Gibson Firebird II Artist CMT 1981

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an unusual take on the Firebird design from Gibson. To quote from the eBay listing:

Very rare and unique 1981 Gibson Firebird II Artist CMT. Reportedly only about 160 or so of this model were made. Maple body with bound flamed curly maple top in Antique Sunburst (tobacco burst) finish.

These guitars originally came with the same Moog-designed active electronics from Gibson's "RD Artist" series, with compression (neck pickup) and expansion (bridge pickup) options available. Many musicians found that circuitry too complex, especially on stage, and the RD series was a commercial failure...

Currently listed on eBay (with the original Moog circuit boards and original Series VI low-impedance pickups should you want them) with a starting bid of $2,100.

G L Wilson

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1965 Gibson Firebird III non-reverse is a rather unusual oddity

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When I first saw the photo (above, top) of this Gibson Firebird III from 1965 I could tell that there was something out of the ordinairy about it but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was exactly.

This guitar is in original condition and has not been modified in any way; aside from the usual knocks and signs of aging, it's as it would have been when it left the Gibson factory in 1965.

Designed by car designer Ray Dietrich at the behest of Gibson president Ted McCarty, the Firebird was introduced in 1963 and has remained in production more or less up until the present day. The so-called "reverse" body shape was replaced with a more conservative "non-reverse" design between 1965 and 1969. Possibly the example we see here is a transitional model. Have you noticed what is unusual about it yet?

It's the headstock. The original "reverse" body Firebirds also sported reverse headstocks, but you'll notice that this example has a non-reverse headstock. (Note also the banjo-style tuners. I've often wondered why these aren't more commonly used on guitars.) Quite how rare this is, I'm afraid I cannot tell you, but the eBay seller here obviously thinks it's worth the $13,500 Buy It Now price.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

1965 Firebird V Kerry Green

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We showed a series of Firebirds here last spring, and I noted then that there's been very few variations in the model over its six decades of existence - I rule out the non reversed body, that was just a temporary erring by Gibson in a bad phase, as is the current Firebird X - that leaves the number of pickups, the tremolo, the finish and that's it. 

So finding a Firebird to show here is mostly about colour, and to me this sweet pop Kerry green finish is enough to redefine the guitar! That's the instrument I would play if I would join an all-girl Japanese neo-psychedelic J-pop band in Yves Saint-Laurent's Mondrian mini dresses (I know that it is quite unlikely but life is full of surprises...) Makes me feel like eating a raspberry-pistachio ice cream (though it's snowing here).

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Julian Cope and The Beast

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Julian Cope is one of my all-time favourite artists and is also quite the guitar collector. One time at a gig I attended in Oxford, between songs he swapped a white Gibson SG Junior for another almost identical just because he fancied changing guitars.

Anyway, I've always wondered about his doublenecked non-reverse Firebird/Thunderbird nicknamed "The Beast" (not that I've personally seen it in action) and whether or not it was an actual Gibson or a custom build.

Earlier I stumbled upon this interview in which Cope reveals that "The guitar was made by Valdez in Los Angeles in 1971, from a 1967 non reverse Thunderbird IV and a 1968 non reverse Firebird."

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Photo: Promo shot of Julian Cope wielding the doubleneck Firebird / Thunderbird for his CORNUCOPEA festival at the South Bank Centre, April 2000.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Baker B3 XT Phoenix 5

guitarz.blogspot.com

I'm into Teles lately, and I'm particularly interested when they are the starting points of smart upgrades, such as this Tele/Firebird hybrid Baker B3 XT Phoenix 5 (sounds like a space ship name from a 50s pulp SF novel). This guitar is remarkable a.o. because of its solid mahogany one piece model - body and neck are cut from the same block, that is quite a rare luxury (so the raised center is not a beam on which the wings are glued, but a recall of the Firebird). 

