A Self JD Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Just wanted to start up a thread where anyone who placed an order for a Firebird V can get a gauge as to when it will be built. So if you are one of the lucky few who has an order in for one of these amazing guitars please post when you placed your order. I've just placed my order on Feb 15th 2012. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StijnV Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Just for your information: the firebird V 2010 in classic white has been discontinued. For the ebony and vintage sunburst version we're still taking orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlashPerryBurst Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Just for your information: the firebird V 2010 in classic white has been discontinued. For the ebony and vintage sunburst version we're still taking orders. Why is that? It can't exactly hurt you to paint it a different colour. Especially when the guitar in question can be purchased in another flat colour (ebony). It shouldn't be too much more difficult to paint it a different colour if ordered that way. It's not exactly a complex order. We all have our dream guitars. Personally, I love white guitars and if given a choice between a used guitar of my dreams in white or a new one in another colour, I'd be tempted to go for the white one. Perhaps someone who wanted one in classic white will now turn to the used market, costing Gibson business. Just seems like a strange decision. Just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Self JD Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Just for your information: the firebird V 2010 in classic white has been discontinued. For the ebony and vintage sunburst version we're still taking orders. Thats ok since I've ordered mine in vintage sunburst. Weird thing is that where I ordered it the clerk told me they had 19 classic white on back order. This is through Yorkville who is the Canadian distribution company. Does this mean that throughout Canada 19 people are waiting on guitars that will never arrive or is it that the clerk at the store (Long and McQuade's) made a mistake? Also is there any way to find out an eta on my vintage sunburst? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmv Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I just ordered a Firebird 2010 in vintage sunburst. Musicians Friend claims it'll be available for shipment around March 8th (this Friday), but I have serious doubts. As for the discontinuation of the white model, I gotta agree with SlashPerryBurst -- stupid decision. My guess is that the demand for white models is way higher than the black model, so discontinuing the white looks pretty bad business-wise. My theory is that Gibson is overloaded with work and looking to cut production of certain items. It's silly regardless. On another note, several online retailers claim the white model is going to be available somewhere between May and July. So either Gibson is lying, or the retailers are making up BS (methinks the latter) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmadoodoo Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Gibson is shipping firebirds now for all of you waiting! I just recieved a replacement Firebird V in Ebony last thursday. I got home that morning and the guitar was on my front stoop. I had been gone all night long. The guitar was dropped off without notice from either fedex or gibson. The sticker on the door said it had been dropped off actually the day before at 4:45 p.m.! My guitar was outside all night long! Glad nobody stole it. Thanks for non notification of shipment gibson! Anyway, The guitar is beautiful and the fit and finish are flawless.........except for the cracked pickguard and the crappy cut nut. Both are being covered under warranty again. Other than that I am pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmv Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Well, 3/8 has come, and as I expected, the date on MF website pushed back to 3/18. I hope this isnt' going to a stupid game of "let's wait til the expected date comes, then tack on another 10 days. rinse and repeat". On the other hand, their community mgr saw a tweet of mine, and offered a decent discount to me if it wasn't in today. At least I now have an incentive for waiting... Me wants my Firebird V! My first Gibson... Gibson -- some info or updates sure would be nice, since you guys seem to be backordered on so many things in Nashville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmv Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Well, 3/8 has come, and as I expected, the date on MF website pushed back to 3/18. I hope this isnt' going to a stupid game of "let's wait til the expected date comes, then tack on another 10 days. rinse and repeat". On the other hand, their community mgr saw a tweet of mine, and offered a decent discount to me if it wasn't in today. At least I now have an incentive for waiting... Also, Emmadoodoo, I'm sorry but a cracked pickguard and a lousy nut on a BRAND SPANKING NEW guitar is NOT ACCEPTABLE. At all. Period. I'm feeling less and less confident in my order for a Firebird. Cracked pickguards and bad nuts don't quite line up with the motto "Prestige, Quality and Innovation" Gibson -- some info or updates sure would be nice, since you guys seem to be backordered on so many things in Nashville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmadoodoo Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Ya I had to go through four firebirds last year to get a good one.....with minor issues. I can't wait to get it back from the luthier. I will prolly get a custom black pickguard anyway and I always have bone nuts put on my guitars. She will be nice when I get it back! Good luck finding a good one that is not a custom shop. They are extremely hard to find new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I realize I am a minority, but the Firebird V and Thunderbird (specifically) in classic white has been my dream guitar since I started playing guitar in 1998. I have had several Epiphone Fire/Thunderbirds and finally bought a new Gibson Firebird V 2010 in classic white last year. I am very disappointed that the white finish is being discontinued instead of the black (I can't think of 1 pro player that's even played an ebony Fire/Thunderbird?). When I think of the 'bird, I think of the classic white that was made famous to me by players like Nikki Sixx, Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson), Tim Skold and Johnny