RStabe

Is that how the guitar of the week editions were serial #d?

Ok after lotsa research on this, I can only draw a theoretical conclusion. The painted Firebrands appear to be a guitar made for Guitar Center etc.. I know of one that was sold new from there. My guess would be that Gibson prolly had alota hardware left over and some poor wood, so what better way to get rid of it. Ive read of them being made as early as 1980 and late as 1985. So in conclusion I figured the would wait till they had enough poor wood to paint over to make it worth building a batch, get an order and fire em up. This is only speculative but Ide bet Im not too far off the mark. I think they sold for about $300 - $400.

Im really thinkin this must be the "stepchild" of the SG line. Introduced in 1980, it appears to have had a short, vague and misguided life. Its begginings were simple as it was simply a "the SG" (standard) made from natural finish mahogany rather than walnut and getting its name from the Gibson logo fire branded onto the headstock. From there, things get pretty confusing since sources state they were no longer made after 1981 and I have seen them ser# as late as 1983; painted various colors and without the branded logo. My only guess is that after they officially discontinued, they made "shop" guitars out of the leftover pieces parts for a few years. Maybe someone out there can shed more light? Its unique and valued sound should keep this model from the shadows more than what I would expect.