each design their ultimate guitar. Only 30 of each were made, which makes the Founders Design run one of the most exclusive collections in the history of the shop, and Gene Baker's Strat/Tele hybrid is the one people still talk about.

The idea is beautifully simple. Gene took a 56 Strat and a vintage Tele and joined them across the body, so the upper half is Strat, with the contoured horns and arm cut, and the lower half is vintage Tele, complete with the Tele control plate and knurled knobs. The headstock follows the same thinking with a Tele headstock layered on top of a 50s Strat one, which is the detail that makes people stop at a guitar show.

The electronics are where it earns its keep. A hand wound Broadcaster bridge pickup gives you that proper early Tele snap and bite, while hand wound 69 Strat pickups in the middle and neck, the middle reverse wound and reverse polarity, give the fat, glassy Strat sounds. Position two blends the Broadcaster with the Strat middle for a jangle you cannot get from either guitar on its own.

Gene chose a one piece quarter sawn maple neck with a 10/56 V carve, 9.5" radius and Sanko 6105 frets, so it feels vintage in the hand but bends and plays like a modern instrument. Over a two piece alder body in the wide fade Chocolate 2 Tone Sunburst Relic, at 7 lb 8.8 oz, and complete with its Founders case, book and paperwork, it is a properly rare piece of Custom Shop history that is also a superb player.

Mint condition. Presents as new with no signs of use to mention. The finish wear, checking and aged hardware are the factory Custom Shop Relic treatment, not later wear. No damage or issues to mention.

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