ant7629 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Hey guys I am looking for some advice regarding the Firebird V. I usually play Les Pauls and SGs, but I will be purchasing a new axe pretty soon and the Firebird really caught my eye. Can anyone offer any opinions about it, i.e. pros/cons, which model to go for, what they sound/play like? I have heard from a friend that the weight distribution is a little off balance, is this true? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Ant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaker Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Sorry for this standard response but you will have to play one or two. Do not expect it to be like a Les Paul or an SG. My FB V has a very good neck pickup tone. I have been told that real vintage 60's FBs sound very different from more recent FBs with ceramic pickups. Yes, FBs tend to be neck heavy. If you search the forum archive, you will find a variety of solutions for this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Chicks dig em... I really like mine, I did replace the p'ups because the were holding the actual sound of the guitar back... The neck heavy issue is not really an issue... Unless you're a 80 pound girl... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant7629 Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Thanks for the replies. I would really like to try a few, but they are hard to come by at the moment. So, tone wise, do they sound more like a LP or Strat? I have read a couple of reviews that say they sound a bit 'Fenderish'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 They sound like a Firebird ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swmcv2007 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I'm pretty sure Roxy Music's first few albums are chock full of Firebird tones. Their guitarist Phil Manzera is a big Firebird user. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant7629 Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Thanks guys. I am gonna have to order one at my guitar store, which will take a few weeks apparently. Really like the look of them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgTime Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 lol, just dont buy the firebirds with the lyre vibrola, i was trying one out at a GC and the damn thing went out of tune just about every 20 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Rose Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I've got an 81 that I love. It was worked over by someone in The Murder City Devils but it plays like a dream. They also switched out the pickups with Seymour Duncans. I'd like to find originals but I love the tones. I have an American Standard Strat and it sounds nothing like the Firenird. The instrument has superior sustain due to the neck through design that drew me to this model. The banjo tuners were an adjustment but they are second nature now. A design flaw in the case let the low E tuning peg rub a hole into the case (down to the plywood) but there were no neck issues somehow. The case was battered and in need of serious repair that I managed myself. Now my baby sits snug. If you want to set yourself apart from the crowd of LP, SG, Strat and Tele players, jump on a Firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oringo Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The reverse Firebird really is in a category of its own-and it can be disturbing to switch between them and an LP, SG or Strat: the relationship neck/body/balance can have you playing in B when you think you're playing in A (or vice versa)...and I know many very good players who can switch in mid-gig between wildly different guitars but just can't get comfortable with Firebirds. Personally, I love my Firebirds (reverse and non-reverse), and I never get tired of the sounds I can get out of older mini-humbuckers, but I would recommend trying one before buying if at all possible. There's an amazing clip of Kal David playing an instrumental "As My Guitar Gently Weeps" on what I believe is a 65 Firebird V which I think must be bookmarked by all the Firebird nuts out there: (Just notice the big padded strap, one of the best ways to keep a 'bird from doing a big dive...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ant7629 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Thanks for the info guys. My friend has the Epiphone version, so maybe I will try his first to get some kind of feel for it. Its either a Firebird or a 335, the latter was definite until I saw the Firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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