The Gibson Firebird: A History

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LightWingStudios
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Considered by many one of Gibson' weirdest offerings, nonetheless a terrific guitar.

I have a 3 Pickup Tobacco Burst Firefly version that is pretty damn amazing for $275 shipped.

Rhett is not only a phenomenal player, he's also a great teacher and storyteller.

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glasshand
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Going to have to set aside some time to watch this a little later! I've become quite fond of my Firebird - a friend of mine commented that despite the styling, the FB never became popular with the hard rock and heavy metal crowd like the V and the Explorer did, and I think a lot of that is due to the relatively thinner, brighter FB pickups, but despite (or perhaps because of) that, they retain a lot of clarity under high gain.
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Mr. Leyvatone
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glasshand wrote: ↑Fri Aug 26, 2022 10:42 am … I think a lot of that is due to the relatively thinner, brighter FB pickups, but despite (or perhaps because of) that, they retain a lot of clarity under high gain.
I agree. I have never played one, but a really good local guitarist has one and all the notes are still super clear under high gain (and in the mix).
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toomanycats
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About the finest example there is of that unique Firebird tone (fuller than a single coil, but narrower and with more bite than a humbucker), in the hands of an absolute master of said instrument. Gives me chills.

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peskypesky
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it almost sounds like a Tele

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mickey
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I miss Gatemouth! He was one of the greats!
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peskypesky
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mickey wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:04 pm I miss Gatemouth! He was one of the greats!
I got to see him perform at Antone's in Austin back in the day.
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mickey
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peskypesky wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:24 pm
mickey wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:04 pm I miss Gatemouth! He was one of the greats!
I got to see him perform at Antone's in Austin back in the day.
You were luckier than I. Never saw him perform live, just on videos. He was around Nashville a lot during the time we lived there, I look back thinking:
I shoulda, coulda, woulda, but I didn't!!!
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peskypesky
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mickey wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 7:55 am
peskypesky wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:24 pm
mickey wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:04 pm I miss Gatemouth! He was one of the greats!
I got to see him perform at Antone's in Austin back in the day.
You were luckier than I. Never saw him perform live, just on videos. He was around Nashville a lot during the time we lived there, I look back thinking:
I shoulda, coulda, woulda, but I didn't!!!
That's how I am with Stevie Ray. Had so many chances to see him play in San Antonio and Austin before he got famous, and also many opportunities after he got famous...but somehow never went to see him. :(
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glasshand
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glasshand wrote: ↑Fri Aug 26, 2022 10:42 am despite the styling, the FB never became popular with the hard rock and heavy metal crowd like the V and the Explorer did
And right after posting this, completely at random I ran across Tommi Holappa of Dozer and Greenleaf, only because the cover of Greenleaf's "Agents of Ahriman" features a Firebird! I think you can still hear some of the traditional FB quality, particularly when he solos, even through the stoner fuzz.

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littlebadboy
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Not a Firebird guitar, but I love the tones of the Gibson Firebird pickup set on my guitar that I named the Bluebird. They truly sound unique.

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nomadh
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He is good. I do resent that they call the original fb a revisionist "reverse fb" now. And the awkward later one the "nonreverse" a fb by design is styled sort of reverse. And there is nothing in the later style that is much like a fb. Reversed or not. I still say the fb zero should have been called the reverse fb.
So Rhett is a spin off from the rick beato show right?
Sort of like Rick's "maude"? :)
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