Father D Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 New to this forum .. so please forgive me if I press any wrong buttons! WAAAAAY back in 1984 I owned a Les Paul Studio, as you can see in the awful picture below! I sadly sold it in 1987. I think it was mahogany .. but, for some reason I remember being told it was walnut!! The observant amongst you will notice that the toggle switch is down by the vol & tone controls! So my question(s) is: Is this a normal feature of the earliest Studio models, was this guitar unusual or even a fake!? I don't personally believe it was a fake, I bought it from a very decent music shop near where I live, it had a serial number in the back of the headstock, and a pucker Gibson logo in the right place. It sounded bl**dy awesome ... and I miss her :D Sorry it's not a good picture, the only one I have! By father_d at 2008-04-01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 If it was like this one, then yeah, it was a studio. And yes it was walnut. And don't go completely by the picture. Someone took a sander to this one to make the body contoured like a strat. And welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coxster Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 I'm new to this forum as well ( signed up today ) but I THINK they made a LP and a SG called the 'Firebrand' series - brand like on a cow/rustic/etc. I never owned one, but I remember the ads in guitar player. I have a LP Classic 2007 Honeyburst, and hope to purchase a studio this wknd coxster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Welcome to you too coxster. Love seeing all these new guys folks that are finding the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 I'm new to this forum as well ( signed up today ) but I THINK they made a LP and a SG called the 'Firebrand' series - brand like on a cow/rustic/etc. They sure did; they were very no-frills. I used to be in a band with a guy who had a Firebrand SG. Great sounding guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father D Posted April 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Wow ... that is exactly as I remember it. Thanks so much, I had a hard time believing it was walnut, and the toggle position; while very convenient made me suspicious about it's origins, well, years after I had sold it anyway!. Many, many thanks for the clear-up .. that one looks, shall we say 'interesting' with the sanding job! :D I am now on the look out for a new 'worn brown' or original walnut studio .. they seem a little thin on the ground over here in the UK. Many thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 You're welcome. Considering how hard it was to find that photo, I would think it is a very rare bird these days indeed. Actually I just found this: I stand corrected, the ad says mahogany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Yet I also find this ad that says the SG was Walnut... Go Figure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewie Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 You will be extremely happy with the new worn brown studios. They have the burstbucker pickups and will bring back fond memories of your old guitar for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
embee Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 The Firebrand is not a Studio. First of all, it predates the Studio. Second, there were a few "Firebrands": The LP Firebrand; the The Paul Firebrand; and the The Paul Firebrand Deluxe. The LP actually had the Gibson logo "branded" into the headstock whereas the The Pauls had the painted logo. They were mahogany with a walnut finish and looked like they were made from a secondhand coffee table. I used to have a 1980 LP Firebrand. It was a mean, ugly, horrid little guitar with fast action, a vicious sound (but it could sound sweet when it wanted), and a sturdiness you wouldn't believe. It was a piece of crap and the best damned guitar I ever owned. It took a nasty tumble one time and came away with a scar on the left side by the contouring (just under where the elbow would rest). Didn't matter. The guitar was already ugly and the nicks just add character. I gave it to my little sister earlier this year as a sweet 16 present and it makes me sad in my heart. 28 years later and the T Tops still sing. They're a bit tricky to find because no one wants to part with them. They're not really valuable or collector's items and don't let anyone fool you into thinking that they were. The best description I ever heard was that they were "a bad memory in Gibson history." Ultimately, they're just steady workhorses that won't let you down. If you get one, don't refinish it or paint it or put a pickguard on it if it doesn't have one. You're not going to make it pretty. Spend an afternoon polishing it, put on a new set of strings, and just play the damn thing. It's a working guitar, not a relic piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Welcome to the forum guys and if anyone takes a firebrand to my Gibson... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RONNIESIZE Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 firebrands dont look fantastic but they sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troels Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 New to this forum .. so please forgive me if I press any wrong buttons! WAAAAAY back in 1984 I owned a Les Paul Studio' date=' as you can see in the awful picture below! I sadly sold it in 1987. I think it was mahogany .. but, for some reason I remember being told it was walnut!! The observant amongst you will notice that the toggle switch is down by the vol & tone controls! So my question(s) is: Is this a normal feature of the earliest Studio models, was this guitar unusual or even a fake!? I don't personally believe it was a fake, I bought it from a very decent music shop near where I live, it had a serial number in the back of the headstock, and a pucker Gibson logo in the right place. It sounded bl**dy awesome ... and I miss her :( Sorry it's not a good picture, the only one I have! [img']http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2969/studiolpai0.jpg[/img] By