Firebird copies?

[hungovermorning]

One day I'd love to own a Firebird, but I really can't justify (much less afford!) ponying up that kind of cash for a Gibson in the near future. Does anyone know of any good Firebird copies (NOT made in China)? A Japanese or Korean copy would be perfect.

 

[Buck62]

Tokai makes the FB-45, which is a nice copy of a Gibson Firebird V (5th edition) with chrome mini humbuckers and stoptail bridge. They're Korean-made and you can get 'em for around $550 USD from a couple of Canadian Tokai dealers.

Epiphone now has a Firebird Studio LE (Limited Edition) with all the goodies... set mahogany neck, mahogany body, standard-size alnico humbuckers, etc. They're going for only $399 and are disappearing quickly, as it's a limited run model. Reviews on the Epi Firebird Studio LE have been excellent. You might want to check around for availability. I'm GAS'ing for one myself!

Burny (Japanese-made) makes an excellent Firebird copy, but they're quite pricey for a copy, usually in the $700 to $900 range. They're also hard to find in the USA and were mainly sold in Japan.

There's also the "Orville by Gibson" Firebirds which were Gibson-authorized copies made in Japan. But these are also kind of pricey and hard to find.

There's a cheapie, Chinese-made Firebird copy by Wolf guitars, but it's pure crap. Stay away from that one.

Jackson made a bunch of Firebird copies, too. But they're all waaay overpriced and have bizarre looking finishes on them.

Jay Turser also made a Firebird copy up until last year, but they've discontinued them. The build quality on these Korean-made copies varied immensely. Some people claimed they were real nice, while others complained of protruding frets, poor finishes and electronic issues (bad pots and wiring).

 

[Buck62]

Welp... I just ordered the Epiphone Firebird Studio Limited Edition in Vintage Sunburst.

The specs:

Mahogany body
Set mahogany neck
Alnico Classic humbuckers
Chrome hardware
24-3/4" scale
1.68" nut width
Dot inlays
Stopbar tailpiece
Steinberger gearless tuners


She should be here by Tuesday, so I'll let y'all know the skinny on her when she arrives!


.

 

[jimistone]

Hey Buck, congrats on the new guitar order.

I LOVE firebirds....because they look cool and im probably the biggest Johnny Winter fan on the planet.

I was hell bent on getting the epi firebird with 3 mini humbuckers (not sure what model). Man, it is a cool axe. A music store in this area had one and I went in with the full intention of buying. I had never played a firebird before so I played it for a while.
I didn't like it....and I wanted to like it....I wanted very bad to like it. Just wasn't happnin' for me.
I thought maybe it's just the fact that it's an epi. I went to another music store that had a Gibson...played it a while. There wasn't a dimes worth of difference in the way those 2 played IMO.

I guess im just a dyed in the wool stat player. I bought an epi Korina wood flying V not long ago...it plays kind of like the firebird did...wide neck and string spacing...ong scale neck. I didn't care for it...BUT IT LOOKED COOL!
Now that I have played it a while, and have gooten used to the Gibson style set up, I love it...maybe I will try a firebird again soon.

congrats again bro.

 

[mrT]

One day I'd love to own a Firebird, but I really can't justify (much less afford!) ponying up that kind of cash for a Gibson in the near future. Does anyone know of any good Firebird copies (NOT made in China)? A Japanese or Korean copy would be perfect.

I'd go for the Trans AM... But I just like Pontiacs

 

[Buck62]

Hey Buck, congrats on the new guitar order.

I LOVE firebirds....because they look cool and im probably the biggest Johnny Winter fan on the planet.

I didn't like it....and I wanted to like it....I wanted very bad to like it. Just wasn't happnin' for me.

congrats again bro.

Thanks, jimi...

My electrics have varied so much between their weight, neck types, pickups and tone that I don't have any preset notions on exactly what I expect this guitar to feel or play like. I've been pickin' and strumming guitars for over 30+ years, so I don't expect anything too radically different about this one. I haven't played a Firebird in 2 years, but the last time I did it took me all of a couple of minutes to get used to it. I can't wait to get my hands on her. She's already got her space reserved in my climate-controlled guitar cabinet.

