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

[Despot]

I love how this guitar looks. The iPhone has a tendency to make the guard look a lot brighter/whiter than it is - in reality it's almost a Fender parchment colour ... and the guard has certainly seen better days. It's really only being held on by three screws - the other parts have cracked. I'll leave it along for the moment ... but there will come a point when the guard is completely in bits and I'll need to find a suitable aftermarket replacement I think.

I also love the checking - I've tried to get a few angled shots in the light to show it.

Lady Despot is very much not a fan of how this guitar looks ... "weird" is the most common comment. But she did take a shine to it when playing it - unplugged she thought it was good, amplified she loved it.

[sookwinder]

Nice find there Kevin. The year, the checking, the condition, all make it a keeper... and as you say the sound is the sound you have wanted for a long time.

Me? the strange thing is (as some others have commented as well) I have never liked the shape of the firebird (or the explorer for that matter), yet some of my most favourite music that I have listened to for my entire listening life (40+ years) has firebirds dripping all over it. So I can certainly appreciate the way it has captured you, without adding to the number of other people who actually desire to own a vintage one!

Regarding the mini HBs... obviously the MHBs used by Gibson are a slightly different design to those used by epiphone at the same time. But given factory production restraints I would imagine wire type/gauge , magnets/slugs would be common (James do you know much about the difference between the two types of mHBs ?). The way you described the sound of these mHBs is exactly how I hear the mHBs in the Epiphone's I have. That strat like chime but with the HB grunt if you push them and a bottom end that can be earthquake if you want it to be. (all without the muddiness that normal sized HBs can sometimes have).

As they say rock on!

[Maggieo]

The crazing looks like it was done by a pinstripe artist! Your 'bird just getting better and better.

[offsets4life]

That's a very nice looking Bird.

I'm not into most modern humbuckers at all, and the only neck buckers I've ever liked are on my friends old Guild and his 69 SG Custom.
or maybe an older FilterTron or Ricky, but I've never ever played any Rick with a neck pickup.
Ol'mate has a student model with one in the middle...
But I've heard a couple of demos of original Firebird guitars & pickups that sound divine.

Firebirds are definitely on the short list of guitars I still want to try.
If I buy a reissue i'll be trying to source original style PUs for it.

All that said I liked Paul Leary's sound in the early-mid 90s with a RI.
Very Cool guitar there,
I love it.

[Despot]

Regarding the mini HBs... obviously the MHBs used by Gibson are a slightly different design to those used by epiphone at the same time. But given factory production restraints I would imagine wire type/gauge , magnets/slugs would be common (James do you know much about the difference between the two types of mHBs ?). The way you described the sound of these mHBs is exactly how I hear the mHBs in the Epiphone's I have. That strat like chime but with the HB grunt if you push them and a bottom end that can be earthquake if you want it to be. (all without the muddiness that normal sized HBs can sometimes have).

I always thought that the Gibson made Epiphone pickups were minihumbuckers (i.e. like a PAF - just smaller). I know that the old Epiphone (is it New York type) humbuckers were single coils and quite different ... but other than the first year or two of Gibson builds (where they used up old stock) I thought they went to their own design.

From Larry's posts above I think Firebird pickups are quite different - a coil wrapped around a bar magnet rather than a bar magnet sitting at the bottom of a bobbin with slugs. There's also a reflector plate or some other oddity in there.

I agree with you about minihumbuckers though - remember that old Coronet or Wilshire that I had, the '62? That had PAF minihumbuckers and they did indeed sound quite different to a full humbucker. The main difference (from what I can remember) between those pickups and the Firebirds is the degree of sparkle - the Firebirds have got a really bright top end ... they really do sound like single coils with a little bit more in the tank, whereas the miniHBs sound like a middle ground between the types. What they share is that bottom end - a clear, tight bottom end. Memory suggests that the Firebirds are a little better at note seperation as well - but then again that could have just been the miniHBs in that guitar - like the full size PAFs I imagine you get variations in the miniHB PAFs as well - so maybe they were just a darker set.

