Gibson Firebird!!!

JonHosker

TPS got me considering a Firebird.
Not using my R8… mmmmm
Here we go again.
Anyone else got this itch to scratch?
Jon

timmypix

Yes, you are not alone and the itch is only growing. But I'd need to sell something and I like everything I've got at the moment.

Although a Firebird might provide more variation to my LPs than the SG...

JonHosker

Would need a 5 and trem.
Interesting point in the TPS chat about the perceived middle age move to Gibson.
I concur with this although it feeds my bias that I ‘need’ to swap a single coil guitar for another Gibson! 

Ramble over….

DrCornelius

I did the exact thing a month ago after seeing @GavRichList ’s thread.

I ended up with a 1991 Orville by Gibson one as I didn’t want to spend £2500 on the Gibson USA version.

Still getting to know it - the pickups are awesome, almost fat Tele like , lovely action but ergonomically the jury is still out for me. They feel very different so be warned !

stickyfiddle

Coda have a Collector's Choice one in at the moment and it's gorgeous. Another of the same run is on here for less money

Or build something that'll get you mostly there without having to carry an ironing board to gigs  

GavRichList

DrCornelius said:

I did the exact thing a month ago after seeing @GavRichList ’s thread.

I ended up with a 1991 Orville by Gibson one as I didn’t want to spend £2500 on the Gibson USA version.

Still getting to know it - the pickups are awesome, almost fat Tele like , lovely action but ergonomically the jury is still out for me. They feel very different so be warned !

Love that! 

McToot

The good Doctor @DrCornelius ;  and @stickyfiddle ;- are spot on. They take a hell of a lot of getting used to. I always felt it was like trying to play an ironing board. 

GavRichList

I found mine felt really comfortable after no time at all. My favourite guitar now. 

lustycourtier

Great guitars, and the added bonus of needing a new car to ferry it about is always a bonus. 

stickyfiddle

FWIW I do actually find them quite comfortable, as long as you’re not playing somewhere cramped that you can bump into stuff..!! 

But I am an SG/ES guy, so have been playing Gibsons with the strap button on the heel for 20 years now… 

ALR

Thanks to that TPS episode I’ve discovered Black Sea by XTC - a band I’d never listened to before. Great album! I think Blur might have heard it too…

Funkfingers

timmypix said:

I'd need to sell something … I like everything I've got at the moment … a Firebird might provide more variation to my LPs than the SG...

A pair of Oil City Winterizer II pickups in your SG wouldn't be very far off the Firebird mark.

RobG3294

GavRichList said:

I found mine felt really comfortable after no time at all. My favourite guitar now. 

Despite selling mine, I agree. I think the easiest way to put it from my experience is, if you have longer arms, you'll probably prefer the firebird recipe more than other Guitars, especially seated. All of the above potentially caveated by my shit playing posture. 

matt_sefton

The only guitar I really regret selling. Still can’t stomach the non-reverse variants though. Probably Paul Raymond of UFO’s fault…

toescantalk

I’m very into the non-reverse after seeing the National set at Glastonbury. Lovely.

stickyfiddle

RobG3294 said:

GavRichList said:

I found mine felt really comfortable after no time at all. My favourite guitar now. 

Despite selling mine, I agree. I think the easiest way to put it from my experience is, if you have longer arms, you'll probably prefer the firebird recipe more than other Guitars, especially seated. All of the above potentially caveated by my shit playing posture. 

I genuinely do have quite long arms. Is this why I don’t hate SGs too??

OilCityPickups

Funkfingers said:

timmypix said:

I'd need to sell something … I like everything I've got at the moment … a Firebird might provide more variation to my LPs than the SG...

A pair of Oil City Winterizer II pickups in your SG wouldn't be very far off the Firebird mark.

After working on Polly's Firebird ... I really want one ... but one like hers a 65 :-)

timmypix

Funkfingers said:

timmypix said:

I'd need to sell something … I like everything I've got at the moment … a Firebird might provide more variation to my LPs than the SG...

A pair of Oil City Winterizer II pickups in your SG wouldn't be very far off the Firebird mark.

It wouldn't look like a Firebird though, would it?

I had a Winterizer in my old Tele, bloody fantastic pickup that sort of started the Firebird itch for me.

TDubs

toescantalk said:

I’m very into the non-reverse after seeing the National set at Glastonbury. Lovely.

I was gasing for a non reverse after seeing them at Crystal Palace a couple of weeks ago. Sounded immense 

stickyfiddle

TDubs said:

toescantalk said:

I’m very into the non-reverse after seeing the National set at Glastonbury. Lovely.

I was gasing for a non reverse after seeing them at Crystal Palace a couple of weeks ago. Sounded immense 

It was the double-decker of The National in Seattle and Death Cab in Bend on last year's big holiday that got me onto my current FB infatuation. FB pickups everywhere and always sounding ace. 


Dave Depper of Death Cab has a bunch of Novo's with Lollars... 

(Image credit: Olly Curtis / Future)

Fano Alt De Facto PX6 & Novo Serus J

Dave Depper: “This is the sort of non-reverse Firebird guitar that I’ve been playing. I also have this lovely Novo Serus J that Denis Fano himself built for me, and I put Lollar Firebird pickups in it to match the PX6s.

(Image credit: Olly Curtis / Future)

“On the last tour, I had six different electric guitars out, and then all the pedals would respond differently to them, and I kind of got in over my head with all that stuff, so I just wanted a very consistent thing to build off of.

“And that guitar is the perfect one for me, because in the neck position, those Firebird pickups can do a very convincing bell-like Strat kind of sound. Also, the middle position, you get that lovely out-of-phase thing. But the bridge pickup breaks up just like a Gibson with the humbucker. It’s like a Swiss army knife of a guitar.”

DrCornelius

Reading all the positive comments and downright lust on here for Firebirds is confirming that they maybe aren’t right for me - I’ve been on the fence for a few weeks but the size combined with my clumsiness isn’t a good fit .

I paid £1500 for mine including a rather expensive Gibson leather gigbag so if anyone is keen please let me know before I stick it up in the classifieds

Cheers