NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by del » Thu Sep 09, 2021 12:51 pm

That's a dreamy specimen of one of my dream guitars.
I'm happy for you that it'll be back in your hands!
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by zhivago » Thu Sep 09, 2021 2:25 pm

Despot wrote:
Thu Sep 09, 2021 7:49 am
Right. OSG ... it's been a while. And this is going to be a long one. Buckle up kids.

So here's the deal. I sold this Firebird back in 2019. I cried real salty tears about it at the time ... but the money from this guitar (and a whole rake of others) helped fund the purchase of our home. The home I'm currently in right now, sitting in my nice little music room/study that has become my office during COVID-19. A home that we both adore and which I would be quite comfortable being wheeled out of feet first in a pine box (hopefully in a very long time). It's awesome. It's degrees of awesome more than the guitar was ... and that guitar was pretty damn great. But ... home.

This Firebird is the only guitar I've really regretted letting go. Some of you might remember that I had a '62 ES345 as well (also offered up to the gods of commerce to buy our home) ... and that guitar was lovely. And I do sometimes miss it ... but I don't regret it.

The 'bird though. Man ... that one stung.

And I've been okay with that. The whole way through this COVID madness I've found myself in a fairly okay place. I've stayed employed, and we've stayed sane. A large amount of our ability to stay sane has been down to this place, and finally having the space that we lacked in Dublin - space to breathe, to think, to write music. That's another story - god I've written so much stuff in the last 18 months - probably more than the 18 years before it .. though that wouldn't have been hard.

Occasionally I would ask about that Firebird - and I would always hear that it was unlikely to ever walk back into the store that sold it to me (the ever great Someneck Guitars in Dublin - who have long ago become friends rather than a store to me).

Well ... then I got a text out of the blue from my friend Owen at Someneck ... as sure enough, the Firebird had walked back in the door of his store. And this weekend I'll be taking a trip up to Dublin to pick it back up again.

There's a hackneyed saying here in Ireland - "what's meant for you will never pass you by". I've always laughed when I've heard people say this - it's so commonly used by my family members that it's become a balm for when things don't go your way.

Not today good friends. Not today!! The Firebird is coming home - this time for good.
This is excellent news, Kev! 8)
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Jonesie » Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:24 pm

Hell yeah, Kev! Those guys at Someneck were great when I was there. They were nice enough to let an American tourist fuck around with a Travis Bean and a Gibson Country Western that he had no intention of buying.

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Veitchy » Thu Sep 09, 2021 5:01 pm

That's incredible news - bloody poetic. Glad you're getting the one that got away back.

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Despot » Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:44 am

Jonesie wrote:
Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:24 pm
Hell yeah, Kev! Those guys at Someneck were great when I was there. They were nice enough to let an American tourist fuck around with a Travis Bean and a Gibson Country Western that he had no intention of buying.
Cheers Matt - and happy birthday by the way…

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Despot » Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:47 am

zhivago wrote:
Thu Sep 09, 2021 2:25 pm

This is excellent news, Kev! 8)
Thanks Yannis - yes it is. Good to hear from you man - I hope your family were all okay given the wild fires back home this summer?

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Fri Sep 10, 2021 3:15 am

Hey Kev!

It's great to hear that the guitar's coming back but even more heart-warming to hear about the quality time you've been able to spend in your new home while madness & chaos rain down.
I clearly remember your plight when you were contemplating the move out of Dublin, not to mention the flaming hoops you had to jump through & the uncertainty of it being the right step. Clearly it was :)
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:35 am

I like it when things like this work out!
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by luau » Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:52 am

Congrats on the return of the guitar and congrats on the suitability of the home you sacrificed it for in the first place!

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by zhivago » Fri Sep 10, 2021 2:22 pm

Despot wrote:
Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:47 am
zhivago wrote:
Thu Sep 09, 2021 2:25 pm

This is excellent news, Kev! 8)
Thanks Yannis - yes it is. Good to hear from you man - I hope your family were all okay given the wild fires back home this summer?
Everyone was thankfully safe...it was a total mess down there :(

All ok here in London..still rocking pretty much the same lineup of guitars, although I did add a Gibson Explorer which is a surprisingly great guitar! :)
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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Despot » Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:53 am

Veitchy wrote:
Thu Sep 09, 2021 5:01 pm
That's incredible news - bloody poetic. Glad you're getting the one that got away back.
Thanks Veitchy :)

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by Despot » Sat Sep 11, 2021 8:57 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Fri Sep 10, 2021 3:15 am
Hey Kev!

It's great to hear that the guitar's coming back but even more heart-warming to hear about the quality time you've been able to spend in your new home while madness & chaos rain down.
I clearly remember your plight when you were contemplating the move out of Dublin, not to mention the flaming hoops you had to jump through & the uncertainty of it being the right step. Clearly it was :)
Hey Mark! Yeah … it’s been a weird 36 months for us … in a way COVID was actually brought some stability as mad as that sounds! We also found ourselves getting the time to actually live in our place more than we’d anticipated as commuters.

But the Firebird coming back just feels right. I’ve been playing it for the last 3 hours and it immediately felt right. I remember agonizing over letting it go … being able to do a deal with Owen has made my year, I’ve got to tell you

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by CorporateDisguise » Sun Sep 12, 2021 4:40 am

Congrats! For me, the Firebird V is as near a perfect solid body guitar ever made. They just feel so alive. Idk whether its the neck through, or the thinner wings, or both, but they just feel so resonant and responsive. Mine is acoustically louder than some semi hollows I’ve had. And they are surprisingly light for such a large guitar.

Great to hear it’s made its way back to you.

Being in your own stand alone home really does do wonders for your creativity. I’ve lived in apartments where I was always just super conscious of my neighbors and not wanting to annoy them while playing, and not feeling the freedom to explore and fuck up and sound bad, which is half the writing process for me.

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by kapepper » Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:14 am

Happy to he hear this has a happy end :)

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Re: NGD - 1963 Gibson Firebird V (more photos on page 2!)

Post by terminalvertigo » Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:23 am

Awesome news Kev!
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