SteveFord Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 I sent Santa a text a while back and said you don't want those pictures of you and the elves getting to Mrs. Claus, right? That might not go over too well. That did the trick so I'm told this will be on its way to me next week. I always like the Pelham Blue guitars and there's certainly enough bodywork on a Firebird to show it off. This will be the perfect way to see off this really strange year. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Nice Firebird! I like Pelham Blue myself. What better way to rock in the new year. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryNimda Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 "Almost any blue guitar is a blue guitar", as they say. And a blue guitar is always an excellent choice! 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Nice..Love the Pelham Blue...Congrats and Maerry Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Your new guitar's poorer cousin (my Pelham Blue Firebird Zero) says Happy New Year and congrats to you, SteveFord. Beautiful guitar you have on the way, and we are very excited for you!🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 25, 2020 Author Share Posted December 25, 2020 I just had to bring up the aptly named John Bobbitt to bring Santa around. Whenever I'd see a pelham blue guitar on here (Sparky's Firebird, numerous SGs, I think a 335?) I'd go wow, that looks great I mean ICONIC! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 love that blue! And I'm not usually a fan of blue for guitar finishes.. but there, yep,, works like a charm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Super nice guitar -- In my experience, Firebirds were very cool just in the fact that there never seemed to be a lot of them around, That is, a lot of my fellow players did not have one, and they were only here and there in music stores. We seem to be surrounded with SGs, Les Pauls, Strats, and Teles -- and then to a lesser extent Explorers and Vs. So, yes, a great acquisition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 25, 2020 Author Share Posted December 25, 2020 I was actually after one of the beautiful ICONIC new 335s but someone wanted it more than I did SO blue Firebird it is. Totally different things but I can't see going wrong either way. I'll post some pics and impressions once it shows. Merry Christmas, everybody! Stay safe and we're at the home stretch so don't let your guard down, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Cool looking Firebird - congrats and Merry Xmas. I never had a problem with blue guitars (although I think I only owned one, a strat) but I've seen photos of Pelham blue guitars that when they aged they turned sort of a funky aqua green color. Not sure if they all do that or not, but it didn't look as good as the original color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 25, 2020 Author Share Posted December 25, 2020 I saw a 60s Pelham Blue non-reverse Firebird that lived a hard life. It was blue, green, the finish was crazed and cracked and it was a mess. My buddy pronounced it Best In Show, you can't fake ageing like that so it's all a matter of taste. This one will get polished and kept in the case when it's not in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Jesus H I don't want a Firebird but MAN I want that FireBird. Damn it. rct 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 What a beautiful firebird Steve. Congrats. I had a Pelham Blue Les Paul for a while on a trade from our son. He wanted it back and I wish I had another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Very nice. Congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 On 12/25/2020 at 1:21 AM, SteveFord said: This will be the perfect way to see off this really strange year. A really nice way indeed. May the bluebird of happiness kick '20 in the *** and usher in a better 2021. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 Fester, old boy, I'm with you! he says as he pulls a lit cigar out of his pocket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 On 12/25/2020 at 2:15 PM, rct said: Jesus H I don't want a Firebird but MAN I want that FireBird. Damn it. rct Isn't that the truth! I never owned one, never desired one, but that one would sure look great on my rack. I have a space for it too Lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 Retired, Life is too short to let that space go unfilled. For the past few days I've been trying to convince a Les Paul Standard that it's really a guitar, it's no longer a tree and then I pick up my old 2014 Firebird and it's what a joy to play. Slim, fast neck, it just hangs right on the strap, it's light, everything just feels right in place. Then again, I did spend a year playing practically nothing BUT that guitar so that may have something to do with it. Back to struggling with this Les Paul, I'll get the upper hand on it yet! King Kong must have designed the neck on this thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 2 hours ago, SteveFord said: Retired, Life is too short to let that space go unfilled. For the past few days I've been trying to convince a Les Paul Standard that it's really a guitar, it's no longer a tree and then I pick up my old 2014 Firebird and it's what a joy to play. Slim, fast neck, it just hangs right on the strap, it's light, everything