NGD Happy B-Day to me! 2015 Gibson Firebird
- Thread starter Relic
- Start date
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
Thank you Al.
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
I'd like to read that book when you're done with it. lol
Not quite as purdy as that golden hardware'd triple 'bucker with a Lyre you had a while back but still, thank you.
She is unquestionably a real sonic tone monster with the most precise fretboard built for high-speed high-wire finger acrobatics that I've had the pleasure of owning! That's high praise from a guy who finds such things hard to come by.
As you know, I've had no problem tearing a guitar apart after buying it & being unhappy with various aspects of it's playability or sound.
As a matter of interesting fact, I played a gig last night & brought 'the Bird' & the '14 SG Standard as guitars 1 & 2 for the night. There happened to be a couple guitar players in attendance that were falling over themselves drooling about the Firebird's looks & more importantly, it's sound!
That Firebirds fat tone & sonic wallop are undeniably impressive to both me, & maybe more importantly, the engaged listener, who can genuinely appreciate such things as the finer points of a great sounding guitar.
I played the Firebird for the entire first half of the night & honestly got compliments on how awesome it sounded! When ya think about it,.. how often does that really happen at gigs where a compliment goes beyond 'you sound good man' or 'awesome job' to actually getting a specific mention on how great your guitar sounds??
Anyway, I started the second half of the night off with the SG Standard leaving the amps controls on that Fender SuperSonic 22 Custom basically in the same EQ settings as just prior with the Firebird. Boy was it thinner sounding!
It not only lacked that pre-amp hitting kick of the Firebird but also was missing the bottom end oomph which was now gone too! And the top end was lacking that sparkle that gave the highs that dimension & definition. I think I made it through 4 songs before going from that SG back to the Firebird & when I did, the change was dramatic & instant, as well as beautifully full sounding & sincerely pleasing to me as a guitarist!
It was a noticeable moment of change both to me, members in the band & those two guitar players in the audience either as they had no problem conveying those observations when that set was over.
So all in all, Yes, I am diggin this Firebird & I'm very H A P P Y with my birthday present.
FYI: It is also fair to say that I am a new appreciative fan of Gibsons 2015 models wider fret board, improved Plek, adjustable Zero Nut, Lower Frets & Fret Over Binding construction!!!!! The ability to set this guitar up for high precision playability is a genuine breakthrough that puts Gibsons quality in professional guitars back on the map!
It genuinely feels good to see this company that makes the guitars I'm such a big fan & user of get serious about playability being of the utmost importance once again & freeing itself of some past construction techniques that compromised playability in the name of cheap construction methods that cut costs & saved time.
There is no argument from me that the 2015 Firebird's neck & fretboard construction is superior to the 2014 boards made just the year prior. Also interesting to note, 2015 was the last year before these higher end version guitarss got the 'HP' designation & became saddled to a mandatory G-Force tuning system!!! Ugh!
Just when ya think Gibson was getting serious about putting out professional guitars for professional players the company goes & displays a lack of judgement & insight over what makes a guitar a truly ready to play professional instrument & puts mandatory G-Force tuners on all the 'HP' model guitars! This is nothing short of failing to understand or acknowledge that an accomplished professional player does not want nor would not want this auto-tune system to be on a guitar they are going to perform with. This really is a shame & a shame that puts a whole lot of people through extra steps & expense on an already expensive guitar purchase to make their new Gibson's truly reliable enough to be played in a professional setting by riding & replacing this mandatory factory auto-tune system.
My only question is,.. When will Gibson wise up & stop this stubborn charade that purports thier auto-tune system as a professional necessity that needs to be mandatory on HP guitars? If anything, these G-Farce tuners seem more useful & at home on a non-professionals guitar &, there is little doubt they would genuinely be of great assistance to the newer players still mastering hearing pitch & tuning accurately. The fact that these auto-tuners get thrown on the more expensive HP guitars (which are aimed at the more accomplished & demanding guitar player as well as the semi-pro & professional player) really makes me think this is nothing more than a ploy to promote these auto-tuners & extort money from the guitar players most likely to have it & be willing to pay the extra expense just to get the up-scale, more highly playable, precision made guitar they want & need as a guitar player.
Fortunately for me, 2015 is the year that avoids this issue on the Firebird V, and for that I am happy happy happy all around with this beautiful guitar!
Rock On, Rock On!
B
Biddlin
Guest
Hey, they put the wrong neck on that one, but Happy B'NGDay any hoots!
Six String
Well-Known Member
Definitely a case of when you don't mind getting the bird. Congrats! :dood:
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
Ya know, sometimes I really hate it when something happens or gets said that puts a silly idea in my head that I just know I'm going to spend valuable time & creative energy on (ok, waste valuable time & energy on)! Like this here 'Gettin the Bird' comment.
