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1965 Firebird V Electric Guitar
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Firebird '63, still radical after all these years.
Body
Seeking sleek new looks amid the competitive solidbody electric guitar market of the early 60s, Gibson went right to the source of marketing style and hired automotive designer Ray Dietrich”designer of the Duesenberg car, among others”to take the standard vision of the instrument back to the drawing board. The result was a guitar that was clearly ahead of its time: the new Firebird had a body that appeared to be the reverse image of other solidbody styles on the market, an upside-down six-in-line headstock (using œbanjo tuners to avoid spoiling the lines of the phoenix-head profile), and a solid integral neck/body section with glued-on wings, a rarity in guitar manufacture at that time. To give the Firebird even more pizzazz, Gibson offered the model in a range of a dozen Custom Colors, more than the company had ever made available before.
Hardware
Underneath the paint, there were plenty of sonic surprises in store: in addition to the increased resonance and sustain given to the Firebird by its œthrough-body construction, a new style of Gibson Mini-Humbucking pickup (two of them on the Firebird V) lent the model a bright, stinging tone. Although they look much like the Mini-Humbuckers that Gibson acquired from Epiphone, they are actually an entirely different design, employing a pair of alnico bar magnets with the pickups coils wound directly around them.
Famous Players
As has so often been the case with visionary Gibson designs, however, the rediscovery of this bold electric by a host of major artists”Brian Jones, Phil Manzanera, and Johnny Winter among them”helped to make it a classic in the eyes of future generations of guitarists.
Near-perfect Recreation
The Gibson Custom Shops rendition of the 1965 Firebird V captures all the flair and panache of the original model circa 1965. It is still made in the labor-intensive œthrough-neck style, with its mahogany and nine-ply walnut neck and body section and mahogany wings re dressed in your choice of a dozen Custom Colors”from Cardinal Red, to Kerry Green, to Polaris White”and its rosewood fingerboard is inlaid with the distinctive trapezoid position markers borrowed from the Les Paul Standard. A Maestro Vibrato tailpiece with lyre cover and ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge provide stylistic versatility and accurate intonation, while Gibsons Firebird Mini-Humbucking pickups remain true to the tone of the originals. Each Firebird V comes complete with a Custom Shop case and a Certificate of Authenticity.
Features
- Firebird reverse body
- Thru-neck mahognay/walnut body and neck
- Mahogany wings
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Mini-humbuckers
- 2 volume, 2 tone controls
- 3-way pickup switch
- ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge
- Maestro vibrato with lyre cover
- 6-in-line banjo tuners
- Trapezoid position markers
- Gold-plated hardware
Get radical, and order the '63 Firebird today.
- Free Standard Ground shipping (48 contiguous states, some overweight and Used/Vintage items excluded).
- Orders placed before 3 p.m. ET usually ship the same business day.
Every guitar or bass you purchase from Musician's Friend (electric or acoustic, New or Open Box) includes two years of protection from manufacturer defects.
Our Gear Advisers are available to guide you through your entire shopping experience. Call or Chat for expert advice and to hear the latest deals.