Winters. I wonder if there's a connection between the discontinue of the classic white Firebird, and the fact the Thunderbird hasn't been available in white for years?... Perhaps it's merely the fact that they can couple the 2 guitars together, and it's easier to discontinue the white Firebird since the Thunderbird is no longer available in white. VERY disappointing. I had to return the initial Firebird V 2010 I bought last year because it had a chunk missing from the fretboard, an extremely poorly cut nut, poorly aligned trussrod cover which warped up in the middle due to imprecise screw placement and chipped finish around the stoptail posts. The 2nd one I received was/is great, with the exception that the finish seems to already be thinning out, and scratches down to the wood ridiculously easily, though I don't mind because I look forward to an extremely worn guitar and love the nature of nitro. An open letter to Gibson: "Dear Gibson, I know the Firebird isn't the best selling product you offer, but it is extremely disheartening to see something like 100 Les Paul options offered, and only a handful of Firebirds. Yes, I know you recently released the Firebird X, but I don't think any Firebird player considers it to be a true Firebird. Perhaps if you payed more attention to the promotion, development and production of traditional Firebirds (such as what was done with the Firebird V 2010, which I greatly appreciated) then sales will improve. The Les Paul and SG are strongly established guitars which pretty much sell themselves and I feel that the Firebird has always been neglected and thus has never had the chance to establish itself. The discontinuation of the classic white Firebird is to me on par with discontinuing the Les Paul Custom in ebony. I realize you are a business, but this is a real shame to the Firebird legacy. Regards, Roman, a Firebird enthusiast". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmv Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Well, I just cancelled my Firebird order. It's a real shame. The combination of reading reviews on glassdoor.com about their management style and mistreatment of customers and reading about their serious quality issues as of late, has made me think twice about purchasing a guitar from them. It's a shame, because the Firebird is a unique guitar that SHOULD be good. Unfortunately it seems Gibson disagrees. Back to the drawing board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Well, I just cancelled my Firebird order. It's a real shame. The combination of reading reviews on glassdoor.com about their management style and mistreatment of customers and reading about their serious quality issues as of late, has made me think twice about purchasing a guitar from them. It's a shame, because the Firebird is a unique guitar that SHOULD be good. Unfortunately it seems Gibson disagrees. Back to the drawing board. Can't you track one down in a local store? I ended up buying local after my unfortunate first experience. Finish durability aside, the V 2010 I bought local is perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMelodies Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I'm affraid that there is something weird with this Firebirds. I've been following Guitar Center's stock since last December. First, Ebony and Sunburst would be on 25th, then on 01/05, then 02/06, and so on... They keep postposing the date since a few months now. I'm pretty sure that this issue has to do with Gibson's intervention and such. See, there is no longer non-reverse models with roosewood fingerboard (the called 2011 model). So I think it wouldn't be crazy to think they're going to use the same wood as they did on the non-reverse model, don't you guys think so? I hope that doesn't happen, considering many of you guys are waiting for your bird to come, just the way you ordered it. I couldn't get my bird on white, but I really love the sunburst as well. It was my only choice when I went to purchase it. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Self JD Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 You're lucky because in Canada we don't even get an estimated time of arrival. I'm just hoping that it comes in sooner than later. I really want to lay down some new tracks with the firebird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmadoodoo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm affraid that there is something weird with this Firebirds. I've been following Guitar Center's stock since last December. First, Ebony and Sunburst would be on 25th, then on 01/05, then 02/06, and so on... They keep postposing the date since a few months now. I'm pretty sure that this issue has to do with Gibson's intervention and such. See, there is no longer non-reverse models with roosewood fingerboard (the called 2011 model). So I think it wouldn't be crazy to think they're going to use the same wood as they did on the non-reverse model, don't you guys think so? I hope that doesn't happen, considering many of you guys are waiting for your bird to come, just the way you ordered it. I couldn't get my bird on white, but I really love the sunburst as well. It was my only choice when I went to purchase it. Cheers My new Firebird replacement I got directly from Gibson last week has a Rosewood fretboard, but It is a little to reddish pink for my liking. I may just have to find a way to make it darker. The original firebird I sent back for warranty replacement had a beautiful almost black rosewood board. What do ya do........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 The 2010 I sent back (for reasons described above) had a slightly different shaped headstock - on the treble side of the headstock, where the head meets the neck, it was flat instead of curving out ever so slightly. Where the hell is the QC on these guitars, or do they just ship the guitars with a novelty signed QC check card... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I must be the lucky bunny Firebird V and 3 P90 Non Reverse Perfect build each...no complaints... