Members WRGKMC Posted February 20, 2015 Members Share Posted February 20, 2015 I came into some cash and was thinking about buying a Firebird.Back when I bought my LP I was stuck with a choice between one or the other and Now I have the chance to get one. I was kind of thinking about a Non Reverse with 3 P90's or a reverse with 2 or 3 Mini Humbuckers. I'm not interested in thewhammy version. They do have some with a stop tail bridge but I'll have to weigh those options vs cost and try and keep it under $2500 The non revers is a cool looking guitar and I could probably snag one like this for around $1200 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Fireb...-/261736939752 This 2014 version sells for around $1200 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gibson-2014-firebird-electric-guitar?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CJm4o9XB8cMC FQeGaQodfUgAMw&kwid=productads-plaid^80557808547-sku^J03462005003014@ADL4MF-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^51870555867 The V model sells for a bit more. http://www.samash.com/2014-firebird-...FQeNaQodqFUAlg They have a version 7 with full sized HB's but I cant see that being worth that much more. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item-...FQiUaQodCZ8A1g The firebird X is out of my range selling for 4K. http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Elec...irebird-X.aspx Tyhere are some used however but I don't know much about the guitars. This one is very reasonable. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Fireb...-/111599222955 The 20th anniversary model is a real beauty. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar Of course one signed by Johnny Winter is a bit too expensive for me too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-Gibson-50th-anniversary-model-Firebird-signed-by-Johnny-Winter-/271777027900 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted February 20, 2015 Members Share Posted February 20, 2015 Reverse stay away from the one without mini Humbuckers that what a Firebird is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members speakerjones Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Totally agree. The reverse with minis is where it's at. That V Classic looks pretty sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HoobaStunk Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I've played plenty of both reverse and non-reverse Firebirds. I like the non-reverse Firebird body better than the more commonly found reverse Firebird, mainly because the non-reverse body style does not suffer from any neck dive. The non-reverse body shape is also nice and ergonomic. The ultimate Firebird (IMHO) would be a non-reverse with two or three Firebird mini humbuckers. Some of the reverse Firebirds of the last 15 or 20 or so years seem to have a bit of better balance to the point to where some seem to hang pretty much neutral as far as neck dive goes. Some of this may be due to use Steinberger tuners on some recent Firebirds. I'd definitely go to a Guitar Center or Sam Ash and try out both types of Firebirds. Epiphones will work as well as a Gibson for checking out how a Firebird feels. Otherwise, yes, the standard Gibson Lyre vibrola unit is not very effective compared to other tremolo units. Also, AFAIK, all non-reverse Firebirds have a set-in neck as opposed to reverse Firebirds, which have a laminated neck-thru type of neck. And last but not least, don't bother with P90 or full sized humbucker Firebirds. The Firebrd mini humbucker is where it's at for the Firebird. PS: A Firebird X is an abomination, a very expensive abomination. It only looks sort of like a Firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peskypesky Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I like both body styles about equally.How about this one?http://www.musicgoround.com/p/186873...rd-v-with-case or this one? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-USA-F...item25a098a376 I myself am leaning towards this one:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillion-2015-Sunburst-Phoenix-with-3-pickups-and-3-coil-taps-Cooool-/261636279248?pt=Guitar&hash=item3ceabccbd0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 oh, baby - this is the ONE :http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIBSON-FIREBIRD-1-ALL-ORIGINAL-1964-/151597382353?pt=Guitar&hash=item234be87ad1 except for the price . . . pesky - the sunburst one ^ second above looks amazing peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 oh, baby - this is the ONE :http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIBSON-FIREBIRD-1-ALL-ORIGINAL-1964-/151597382353?pt=Guitar&hash=item234be87ad1 except for the price . . . pesky - the sunburst one ^ second above looks amazing peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HoobaStunk Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I myself am leaning towards this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dillion-2015...item3ceabccbd0 I'd avoid that one. The neck heel is positively huge compared to a real neck-thru Firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slvrsrpnt Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I've never played one, but I don't care for reverse headstocks...just from a tuning standpoint. Then again, these have different kinds of tuners, so not sure how they work reversed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JTEES4 Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Personally I have always liked the non reverse. I gigged throughout the 70's with a '66 non reverse (two p90's) and it really was my favorite guitar. These days I usually play SG's and when you think about it....they are constructed very much like the reverse Firebird, so it kind of makes sense. Reverse Firebirds, while cool, are definitely a very strange "bird". They have a feel their own, and a sound their own which people love or hate. When I was playing my '66 I always wanted a reverse....when I finally got one, I hated it! It was beautiful, but extremely strange feeling. (it was a '76 bicentennial model). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I clicked on several of the links in the OP and now every time I open my browser I get a flood of ads for Firebirds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FrankenTelly Posted February 22, 2015 Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 I clicked on several of the links in the OP and now every time I open my browser I get a flood of ads for Firebirds. Time to clear your cookies and browser data cache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FrankenTelly Posted February 22, 2015 Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 Personally I have always liked the non reverse. I recall reading about Fender suing Gibson over the reverse Firebird for some cockeyed reason that I can't fathom. So Gibson comes out with the non reverse Firebird WHICH LOOKS RATHER SIMILAR TO A JAGUAR to satisfy the lawsuit. Then i'm guessing that Gibson won an appeal years later and dropped the non reverse Firebird model and resumed making the reverse Firebird. Frikkin crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FrankenTelly Posted February 22, 2015 Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 ... ...by the way, pretty cool looking non reverse Firebird there JTEES4 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted February 23, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2015 I've never played one' date=' but I don't care for reverse headstocks...just from a tuning standpoint. Then again, these have different kinds of tuners, so not sure how they work reversed.