# Bonamassa Firebird



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I'm really glad Long and McQuade doesn't have these in stock yet. I don't think I could resist the Tobacco Sunburst with 12 months no interest.

Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Joe Bonamassa "Treasure" Firebird-I™ Outfit


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

I've always liked firebird shape.

Ever since I got my Wilshire, I've become a big fan of Mini Humbuckers


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## SGJones (Sep 13, 2015)

Nice! I've always liked Firebird Is because they really show off the body shape. I also really like the fact that they used banjo tuners.


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## robare99 (Jan 9, 2012)

I have a sweet 1963 firebird VII. My first guitar ever. Just kinda lucked into it.


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## SGJones (Sep 13, 2015)

robare99 said:


> I have a sweet 1963 firebird VII. My first guitar ever. Just kinda lucked into it.


Yikes! Pics?


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## Brett Pearson (Apr 26, 2016)

Geeeeeez Kerry....I was just starting to feel satisfied with what I have and you have to go and show us this! That is a nice sounding and looking guitar. I have always had a love for the simple, one pickup guitars and this one certainly makes you feel that you need just one more...lol.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

That is pretty neat. Hopefully they make it in lefty as well.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Those are pretty cool. If buying one will make me sound as good and clean as Joe does, I'll take a dozen


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

_Original Thru-Neck Construction_


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

That gold one shore is purty.....


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## King Loudness (May 3, 2010)

I was reading on TGP that these come in at $799 (sunburst) and $899 (gold) and are limited editions of some kind. Keep in mind -- that price is U.S. Dollars. I'm not sure what they'll run in Canada, but my guess is somewhere around 1k. Bit expensive for what it is, but it is pretty groovy lookin'. That said, I'd rock one at $500 (with a Sanford mini bucker in the back -- rock n' roll machine!)

W.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I like that Gold Mist too!

I use a 90 degree plug into the guitar and with a strap, 
I could see the cord running right by that tone knob.

Cool guitars, but I think that I'd prefer a II anyway.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

those are super cool but I'm not sure I could get by without a neck pickup


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## Steve112 (Apr 17, 2016)

Those seem like fine guitars, Joe sure gets some very classy tones out of them. Epi's new pups sound great!


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## Alistair6 (Jul 9, 2007)

I'd totally rock one for $600-700. They will be more than retail on the used market due to limited. Just like his epi les Paul's. At $1000 can retail you can get a used Gibson firebird.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

L&M is showing them available to order now for $999. You can get a 2016 Firebird V for $1,539 and four stores in BC have stock, two in the lower mainland, so I could try before buying. I really like single pickup guitars and I really like the look of the Epi but given the future resale value of an Epiphone vs a Gibson I can't see me getting one. Very cool guitar but unfortunately not in my future until I can get a used one for $500.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

I got rid of a Firebird V a couple of years ago for a few reasons, one of them being the stock pickups with those awful ceramic magnets (hot & harsh, nothing like a vintage Firebird pup). It looks like the Epi uses A2 mags, will be curious to hear them.

P.S. Do the current Gibson Firebirds have proper pickups now? If not, you're still out a few hundred bucks to upgrade those.


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## Sugar (Jan 22, 2012)

Roryfan said:


> I got rid of a Firebird V a couple of years ago for a few reasons, one of them being the stock pickups with those awful ceramic magnets (hot & harsh, nothing like a vintage Firebird pup). It looks like the Epi uses A2 mags, will be curious to hear them.
> 
> P.S. Do the current Gibson Firebirds have proper pickups now? If not, you're still out a few hundred bucks to upgrade those.
> 
> ...


I threw in my Firebird, and some 500k pots and better caps/wiring, and it sounds fantastic now. Won't part with it.


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## 55 Jr (May 3, 2006)

'birds are so cool!

1972 Medallion Series


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Sugar said:


> I threw in my Firebird, and some 500k pots and better caps/wiring, and it sounds fantastic now. Won't part with it.


Which pickups did you install in your Firebird?


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## Sugar (Jan 22, 2012)

Roryfan said:


> Which pickups did you install in your Firebird?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


oops meant to say Lollars


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Put a pair of JS Moore custom A2 minis in my FB-V after showing Jon this clip to give him an idea of the tone I was gunning for:


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## robare99 (Jan 9, 2012)

SGJones said:


> Yikes! Pics?