father_d at 2008-04-01 The guitar you play on the picture is not a Studio - it is a Gibson "The Paul" firstly relased in the "firebrand" series with the Gibson name burned deeply into the natural colored head stock. Later models had the logo silk screened on a black surface. They had dot necks with ebony fingerboards and a "worn" finish. The standard version of The Paul guitar was mahogany and the de luxe version was walnut (including the neck). The location of the toggle is correct for "The Paul". The also made an SG and a 335S - yes a solid body version of the 335. I used to have an SG Firebrand from 1980 and it had the best neck ever seen on a Gibson (by me anyway :D/ ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avidn Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Most of these responses are close, some more accurate than others. Read the copy of the original Gibson ads on this post to see specs. The "Standard" models were walnut and the "Deluxes" were mahogany. Ebony necks on all Firebrands, and these are really underrated guitars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mash94 Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 welcome to the forum Avidn hit the nail right on the head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geetar_Axl Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 There not ugly?! They look really cool! They do look Like the VM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 I had not thought of a FireBrand in years kind of the original BFG a early no frill Gibson. PS - I liked the firebrand better than the BFG at least they were sanded! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 WOW! Love the hair dude! Dont you just love the eighties... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troels Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Most of these responses are close' date=' some more accurate than others. Read the copy of the original Gibson ads on this post to see specs. The "Standard" models were walnut and the "Deluxes" were mahogany. Ebony necks on all Firebrands, and these are really underrated guitars![/quote'] Sorry... yes... the standard was walnut and the deluxe mahogany... I had an sg deluxe nmyself, so I should know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkraze53 Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Hello all, Brand new to this (1st post) and while on the Firebrand subject, I was wondering if anyone could help me out with some info. I have what I believe to be a Firebrand Les Paul Deluxe. I say Deluxe because I was told it once had a "Firebrand deluxe" truss cover, but it craked in half and he replaced it with a Gibby blank cover. It appears to be Walnut rather than Mahogany (although I'm not certain) and indeed has the Ebony board and two tone, two volume controls, open coil humbuckers appear to be original. Serial numbers date it @1981. It has three small holes about 1/2 inch behind the standard bridge that looks like it may have had a Bigsby or some other type of tremolo bridge mounted at one point (gone now). Does anyone know if a Bigsby could have possibly been a factory item or maybe someone had it modified?? Any other info on this guitar would be graciously appreciated. Thanks, Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 I've got a '79 "The SG" Walnut that is a killer guitar. Used it on 8/12 of the Double Aught cd (cdbaby.com). I think hg has "The Paul" Murph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugomarink Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 I've got a '79 "The SG" Walnut that is a killer guitar. Used it on 8/12 of the Double Aught cd (cdbaby.com). I think hg has "The Paul" Murph. I have the same guitar but I think I bought in 1977. In the early '80s I dropped the guitar and the neck snapped at the headstock. I thought it was a goner but I took it to a local guitar repair guy and he did a fantastic job repairing it and it still plays great to this day. I didn't play this guitar for like 12 years (between 1990 and 2002) but pulled it out of mothballs a few years back and realized it's really a very nice SG. It sounds awesome and plays great too. I never really liked the dark wood finish but it is rather unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash_c Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Hi all, I have a The Paul, and have had for 25 happy years! It's getting a bit long in the tooth now and it really needs to be overhauled, and I need to sort out the intonation having had the frets levelled about a year ago. It's completely original and when it's in a good mood it plays like a dream. Really low action (having spent HOURS fiddling with the bridge) and a great tone across both pickups, particularly when you just knock the edge of the neck tone. I'm going to give it a birthday over the weekend and take some snaps of it which I'll post up. I know it's and '83 model, and it's a bit tatty after all this time (it's been gigged all over the place, kicked around in studios and bounced around in the back of a van for half it's life). If anyone has any idea of value then could you please let me know? Cheers, Ash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 "The Paul"'s, and "The SG"'s are not worth much. They're really not worth selling because you'll never find a better playing/sounding guitar for the money. Mine is hangin' on the wall now, gets played many times a week, and goes to the clubs as a backup every weekend. That walnut sustains like crazy. You can feel it. It turns 30 this year too........... Best of luck. Murph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash_c Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Here are the photos... not sure if this will work ) As you can see it's been roughed around a bit, but I have the original case (it's in England at the moment, and I'm not) and all the parts are original. It won't be getting sold that's for sure, I've had it since I was about 15, and had to work my *** off to get it too :o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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