Firebird
The Epiphone Firebird is a Gibson-authorized copy of the classic Gibson Firebird. Most variations feature a mahogany body with a mahogany neck and the iconic Firebird headstock. Gibson Firebird Gibson had made forays into radical body shapes - the Flying V and Explorer in the 1950s - but they failed. The president of Gibson, Ted McCarty, hired car designer Ray Dietrich to design a guitar that would have popular appeal. Under Dietrich, the Firebird took on the lines of mid-50s car tailfins. Dietrich took the Explorer design and rounded the edges. The most unusual aspect is that the guitar is "backward" in that the right-hand (treble) horn of the body is longer than the other. Thus, the original Firebirds were unofficially referred to as "reverse". |
Contents |
Models
Firebird Studio
- 2006-Current
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with SlimTaper "D" profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Alnico Classic & Classic Plus humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Steinberger 40:1 direct drive gearless tuners
- White pickguard with red Firebird graphic
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Worn Cherry (WC)
- Ebony (EB)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- TV-Pelham Blue (TE)
Korina Firebird
- 2010-2011
Body:
- Korina Body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- Alnico V humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone Controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Steinberger 40:1 direct drive gearless tuners
- White pickguard with red Firebird graphic
- Black reflector knobs
Colors:
- Korina (KO)
See also:
Firebird-V
- 2007
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with SlimTaper "D" profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 Alnico-V mini-humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Diecast tuners
- White pickguard with red Firebird graphic
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- Gold reflector knobs
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Antique Ivory (AI)
- Ebony (EB)
1963 Firebird-VII
- 1999-2005
- $831 MSRP (2005)
- 2007
Body:
- Mahogany body
Neck:
- Set mahogany neck with SlimTaper "D" profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with block inlays
- 22 frets
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 3 Alnico-V mini-humbuckers
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Grover tuners with gold tulip buttons
- White pickguard with red Firebird graphic
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- Maestro Lyre Vibrola tailpiece
- Reflector knobs
Colors:
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
- Antique Ivory (AI)
- Ebony (EB)
- Red (RE)
- Metallic Gold (MG)
Firebird III
- 1995-2000
- $649 MSRP (2000)
Body:
- Lamintaed Mahogany/Alder body
Neck:
- Bolt-on Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 OBL mini-humbucker pickups
- 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- White pickguard with red "Firebird" graphic
- Amber bell knobs
Colors:
- Ebony (EB)
- White (WH)
- Red (RE)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Firebird 300
- 1986-1988
Body:
- Laminated Mahogany body
- Neck-through-body design
Neck:
- Ebanol fingerboard with dot inlays
- 25.5" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 1 EMG Select humbucker / 1 EMG Select single coil
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- White pickguard with black Firebird graphic
- Locking Steinberger KB Tremolo
- Black speed knobs
Colors:
- Red (RE)
- Ebony (EB)
- Silver Metal Flake (SM)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Firebird 500
- 1986-1988
Body:
- Laminated Mahogany body
- Neck-through-body design
Neck:
- Ebanol fingerboard with dot inlays
- 25.5" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- 2 EMG Select humbuckers
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone controls
- 3-way selector switch
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
- White pickguard with black Firebird graphic
- Locking Steinberger KB Tremolo
- Black speed knobs
Colors:
- Red (RE)
- Ebony (EB)
- Silver Metal Flake (SM)
- Vintage Sunburst (VS)
Slasher
- 2001 Limited Edition
Body:
- Solid tonewood body
Neck:
- Bolt-on Hard Maple neck with Super-Slide Satin Finish
- Indian Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
- Explorer-S Headstock
- 24.75" scale
- 1.68" nut width
Electronics:
- E-Series Ultra Hot humbuckers
- Engraved E-Series logo on pickup covers
- E-Series Smooth Tone potentiometers
- 1 Vol / 1 Tone Knobs
- 3-way Selector Switch
- Passive Electronics
Slasher FX
- Onboard Distortion and Chorus
- 1 Vol. 1 Tone, 1 Distortion Gain
- 2 Mini Toggles for Effects Board
- Active Electronics
Hardware:
- Chrome hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with sting-thru body
- No pickguard
- Black speed knobs
Colors:
- Metallic Black (MB)
- Metallic Red (RM)
- Metallic Light Blue (ML)
See also:
Electrics | Archtops | Acoustics | Basses | Bluegrass | Amplifiers | Promotional Guitars