Gibson Firebird III - Some Guitarists Have All the Funġ968 Guitar Player advert featuring examples of much of Gibson's late 1960s range: the Gibson B25-12 flattop acoustic, GSS-100 solid-state amplifier, and two electrics, the solid-body Firebird III and the hollow-body ES-330TD.

The peak year of the reverse body Firebird was 1964, though sales were still only a third of SG sales in the same year. The original reverse body version of the Firebird was only manufactured from 1963 to 1965, but sales, although not that small, but were low compared to other models. It is quite possible that some Firebird variants were never available in some of these colors. Although shipping data does not specify the number of custom finish Firebirds, it is safe to assume that these were shipped in vastly smaller numbers than those in the standard Sunburst.

Gibson custom colors available on the Firebird and Thunderbird models were as follows: Cardinal Red, Heather poly, Inverness Green poly, Ember Red, Polaris White, Pelham Blue poly, Frost Blue, Kerry Green, Silver Mist poly, Gold Mist poly. * Firebirds I, II, V, V-12, VII ** SG standard, custom, special, jnr The following text comes from both 19 Gibson Firebird literature Sunburst finish was as standard, though custom colors were immediately available (at a slight premium) though these are certainly less often seen than Sunburst examples.Īlthough today seen as a rock instrument (largely because of the shape), it was initially pitched as a jazz guitar. 22 frets, with a standard Gibson 24 3/4' scale. All models sported the same 'high performance' mini-humbucking pickups. Necks were initially mahogany, fingerboards Brazilian rosewood (ebony for the Firebird VII). All were mahogany bodied with a neck-through construction. It was initially launched in four variants, Firebird I, Firebird III, Firebird V and Firebird VII, with two similar bass models (the Thunderbird II and IV). All production occurred at Gibson's Kalamazoo plant in Michigan, USA. But like the Explorer and Flying V, the Firebird design was perhaps a little too futuristic. Dietrich was at the end of his career at this point, but had designed vehicles for numerous manufacturers throughout the first half of the 20th century.

It was designed by car designer Ray Dietrich, who was resident in Kalamazoo, where the Gibson plant was situated. In some ways was it was a descendant of the commercially unpopular Explorer it had a similar 'reverse' body style (but with far more curves), and likewise didn't catch on with the public until some years after the original guitars were sold. The Firebird launched in the second half of 1963, without causing too much of a stir. If you see a vintage Gibson Firebird for sale at an affordable price, snap it up. Like any vintage Gibson, they are great playing instruments, very collectable and command high prices - five figure sums are common for early examples, guitars in great condition, or those with a custom finish. As the 1963 advertising suggests, they have a distinct bright and punchy tone, a contrast to the slightly darker tones produced by the larger PAF humbuckers. They were not immediately popular, despite being adopted by big stars of the day like Brian Jones and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones but like so many other Gibson guitars, their appeal snowballed today the Firebird is a standard part of the Gibson line. The Gibson Firebird is another of those iconic Gibson guitar designs that is inseparable from the history of rock music. Gibson Firebirds - as advertised in the 1964 Gibson catalogue

Gibson firebird guitar