SteveFord Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 A while back I purchased a 2020 Firebird V which I mistakenly identified as a 2019 when it first showed up. I gave a little review and then kind of forgot about it. It's nothing really eye popping, it's a dark cherry with nickel plated hardware and the Grover tuners. I think I made an unkind comment about the flat, Fedner-ish headstock and that was about it. Today I have some spare time so plugged it in to give it a whirl and this thing SCREAMS! This is the Firebird tone you hear from Johnny Winter's albums but none of the other recent Firebirds attain. They always sound kind of glassy and brittle. When you think of a Firebird neck you think wide, shallow and flat but the one 1960s model that I've managed to play had a slim, round one like a fast SG neck. That leads me to believe that Gibson altered the neck profile when they reintroduced the Firebirds some time ago. This one has the sim, round neck so maybe they went back to the original profile. Low frets and a really nice feeling fretboard and none of that dreaded sticky neck feel. Action is real low and like all of the new ones you can adjust the string height with either an Allen wrench or the thumb wheel. I don't know about the nut as I always give the top 3 strings a little work with a welding tip file when I first get them. It also comes with a usual giant Firebird case but this one is made in Costa Rica which means you'll have to hire someone to carry it up a flight of stairs for you. You can spot them by the large, industrial strength hinges (or by looking at the owner's bulging biceps). They're really quite something. This really is a great rock and roll guitar. Light weight, no upper fret access problems, stupidly easy to play and they finally got the sound right. This thing rips. Recommended! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 That looks like the sort of finish I would prefer (I do like a wide neck though). I love this sort of design, though there are very few like it. I know you have a few new guitars to occupy you, but this is a beauty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Glad you found time to work with it a little and that it sounds good. I've never held one in my hands so can't comment on the neck profiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 16, 2021 Author Share Posted February 16, 2021 If all of the new Firebirds sound like this one they've got a winner. I wasn't expecting it to be such a screamer. It makes my Firebird VII sound pathetic by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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