brotherchris Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hi all, I got a firebird a couple of weeks ago and it has had some issues. When I got it the bridge pickup would go in and out at random times. I pulled it apart and found one of the coil wires was lose. I re-soldered all the connections and it seems to have fixed the issue. Before I took it apart I didn't notice, but now it seems the bridge pick is much quieter then the neck pickup. Is this normal, or did I mess something else up when I was in there? I have raised it really close to the strings, but is still low volume compared to the neck pickup. Also, on my bird there seems to be a lot of play in the neck, like it is really easy to bend back and the action isn't as low on the fret board as I think it should be. Could this be the truss rod needs some adjustment, or is it the design of the guitar? I love the guitar, I ordered it from MF as used, this was there last one and it was a 2013 leftover. I got a good deal on it, but looking to fix a few of these quarks. I sent Gibson repair an email to see if I could get another bridge pickup, they told me to contact allparts, but allparts needs a part number. How would I go about getting a part number for the pickup? Thanks for reading, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman6937 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Another thread on this board dealt with a weak bridge pickup on a Firebird 70's tribute. You may want to take the matter up with MF. Can't help with the part number. Maybe give Allparts a call? I bought a new Firebird from MF not long ago and had to tweak the tension rod so it's not uncommon. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Some Gibsons do have necks that seem to move back and forth more easily, especially those with thinner necks and maybe thinner bodies. SG's are actually great for that and make it easy to get a vibrato effect when chording. just look at Pete Townsend videos and you can see him shake his SG's, I actually prefer that more flexible necks. This might also apply to your 'Bird. I would definitely have someone look at that pickup and the neck relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotherchris Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks for the input guys, I am going to take it to the local guitar guru and see what they think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotherchris Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 I did a truss rob adjustment on the bird, I tighten it about 3/4 turn, it did help the flexibility in the neck, but caused more fret buzz. I backed it down to about 1/4 turn, its better, but still some buzz and the action isn't as low as I thought it should be. Not sure how to get rid of the buzz, it’s on most of the frets, but more on 1-9. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Take the guitar and with the butt end of it at eye height hold it horizontal and sight down along the edge of the neck where the low E string is. If you've ever sighted down an arrow you'll know what I'm talking about. You want the line of the neck to be straight (more or less). If you have the truss rod too tight the neck will be bowed back, too loose and the strings will bow the neck forward. Get it straight, raise or lower the tune-o-matic tail piece and then recheck in a day or two - give things time to settle down. Do NOT put too much tension on the truss rod as if you snap it off you're screwed. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotherchris Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks for the suggestion. I had it pretty strait and the frets buzzed pretty bad, so I loosened it some, it got better, but still buzzes. The bridge is really high now, not much help there. Wondering if I might need to have the nut shimmed. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Thanks for the suggestion. I had it pretty strait and the frets buzzed pretty bad, so I loosened it some, it got better, but still buzzes. The bridge is really high now, not much help there. Wondering if I might need to have the nut shimmed. Chris You can check that clearance by fretting each string at the third fret. The string should not be hitting the first fret when you are fretting at the third fret if the nut is high enough. The string will be very close but it should not be touching the first fret. If it is, I would take it to a repair guy and get an opinion on what is really wrong with the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brotherchris Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hey everyone, Just an update, I have tighten the truss rod very slightly, the action is now set to what Gibson suggests. It plays a lot better, still a little buzz on g and b, but I can live with that. I also figured out my pick issue. When I put it back together I swapped one of the magnets. In these pickups apparently the magnets are set to opposite poles. I am much happier with the bird now. Thanks for all the suggestions. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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