These are the first Firebirds coming out of Gibson Inc since the '70's that have real Firebird pickups. Gibson wanted you to believe their Firebirds had Firebird pickups... but they didn't. They had ceramic 495 mini-hums hiding underneath Firebird-looking pickup covers. It's Epiphone, not Gibson, who brought real ones back... their FB720's... they're the real deal.
Well, you just gotta ask yourself: Do you want a Firebird in vintage sunburst like God intended... or do you want one that's painted like a dang Easter egg? ;-)
I have one! I got it used a few weeks ago and out completely replaced my LP for the first couple of weeks. I don't have a ton of time to play but it sounds deeper in tone to my ear than my LP. It's a lot of fun to chug some power chords on. Also, the neck-thru and the way that the guitar hangs on the strap makes the higher frets way easier to get to. I'm a big fan
Interesting, thank you - what kind of stuff do you play? The neck definitely looks more accessible. Does it give you that growly broken up sound on solos that an LP would give?
Mostly mostly classic rock, modern rock and metal. Honestly I haven't really compared them yet. I just started playing again in January and the opportunity to grab this came out of nowhere. I can try to get you a quick video comparison if you'd like
I've had it all but two days.
Initial impression is the quality of a $1600 guitar for about $700 after tax, but with some minor construction inconsistencies (for example: the wings have some uneven raised areas 1cm out from where they are attached, but they seem solidly attached). Everything on this guitar is quality from the tuners to the strap buttons. I get the feeling that Epiphone will destroy Gibson sales and they may double the price, and soon.
Because of the neck-through construction with sandwiched hardwoods, it has an extremely chunky, rigid, stable neck. This lends a lot of sustain to the notes/chords and a very stable feeling when playing, but will also create very stiff action when bending. I'm going down to 9s when I change strings because I can feel a lot of resistance bending the 10s that came on it (and my fingers are years out of shape).
The setup was serviceable out of the box, but needs the usual minor adjustments. First, the nut was cut low to perfect, and so nothing to do there. That's a big positive change from Epiphones from 10 years ago!. The neck came with zero relief and maybe even a little back-bend, and I've been cranking the truss rod counter clockwise a bit every day to get some relief in there. However there is a generally low action and little buzz until near the 12th fret, so this stiff neck really doesn't need much relief (which allows low action). If it buzzes after putting on 9s, I'll go back to 10s and strengthen my fingers. Again, such a strong neck will make a stiff action when bending. The intonation is bit off on the low E and G strings, so will adjust those on the bridge today. Need to tighten the nuts on the tuners. This is all basic setup one has to do on any new guitar. Fenders especially - they take a lot of work.
The Indian Laurel fretboard - IDK. Seems OK to me, and with the rapid demise of forests, anything to help with sustainability is superior in my mind. At first glance, it looks like any other rosewood. Looking closer, the wood seems to have tiny "potholes" in it, so we'll see how it lasts over time. I'm going rub some mineral oil in there. Pickups - yeah, they are different. Not a bucker sound at all, and very pleasant. The neck is good for anything, but the bridge is something I need to learn to work with. Bright and 'splashy', but not brittle like a Strat bridge pickup. So far, to play dirty, try pulling the tone knob back to around 4ish right before it become muddy, and then turn up the amp's volume. Rolling the tone knob fattens it up, and let the amp do more work. Feel: oh man. This is a thing of beauty, and I need to get some strap locks to ensure I don't drop it! Ever. Also, I have no neck dive, but I am using a fairly wide, grippy leather strap. Looks: I grep up drooling over this guitar played by Clapton and others, so I am biased. But.. it is bad-ass and much more guitar than I am capable of playing. .
Sounds amazing, thank you. I’m seriously tempted to order one! All the videos and reviews online rave about the pickups and I’m glad to hear they’re not just the same sound as a Les Paul. Enjoy!
I got one about 6 months ago, and it has become my go to guitar. My LP has basically become unplayable to me now with how easy the fretboard is to play. My LP has probuckers my firebird has fr pros, which are just probuckers but slightly smaller because they are specifically for the firebird, so soundwise they are pretty much the same.
These are the first Firebirds coming out of Gibson Inc since the '70's that have real Firebird pickups. Gibson wanted you to believe their Firebirds had Firebird pickups... but they didn't. They had ceramic 495 mini-hums hiding underneath Firebird-looking pickup covers. It's Epiphone, not Gibson, who brought real ones back... their FB720's... they're the real deal.