Here she is 



And with the rest of the herd...


And my electrics lol


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Picked up a Gold mist one at L&M Bloor yesterday. Gigged with it last night. A Monster !!!
Unbelievable that they can make a guitar that good at that price. I'm not changing a thing on it. Alnico II pickup sounds great, stays in tune, played great right off the rack.


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## mrfiftyfour (Jun 29, 2008)

Sorry to say, but I tried the gold mist at L&M Surrey and I thought it sucked balls.
Total rip off when you can get a USA made Firebird V for $500 more.
L&M Langley has the V that I've tried out a couple of times. As far as tones and playability goes, way above the Bonamassa.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

I tried a gold Bonamassa 'bird at L&M and thought it sounded great!

I almost went home with it...

but I have a firebird already, with JS Moore pickups


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

I just got the polymist gold Bonamassa FB1... I've owned a ton of the Birds... including vintage. I was stunned by the quality of this guitar... and even more so by the tone and playability! The guitar weighs in at 7.2 lbs and rings like a friggin' bell! Very loud acoustically! So I plugged this thing into my '57 Tweed Tremolux and it was instant "Crossroads"! I've never had a Firebird with as much "going on". I had a few Custom Shop FBs and I always changed the pickups to Antiquities... but I honestly feel that this guitar sounds better... one thing... both my pal who bought one and I noticed that the Volume/Tone seemed to not be working correctly... in both our cases, the store tech moved a wire or two to reflect true 50s wiring and all was good. So keep this in mind if you buy one. I won't go into the neck shape, fit and finish, etc. here. There's lots of info available.
Suffice to say, I'm a total vintage snob who has fallen for a Chinese Epiphone! Try rly a "treasure".
I'm thinking about getting a sunburst one and having a neck pickup pro installed!


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

@faracaster and @bluehugh2 dibs when you decide to sell.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I find the single-pickup model just dead sexy. I let a 2-pickup Firebird slip through my fingers, the summer of '71. Regretted it for a long time. Gotta say, though, that for that design, it's just not the sort of guitar where one might even want to use a neck pickup. I suppose some do, but it's the kind of guitar that's born to boogie. And while a person can sit down with it, it's not a perch-it-against-your-knee-and-hold-it-to-your-chest design. You have to sling that beast down low.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

bolero said:


> those are super cool but I'm not sure I could get by without a neck pickup


That's what having other guitars is for. With buckers, I find myself using bridge pup most of the time anyway.



Alistair6 said:


> I'd totally rock one for $600-700. They will be more than retail on the used market due to limited. Just like his epi les Paul's. At $1000 can retail you can get a used Gibson firebird.


Agreed. L&M does seem to have a good price on these however - they're more expensive in the US (with conversion) it seems. The cheapest I saw on ebay was US699, which is 915 CAD currently + ship, you might as well get it new with warranty for CA$999 from L&M.

Also that poly mist looks like ass to me - tobaccoburst all the way (why there's no arctic white option is beyond me). Part of the style of (rev) FBrids is the 2 tone headstock


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

So we're seeing comments like for less dough you'd get one etc. ... that's not the point... players who have lots of vintage guitars feel, at ANY price, this Firebird can't be beat. Bonamassa says the Epi is better than the vintage Bird it's based on. Faracaster and I - and we've had just about every vintage guitar you can imagine (and still have a bunch) are smitten! Killer!!!


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

So we're seeing comments like for less dough you'd get one etc. ... that's not the point... players who have lots of vintage guitars feel, at ANY price, this Firebird can't be beat. Bonamassa says the Epi is better than the vintage Bird it's based on. Faracaster and I - and we've had just about every vintage guitar you can imagine (and still have a bunch) are smitten! Killer single pickup rock and blues machines!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

bluehugh2 said:


> So we're seeing comments like for less dough you'd get one etc. ... that's not the point... players who have lots of vintage guitars feel, at ANY price, this Firebird can't be beat. Bonamassa says the Epi is better than the vintage Bird it's based on. Faracaster and I - and we've had just about every vintage guitar you can imagine (and still have a bunch) are smitten! Killer!!!


OK, but Bonamassa saying that is near meaningless considering it's his own sig model (and the statements he did make reek of hyperbole - maybe genuine, but they don't come off that way to anyone with a healthy skepticism of marketing hype).

Some owners of vintage FBirds have disagreed with you in this very thread - is their opinion less valuable than yours for some reason?

