New Firebird Day

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
User avatar
Fiddy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12391
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:38 am
Location: Canada Dry

New Firebird Day

Post by Fiddy » Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:05 pm

The Joe Bonamassa model. I've been wanting a Firebird for a while. Glad i came across this one.

I really like it. It's light, exactly 8 lbs according to the bathroom scale.

I want to add a short vibrola and a neck pickup but.. I dont have a router :fp:



Image

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Feb 09, 2020 8:57 pm

Beautiful. How do you like the tuners?
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
countertext
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4142
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 6:25 pm
Location: Tacoma

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by countertext » Sun Feb 09, 2020 9:50 pm

Less parts = more tone. Looks good!

User avatar
Fiddy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12391
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:38 am
Location: Canada Dry

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Fiddy » Sun Feb 09, 2020 9:53 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Sun Feb 09, 2020 8:57 pm
Beautiful. How do you like the tuners?

The tuners are fine and look good. They turn smooth and seem to keep tune fine. I didn't have any experience with banjo tuners prior to these ones. I like them.

User avatar
marqueemoon
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7343
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:37 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by marqueemoon » Sun Feb 09, 2020 10:00 pm

Great color.

User avatar
gnoleb
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:01 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by gnoleb » Sun Feb 09, 2020 10:15 pm

tribi9 wrote:
Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:05 pm
I want to add a short vibrola and a neck pickup but.. I dont have a router
I have one of these in sunburst. I put a treble bleed mod on the volume, but I think it is pretty spectacular as it is. You can get a ton of variation from the volume and tone. I'd run it through the paces awhile before you go drilling holes in it. The simplicity is a boon to me.

User avatar
del
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1585
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:57 am
Location: rusted jack-knife

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by del » Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:11 am

Mercy! I'd add a short arm vibrola, too. That's a dream machine!
The Kinks - The Fall – The Bad Seeds - Spacemen 3 - The Gories - Royal Trux
"The idea is to put a pick in one hand and a guitar in the other and with a tiny movement rule the world." - David Fair

User avatar
Fiddy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12391
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:38 am
Location: Canada Dry

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Fiddy » Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:55 am

The long vibrola would look good too..

Image

Image

User avatar
LVC
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1933
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:38 pm
Location: France

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by LVC » Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:36 am

tribi9 wrote:
Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:05 pm
I want to add a short vibrola and a neck pickup but.. I dont have a router :fp:
You don't need a router. You could open a cavity for an extra pickup with a drill, a chisel and a Dremel (trace outline of route, drill holes to remove as much wood as possible, use chisel to remove bits of wood between holes, carefully smooth out cavity with a Dremel, first with a wood carving bit, then with sanding drums and discs). It's not very difficult and you can do a pretty decent job provided you go slowly and don't get too enthusiastic with the Dremel. You will not get as perfect a result as with a router but the pickup ring will hide small imperfections anyway.

As for the Vibrola, well, post spacing is narrower on a standard TOM/roller bridge than on a wraparound (by 10mm if I'm not mistaken). That means plugging and redrilling, which is not difficult to do; however the plugged holes would probably show on either side of the new bridge. The Vibrola unit itself is fairly easy to install, as it requires only 3 screws IIRC.
Create art, not content

User avatar
leokula
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1139
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:36 pm
Location: Brazil
Contact:

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by leokula » Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:46 am

That's such a lovely guit! Been eyeing these, but in Brazil they're expensive as hell. Eventually would like to turn an Epi studio into something like this.
Jaguar > Jazzmaster :)

User avatar
Fiddy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12391
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:38 am
Location: Canada Dry

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Fiddy » Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:30 am

LVC wrote:
Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:36 am

You don't need a router. You could open a cavity for an extra pickup with a drill, a chisel and a Dremel (trace outline of route, drill holes to remove as much wood as possible, use chisel to remove bits of wood between holes, carefully smooth out cavity with a Dremel, first with a wood carving bit, then with sanding drums and discs). It's not very difficult and you can do a pretty decent job provided you go slowly and don't get too enthusiastic with the Dremel. You will not get as perfect a result as with a router but the pickup ring will hide small imperfections anyway.

As for the Vibrola, well, post spacing is narrower on a standard TOM/roller bridge than on a wraparound (by 10mm if I'm not mistaken). That means plugging and redrilling, which is not difficult to do; however the plugged holes would probably show on either side of the new bridge. The Vibrola unit itself is fairly easy to install, as it requires only 3 screws IIRC.
Yeah, no issues with tbe vibrola. I wouldn't want to do a hack job on it routing the pu with a dremel though.

I have routed before with a chisel and a drill bit. Functional but ghetto af. I usually tend to stay way from hack jobs.

User avatar
Maggieo
Expat
Expat
Posts: 13446
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:36 am
Location: Nebraska, USA
Contact:

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Maggieo » Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:43 am

I've lusted after these since I first saw them! Congrats!

And don't do a thing to it!!! It's perfect!
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

User avatar
MechaBulletBill
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2813
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:16 am
Location: UK

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by MechaBulletBill » Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:27 pm

curious as to what the neck is like on these JB birds?
LVC wrote:
Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:36 am
As for the Vibrola, well, post spacing is narrower on a standard TOM/roller bridge than on a wraparound (by 10mm if I'm not mistaken). That means plugging and redrilling, which is not difficult to do; however the plugged holes would probably show on either side of the new bridge.
why in god's good name would you ditch a wraparound (perfect, elegant, pairs wonderfully with a vibrola) for a TOM (abysmal, rattly, bad, no)?

User avatar
Embenny
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 10363
Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 5:07 am

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by Embenny » Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:32 pm

That looks great as-is.

Aren't these the models that were responsible to Epiphone reviving true alnico FB pickups, which then finally caught on at Gibson?

I may not enjoy JB's music, but this model was very important in the revival of an underrated classic pickup that has more or less only been available from aftermarket winders for decades, so credit to him for doing that.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

User avatar
LVC
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1933
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:38 pm
Location: France

Re: New Firebird Day

Post by LVC » Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:34 pm

MechaBulletBill wrote:
Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:27 pm
curious as to what the neck is like on these JB birds?
LVC wrote:
Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:36 am
As for the Vibrola, well, post spacing is narrower on a standard TOM/roller bridge than on a wraparound (by 10mm if I'm not mistaken). That means plugging and redrilling, which is not difficult to do; however the plugged holes would probably show on either side of the new bridge.
why in god's good name would you ditch a wraparound (perfect, elegant, pairs wonderfully with a vibrola) for a TOM (abysmal, rattly, bad, no)?
I hate TOMs paired with vibrato tailpieces but some people seem to tolerate them. I'd go with a rocking or roller bridge personally, but you've got a point with the wraparound!
Create art, not content

Post Reply