Suspicious 1960s Gibson FIREBIRD..
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- It's hard to say what happened to this Gibson Firebird over the years. What do you think?
Do you know Steve from Greensberg, PA? my email is below.
Who does the best Gibson Custom Color refinishes? Let me know please!
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I knew Steve well. He had a guitar repair shop in Export PA, right next to Greensburg PA. He most likely refinished that guitar, And I actually think It might have been his personal guitar. I can do some more research. Unfortunately, Steve passed away last fall. I will contact you directly.
That's insane ! Will the story be known...
oh wow
Power of the internet!
Thanks, man. Will be on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next one.
Cheers
Sad to hear he has passed but good knews I may have the story on it as well as photo evidence!
Back in the day Gibson did all kinds of custom orders . Somebody wanted one like that and that's what Gibson built . Gibson did a lot of weird combinations. Thanks for sharing Matt.
Tom Kobialka I concur, also being from 1960 the fretboard could’ve been worn beyond repair or maybe the truss was shot and the fretboard was broken when remedying the problem. It’s obviously cheaper if the fretboard has no binding and inlays. This is all speculation though.
The custom order theory holds a lot of water.
Custom color were available. You couldn't order a Firebird I and have them add a pickup. They would suggest you buy a Firebird V more than likely. The Custom Shop didn't open until the early 1990's.
You're right, there was no custom shop . But if you had the money , Gibson did anything you wanted , 335 s with stereo jack's , 7 string super 400s , L5 s with brydland necks , etc. The list goes on . Many pictures of these in Gibson books . Money talked .
Could be so, especially if it was an early prototype but I think I have the story on the guitar.
Man, what a treasure that guitar is! A Firebird is my dream guitar!!! Being an Atlanta native and being a teen in the 70s, Allen Collins was my favorite guitarist as well as being my most influential musician! We couldn't go an hour without hearing him on the radio! Great video and fantastic playing! 👍🤘
Anytime I see a firebird all I can think of is Allen Collins, my hero rock on Matt.
Allen is awsome , so was Jimmy McCulloch from Stone The Crows and Paul McCartney Wings. He used a 72 Gibson Firebird Medallion that sounded killer.... many videos of him playing the bird on TH-cam.
A friend of mine who lives in Kansas City has one of Allen Collins' old Firebirds, its a stunning guitar
That was a cool surprise shot of him!
A hero of mine too.
@@barryengle12666 I would be interested in hearing that story. I am not that far from Kansas City.
Anytime I see a firebird, all I can think of is Johnny Winter
Me too. I've saw him 4 times since the 1980's. He was playing the headless steinberger he's been using since the early 80's, every single time I saw him. It was like getting punched in the face when I heard that he had died.
Absolutely!
Same! I wish I had a chance to see him 😫
@@ziggylayneable Did you stick around for encore? The last few times I saw him in NJ at Stone Pony especially towards the later years he would come back out for a few songs with the bird.
@@Johnny1.0 every single time I went to see Johnny Winter my father was the one who took me just me and him. My dad is an impatient man, and doesn't like getting stuck in traffic, so be that as it is, every concert he took me to,we always left early to beat traffic. He ALWAYS leaves15-20 minutes right before the show ends. Yeah I know it's a freakin bummer that he does that shit. If I go to a concert with my dad we never get to see The Encore. Freaking sucks.
Goddam that guitar has a haunting low-end sound that grips your soul. Probably the best one featured on your channel imho
It's really heart warming to see a younger (person) who clearly has such passion for these older instruments. I have no doubt that, if he chooses, Matthew will be an icon for experience and knowledge of these vintage beauties much like Norm Harris has become.
Thank you very much, I just have a passion for it and sharing what I love.
Love your channel!
What matters, really, is that it's a great musical instrument. Despite the issues that may affect it's vintage value, it sounds killer and suits you in terms of finding a sound that's yours. In my experience, a Strat is very good in letting the player's character come thru. But for some that find a Strat gets stale but don't want to much of a departure, a Firebird is a good option. Reason being, is that the tone isn't so far removed from a Fender, but the feel is. So you play different. Nothing wrong with that! If anything, it adds a new dimension to a real player's skills. I've owned a Firebird. This was my experience with it. I wouldn't change anything about that guitar, apart from the amount of times I play it.
7:58- "This is an incredible playing and sounding guitar..."
And that's what matters.....although the backstory probably would be fascinating.
Funny how Matthew never has a bad one... ;)
@@Sosu217 Excellent judgement.
Right? So many people get hung up on value or prestige...who cares.
