The G&L Custom Shop Espada – Champagne Flake is a strikingly refined and sonically versatile electric guitar that pays homage to Leo Fender’s relentless spirit of innovation. This custom shop masterpiece merges vintage-inspired elegance with forward-thinking engineering, offering a tonal palette and build quality suited for discerning players and collectors alike.

At the heart of the Espada is its bolt-on construction and 25 1/2" scale length, ensuring a familiar snap and clarity while maintaining smooth playability across the neck. The body is crafted from select alder, known for its balanced tonal response and comfortable weight. Finished in a dazzling Champagne Flake, the guitar is accented with gold hardware that enhances its boutique aesthetic, adding a sense of luxurious detail throughout.

The neck is a visual and tactile standout—constructed from quartersawn 3A flame maple, it boasts a clear gloss finish that showcases its natural figuring while offering durability and smooth feel. Topped with a sleek ebony fingerboard and bound with white binding, the neck combines rich tone with high-end appointments. The Modern Classic neck profile and 9 1/2" radius strike an ideal balance between vintage familiarity and modern comfort, making extended playing sessions a breeze. 21 medium jumbo nickel frets ensure excellent intonation and smooth bends, while a Graph-Tec nut contributes to tuning stability and resonance. Up top, Kluson tuners provide vintage flair with reliable modern performance, and the painted headstock matches the Champagne Flake finish for a seamless, high-end look.

Tonally, the Espada offers remarkable flexibility thanks to a pair of G&L MFD split-coil hum-cancelling pickups, custom-voiced specifically for this model. These pickups deliver articulate highs, tight lows, and superb noise rejection, making them ideal for everything from funk to fusion to classic rock. The control layout is equally ambitious: a 3-position pickup selector, PTB system (passive treble and bass controls), a series/parallel switch, and a 3-position preamp mode switch that allows for passive, active, or active with treble boost modes—placing a vast range of tonal sculpting at your fingertips.

At the bridge, Leo Fender’s ingenious Saddle-Lock bridge with forged brass saddles ensures maximum transfer of string energy into the body, enhancing sustain and resonance while maintaining rock-solid tuning. This feature exemplifies G&L's dedication to performance-driven innovation.

The G&L Custom Shop Espada – Champagne Flake is more than just a premium instrument—it's a celebration of design and craftsmanship, marrying stunning visual appeal with cutting-edge electronics and enduring build quality. It stands as a true expression of what Leo Fender might have envisioned had he pushed the Tele-style concept even further, and it’s built for players who demand the best.