Firebird Ecstasy (IYKYK)

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[SG Std]

Thank you for this video--I haven't watched all of it but enjoyed what I've watched so far. And Dave Gregory plays some excellent licks, and his Firebirds all sound great--so thank you very much Xpensive Wino!
The first time I ever saw a Firebird was in 1970--the front cover of the 'Live Cream' LP w/ Clapton & his Firebird but really got interested in them when I saw Allen Collins playing one 'live' in early 1974 as I really liked his lead guitar style.
I was playing in a 'garage band' back then so I had to have a Firebird myself! My guitar buddy was always going to the local guitar stores & told me of a Firebird for sale so I bought it but it was the 'reversed' 2nd/1966 Firebird 'body shape' version [w/ 3 P-90 pickups that 'screamed'!]. However I didn't keep it too long as i wanted one like Clapton & Allen Collins original 1964 Firebird shape/version.
Fast forward to 1977, I was lucky enough to buy the just-released Gibson Bicentennial '76 Explorer [with the thick neck] as Allen Collins had recently switched to playing an original Explorer so I HAD to have one of those--haha! I bought it the afternoon less than 24 hours after the terrible Skynyrd plane crash [Oct 20, 1977--there's a 'long story about all that but I won't bother anyone with it].
And then 8 months later somehow I found a brand new 1976 Gibson Bicentennial Firebird at another guitar shop so I bought it too! It was a Firebird 3 w/ gold hardware along with having an unbound neck [which looked great!] as well as dot inlays & a stop tailpiece.
The neck on it was perfect & played great! However it had extreme 'neck dive' due to the heavy tuners plus the pickups had very low output compared to the Explorer which had the ceramic 'Tarbacks' [they were GREAT sounding pickups & very powerful].
I really enjoyed playing the Firebird but it was unbalanced due to the tuners & the Explorer just simply sounded better to me so I eventually sold the Firebird to my guitar buddy.
Here is a picture of both guitars together from back then. When I bought the Explorer I loved the look of the black switch plate w/ the gold screws so i ordered a black pickguard for it to contrast the 2 gold pickups covers on it [and also replaced the 3 stock 'barrel/speed' knobs with black & gold 'witch hats' knobs]. And I eventually put a black pickguard on the Firebird as well. Paid $450 for each guitar back then--pretty cool!

Sorry this post is so long--it probably will take longer to read this than watching the Firebird video above!!

 

[jb_abides]

A great pair, right there ...

 

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[SG Std]

A great pair, right there ...

Thank you & I agree! I feel very blessed to have owned them both. Here they both are before I stupidly switched them to the black pickguards [ugh].

 

[Grog]

Thank you for this video--I haven't watched all of it but enjoyed what I've watched so far. And Dave Gregory plays some excellent licks, and his Firebirds all sound great--so thank you very much Xpensive Wino!
The first time I ever saw a Firebird was in 1970--the front cover of the 'Live Cream' LP w/ Clapton & his Firebird but really got interested in them when I saw Allen Collins playing one 'live' in early 1974 as I really liked his lead guitar style.
I was playing in a 'garage band' back then so I had to have a Firebird myself! My guitar buddy was always going to the local guitar stores & told me of a Firebird for sale so I bought it but it was the 'reversed' 2nd/1966 Firebird 'body shape' version [w/ 3 P-90 pickups that 'screamed'!]. However I didn't keep it too long as i wanted one like Clapton & Allen Collins original 1964 Firebird shape/version.
Fast forward to 1977, I was lucky enough to buy the just-released Gibson Bicentennial '76 Explorer [with the thick neck] as Allen Collins had recently switched to playing an original Explorer so I HAD to have one of those--haha! I bought it the afternoon less than 24 hours after the terrible Skynyrd plane crash [Oct 20, 1977--there's a 'long story about all that but I won't bother anyone with it].
And then 8 months later somehow I found a brand new 1976 Gibson Bicentennial Firebird at another guitar shop so I bought it too! It was a Firebird 3 w/ gold hardware along with having an unbound neck [which looked great!] as well as dot inlays & a stop tailpiece.
The neck on it was perfect & played great! However it had extreme 'neck dive' due to the heavy tuners plus the pickups had very low output compared to the Explorer which had the ceramic 'Tarbacks' [they were GREAT sounding pickups & very powerful].
I really enjoyed playing the Firebird but it was unbalanced due to the tuners & the Explorer just simply sounded better to me so I eventually sold the Firebird to my guitar buddy.
Here is a picture of both guitars together from back then. When I bought the Explorer I loved the look of the black switch plate w/ the gold screws so i ordered a black pickguard for it to contrast the 2 gold pickups covers on it [and also replaced the 3 stock 'barrel/speed' knobs with black & gold 'witch hats' knobs]. And I eventually put a black pickguard on the Firebird as well. Paid $450 for each guitar back then--pretty cool!

Sorry this post is so long--it probably will take longer to read this than watching the Firebird video above!!

Great story! I got married Oct 21 1977. I missed the news of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash until a few days latter. A terrible loss…….

 

[charliechitlins]

Yup...
I just couldn't live with the stock switching.
Now I get every combination with 3 knobs.

 

[SG Std]

A great pair, right there ...

Here they are again [with black pickguards-ugh-what was I thinking?!]

 

[jb_abides]

Here they are again [with black pickguards-ugh-what was I thinking?!]

Perhaps you were seduced by the Dark Side of The Force?

Yoda says, 'White is the way.'

 

[SG Std]

Perhaps you were seduced by the Dark Side of The Force?

Yoda says, 'White is the way.'

Actually what did it for me was the black input jack plate with the gold screws on the Explorer [which I bought first]. I liked 'that look' so I then ordered the black pickguard for it. Here it is along with the 3 different control knobs in its history-

 

[charliechitlins]

Actually what did it for me was the black input jack plate with the gold screws on the Explorer [which I bought first]. I liked 'that look' so I then ordered the black pickguard for it. Here it is along with the 3 different control knobs in its history-

Output jack.
Signal comes out of it.