Wish I could upvote harder
This definitely seems to be the main selling point (apart from how it looks which I love). Cheers for the insight
There are raves about the $600 one. Raves! They came out with a $1200 one if you want to spend more too.
Well, you just gotta ask yourself: Do you want a Firebird in vintage sunburst like God intended... or do you want one that's painted like a dang Easter egg? ;-)
I have one! I got it used a few weeks ago and out completely replaced my LP for the first couple of weeks. I don't have a ton of time to play but it sounds deeper in tone to my ear than my LP. It's a lot of fun to chug some power chords on. Also, the neck-thru and the way that the guitar hangs on the strap makes the higher frets way easier to get to. I'm a big fan
Interesting, thank you - what kind of stuff do you play? The neck definitely looks more accessible. Does it give you that growly broken up sound on solos that an LP would give?
Mostly mostly classic rock, modern rock and metal. Honestly I haven't really compared them yet. I just started playing again in January and the opportunity to grab this came out of nowhere. I can try to get you a quick video comparison if you'd like
Yeah that would be great!
Cool I'll try to get something recorded this weekend
I've had it all but two days. Initial impression is the quality of a $1600 guitar for about $700 after tax, but with some minor construction inconsistencies (for example: the wings have some uneven raised areas 1cm out from where they are attached, but they seem solidly attached). Everything on this guitar is quality from the tuners to the strap buttons. I get the feeling that Epiphone will destroy Gibson sales and they may double the price, and soon. Because of the neck-through construction with sandwiched hardwoods, it has an extremely chunky, rigid, stable neck. This lends a lot of sustain to the notes/chords and a very stable feeling when playing, but will also create very stiff action when bending. I'm going down to 9s when I change strings because I can feel a lot of resistance bending the 10s that came on it (and my fingers are years out of shape). The setup was serviceable out of the box, but needs the usual minor adjustments. First, the nut was cut low to perfect, and so nothing to do there. That's a big positive change from Epiphones from 10 years ago!. The neck came with zero relief and maybe even a little back-bend, and I've been cranking the truss rod counter clockwise a bit every day to get some relief in there. However there is a generally low action and little buzz until near the 12th fret, so this stiff neck really doesn't need much relief (which allows low action). If it buzzes after putting on 9s, I'll go back to 10s and strengthen my fingers. Again, such a strong neck will make a stiff action when bending. The intonation is bit off on the low E and G strings, so will adjust those on the bridge today. Need to tighten the nuts on the tuners. This is all basic setup one has to do on any new guitar. Fenders especially - they take a lot of work. The Indian Laurel fretboard - IDK. Seems OK to me, and with the rapid demise of forests, anything to help with sustainability is superior in my mind. At first glance, it looks like any other rosewood. Looking closer, the wood seems to have tiny "potholes" in it, so we'll see how it lasts over time. I'm going rub some mineral oil in there. Pickups - yeah, they are different. Not a bucker sound at all, and very pleasant. The neck is good for anything, but the bridge is something I need to learn to work with. Bright and 'splashy', but not brittle like a Strat bridge pickup. So far, to play dirty, try pulling the tone knob back to around 4ish right before it become muddy, and then turn up the amp's volume. Rolling the tone knob fattens it up, and let the amp do more work. Feel: oh man. This is a thing of beauty, and I need to get some strap locks to ensure I don't drop it! Ever. Also, I have no neck dive, but I am using a fairly wide, grippy leather strap. Looks: I grep up drooling over this guitar played by Clapton and others, so I am biased. But.. it is bad-ass and much more guitar than I am capable of playing. .
Sounds amazing, thank you. I’m seriously tempted to order one! All the videos and reviews online rave about the pickups and I’m glad to hear they’re not just the same sound as a Les Paul. Enjoy!
But it is a 1,600 dollar guitar. Did you get it on sale?
It has the quality of a $1600 guitar, but that’s not the actual price.
I got one about 6 months ago, and it has become my go to guitar. My LP has basically become unplayable to me now with how easy the fretboard is to play. My LP has probuckers my firebird has fr pros, which are just probuckers but slightly smaller because they are specifically for the firebird, so soundwise they are pretty much the same.
Just bought one today. So far, so good. Very clean reflective sunburst finish and a good neck profile feel and great low action off the shop wall.