❌SOLD❌ Gibson Firebird V Tobacco Sunburst, 2013

Here’s a very nice Gibson Firebird V in Tobacco Sunburst, built during 2013 at Nashville, Tennessee and sporting Steinberger locking, gearless tuners in place of the original Kluson banjo models.

Firebirds are one of my favourite models, and this one is very resonant and lively. As a bonus, the lighter Steinberger locking tuners help with the guitar’s balance. The Firebird is a long guitar, and the original tuners tended to make them a bit head-heavy – not so here! These tuners are smooth and accurate.

Like the originals, the construction is neck-through and largely Mahogany, with the center neck section being nine segments of Mahogany and Walnut, plus a smaller black head plate. The bound fingerboard is Indian Rosewood. The add-on body ‘wings’ are Mahogany.

The finish is Gibson’s classic nitrocellulose lacquer tobacco sunburst, and like the rest of this guitar, it’s in very good condition.

The original black rectangular case is included.

The Gibson Firebird V appeared in 1963 as part of a wave of new models inspired by Ray Dietrich, a prominent Detroit auto designer. Unfortunately, its ‘reverse’ shape wasn’t as popular as Dietrich’s cars were, and after 1965 the body was flipped to a more conventional ‘non reverse’ orientation. Those in turn caught the attention of Fender’s legal department for their fender-esque headstock and similarity to Fender’s offset-body design. The model was dropped in 1969, but has been reissued several times, and is back in regular production.

Here’s the builder on the current Gibson Firebird V:

“The Gibson Firebird rocks a reverse body and headstock design as originally introduced in 1963 and was Gibson’s first neck-through-body design. The traditional 9-ply mahogany/walnut neck through body construction provides rich, warm tonality and incredible sustain. A slim taper neck with a bound, rosewood fingerboard and acrylic trapezoid fingerboard inlays offers fast and effortless playability. The newly refreshed Firebird is outfitted with the redeveloped Alnico V Firebird pickup to recapture the scorching output and searing tones of the original voice for which the Firebird is known.”