Haters gonna hate. I can afford a Gibson Firebird, I have several Gibson Les Paul Standards and Studios. I don’t want to spend Gibson money on a Firebird. I just got my Epi Firebird I at the Gibson Garage. All the Gibson appointments on a neck through body that wasn’t USA made, yes please. Put a Gibson truss rod plate on it and I guarantee most amateurs wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Stop listening with your eyes. Great video Jack.
Nice review! I bought the V and besides needing a fret dress, am extremely impressed. The laurel is annoying for sure in a $1700 guitar, but agreed that oil + playtime will make it a nonissue. All in all, I'm really happy with the instrument and I feel that it blows all but custom shop Gibsons out of the water.
The inspired by Gibson Firebird I’m very happy and the fact that it is a neck through design was enough for me. So much so that last week I picked up a natural finish Casino, much like the Firebird it is practically flawless. Dollar for dollar they both just knock it out of the park for me!
If Gibson or Epiphone made a left handed Firebird I'd be very tempted. Usually I play right handed guitars strung left handed like Jimi Hendrix but an upside down Firebird or a non reverse Firebird in any direction would just be wrong. Which is a shame because it's tied for my favorite solid body guitar and one of two guitars I don't already have that I really want.
I'm a Gibson fan, but Epiphone's newer stuff has been fantastic. The 59 outfit, the 79 lpc Silverburst, and the DG335. All are great instruments and feel better then the epis of the past. I have a few going back to 2003. The quality is great, plus they are all on epiphones high side. Now, if they had ebony or rosewood fingerboard,I would jump on the Firebird. But, I have a vintera II to get next month.
I'm tempted by the Firebird I but I'd have to sell one of my Gibsons to do it. The Gibson 2017 Firebird T had two Firebird pickups, Steinberger gearless tuners and a rosewood board. It was about $1,700 Canadian, or roughly $1,275 US. Basically a sunburst Firebird V. I wish now I had bought the one I looked at back then, but I eventually bought another giant Gibson, a 2018 Explorer LOL.
For the people complaining about the price of these new Epiphones... buy one of the cheap ones. They still make those you know. If you want proper Gibson pickups, proper neck-through construction, the banjo tuners, etc, guess what happens?
As usual, great playing and overall demo, Jack! While most of the components on these models are fine, it's a dealbreaker for me due to the cheaper Indian Laurel fingboard at this price point. I do like the Firebird V - it sounds lovely. While I prefer the Firebird V over the Firebird I, the Firebird I has some killer finish options. The justification comparison to the Fender Vintera is not quite fair - the Vintera II line has rosewood fingerboards and the original Vintera line had Pau Ferro fingerboards due to COVID. Maybe they had to go with Indian Laurel due to rosewood import restrictions since these are made in China?
I’ve always ALWAYS wanted a Firebird. i think it’s one of most epic looking guitars. But it’s a real buzzkill that every time something cool comes around, we lefties get the short stick. Fender seems to be pretty good on options, but Epiphone/Gibson really only seems to do the Les Paul, SG, and ES in lefty. And that’s not always a guarantee.
@Disruptor23 true But remember Gibson is no longer making a standard production Firebird. If you want something that looks remotely close to this, you're spending over $6000, you can't expect these to sell for the price of one of their Les Pauls, for example. I'm not saying I agree with it. But people seem to think that they should be able to buy this guitar for like $799 or something... aint gonna happen.
@@jonathanhudak2059 maybe they should produce standard production firebird before producing plenty of ibanez like colored les pauls in the standard line. Gibson is not ibanez. They first should deliver their iconic models and only then the katy perry collection.
@Disruptor23 thank God Gibson is not Ibanez. Nothing against that company but their guitars do nothing for me. Gibson Just dropped the regular production firebird maybe a year ago. Maybe it's because they weren't selling that well Less of a demand. I don't follow Katy Perry either
Just got mine and did not mind the extra cash outlay. To get one of these as period specific as this is, I'd have to pay many many thousands more. I will give a point on the fretboard being Indian Laurel but I think it will be ok in the long run. The access to the upper frets puts both my Epiphone and Gibson Les Paul's to shame. All that being said it more than I expected..... Very happy!
I got one used for 1000 it's the first time I ever bought an Epiphone after owning and being around Gibson's my whole life. It's funny all the complaints saying it's too much for an Epiphone. Go buy the 600 dollar Epiphone firebird then simple why does every Epiphone have to be a POS. Plays just as good as any other 1300-1600 guitar I ever played I don't understand people's obsession with a word on the truss rod cover.
Looks good to me. I won't say good or bad for now without trying one. I have the 649 model and like Firebirds in general. These fit a price point where no other Firebirds are available.
Man I just bought a gorgeous Guild Newark St X175B at Sweetwater for 799.00 with a hardshell case. Nit comparing the guitars they are totally different but Made in Korea gorgeous hollowbody guitar with tremolo and hard shell case with DeArmond pickups for 799 1k less than this??
@@guitarswhiskeyandgolf those Guild electrics are nice. I had a T50, it felt great, sounded good and was beautiful. Why did I sell it. In that range the guilds are nice. The Godin guitars made in Canada are a bargain. There's still American made Gibsons for less than the new Epiphones list price. I'm just old school and have a problem with Chinese guitars. Bad on me I suppose for being behind the times.
