Gibson Firebird V 2010 (Ebony)

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Gibson Firebird V 2010 (Ebony)

Conceived amid the chrome and tailfins of the Motor City, forged on the workbenches of Kalamazoo, proven on rock and blues stages around the globe, the Gibson Firebird was one of the most radical instruments the world had ever experienced when it hit the scene in 1963, and it's still a guaranteed head-turner today. The Firebird was the brainchild of legendary automotive designer and visionary Ray Dietrich (designer of classic Lincoln and Packard cars), enlisted by Gibson to bolster the guitar lines of the early '60s and help solidify the company's eminent rank among solidbody electric guitar manufacturers.

Dietrich's unconventional design was based loosely on both the legendary automobile tailfins of the 1950s, with a touch of the radical look of the Gibson Explorer, introduced five years earlier. Built precisely in the image of this icon, the Gibson USA Firebird V 2010, with its classic "reverse-body" styling and reverse six-in-line "hawk's head" headstock, strikes a pose that remains as truly unique today as it was nearly five decades ago. It retains the visionary "through-body" neck design that increases sustain and resonance, while upgrading the instrument's power with a pair of ceramic-magnet mini-humbucking pickups that look identical to the originals.

Considered just too far ahead of its time back in the day, the "reverse-body" Firebird was deleted for a somewhat more traditionally shaped "non-reverse" Firebird in 1965, and remains a rare bird indeed, but the Gibson USA Firebird V 2010 brings that radical look and sound back to the hands of hardworking guitarists everywhere. More than just a matter of looks, the Firebird's design offers several tonal and performance benefits that don't immediately meet the eye, and all are mirrored in today's Firebird V 2010. Its "through neck" is constructed from a nine-piece mahogany and walnut laminate that extends from headstock to end pin, forming the central core of the body in addition to the neck itself. As well as providing superior strength, this design aids resonance and sustain enormously, which are enhanced by the Firebird's body wings of solid lightweight Grade-A mahogany.

Many further benefits are achieved by the stylish headstock that auto designer Ray Dietrich conceived for his masterpiece: the reversed six-in-line tuners offer a straight string pull through the PLEK-cut slots in the dense Corian nut to avoid pinching and binding and any resultant tuning problems, while the use of "straight-through" tuners avoids spoiling the elegant lines of the "hawk's head" shape. The Steinberger™ gearless tuners used on the Firebird V 2010 not only look great, but provide a stunning 40:1 turns ratio for unbelievably efficient tuning. A Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece pairing keep it all solid, sustaining and in-tune at the body end, too.

Providing the ideal blend of power, sparkle and fidelity, the Firebird pickups are like none other. Looking outwardly like the mini-humbuckers that appeared on many Epiphone guitars, and later, Gibson's Les Paul Deluxe, these are actually very different units. Developed for the Firebird in 1963, they originally used an individual Alnico bar magnet in the center of each coil to attain the brightness and clarity that many players demanded in the day. Gibson USA updates the format with powerful ceramic magnets for added punch and a broad frequency range, while retaining a pickup that excels at anything from twang to snarl.

To top it all off, the Firebird V 2010 has a playing feel quite like no other guitar around today. Gibson's distinctive but different '50s and '60s neck profiles are loved by different camps of players, the former rounded and chunky, the latter thinner and flatter. For the Firebird V 2010, Gibson USA blends the two feels, in a neck that is still slim and fast, but with an appealing roundness that sits beautifully in the hand. Add it all up, and it's a unique instrument that still cuts a dashing figure—and belts out and unparalleled tone—today just as it did back in '63.