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Why is that? It can't exactly hurt you to paint it a different colour. Especially when the guitar in question can be purchased in another flat colour (ebony). It shouldn't be too much more difficult to paint it a different colour if ordered that way. It's not exactly a complex order. We all have our dream guitars. Personally, I love white guitars and if given a choice between a used guitar of my dreams in white or a new one in another colour, I'd be tempted to go for the white one. Perhaps someone who wanted one in classic white will now turn to the used market, costing Gibson business. Just seems like a strange decision. Just saying. I think what ticks me off the most is that I believe it has everything to do with what they want to do, and nothing to do with customers, no matter how Customer Focused a company is, no matter how many Customer Satisfaction Surveys they offer after the sale. We sell Black, Sunburst, and White. Gawddammit, the pesky customers are buying white ones. We don't give them what they want, they aren't the boss of us. Stop the White ones, make them buy Black ones, then we'll trot out the White ones again at a Parade, and the suckers'll line up to get another one. I truly believe as I get older that these companies really do seem to find out what it is that peoples want, and they do everything they can to not do that. It's weird, it isn't just Gibson or guitars, and I'll keep my Gibsons forever and I'm sure I'll buy more. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlashPerryBurst Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I agree. It's getting hard to buy a vintage sunburst LP. Unless you want to go for the reissues, which some of us can't afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 You think there's an issue with the availability of a Les Paul finish? Imagine if the number of Les Paul models and finishes was switched with the number available of Firebirds. All of a sudden you realise the ridiculous amount of choices you have and the dismal amount of options that Firebird players have. Who the hell makes these decisions, they're almost as retarded as when they decided to make the reverse V or the inbred bastard child monstrosity that is known as the ZV Custom. Not to mention, WTF is this supposed to be? http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Designer/Gibson-USA/Moderne.aspx Does whoever in charge take advice from their kids on the way to school or something? Sorry, i'm just really pissed off with the lack of support Gibson give to the Firebird. /end rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 ...Not to mention, WTF is this supposed to be? http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Designer/Gibson-USA/Moderne.aspx Does whoever in charge take advice from their kids on the way to school or something? Might want to get yerself one of the many books about guitar history, Duchossoir or Bacon or some other writer. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm well aware of the history and origins of the Moderne, I just don't see how Gibson can discontinue such an iconic Firebird finish, yet justify manufacturing a guitar with such less apparent demand and recognition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlashPerryBurst Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 You think there's an issue with the availability of a Les Paul finish? Imagine if the number of Les Paul models and finishes was switched with the number available of Firebirds. All of a sudden you realise the ridiculous amount of choices you have and the dismal amount of options that Firebird players have. Who the hell makes these decisions, they're almost as retarded as when they decided to make the reverse V or the inbred bastard child monstrosity that is known as the ZV Custom. Not to mention, WTF is this supposed to be? http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Designer/Gibson-USA/Moderne.aspx Does whoever in charge take advice from their kids on the way to school or something? Sorry, i'm just really pissed off with the lack of support Gibson give to the Firebird. /end rant. Well you are talking about my dream Les Paul finish. I'm aware that I have several options, but my dream finish has been discontinued for some time, forcing me to either look for one in the secondhand market, buy a reissue (at more than twice the price) or just go without. FYI, I have a heritage cherry sunburst Les Paul, and I had a goldtop with P90's. Been looking for a vintage sunburst LP for over eight years now, and I've never found one for sale. Except for a LP 1960 classic that had snot green inlays. The one I found wasn't much of a player, so I put it back. Another alternative I have is to buy a les paul and pay a fortune to have someone refinish it. Which would be a lot more difficult than refinishing a firebird in white. I would also run the risk that the guy who refinishes it would get the finish "wrong". Edit: I forgot, I came across an 80's LP in Vintage sunburst that had a lot of wear and tear. Price was a bit steep. Especially when you consider that the trussrod was broken. So yes, I know what it's like to have a dream guitar that you just can't seem to put your hands on. I am on your side here, as my first post in this thread demonstrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Both the Les Paul Classic Plus and the Traditional Pro Exclusive come in vintage sunburst, both of which have white abalone inlays. If the open-coil humbuckers is an issue then pickups can be easily changes, which I do to all my guitars, including my white Firebird V. How don't those 2 models meet your requirements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Although unrelated to the discontinuation, but still in reference to Gibson's lack of attention to the Firebird, I recently noticed that the body of my Firebird wasn't sanded properly and as a result there is an outline where the centre piece meets the 'wings' on either side. Has anyone else noticed this? I wouldn't have been surprised if this was an old guitar that's shrunk from changes in temperature etc, but I find it amusing that I can see the joints after reading the article "The Making of a Gibson USA Guitar", which states (in reference to the construction of a Les Paul, specifically), "The sides are smoothed down without the help of anything more than a strip of light-grained sandpaper, to eliminate excess glue and be sure that any binding is flush. Finally, quality control eyeballs and handles each body before it moves on to be united with a neck, looking for rough spots, uneven surfaces, excess glue or weak binding." I don't care that my guitar isn't perfect, that's the nature of a handmade instrument, I just find it irritating that Gibson boast about their amazing quality control and craftsmanship, though obviously reserve this level of effort and care for custom shop instruments, or perhaps just for Les Pauls and SGs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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