This is true. A good story only makes for an entertaining TH-cam video😉👍🏻
@@MatthewScottmusic Truly.
i love how you express your feelings by playing the guitar and how you love these vintage guitars! 😍
Thank you for watching.
I've never said it to anyone, but I wish you all the subscribers in the world. I have an immense respect for you, your playing and the fact you take time to share your awesome gear with us.
I’ve actually held and played a very worn 1964 Gibson firebird VII, and let me tell what a fucking experience to play it. The wear on it looks absolutely beautiful. If you are interested to see what is looks like I can email you or DM on Instagram some pictures of it. Name of the guy was Jerry Rite
man email me! Matthewscottlive@gmail.com
I love listening to your Fenders but that is an incredible sound. No matter how hard Gibson have tried to trash their own brand over the years, that baby proves why it stood so high in the first place. An amazing instrument.
Back in 1982 my father bought me a Gibson Les Paul deluxe gold top that was advertised as a 1968 in the Ottawa Citizen here in Canada. It was 400$. Keep in mind this was obviously well before internet and the vintage fad etc.
On the inside of the control cavity was a name and SIN (Social Insurance Number) which I researched about five years ago and found the band and a band mate that the previous owner was part. They even had music and pictures online. It was fun to know something about the guitar which turned out to be a 1970 but ordered in 68/69. and bought at a local guitar store in Ottawa, Canada which the owner toured with in his band.
Great story of the Firebird Matt. Love your channel.
That's an awesome story. Hoping to find some background on this one.
This is probably the coolest guitar you've shown here. Sounds incredible.
I know it's an old post but I am compelled to comment. That is one of the best sounding guitars I've heard on the internet in a long, long time Matthew. Man when you hit some of those chords - the depth and resonance of that baby actually gave me the chills. Im a relatively new subscriber and not sure what you've done with the guitar in the 2 years you've had it but I hope it's served you well.
Matt, that is probably the coolest guitar I have seen you feature. I'm sure you bought it right because of the refin but the white is what makes it so stunning. I personally wouldn't touch it. It sounds fantastic and if it plays as well as it sounds, this would be a great addition to your arsenal of guitars. It's a stunning guitar Matt! Great find and thanks for sharing, I'm jealous over this one. You struck gold with that guitar.....Cheers!
Thanks. I'm sure you are right. The story might take it over the top!
Hey Matt , Gene here , years ago I came across a Medallion firebird , I really didn't know if they were of any value but I picked it up for $250.00 but it had a cracked headstock which I guess is pretty common with Gibson , I had it professionally repaired you can't even see the splice and the serial number was put back in the original spot , well when I came to Texas and went to Jimmy Wallace on you're recommendation and to my surprise he had one and was selling for $6500.00 not bad it made my day I don't know their history but Gibson also made a medallion flying V , hmmmm interesting
Possibly the best tone you’ve had on here. IMHO of course ha ✌🏼
That's what I thought too. It sounded better than his Strats even to me.
I agree, he really sounds good with that guitar! His tone is better "structured".
Glad I'm not the only one feeling this :)
That is a beautiful sounding guitar. Sounds like a fatter version of a strat
No BS I really thought this had one of the best neck positions I have ever heard.
I was walking in an outdoor concert with a buddy of mine to see Govt' Mule, and from way in the back I saw Warren playing.. I immediately said to my friend, "He's playing a Firebird".
Warren's the shit..
Warren is the coolest dude
Whether is hacked, cracked or smacked.You can still play the shit out of it. Thanks Mathew. as always a great video
Dude, I was SO impressed at the end when you started talking about "going the extra mile" and doing a restoration on that 'bird. Definitely a fantastic idea!!!!
I wanted a WHITE firebird from the seventies. Eventually got a 1990 Epiphone one on ebay. Made me so happy; its always on show in my living room cos it looks amazing. It also plays and sounds terrific. Its not a Gibson but mostly I don't ever remember that while I playing it! Enjoyed this video.
Thanks for watching.
Hey Mathew,
Thanks man for taking us along on yet another cool history lesson. I am not a player so I am like a blank slate and I really enjoy your explanations. I also like the perspective you have on handling these vintage and rare electric guitars. I have nothing more to offer in terms of your questions to us except to say thanks man and I sincerely hope you get what you want for this rare guitar. Smells like justice to me man...electric guitar style justice! hahaha
Cheers,
Peter St. John
Clovis, CA
This is, hands down, and honest to God, the best goddamn tone I've ever heard.
Lol right on!!
Seger Guitars up in Portland Maine! His paint and finish work is absolutely incredible and takes what gibson does and goes a hundred miles further. His craftsmanship in his builds is absolutely stunning. Not sure if he's done resto work like that, but I'd be willing to bet he would be interested in hearing about this and your plans.
