The new Gibson Firebird X

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

... was just announced with much hoopla. Comments?

[billkath]

It's a toy, of course. Why they just don't go back to making the best guitars they can is beyond me. Robot tuning and built-in effects-what nonsense for the professional. What were they thinking?

[Baltar Hornbeek]

On one hand, I'd love to mess around with it, I bet it's fun. On the other, it's an abomination of the simple spirit of a guitar.

[TieDyedDevil]

Never mind that the wood will outlast the tech. (Consider all of the RD-series Gibbys that have been gutted and rewired as normal guitars.)

What gets me is:

1. They couldn't find knobs that match…?
2. Not visible in your photo, but if you go to the web site and look at the closeups, the finish looks like it was done by a poor first-year wood-shop student.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by TieDyedDevil

2. Not visible in your photo, but if you go to the web site and look at the closeups, the finish looks like it was done by a poor first-year wood-shop student.

I don't recognize what exotic wood is being used for the fretboard, but it looks like someone wiped their a$$ on it! The guitar itself has a swamp ash body and maple neck, just like a Tele.

And whats up with the binding? The only thing that bound is the headstock, which looks completely out of place on the guitar. The Gibson Firebird has gone through several generations, but it's mainly looked like this:

[NSJ]

This is an embarrassment.-the Gibson CEO made a complete fool of himself at the unveiling, smashing a POS SG to symbolize the revolutionary nature of this guitar. There is a 60 plus page thread on the Gear Page on this. to recap--

1.a ridiculously high price ($5.5k) for

2. An UGLY overrated solid body axe that

3. Advertises as it's main feature-- on board pedal effects--useless!!! How can someone play and tweak knobs at the same time??? That's what pedals are for!! Then, as an after thought, they added Bluetooth, recognizing the absurdity of this.

Henry said that millions of dollars went into the R and D for this. wow.

There is a great picture of a 60 something Ace Freheley looking a tad underwelmed when handed this monstrosity at the unveiling


Sad story of a once great company gone terribly Wrong.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

On-guitar effects has been tried before and failed. What was Gibson thinking this time?

1. Stomp pedals let you do things while playing. They had a guy demoing the guitar, and yup, he has to stop playing and fiddle with controls when switching effects.

2. People like to pick and choose to customize their pedal boards.

3. Part of that mix and matching is the ability to use an effects pedal with more than one guitar.

I suppose, like car companies, guitar makers need a "halo" product, but this is a stinker.

[Drifter]

Looks like a Walt Disney design to me. Fortunately they still make real guitars like this one:

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

You like the original trapeze?

[mangotango]

What, that's a real guitar?? A real GIBSON guitar???

That is hideous. And wrong in so many ways.

They should be ashamed.

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

You like the original trapeze?

Absolutely. Looks stunning. I haven't played it though. Yet.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

The body shape of the Firebird X is closer to the non-reverse Firebird, which always looked like a blob to me:



Doesn't have the attitude of the reverse Firebird.

[SamBooka]

They are competing with their own 50 yo designs. Many were laughed at in the day. Now they are classics (flying V anyone?) Although, I find this very unpleasant. Ditto for the dusk tiger.

In the solidbody world, what new and fresh guitar designs are there? Every major mfg is building 50 yo guitars. Fender keeps fresh by giving a signature model to everyone and their cousin's father.

So what do you do to keep in the public eye? All QC issues aside you can follow the Fender route and play it safe. You can say "even bad press is good press" ala Gibson (http://www.guitarsavvy.co.uk/wp-cont...bson_Strat.jpg ). You can do the Rickenbacker thing and just.. do your thing.

Ok.. gottago

[Baltar Hornbeek]

I just watched the guy play at the NYC press event. That guitar is awesome. Never lug around a massive pedal board again. If I was a journeyman pop player, I'd own one.

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally Posted by NSJ

Henry said that millions of dollars went into the R and D for this. wow.

Did he really? I'd bet the IRS would be interested in looking at his books to find out where those "millions" actually went, assuming that it was money actually spent.

I can't imagine that taking more than a month from concept to delivery. It looks like it was slapped together from leftover parts.

Yah, maybe the electronics are custom, but y'know they must've farmed that out. Thinking about that: I shudder to think that this might become a "platform technology" like MAGIC.

Really, the darned thing looks like an amateur shop project gone horribly wrong. There's no sense of design whatsoever.

[robertm2000]

The "new Firebird" doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before, at least in this life. The marketing method, however, seems a bit familiar. Didn't Gibson try to market a "Hendrix Memorial" or something that was a rather sad takeoff of a Strat??

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by robertm2000

The "new Firebird" doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before, at least in this life. The marketing method, however, seems a bit familiar. Didn't Gibson try to market a "Hendrix Memorial" or something that was a rather sad takeoff of a Strat??

See the link in my earlier post..
I didnt do that right.

[GuyB]

Take a look at the user's manual : it's discouraging !

[amusiathread]

I think the new Firebird X could be greatly improved with the addition of an espresso machine and a pair of night vision goggles. Call me crazy, but that's just practical.

[fws6]

Please tell me this is not serious ? something you made up with Photoshop, right ??

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by fws6

Please tell me this is not serious ? something you made up with Photoshop, right ??

Ya got me. Here's the real Gibson.

[lpdeluxe]

Henry being a smart guy, and a Harvard MBA, I sort of suspect that his audience was not musicians, but investors. Nothing about the thing -- or the presentation -- appeals to those of us who play the things, but I can see where it might be geared for business people. It's symptomatic of Henry's insistence on trying to pretend his artisan company is **really** a major player in technology. I'd rather someone with a little less hubris were in charge.

It certainly is an ugly, useless and wrong-headed beast.

I don't think it'll replace my 335 any time soon.

[Steve Z]

Originally Posted by NSJ

... There is a great picture of a 60 something Ace Freheley looking a tad underwelmed when handed this monstrosity at the unveiling


Sad story of a once great company gone terribly Wrong.

Here is the picture taken from the Gibson website... a caption could read, "What the #*@! is this?"

[amusiathread]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Ya got me. Here's the real Gibson.

If anything, you improved it. Except for the espresso machine and night vision goggles. This is hilarious though.

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally Posted by amusiathread

If anything, you improved it. Except for the espresso machine and night vision goggles. This is hilarious though.

I dunno… That's still more tasteful than much of Gibson's output.

Does anyone remember their "art" guitars from the `90s? Thankfully, there seems to be no remaining trace on the `net. Some of them were truly hideous.

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

Henry being a smart guy, and a Harvard MBA, I sort of suspect that his audience was not musicians, but investors. Nothing about the thing -- or the presentation -- appeals to those of us who play the things, but I can see where it might be geared for business people.

If true, that's frightening. <shakes head>

[82Benedetto]

Sigh, must you use your photoshop skills for evil?
In all seriousness, the original Firebird design is classic for me. Probably my favorite Gibson design by a country mile.

Anyway, the fretboard on this particular guitar reminds me of the Spector instruments for some reason.

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Ya got me. Here's the real Gibson.

[Drifter]

Firepony!! Awesome humor!

[backliner]

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown must be rolling over in his grave.

[fws6]