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1963/4 Gibson Firebird I
The Firebird series was announced in the spring of 1963 and the first production instruments rolled off the line in the fall of that year. Production records show 80 single-pickup Firebirds completed in 1963, which suggests this one is likely to be among the first 100 or so ever produced. The pots are dated to 1963, sometime between the 30-39’s week, and the original pickguard predates the addition of the Firebird logo. Reverse body with 9-piece construction, 1963 neck carve, wrap-around bridge, and original pickup and electronics.
The guitar is in excellent condition and shows less than average playwear to its finish. There are wear spots on the lower body corners, two small chips in the wood adjacent to the E and A tuner screws, and a 1” check in the mahogany on the reverse of the body, behind the treble tailpiece stud. The frets show average wear but play quite cleanly still, and the instrument has been set-up here, with action of 4-5 64ths at the 12th fret. Electronics are dead-stock, with original solder throughout. The pickup measures 6.4 kOhms.
The firebird sound is unmistakable, thanks, in large part to the unique design of the Firebird pickup. With its magnets located inside the coils of the humbucking pickup rather than positioned flat at the base of the unit, the magnetic fields are very different in shape and interact with the strings in a completely different way. These pickups are also lower-power than a traditional Gibson humbucker. Combined, the Firebird pickup has more brightness than a PAF, but more oomph than a Strat or Tele pickup; and, its humbucking. Johnny Winter is the poster-child of Firebird players, but players such as Clapton, Allen Collins, Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, Stephen Stills and many others have made the Firebird sound part of their trademark tone. Clapton’s ’63 Firebird I that was famously used with Cream is very much identical to the instrument presented here.
1963 neck carve, with 1-11/16” nut and noticeably rounded C shape that’s closer to a mid-50’s neck than that of a ‘60/’61. 7.3 lbs light.
With original Canadian Export hardshell case