[/quote'] The newer Firebirds have Steinberger gearless tuners that are similar to banjo tuners that tune from the rear of the headstock with a very high ratio of 40:1. Having the headstock forward or reversed is no big issue because of this. I would think by having the low strings longer however the tension would be greater on them giving them a stiffer feel and the high strings would have less tension and be more flexible. Gibson/Epiphone used to do this with their Frequensator tailpiece and it likely gave Hendrix some of his unique tones with his right handed Strats strung up lefty. Someone mentioned neck dive. If this was an issue 'd likely add a strap button to the neck heel like I did on my Les Paul. It does make the instrument a little easer to play especially when you get older and have a larger belly happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 2, 2015 Members Share Posted March 2, 2015 I have a Firebird V (vintage burst) that I bought late last decade. The only other furbird that caught my attention is the Firebird VII with the Lyre style trem. The reverse looks Salvador Dali to me, the non-reverse look like the earth's gravitational poles have flipped. I don't get them. The closest I have to a non-reverse looking guitar is a RI RD Std. I call it my gumby guitar. "I'm Gumby Damn It!" Gumby set the standard for the proper lilt, i.e. a reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted March 3, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2015 That's a sleek looking machine there Gas Man. I'm still leaning towards mini Humbuckers or P90's with a classic look. I do want those Steinberger tuners and possibly a wrap around bridge too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted March 4, 2015 Moderators Share Posted March 4, 2015 I've played plenty of both reverse and non-reverse Firebirds. I like the non-reverse Firebird body better than the more commonly found reverse Firebird, mainly because the non-reverse body style does not suffer from any neck dive. The non-reverse body shape is also nice and ergonomic. The ultimate Firebird (IMHO) would be a non-reverse with two or three Firebird mini humbuckers. Some of the reverse Firebirds of the last 15 or 20 or so years seem to have a bit of better balance to the point to where some seem to hang pretty much neutral as far as neck dive goes. Some of this may be due to use Steinberger tuners on some recent Firebirds. I'd definitely go to a Guitar Center or Sam Ash and try out both types of Firebirds. Epiphones will work as well as a Gibson for checking out how a Firebird feels. Otherwise, yes, the standard Gibson Lyre vibrola unit is not very effective compared to other tremolo units. Also, AFAIK, all non-reverse Firebirds have a set-in neck as opposed to reverse Firebirds, which have a laminated neck-thru type of neck. And last but not least, don't bother with P90 or full sized humbucker Firebirds. The Firebrd mini humbucker is where it's at for the Firebird. PS: A Firebird X is an abomination, a very expensive abomination. It only looks sort of like a Firebird. I'm afraid I gotta go along with this. The reverse just don't look right, sorta looks like a Friday afternoon idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 5, 2015 Members Share Posted March 5, 2015 That's a sleek looking machine there Gas Man. I'm still leaning towards mini Humbuckers or P90's with a classic look. I do want those Steinberger tuners and possibly a wrap around bridge too. I should post my Firebird, but I haven't been doing the hobby aspect of guitars (including the photo/photobucket thing) anywhere near as much as I used to in my HCEG addiction days. I think they are fine guitars, but I'm guilty of Firebird neglect due to their relative bulk, awkwardness and balance issues. But I've been playing in a neighborhood band the last couple years (do a few gigs a year) and now would be a good time for me to get it back out. Standing up, I think I'd enjoying giving it another go. Sitting is where I have my issues with them. And yeah, mini hums or P-90s would be sweet. I think they are a good match for a balanced tone out of all that mahogany. But some brighter HBs (like '57s or BB Pros) would probably also sound pretty sweet. But it just seems like mini-hums are what they are about. But I do love my mahogany slab guitars with P-90s as well. Happy hunt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members snarly Posted March 7, 2015 Members Share Posted March 7, 2015 The reverse Birds have TERRIBLE neck dive if they have banjo tuners.. They are tiring to play.. They look cool, but are awkward.. Also although I love minis, they are very shrill and nasty in the reverse firebird. Please take it from a guy that has had 2 reverse body Birds,[ one was a mint 1963] and 2 original 1966 non reverse Firebirds with 3 P 90's.. The non reverse bird with P 90's is a much better guitar from a players standpoint.. My non reverse guitars sand with authority, and great sustain.. Both my reverse birds with minis were thin, shrill, and lacked any sustain... They simply weren't that good sounding.. Go for the non reverse if you want to play comfortably and sound good.. Get the reverse if you want to look cool... bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted March 10, 2015 Members Share Posted March 10, 2015 I had a regular Firebird that I sold a while back. I bought an Elliot Easton (with humbuckers) because I liked the color and the features. With the switching it really sounds like a Firebird, but can also get LP and Strat-ish tones. It's pretty cool. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Malcolm Ramone Posted March 25, 2015 Members Share Posted March 25, 2015 I have a Dillion Phoenix that's pretty sweet for a fraction of the Gibby price! I really only like the reverse style, though the reverse headstock is a PITA. I've seen Dillions with normal headstocks out there too. -Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 This is a really tough question IMO. That V Classic is what most people probably think of when someone says "Firebird", and it's a beauty for sure... the 2014 model would be a affordable way to get into something similar, but I've personally always been fond of non-reverse 'birds. There's something about them that looks really cool to me. I definitely agree with everyone who suggested going with mini humbuckers - no matter which body orientation, that's the sound of a Firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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