 

[Lt. Bob]

I have the Epi Firebird V with the 3 p'ups. I did have to replace the p'ups 'cause they sounded cheesy but the reason for that turned out to be something else and perhaps I could've stayed with the Epi p'ups but I have 3 Seymour Duncan vintage minis if there now.

The biggest thing about a Firebird is that the design puts your fretting hand WAy out there ..... further than with other gits. So when you switch you'll reach for a chord and be two frets further up the neck that you thought you were. Takes a little getting used to ... plus when you really get used to it and switch back to a strat or paul, you'll do the same thing in the other direction .... reach for a chord and be a couple frets further toward the nut than you meant to be.
So when you switch between it and other gits you have to watch out for that.
In general I've been happy with my Epi version and it's held together thru two drops .... one off the stand unto it's face on concrete, and one time off the stage altogether. A couple of chips and that's it.

Watching it fall I was expecting it to explode into a shower of particle board and sawdust but it was fine.

 

[Buck62]

I have fairly long arms and big hands, so it should be fine. I'm not one to have a problem with any guitar except for one thing. I don't like extremely high action and/or heavy strings on a guitar. About 20 years ago I crushed my left index and middle fingers in a machine on my previous job. Arthritis has already set in (for the past 15 or so years) and my fingers get sharp pain and fatigued from playing a guitar with heavy strings or high action. Other than that, I'm good to go with just about anything you throw at me. The last time I played a Firebird I really liked the way it felt as I played standing up... very comfortable. The longer neck is no problemo.

 

[Lt. Bob]

I'm not saying the neck is a problem ..... I'm just saying that it places your hand in a very different spot than any other guitar and you absolutely are gonna reach out and without thinking about it play a bar A and end up playing a B instead! I can guaruntee it.
But I love my 'bird.

 

[Buck62]

BTW, I forgot to mention that I've owned and played a Thinderbird bass for several years now.

You want to talk about a long neck???

That baby takes up two zip codes!

 

[jimistone]

I'm not saying the neck is a problem ..... I'm just saying that it places your hand in a very different spot than any other guitar and you absolutely are gonna reach out and without thinking about it play a bar A and end up playing a B instead! I can guaruntee it.
But I love my 'bird.

I hear ya...
That is my biggest problem when playing a bird, SG, or flying V....the sopng is in A and im going to B.

A strat feels like a miniture guitar after playing one of those guitars for a couple of hours.

Then, after playing a strat for a couple of hours...one of those guitars feels like straping on a surfboard.

 

[Buck62]

Well, I got my new Firebird yesterday and it's absolutely KILLER!!!!!

Looks great, plays great and the tone is incredible!!

Here's what I quickly re-discovered after a couple hours of playing my new 'bird....

(...I also posted this response in another guitar forum in response to complaints similar to jimistone's about Firebirds)

1: The Firebird isn't really a "sit down" guitar. You should play a Firebird standing up, where you'll then find your upper forearm resting perfectly comfortable across that elongated lower bout. Once you feel that nice comfy fit, the Firebird seems to be a natural extension of your body. Perfect.

2: Proper strap adjustment and the previously mentioned forearm resting across the lower extended (elongated) bout completely eliminates the perception of a Firebird being neck-heavy. I say "perception" because the neck on a Firebird weighs no more than that of any other electric guitar. It's just positioned a bit different than other electrics... more "forward" if you will.

3: If you do sit while playing a Firebird, you lean over the short upper bout of the body, not in the waist between the upper and lower bout like most other guitars. This makes it feel more balanced. The top-upper bout of a Firebird isn't very wide, so you won't sacrifice any comfort like you would leaning over the wider upper bout of other electrics.


Also consider this... a Les Paul is a crappy guitar to sit down with and play, because it's also a "standing" type of electric guitar. The waist on a Les Paul is narrow and it's pretty uncomfortable to set over your thigh and play. The waist on a Les Paul is also too narrow for your chest to lean over, too. But would you dismiss a Les Paul like you would a Firebird for this? Probably not, because it's a highly regarded and extremely popular guitar.

I'm not saying that a Firebird is for everyone, because it's not. I'm just saying that you have to take it's shape into consideration and approach a Firebird a bit differently than the typical electric guitars that so many of us are used to playing. Once you understand this, it's a phenomenal guitar with killer tone that you can easily fall in love with.