Gibson Firebird 1966 finish

[Maestro Vibratoer]

I just pulled the trigger on a 1966 Firebird I non-reverse which is in Inverness Green, on Ebay. (It was advertised as Pelham Blue). The pots are actually 1965, while the serial# is 1967. The finish appears to be a little dark compared to other Inv. Green from that period. Do I need to start looking for my Alka Seltzer? The seller provided ample photos of everything (even disassembled) which made me feel secure Any help is appreciated. This is the link:

 

http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=gibson+firebird+1966&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc.

[JimR56]

Very interesting. I think this has always been somewhat confusing, with color variations and the way different guitars fade over time. To me (and I don't claim to be an expert on this), this one looks like it might actually be Pelham Blue. It certainly looks more green than blue now, but aging can do that to a finish color.

 

When I googled "Inverness Green", just about everything that turned up was a much lighter green, like these:

 

Your guitar looks more blue-ish under the pickguard, and that color under there looks like the classic aged Pelham Blue to me.

 

Check this out also:

 

The bottom guitar in the photo (which was originally Pelham Blue) looks very similar in color to yours now.

[JimR56]

Here's another Inverness Green:

 

[JimR56]

One other thing. I looked again at all the photos of the guitar on ebay, and noticed that the color of the same part of the guitar looked different in different photos. I remembered how hard it is to get accurate color in photographs of green and blue guitars (I have a Strat that's similar to seafoam, but definitely not seafoam, and it's practically impossible to get close to the actual color in a photo).

 

So... I don't know. ;)

[retrorod]

Man, that is surely tricky by the photos. Some shots of the headstock definitely speak of Pelham Blue. At any rate, the color and finish appear to be original to the guitar.

Sweet-looking ride

[Maestro Vibratoer]

Thanks guys for the help. The different photos do represent different color impressions. The headstock and some of the bottom photos due infer Pelham Blue. I think this finish is similar to a cherry red SG that has "browned out" over time; except we're dealing with Pelham Blue. JimR56 mentioned a photo at the bottom of the page which shows a guitar that appears sort of green like mine. I think that one has aged slightly better with a lighter tint. In any case here is a photo link which tells the story. The Gibson logo plate on the headstock was removed and voila there's the finish, Pelham Blue! Quite a transformation from '66. Here is the link (tried to paste photo in here but couldn't) and thanks again guys.

 

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad313/robrejian/NEUMANN%20U47/DSCN4118.jpg