Of course I like a good joke & making people laugh as much as the next guy. It is just that this pursuit of the laugh sometimes gets me to follow rabbits down a rabbit hole & well,.. anyway, here is the result of those hours spent on a Sunday afternoon chasing that silly rabbit.
So here it is,.. the 'Bird' meets 'the Bird'.
I call this one 'the Finger-Bird'.
OK, it may take guitarists to get this 'joke', and I use that term loosely.. but really, how many people are going to know & recognize that 'Finger-Bird' as the backside of a Firebird neck & actually 'get' the joke?
Then we have 'Birdy Idol'.
My, what a short stumpy strange finger you have Mr Birdy Idol. Right. That's what I thought too so, I tried the backside again. No, not 'that backside'! The backside of the Firebird headstock silly.
I will be trying harder to recognize these rabbit holes in the future before venturing away the hours of a perfectly wonderful day.
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syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
Six String
Well-Known Member
Your rabbit was very productive as rabbits normally are.... Excellent! :dood:
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
Thanx my fellow poonanny luv'r.
(above) is actually a picture of a cat that ran under my car one night a couple of months ago. I had turned around to check on the cat & thought the cat was dead when I picked him up off the road, laid him in the back of my car & went house to house (close to midnight) looking for his owner. About 1/2 hour into looking he started moving around in the back of my car! I ended up taking him about an hour away to an all night animal ER. Long story short, he likes it here & don't want to leave. I'm stuck with him & that's OK.
Back to guitars!
I haven't put this guitar down since I got it. It has become my new #1! & it doesn't even have a trem bar! And for people that know me, That says a lot!
I have worked the neck relief, string height playing action & intonation into an effortlessly playing always in tune instrument that gives mucho joy & an added level of inspiration when playing it that my other girls ain't bring'n to the table right now! LOL
This Muth'r Rocks Bruddah.
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
LMAO Barry has a kitty and a Bird
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
It's ok Smitbro. You didn't mis nutt'n but my BIRTHDAY! lol
OP
Relic
Well-Known Member
Thank you Bruddah! Better late than never! Thank you.
& I am enjoying that Firebird, immensely! I absolutely love the feel & precision of the wider Pleked Fretboards & adjustable nut. It offers a playing ease that is hard to come by in other guitars without a whole lot of work!
The 2015 fretboard plays so supremely (yes, notably better than my 2014 SG Standard) that I will be looking for other additional 2015 models & up through 2017 (& beyond if they keep making these fretboard, no Nib binding & adjustable Nuts like they do) to buy in the future. I'll even be looking to not only save money on pricing due to their being used but most will probably have the bull$#it G-Farce units already 'repealed & replaced' saving even more money & time from being wasted ridding an otherwise spectacular instrument of a very unprofessional flaw.
But back to the good stuff.
There is a tangible difference in my playing speed & accuracy with this '15 F-bird. I don't play fast all the time but I love to practice scales & riffs as fast & accurately as I can. OK, I do love to fit fast flourishes in some free-form lead-work when I can get away with it too, but you get the idea I'm sure. One of my favorite things to do is to copy & duplicate recognizable, iconic signature leads parts (say like Hotel California) and then take one more spin through the changes at the end playing my own lead-work. & that usually entails pushing the envelope & trying to build the excitement while also trying to stay somewhat complimentary to the original feel of the song. So for Hotel Cali it gets upped a notch or two the last time through into that Spanish sort of Cha cha cha cha ending. It always brings some heartfelt applause & appreciation from folks that are into it, which to me, is better than getting paid at the end of the night! LOL This Firebird is perfect for that because it really is so quick, easy & inspirational to play.
Have you tried these newer boards yet bro? Forget the '14's & go for the '15 HP type models. (HP wasn't being used yet on 2015 guitars despite some models having the same specs as those found on guitars a year identified as HP models!) The shame of it is that most times you ain't gonna get the ultimate feel due to store set-up but don't be afraid to turn those bridge adjustment wheels down & re-tune to get a better idea of the sheer guitar playing bliss that awaits!
These Gibson HP type guitars are a significant & tangible improvement over their Nib'd 'top a 'da line' predecessors that puts Gibson back in the highly playable pole position that not only backs their long tradition of pride in quality but also gives legit reason for Gibson's reputation as making some of the best instruments you can get in mass-produced guitar!
Fancy praise like that from me for Gibson has been hard to come by for a while. That's how good this current fretboard arrangement really is, & how much I really love & appreciate this '15 Firebird.
Rock On Bruddah. Rock On.