It has the 3 mini-humbuckers (with metal rings) of the Firebird VII (I wish it had banjo tuners too), a stratesque hybrid pickguard and a quite nice transparent sunburst finish that makes sunburst almost agreeable. 

bertram


Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

what one can do with a Firebird?

guitarz.blogspot.com

Who ever said that the Gibson Firebird has a unavoidable southern rock feel? (I know, I know, this is an old rant of mine!)

Here is a video of The Jai-Alai Savant with guitarist Ralph Darden playing on is white Firebird a mix of reggae, ska, post-punk with a hint of dark psychedelic (I prefer this kind of 80s revival than the current boring dance-rock)...

Bertram


Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year! 

Gibson Firebird V reissue

guitarz.blogspot.com

Back to the Firebird series, to show this beautiful combination of wood used for this Firebird V in natural finish.

If you click on the link you'll find several instructing close ups showing how the wings are connected to the neck-through.

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

ESP Phoenix II

guitarz.blogspot.com

I was searching about the Firebird legacy and I found one that is clearly rooted in it and more than a mere copy, the ESP Phoenix II. Unfortunately the result is not convincing, the lower horn is too wide, though its Rickenbacker style curve could have been nice. I keep looking, any suggestion is welcome.

BTW, a white finish with a black pickguard is one of my favorite finish.

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Gibson Firebird XII non-reverse

guitarz.blogspot.com

A few days ago, GL was talking about the fact that 12-string guitars, that were once a standard in solid body guitars - a post-Brit invasion trend for sure -, became rare nowadays. I absolutely agree that it's a pity, and reduces the range of what you can do with a guitar! 

Here is a rare Gibson Firebird XII, a 12-string non-reverse version of the Firebird. The non-reverse body was produced between 1965 and 1969, when it appeared that the 1963 Firebird regular body - the reverse body as it's been called since the lower long horn felt so bizarre at the time - was a selling failure. Fortunately at this time Gibson was visionary enough to insist on its innovative designs, and the reverse body came back for good in 1972 (the non-reverse is quite ugly to me). Here you can find several photos of a Firebird XII, and you can see that it doesn't have the characteristic neck-through - another concession of the non-reverse phase...

I wish they'd issue one day a reverse body 12-string Firebird XII, that would really fit this guitar and its out-of-time feel (12-string doesn't fit much to rock but as I've stated here already, for me the Firebird is the guitar of Brian Jones and PJ Harvey and is a perfect brit-pop guitar).

Hey people at Gibson, are you reading the Guitarz blog? You know what you have to do!

bertram




Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Greco Firebird copy

guitarz.blogspot.com

Another Firebird, and a vintage black one (!), but it's not a Gibson, it's a Greco... 

I don't have more info about this guitar, but it looks like a faithful copy, obviously from the lawsuit era... Greco were so good at copying other companies guitars that they ended up as Fender Japan - just had to change the logo on their teles!

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

1964 Gibson Firebird I

guitarz.blogspot.com

Since we're busy with Firebirds, I'm happy to have the opportunity to present here a rare vintage Firebird I, with a single mini humbucker in bridge position and wraparound bridge. 

Less than 500 Firebirds I have been released in the early 60s as a budget model, this one seems to be in a fine condition for a 1964 cheapo - of course now it's a treasure ! 

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

1991 Gibson Celebrity Firebird V

guitarz.blogspot.com

So here comes the Firebird series... Some people have been saying that I'm too easy with the Gibson bashing, but I'm convinced that Gibson issued alone a third of the best guitar models in the history of electric guitar - I just regret that they stopped creating new models a few decades ago, because we'd need them to keep pulling up... 

Anyway, this is a 1991 Gibson Celebrity Firebird V, a limited edition of 200 with black finish and gold hardware - the only black Firebirds ever (black is necessary, for me it's the standard finish)... Like me you realise that the only variations in the Firebirds are about the color, because strangely this model didn't have such a great legacy as the Flying-V or the Explorer did - not to mention the ES-335 or the Les Paul (you still have the Robin Fleetwood or the Fret-King Esprit). So apart from the reverse/non-reverse thing back in the mid-60s, the number of pickups and the trem, a Firebird is a Firebird - if someone has an idea why, please share...