I got a Epi Firebird 1 for 20% off. I like it. It's setup OK out of the box. I'll have to tweak it just a little bit. The one pup is OK because the tone knob works well.
You can buy the older 1963 one for $695 then buy the pickups for $260 and a switchcraft switch $25 and save your self $800 dollars. This new gibson epiphone pricing is crazy charging double for the same guitars that cost the same amount to make.
I was thinking the same, as long as they are exactly the same size (?). Vibrola and banjo tuners though .... do I really need them ... hmmm ... 🤔 . PS. Gibson also do a _Plus_ version of their Firebird pickups that's a bit hotter.
They are different they new one's have the correct headstock and the correct banjo tuners I mean they are not that bad of a price for what you get but I mean if you don't care about having the right headstock and tuners then get the other one cheaper......
I love my 61 les paul Epiphine SG. I haven't touched it other than some fretwork and nut slots. I did adjust the poles down flush on the burst buckers and it is perfecto. Wired 50s style with parts I would use myself. Now the firebird......I can't play them without rolling the tone down on the bridge. I would probably put a .047 cap on the bridge and leave the .022 in the neck. Good stuff. Can't wait to see what happens with this new partnership. I also love my epi inspired by gibson explorers. They are probably my favorite of any guitars I have!
I have the cheaper version that I bought 2 years ago..absolutely love it. Everything is stock..wouldn’t change a thing. These new ones not only look inferior imo, they’re a rip off
Regarding price concerns: I wonder if Epiphone is increasingly being positioned as the foreign made version of Gibson. If so, Gibson will need to make Epiphones without many compromises. Just asking how close to the truth this idea is.
@@allendesomer don’t worry about them, I’m sure they’re either bots or company sponsored posts. A bunch showed up at once last night. Your comment is smart and valid 🍻
I just bought the Epiphone Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul so if the quality of these Firebirds are the same then I'd have to say that they're worth every penny of the asking price.
You realize the price of EVERYTHING has gone up substantially. From gas, milk, real estate, insurance, vehicles, homes, etc. Are guitars just supposed to stay the same price they were in 2004?
@@Ycjedi An Epi Firebird from Andertons last year cost £649. This years Epi Firebird from Andertons costs £1700. The Reverb estimated price guide for a second hand 2020 Gibson Firebird puts those at between £1086 to £1752. Yeh, just like gas and milk.
@@JackFossett Even a Ca made in America Performer Strat is 1399.00 brand new. Who knows if Epi sells 100k of them then I guess they are happy but not sure they will but what do I know
I just can't make myself to buy it with that price. Sorry, but as much as I want one, especially the red one, I'm just gonna have to pass this. Unless I find a used one at some point that's a reasonable price.
Love it at $999, not so much at $1,699. Gibson needs to get their head out of their ass and quit screwing with the Epiphone business model. What’s next, a Murphy aged Epi at $4k?
Perhaps it's the quality of the audio parts that they use, but I've always found guitars with circuit board wiring to sound much more muffled and lacking articulation. I understand that hardwired harnesses could have more room for error and general inconsistency. But again, maybe it's that the hardwired harnesses tend to use better pots and caps.
I wonder how long it will take for them to replace the $649 model with a satiny finish vintage sunburst and the whole enchilada,two tiered headstock/banjo tuner with maybe a some flamed wing pieces. I’m gonna maybe go ahead and sale some stuff to make room and bank some cash😆😆
Ordered my Ember Red. Gonna PLEK. Or might save another 7k for a brand, QC issues and rosewood. No, I won't. Have Korina V, 61 SG, Prophecy V and Texan. Like some Epiphone.
Gibson have lost their minds. People aren't buying Gibsons so we'll make them more expensive and out of reach. Next idea we will more than double the price of our Epiphones that already weren't impressing intermediate to pros and let them gather dust. My prediction: Gibson and their Apple Garages will fold and fast. Far too many other reasonable and good quality instruments out there. Taylor is a great example of having a successful range for everyone.
@@BlueberryStinkFinger62 Get over what exactly? Spend you money how you see fit, maybe it is you that has an issue to get over? I merely expressed my point of view on the subject and you two clowns felt the need to make pointless rebuttals. You money is not my money, so do as you will. I don't care.
@@FrankBuyers...guitarista-iu3zg Hey weird dude, find something else to do with your time. Like spending your money on some Pau Ferro and some slave labor like a good Epiphone fan “boy”. And yes, I do own those guitars. several of them (not that it matters). And guess what? Your money is not my money, you spend your money the way you feel is fit and I will do the same for myself. It’s that simple, crazy I know. And again, get a hobby and stop bothering me. Dismissed.
The price is ridiculous, the neck is awful and, even though the guitar is good enough, an Epiphone for that amount of money is a dealbreaker. The guys at Gibson should get ready for a total sales failure. Rightly so...
I hardly think they are ugly, on the contrary this models are the coolest that gibson can put out , but ya I think this models were not made for traditional old school uncool vibe dudes
I agree, I love the look. I'm not crazy about the non-reverse firebird, I think that one is kind of blobby - but a traditional reverse firebird looks amazing.