You dig it; that's cool. But you have to realise that it is a known psychological phenomenon that people will defend their large purchases like this and the rest of us will be skeptical of any overly grandiose claims about how awesome it is because of that. You're love struck by yer new bird; it's cool, enjoy. Why can't it just be a really good guitar at a not terrible price? How are other people's value judgements of what they could have for a bit more such a threat to you vs just an indication of differing priorities? Maybe what you think makes it better (i.e. the difference between this and a vintage one - if it is better, there _is_ something different ) is what some others think made it worse, because we all like different things. I'm sure it's a fine instrument (Epiphone, when they really try, do good things) but we know from history that Gibson is loathe to let any Epi surpass a proper Gibson; it is their budget line and they don't want anyone to forget it. That said, there have been a few particular models that were just as good as the Gibsons at least (some of the Elitist range from a decade ago comes to mind) - I am inclined to believe this is one of them.

Incidentally, Epi debuted a proper neck thru Thunderbird bass at NAAM that looks like it will be very well priced (I hear US$995 list so probably about the same or a bit less than the Bonamassa) and, likewise, a quality instrument.










They're also doing an Embassy reissue (Cash cover band anyone?) for $695 list - those were essentially the same as non-rev TBirds (set vs neck tru) but with a different body shape. Problem is they're not doing the batwing headstock and made the upper horn look like a semi-erect penis to improve balance. ... that latter bit has rarely hurt a bass' sales much tho (see Warwick).

Anyway, all around I predict a bull market for Gibson T/Fbird truss rod covers on ebay in the next year.


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

This one screams JOHN ENTWISTLE!!! I'll just have to get one...


Pierre


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

By the way, I have had one of the sunburst Firebirds I on order at LM since they were first announced. Getting restless.


Pierre


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Smylight said:


> This one screams JOHN ENTWISTLE!!! I'll just have to get one...


Well, it ain't no Fenderbird ;P But very tempting, yeah. A friend has one on order already.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

Smylight said:


> By the way, I have had one of the sunburst Firebirds I on order at LM since they were first announced. Getting restless.
> 
> 
> Pierre


 yeah when are the sunburst due here in Canuckistan??


they have been available in the US for some time


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/johnEntwistleGP-NOV75.jpg


;-)

Pierre


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

Yorkville said April for the sunburst, last time I checked. We've only seen them for a few days in US vendors online, and then they disappear fast.


Pierre


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

That sunburst looks great, here is the gold one in action.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Smylight said:


> Yorkville said April for the sunburst, last time I checked. We've only seen them for a few days in US vendors online, and then they disappear fast.
> 
> 
> Pierre


Saw one at Bloor St. L&M on saturday. Played it for a few minutes......felt and sounded like my gold one. 
which by the way.....I still love.


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## Smylight (Jun 28, 2016)

My sunburst came in last week. Great kind of loveable semi-chunky sixties neck, very similar to the one on my Townshend SG Special (which mimics a '67, if I recall correctly). GREAT sounding pickup, much closer to the original sound I had in my mind than Gibson's Firebird Reissue, of which I've had one for a couple of years before abandoning hope I might get used to the incorrect slim-taper and useless PUs. This one has lots of highs, easily tamed with the tone control and a very percussive attack. Winter fans will love this one. Pots taper's not so great, I'll replace them with my usual CTSs as soon as they get delivered. They're fine large Korean types, though, not the usual Alpha mini-pots we're used to seeing on Chinese guitars. I just don't get along with the taper. I'll measure them when I get them out, but I suspect they might be of the linear type. Had to order metric ones so I'll not have to enlarge the existing holes. I'll be on the lookout for lower-values 300K metric pots so I can try them in as I find myself cutting on the highs with the tone control quite all of the time.

All in all, a very nicely done Firebird I, I'm very pleased with my first Epi purchase. I just don't get why Gibson can't put out such a correct Firebird Reissue on their own. Now let's see this Thunderbird bass from Epi. If it is done with that kind of attention to vintage correctness, I'm getting one to fuel my Entwistle addiction.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

There is one on hold for somebody at L&M Burlington. anyone here?


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

1) Must be nice to play whatever goes through your head. Perfectly. With great tone.

2) I certainly can't play whatever goes through my head. Perfectly. With great tone.

3) Still, GASsing very, very hard right now.


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