This might be the best looking guitar I have ever seen

Strangefan

Absoloutly useless without a neck pickup

springhead

ICBM said:

Fuengi said:

The one I have played looked far better than it played. 

As will that one, because you can see in the pic that the neck angle is too steep so the bridge is about half a mile up in the air.

Given that it's a through neck, that can't be accidental due to a badly-fitted neck joint either, it must be designed in. Hence, they will all be like that...

I think it looks gorgoeus.  However as well as the bridge sitting high it's also in the wrong place - they've had to wind the intonation screw right in on the bass side which looks wrong.  Should have driled the hole 5mm back, and a bit on the treble side too.  That's not design like the neck angle, it's just been badly measured and fitted.

WezV

Philly_Q said:

@WezV built a similar one-pickup Firebird a few years back but I can't find a picture of it.  I'm guessing it didn't have the neck angle issue.

This one

WezV

Strat_a_tat_tat

ICBM said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Do we know why they decided to "design" it in? Bonkers. I've not looked at Gibson's the same since you told me about that. Fortunately, the newer Les Paul's I've seen don't tend to have that "design" (issue).

No idea, but I’ve seen a modern Firebird V like it too - so extreme that the pickup rings had spacers under them to get them up to enough height. The bridge was literally half an inch off the body.

Older Firebirds are not like that at all, so someone must have made a deliberate decision to change it. Why, I have no clue - it makes the guitar just feel completely wrong.

Is the guitar in the orginal post a new-ish guitar or an old one?  It seems to have an old bridge on it (the intonation seems to be set for a wound G string... or am I missing something?)

Philly_Q

WezV said:

That's the one. 

ICBM

springhead said:

However as well as the bridge sitting high it's also in the wrong place - they've had to wind the intonation screw right in on the bass side which looks wrong.  Should have driled the hole 5mm back, and a bit on the treble side too.  That's not design like the neck angle, it's just been badly measured and fitted. 

It could actually be because the stud is leaning forward so much under the string tension because it's far too high! It appears to be further forward than the treble-side stud, which is roughly right. Although ideally, the bass-side one should be set slightly further back anyway, even with a 'lightning bolt' bridge.

Philly_Q said:

WezV said:

[Firebird]

That's the one. 

And it has the bridge in the right place and at the right height, which proves that the neck angle is also correct...

Dominic

Fuengi said:

Sarge said:

Those who like this clearly still love their 70's furniture.
Hideous beast. 

This is my coffee table 

That's distinctly 1950s not 70s

SteveRobinson

I'll join in

stickyfiddle

WezV said:

Ooh, I'd forgotten about that one. I'd still buy a III instantly if you fancy making another  

LastMantra

I really like the 'semi-gloss/mat' finish. It looks classier and works better on a guitar than high gloss IMO. Not as sticky.

WezV

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

WezV said:

[Firebird]

That's the one. 

And it has the bridge in the right place 

it does depend what you mean by the right place, it was certainly right for me.  Would not be right for a Gibson

I just remembered i made a conscious choice to shift everything into the body slightly, shortening the traditional firebird design ever so slightly to help balance, and the long reach to the first fret - sacrificing a bit of access at the top end    

I also prefer the pickup slightly further from the bridge for both structural and tonal reasons  The pickup is still close to the original location on the body, bridge is slightly further back - but it all still looks right

WezV

stickyfiddle said:

WezV said:

Ooh, I'd forgotten about that one. I'd still buy a III instantly if you fancy making another  

i will let you know if i get around to it... I have so many other ideas i want to do first, but firebird styles do make a semi-regular appearance

MattNovak

SteveRobinson said:

I'll join in

This looks great - what overall size is it?