1966 Gibson Firebird V Non-Reverse Vintage Electric Guitar Ember Red, 100% Original w/ Case

$10,999.99

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Up for sale, a 1966 Gibson Firebird V non-reverse in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order with an incredibly well-preserved custom color Ember Red lacquer finish. The basic elements of the Firebird design add up to a resonant and powerful instrument, with mahogany set-neck construction and a thick Brazilian rosewood fretboard. Acoustically, the guitar has a very clear and resonant voice with a chime and cut that translates well through the two Firebird mini humbucker patent sticker pickups. Plugged in, the bridge pickup has great harmonic clarity and midrange kick, while the neck pickup has girth and warmth without sacrificing focus, with a touch of compression when pushing your favorite tube amp. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, this rare Firebird V weighs in at 7lbs 8oz and is strung with fresh 10-46 strings and dialed in for low, comfortable action.

The most notable feature of the neck on this Firebird is the headstock orientation, as this guitar is from a very brief period in early '66 when Gibson offered the non-reverse Firebird body loaded with mini humbucker pickups and paired it with a non-reverse headstock. The result is one of the most sought after iterations of the model, with a look that's undeniably sleek. The one-piece mahogany neck has a modestly slender feel at the nut with gradual taper up the fretboard, filling out to a more substantial, rounder C in the higher registers. The profile measures .830” at the 1st fret and 1.005” at the 12th. The original frets have good meat, showing very light uniform wear on the crowns of frets 1-4, extending beneath the plain strings until fret 8, with virtually no wear further up the fretboard. The neck is straight, and the truss rod is optimally adjusted. The stock nut measures 1 9/16" in width. On the headstock, the original Kluson nickel double-line deluxe tuners and "Gibson" truss rod cover are also intact. The guitar was at one time fitted with a different tuner set, as evidenced by the small touched up mounting holes inset from the Kluson strip tuners.

All of the electronics work as they should with untouched solder joints and CTS pots which date to the 30th week of '65. Both patent stickers are clean and intact on the undersides of the pickups, and the pickups read 6.4k ohms in each position. The body routes are original and untouched, and all of the stock hardware is intact including the reflector cap knobs, ABR-1 bridge, and stock pickguard which has a small amount of guard shrinkage on the bass-side edge, yet the guard is still very much secured with only one small chip north of the Firebird silkscreen graphic. The original chrome long frame Maestro Lyre Vibrola works extremely well for bends and surfy shimmies, jumping back to the original pitch with ease. This is a very expressive and responsive tailpiece, complete with the original vibrato arm.

The original Ember Red custom color nitro lacquer finish is incredibly preserved and unfaded, with very tight pronounced horizontal checking. There are a few small finish chips and light finish scratches on the guitar as a whole, with buckle rash at the treble-side waist on the back, and wear down to the bare mahogany along the back body edge. Most importantly the guitar exhibits no cracks or repairs of any kind! The wear is quite minimal for a guitar of this vintage and rarity, and overall this is a very well-kept example, and one of the nicest non-reverse custom color Firebirds on the market.

A hardshell case is included.

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Product Specs

Year1966

FinishEmber Red

Excellent

As Low As $355 / Month

Based on purchase price of $10,999.99 at 10% APR for 36 months. Excludes tax and shipping fees, to be calculated at checkout. Rates range from 10-30% APR. Select Affirm at checkout to get started.