When I was younger I wanted one…but they’ve always been expensive…I ended up settling for an older Ibanez ic300 iceman…the cool looks and same playing discomforts for half the price 😅 I think I could afford one now but always wondered if these suffer from the same Gibson neck break issues.
The Joe Bonnamassa model by epiphone is still being sold with the FB720 pu's and no banjo tuners. I have one, and had the local Luthier flip it to LH. Love it. Natural finish.
I'm 5' 10''. For me the Firebird is the 2nd most comfortable guitar. 1st place goes to the Gibson SG. My Firebirds (Epiphone and Tokai) don't have the banjo tuners and I only found neck dive a problem on the Tokai when the front strap button was mounted on the shoulder. I moved it to behind the neck and there's no dive. The fact that the string length is moved to the left means there's no need to hunch the right shoulder to get the picking hand into position. Firebirds are the sexiest.
I'm a 6 foot tall male with fairly long arms, so the Firebird is comfortable for me to play, but I can see why it would be uncomfortable for smaller individuals. Think if it as more like an SG than any other Gibson model as far as how it feels with the neck seeming to stick so far out from the body. I love the look and sound of the Firebird. For being so large, they are surprisingly light, which I also like. I have a 2013 model and an Epiphone 2020 model, as well. My dream Firebird is the 1965 "transitional" model. It has a reverse body with a non-reverse headstock. They are hard to find and mighty expensive!
Really enjoyed the edgy old school tone in the 4th sound snippet in particular. I don’t think I’ve ever played one but they look so cool. I’ve been tempted by the Thunderbird bass for years as well but the tone isn’t as exciting on those.