Yesterday evening I ended up pitting the potential 'for sale' guitars against one another. I'd been playing the '62 ES345 unplugged for a few nights (it's as loud as an acoustic) - unplugged it is a no-brainer - the old ES345 sounds far better than the modern one. But plugged in ... hmmm. That neck PAF in the old one is really really good - but it's also really good for music that isn't really my thing. If I wanted a guitar to play Rolling Stones covers forever, that would be the one. It's that sound. The degree of 'betterness' between the PAF and the MHS humbuckers in the reissue isn't worth the difference in price. The reissue pickups are matched too - so you don't have that booming neck pickup and quiet bridge to contend with. For what I play the reissue is actually better. And then there's the SG.... plugging that in after the old ES345 my first thought is always "oh ... that's different". At first I mean it in a bad way - the old ES345 neck pickup is so strident and in your face that going to a brighter, mellower and weaker sounding pickup at first seems weird. But after about 30 seconds playing the stuff that I like to play it immediately sounds right - there's a sound in my head when I think of humbuckers and it's that SG - no contest. Balanced pickups too - with a nice bridge pickup.

The '62 is on the block I think. It's going to kill me ... but at this stage it really shouldn't be easy to sell anything - I've cut away to the bone and anything else that has to go is always going to hurt. There is a part of me that thinks that holding onto a McCarthy ES guitar with PAFs is the better idea from a long term perspective - but I know that I will get more enjoyment playing the reissue and the SG. Also, there are different sounds to be had in both of those guitars - whereas the old one, at least in my hands, really is only one sound. A really good sound, but one I'm ill equipped to use.

[sookwinder]

As you said the Epiphone NY pickups , as they are called are single coil.
From what I read the first mini HBs were a epiphone development which Gibson to on (developed) these are the ones used on the(Gibson made) Epiphone solid bodies and the Riviera/Sorrento/Sheraton. Easily recognised by the visible pole pieces. Then Gibson took the shape/size and developed the mHB used on the Gibson product.

Either way to my ears I like both versions better than the full size HBs.

[Despot]

Either way to my ears I like both versions better than the full size HBs.

Absolutely agreed on that one Sookwinder!

[Despot]

So I mentioned that this one had some work done on the back of the headstock (which is why I was able to afford it).

At first I was a bit wary about the missing serial number (notwithstanding the fact that everything else about the guitar checks out). This came about because of the neck repair - a section of mahogany was fitted right where the headstock fits the neck. It's exceptionally clean work ... and at first I didn't really give it any thought. That was until ... oh yeah ... the volute!

Wait ... volute?

I don't have any issue with volutes, other than that they come on guitars from the less desirable period of Gibson's work (the '70s) and that means narrow nut width. I'm so used to seeing these on Gibsons that I didn't even pay it any mind.

So ... basically ... this went back to Gibson, who did the work. Given where the break happened they obviously decided that the only way to fix it was to insert the new piece of wood - and while they were at it they did what they always did with guitars - they carved a volute.

Now ... to me this is actually a good thing for two reasons. First off - it backs up the 'Gibson repair' story that came with the guitar. If you were trying to make an invisible repair and you're not Gibson ... you don't add the volute. You return it to how it looked pre-break. In a weird way the '70s volute backs up the factory repair story. It also explains why there's no stinger on the back of the headstock (which would have been how they covered the repair in the '60s) - you can't really do a stinger with a volute. If you're not Gibson you repair the neck inserting a piece of wood without the volute and then you paint on a black headstock stinger ... then try to say that it was factory shipped that way.

The second, and more important reason, is stability. The volute adds a LOT more wood at the weakest point of the guitar - it's a really substantial neck around the nut. I've seen a few photos online of Firebird neck breaks - there's a tiny amount of wood at the nut (even less so than a standard Gibson headstock because of the neck angle and shape). With the added volute there's now a lot more wood there - it makes the guitar a little bit more robust.