I understand better how this can happen, because if you want a fancy Firebird, you need to do it yourself...

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Gibson Non-reverse Firebird from 1965

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Even though it's obviously been highly "customised", has suffered a neck break and has been re-sprayed a rather vibrant shade of red, I find myself quite attracted to this Gibson Firebird from 1965 with non-reverse body styling. The seller is including the original components so the buyer who has a mind to do so could restore it to its former glory. Personally, I'd leave it as it is. It's a guitar that looks like it has a lot of history and stories to tell, and surely is more genuine than any of the plethora of ersatz "relic" guitars that are currently the popular fashion.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Blue Mist Firebird VII

guitarz.blogspot.com

I've already posted here about the fabulous Gibson Firebird, but here is a special one with rare and stunning Blue Mist finish - the best I ever saw on this guitar.

This is the Firebird VII model, with three pickups and the Vibrola tail piece.

It's strange how its unusual color can change completely the feeling of this guitar, it doesn't feel all 'southern-ish' anymore, but more like East-German with its faded chrome hardware. So cool, eh?

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Epiphone Firebird Monster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

When this guitar first caught my eye, I didn't realise that it's a complete fake, one of these 'relic'ed' new guitars (this one is from 2006) that I usually hate (even more when it's done on industrial scale like Fender's). But, well, it's still an interesting modification, so I'll do as if I don't make an unwilling advertisement for an acquisitive guitar torturer.

So I like the disrespectful empty pickup cavity and unfilled pot, switch and tune-o-matic holes; also putting an early vintage Bigsby on a new guitar is a good (aesthetical) move. The logo on the pickguard comes from some car also called Firebird (for our American readers, we urban European people can leave an entire life without putting any interest into cars). Of course, the fact that the Firebird is one of my favorite guitars (even more in the hands of PJ Harvey as I already stated on this blog) helped catching my attention - I wouldn't have noticed this mod on a strat.

BTW it's a strange thing to me that when I make a guitar (yes that's what I do!) I put a lot of work in making it look all machine made smooth and flip out at the idea of any little mark that would reveal my clumsy craft (oh these hours of sanding with bleeding fingers!), but I enjoy on old factory guitars the marks of an appropriation process...

But sanding off a guitar finish to make it look older is in any case definitely inept.

Bertram


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Gibson Firebird VII Vibrola reissue

You have the classic, the bizarre, and the classic bizarre (or bizarre classic) such as the great Firebird - here a white Gibson Firebird VII with its three pickups and Vibrola trem. This white one seems to be a very rare model...

And you know what? Heaven on earth is seeing PJ Harvey playing a Firebird... And I hate that I missed her concert with John Parish last May in Berlin, it was sold out within hours when they put the tickets on sale in January and it really SUCKS! Sorry, I had to tell it to someone...

bertram

Grant Nicholas' Jazzbird

We were listening to "Silent Cry", the latest album by Feeder, in the office yesterday, which reminded me do a search for that guitar that Grant Nicholas plays, the one that looks like a Gibson Firebird with a Fender Jazzmaster neck on it. Now, that's a strange combination, because Gibsons typically have glued in necks whereas Fenders have bolt-on necks.

I could find very little about this guitar, other than Wikipedia's mention of Grant Nicholas owning a "green Custom Jazzbird". Does anyone out there know who built it?

I think it's a very cool looking guitar; somehow the Fender head looks correct teamed up with that particular bodyshape. It would appear that he's got a Jazzmaster tremolo on it too.

I am reminded of John Entwistle's "Fenderbird" basses which married a Gibson Thunderbird body with a Fender Precision neck.