just feels right in place. Then again, I did spend a year playing practically nothing BUT that guitar so that may have something to do with it. Back to struggling with this Les Paul, I'll get the upper hand on it yet! King Kong must have designed the neck on this thing... A thing of beauty. Out of curiosity, why would you continue to struggle w/ a guitar instead of finding one you mesh with? With your collection I gotta believe there's an LP or two in there you've made nice with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) It's kind of like my Martin acoustic, it was so hard to get used to but I just love the looks and sound of it so it was practice, practice, practice until I got the hang of the giant thing. That was rough! I would say a full year of practice before work and then practice after work. I'll get this yet, urf, maybe... I like that Les Paul too much to sell or just let sit in a case SO practice, practice, practice for two hours a day for a month and it'll feel normal to me. Right now it's making my finger joints pop and two days ago I sat funny with it so I'm still walking around like a hunchback. I'll get it, it'll just take some time, maybe... I guess I just like the challenge. Can I get the hang of it? Maybe! Edited December 28, 2020 by SteveFord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 6 hours ago, SteveFord said: Retired, Life is too short to let that space go unfilled. For the past few days I've been trying to convince a Les Paul Standard that it's really a guitar, it's no longer a tree and then I pick up my old 2014 Firebird and it's what a joy to play. Slim, fast neck, it just hangs right on the strap, it's light, everything just feels right in place. Then again, I did spend a year playing practically nothing BUT that guitar so that may have something to do with it. Back to struggling with this Les Paul, I'll get the upper hand on it yet! King Kong must have designed the neck on this thing... At 13, I had a couple guitars I struggled with. I played them less than the others. I'm seeing a few Firebirds here and there that are gorgeous. I'll have to go out and play a couple. That's the same way with the Tells, I've never played one. I sure love the tone of them in Joe Walsh's hands though. Yes King Kong has enormous hands. Way back 20 some years ago I got hit in the knee with a .41 Magnum. It was an accident actually but I swore King Kong Busted me on top of the head knocking me off both feet and on my butt. Doc's said I should have died then, It bruised the main artery but should have severed it according to the X-Rays. I should have bled out in the field. Moral of the story? Don't mess with King Kong. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 I don't think I will! I know where I've played the neck on these 50s style Les Pauls: the ES335 Fat Neck. It's that same profile, just a big old monster from one end to the other. The British guys used to get the old 50s Les Pauls and have the necks shaved down way back when. I just can't get the hang of Fedner necks, they just don't feel right to me. Then I hear Roy Buchanon or Jeff Beck and I know they're really good guitars, just not for me. Firebirds feel like really long SGs if that makes any sense. Low action without a lot of girth to the necks. Seeing as how my first Gibson was an SG Standard from the early 70s maybe that's why they feel really comfortable to me. This feels familiar... Got 15 minutes in on the monster neck Les Paul and now back to work so maybe I can afford something else in a few weeks. Perhaps something that is less of a handfull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 16 hours ago, SteveFord said: It's kind of like my Martin acoustic, it was so hard to get used to but I just love the looks and sound of it so it was practice, practice, practice until I got the hang of the giant thing. That was rough! I would say a full year of practice before work and then practice after work. I'll get this yet, urf, maybe... I like that Les Paul too much to sell or just let sit in a case SO practice, practice, practice for two hours a day for a month and it'll feel normal to me. Right now it's making my finger joints pop and two days ago I sat funny with it so I'm still walking around like a hunchback. I'll get it, it'll just take some time, maybe... I guess I just like the challenge. Can I get the hang of it? Maybe! Some I can and some I cant. The Fender TC-90 I got a few weeks back. I was pretty sure I couldn't cope with. I even replaced the bridge with a modded one. But I still cant play it with any confidence. Its all down to the rolled edges. I hate & despise rolled edges. The Ric 650 was a shock when I first got it. It has a monster of a neck. Far more of a handful than anything I've ever used. Somehow though, I can cope just fine. Its now my go-to and number one guitar. But yes it takes a deal of getting used too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 I always thought Rickenbackers had super tiny necks - learned something new. The truss rod on that Standard needed a mighty adjustment, 11s and some playing time had bowed it forward a bit. Adjusted the action a bit lower and no more popping finger joints. 12/31/2020 is the arrival date for this Firebird so that will be perfect timing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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