Notice the 2 P-90 pickups and the reverse style body design The flat “Platypus” style headstock of a transitional model 1965 Gibson Firebird I in Ember Red A 1965 Firebird I in custom color Ember Red. The Platypus-style Firebird also features 6 in-line tuners rather than banjo-style. Unlike the original Reverse headstock design, which featured a two-layered headstock with a holy veneer, this new headstock was flat, like the bill of a Platypus. The name was coined due to the headstock. The most well-known feature of these transitional guitars is dubbed the “Platypus”. One of the odd, transitional guitars we’ve seen even features banjo-style tuners like you would find on the “Reverse” headstock, but the headstock is actually “Non Reverse” in shape. These transitional models are rare but several different types exist. In early 1965, the original Firebird design began to transition. Unfortunately, sales of this guitar were poor and only about 3,000 variations of the original Firebird were produced from 1963 to early 1965. This was the most expensive option available A 1964 Gibson Firebird VII in custom color Ember Red. This was the least expensive model in the series. However, in reality, Ember is lighter and brighter (think Fender’s Fiesta Red) and Cardinal is deeper and darker (think Fender’s Dakota Red). Meaning, in the image above it is clearly printed that Ember is a darker color than Cardinal. One thing to note, Gibson actually has their red colors flipped on their official color chart. The 1963 Gibson Firebird and Thunderbird brochure featuring the 10 custom color optionsįinding an all-original Gibson “Reverse” Firebird in a custom color is an extremely challenging feat. If you wanted to add a custom finish, you automatically added a $15 increase to your total. This pricing was for the standard finish. Gibson debuted the series with a starting price on the Firebird I of $189.50, all the way to $445 for the Firebird VII. A lot of the custom colors that Gibson used closely mirrored those offered by Fender, some even being made by the same paint company. Firebirds and Thunderbirds were offered standard in a Sunburst finish, however, Ted McCarty also added an option of 10 custom color finishes. It was punchy, young, and above all, uniquely different. It was a radical change from Gibson’s typical guitar appearance. It featured an asymmetrical shape and a mahogany neck that ran all the way through the body, with two “wings” on either side. The series debuted in 1963 and was the brand’s first neck-through-body design. Above: A 1964 Thunderbird II and 1964 Thunderbird IV in Sunburst The Thunderbird Bass was offered as the Thunderbird II and IV, where the II featured one pickup and the IV featured two. Each model shows more intricate appointments than the previous. The Firebird line consisted of the Firebird I, III, V, and VII. The result was four “Reverse” style Gibson Firebirds, as well as two Gibson Thunderbird models in their bass line. Ray was best known for his contemporary automobile designs as the head of design at Chrysler. He was asked to aid in the creation of a guitar that would not be limited by the traditional ways of design and engineering on an electric guitar. This led Gibson to hire a man named Ray Dietrich, an automobile designer, in 1962. Gibson’s Ted McCarty hoped to create an entirely new line of guitars whose curves and custom colors would rival Fender and emulate the aesthetics of the auto industry. This was not only limited to their bold colors but was also mirrored in the shapes and curves of the automobiles. Additionally, the automobile industry of the 60s was booming, so many major manufacturers were pulling inspiration from popular cars. These were not performing well enough to keep up with the demand being met by Gibson’s competitors. In the early 60s, the only other solid-body electrics that Gibson produced were the SG and Melody Maker lines (after phasing out the Les Paul body style of course). Fender had been successfully targeting a younger generation of musicians doing so with interesting body shapes, bold and bright custom colors, and a broad array of creative marketing techniques. With the turn of a new decade, Gibson was looking to add a new solid-body electric guitar to their lineup in an effort to keep up with other large companies like Fender.
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