To be honest none of this worries me - this one is a keeper, and as a result I'm never going to have to try to explain all this away to a seller. I just get a kick out of trying to figure things like this out.

I'll take a photo of the repair at some stage and add it to this post.

[MattK]

Absolutely gorgeous. I'm wondering if the pickguard could be stabilised / restored by epoxy glueing bits of, I don't know, metal plate or plastic rods into shallow indentations carved into the underside. A bit like the headstock repair if that makes sense.

[Hiwatt Bob]

Congrats!!

FB’s are so f’n cool. The pickups just bite and sing in the best way. I can’t stand Joe Bonnamassa’s music, but he has an excellent tip: when you have volume full up—roll off the tone knob just slightly. When you want to clean it up by backing off the vol, bring the tone back up to 10. Or of course you can run everything on 10 like Neil....nevar forget...Neil’s quintessential sound is that firebird bridge pickup.

As you can tell...I’m a fan.



Only thing—yours is likely a late ‘63 or later because the pick guard has the FB emblem. The early ‘63’s didn’t.

[panoramic]

Congrats!!

FB’s are so f’n cool. The pickups just bite and sing in the best way. I can’t stand Joe Bonnamassa’s music, but he has an excellent tip: when you have volume full up—roll off the tone knob just slightly. When you want to clean it up by backing off the vol, bring the tone back up to 10. Or of course you can run everything on 10 like Neil....nevar forget...Neil’s quintessential sound is that firebird bridge pickup.

As you can tell...I’m a fan.



Only thing—yours is likely a late ‘63 or later because the pick guard has the FB emblem. The early ‘63’s didn’t.

why would you post those pictures, so much GAS now

[Despot]

Only thing—yours is likely a late ‘63 or later because the pick guard has the FB emblem. The early ‘63’s didn’t.

Thanks Hiwatt Bob - and that's quite a collection you have yourself!

Yep ... mine is late '63. It shipped out in the first weeks of January 64 according to the serial number (pot codes are late '63).

How do you find the neck profiles on the reverse firebirds by the way? Are they all chunky necks? The neck on mine is substantial - the only chunkier necks I've played on Gibson electrics have been '50s Juniors! I had a late '62 ES345 - it had the typical early '60s neck profile - wide/flat, though not as blade thin as some '61 guitars I've tried.

[Despot]

Something I'm not sure if I mentioned above, but I really should ... balance.

Firebirds have a reputation for being a bit nose-divey on a strap. I'm so used to Gibsons and their strap button placement that the first time I put the FB on a strap I didn't even notice that there was an added heel button - I used it without thinking. With the heel button the Firebird is perfect - the balance is absolutely where it needs to be ... hands off the guitar it sits with the neck where my hand would be when playing. It's not like some guitars where you need to keep the neck up a bit with your playing hand (I've sometimes found that on SGs that don't have a vibrola).

That being said ... if you use the upper bout button then the guitar is a very different thing on a strap. The neck pulls towards the floor and you do have to keep the neck up with your fretting hand. It's surprising how such a small thing has an impact - it's not like balancing the neck requires a lot of effort, and I don't think about it when I do it ... but it feels less pleasant to play on a strap using the original button. Using the heel button the guitar feels perfect - and I'm guessing that's just down to the minute difference in the neck holding itself in position or you having to do it while playing.

I've never thought about that before - all of the guitars that I use are balanced well on a strap. I use Souldier straps, so if the guitar is neck heavy it'll absolutely slip towards the floor.

[Larry Mal]

Gibson calls them Trim Rings. Scroll down until you see Plastics

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric ... ebird.aspx

Maybe your local shop can order them for you as I don't see them for sale anywhere.

Below are the Gibson Part Numbers

Trim Rings Style:Black Firebird
Low/High Part Number:430-13886 / 430-13888

Thanks, I emailed Gibson about buying these.

[Despot]

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.