Ill check it out!
That bridge pickup’s tone was so twangy, and it’s so damn good definetly a Pete Anderson tone. That riff at 10:12 has a Jimmy Reed was like music to my ears! Matt I can see you getting creative with this! Hope to see this in more videos
If it turns out to actually be a Firebird I, and you restore it as such, you'll never have that amazing neck pickup sound again. Incredible.
True there! Dilemma time.....
Before you even play a note, I love it I would buy it in a blink. Mini Humbuckers are the shizzle for slide guitar. A keeper never let that one go. As far as full restoration goes, I would relax for a while with this guitar, let the ownership and playing sink in for a time before jumping into a big decision. The history of anything old is a huge part of the sum of this instrument.
Definitely restore it. I only saw that chart for a short time but the gold looked cool. I could imagine that firebird in gold.
Most of my playing career, was before all of the build up of "lawyer" prices. In most of my days, they were just old guitars. That being said, I toured in the late '70's with a highly modded Firebird. Because of my out look, I never paid much attention to what model it was. Only that it was a 2 pickup model with a micro tuning bridge added, and that I loved playing it!
Love how you give the old guitars the respect they deserve and even the amazing way you play. If they could talk i bet they would say finally someone is playing me the right way lol. Keep on making videos Brother love them all especially guitar safaris.
Johnny Winter and Allen Collins. Oh yeah. And that Clapton guy. The sounds of my youth. Johnny is my all time favorite and he was gracious to the fans. Met him once around 1990. Photos and autographs for all of us that waited around long enough
Firebirds are so cool yet weird at the same time , like my mind can never be made up I see them and I either think they’re super ugly or awesome, this one looks great
Matt, you totaly deserve this beauty! Man you played the sweetspot and it sang! I’m very curious how the restoration wiil go.
Another Firebird, and it’s a cool guitar that deserves a restoration
This is like the best mystery movie ever. Cool guitar, sweet playing as always Matt. Another great video! Hope you’re staying safe
Great bird. Looks so cool I love mine and I just keep going to it more and more.
Just sent you a pic of him playing a burst FB with no binding and a HB in the neck position. Lots of guitar pics on his FB page. Look up Stevie instead of Steve.
David, I'll check it out.
Matthew Scott the pic was sent to your email... should have specified. Hope it helps. Love the guitar..
Saw that somebody in the comments recognized the name of the guy that signed the inside of the controls cover panel. Unfortunately deceased (RIP), but how cool is that! He knew this guitar had historical value and he put his name on the work he apparently did. Okay that refurb may not be period correct, but the quality is pretty good. Can’t wait to hear “the rest of the story.” Please make it Johnny Winter red.
Fantastic, one of my friends had one, when I went to see his band for the first time I new there was something different about the sound his guitar made. Although I am not a musician I had to find out about it which was when he told me it was a Gibson Firebird. I heard his wife sold it for $35 after a series of sad events.
Their is an old reverb auction ad for a "Gibson firebird 1962 Yellow". Thats what the auction headlines as. It also has HH pickup configuration and 4 knobs like yours and same input jack and no neck binding. Black back plate too. Sold for 10K six years ago. Best of luck.
If I ever get to see you play live it would be a real experience to see you go through your set changing guitars between numbers and using that one, your LP Jr., the Bigsby Tele and of course your wonderful selection of Vintage Strats.
I hope i get the chance and yes that's what I would do😁👍🏻
I’m betting it’s a Firebird I someone modded the living hell out of and ultimately converted to Firebird III specs. I imagine the cavity for the toggle switch should tell you for sure.
....and that neck pickup tone is unreal!
I live in Savannah Georgia I'm a local musician and a musician who has recently passed here Ricky Tire owned a guitar just like that with the same layout and everything no binding on the fretboard and he bought it brand new so chances are this is part of the same run
Dude, your playing is absolute fire, you've got a new subscriber here. Any chance that you would be able to do a little tutorial or something for that lick at 11:15? It's like Stevie on speed lol. Keep these awesome videos coming dude :)
I certainly can. I really appreciate you here.
Oh man this guitars tone is on another level, that was just something else, heavenly, it would be amazing to see this restored, great vid man, and playing, God bless🙏❤from🇬🇧
Sounds and looks incredible. It's a Firebird III, isn't it? The III was the next up in the line from the I and maintained the dot inlays and lack of binding. Sorry if someone has already pointed this out. Great video and cool story.
full story coming soon! the III had binding tho.
DUDE. your riffs at the end, MY GOODNESS!
Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hi Matthew 😀
Certainly one of the coolest guitars you've ever featured, it's definitely got mojo, looks and sounds great just like it is.
Ofcourse if you restored it, who could blame you.
I just love the look of those tuning machines.
I really, really enjoyed this one, thanks for sharing 👏😀🎸
PEACE
Great guitar, back in the day my cousin sold me a Firebird 3 and a Blackface Twin for $100.00. I think they were either 1963 or 64. I traded tham a few yrs. later for an acoustic, Gibson B25. Sad sad sad. Thanks RJ
Take the pick guard off to check the switch route. FB1 didn’t have a switch.
Oh yeah and a fb iii would have binding with the dots interesting.
That's what I have heard. A FB I had a different switch route.
That is indeed a great sounding guitar. There is something about Firebird pickups. They are not just mini humbuckers. More tone and high end. Like a fatter strat neck pickup IMO.
The construction is much different from a pole piece mini hum. Vintage is the only way to go as gibson doesnt even make a true bird pickup. They use ceramic magnets that are wound way to hot, they need to be alnico with a lower wind. Firebird pickups have sort of a fat, warm tele type of sound .....
@@darrylcole5575 as a Tele guy, I really enjoyed the way this bird sounded
A friend of mine in Austin back in the '80s had a Firebird that allegedly was once owned by Eric Johnson. His girl friend at the time was dancing around and tripped and fell on it breaking the head off, He got it repaired but rarely brought it out after that. Great guitar even after the repair.
Paul Stanley can be seen playing a FB 1 on the cover of Kiss Alive. Apparently it was damaged in 1976 and never worked properly again. Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones played the FB 7,.
Not usually a fan of neck pups on humbuckers (not that I don't like them - just always find the bridge and middle positions better). Saying that, on this guitar the neck was my favourite, and one of the nicest neck pups on a Gibson I've ever heard! Awesome man, I'd love to see you restore this😍
Matt keep that one, I've been watching your videos since the beginning and I gotta say this one has a really great sound. The middle position is really something else.
Cheers and stay safe bud
Your buddy Nik just got a really good refin done on his "57" strat. Maybe you could send your Firebird over to the guy who did Nik's strat.
Space Alien why
@@dezionlion Cuz he said he wanted to get his Firebird refinished to spec.
Space Alien doesn’t need a refin. Why would someone risk ruining a guitar that great?
@@dezionlion Didn't you watch the video? He said the guitar is already a refin and it looks like crap and all plasticky and not period correct. So he wants to get a professional refin done by someone who can make it look like it should. Someone already did a shitty refin job on it before he bought it. He explained all this in the video if you woulda watched and listened.
It isn't a good refin. I think it could look much better. I think I will hold off until I have the full story before I do anything.
Steve Budeski is and was a pretty proficient r&b and soul guitar player. He’s a Facebook friend of mine.
never been into LP's, so I've never paid attention to Gibson in general, this and the previous firebird video might change my mind....
I'm sure you saw this already, but there is a foto on Steve's facebook page, where he is holding this Firebird (there are also bunch of pictures of other Firebird as well, different fret inlays).
(dot) www (dot) facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204150599883716&set=pb.1787635259.-2207520000..&type=3&theater
Ah, what a sweet piece. And I could listen to you jamming on it all day with that old Fender rig. What tone. And great chops.
matt besides being an outstanding player . i respect your humility . the way you ask your subscribers for opinion and help....thats class...you seem to be an honest person....happy easter stay safe bro
Cool find. You indeed have a Firebird I, not a III. Your guard and knobs are not original, but those knobs do look like they're old. You should have reflectors, but you have Les Paul Standard speed knobs.
I have a '63 VII, a '64 I and III. They're all very different instruments. Yours has a great neck position sound. Really impressed.
Thank You, Matt, for sharing your passion with us! .. from a bassplayer who never loses a new video from you! WIsh I didn't live the other side of the world, so we could jam! Stay safe!
Mike
I had a 1965 FIII Cardinal Red, Banjo Tuners, Reverse Body and Non Reverse neck.......Transition Model. Killer sounding Neck P/U
Ahhhh nice sounds from a great guitar. I have loved Firebirds for years including Non Reverse that I have..
I recently found out that Duane Allman had a Firebird. Makes me want one even more.
Yep. Theres a video with jack Pearson playing it. Sounds amazing.
I think you are the reason i started playing blues. Its feels like guitar made for playing blues licks now :)))
Such clear tone, super resonant and every note crystal clear. Amazing
I thought the same!
It sounds INCREDIBLE
Very cool, Matt. One of your best so far. Hope to see her again and get to know the story.
Cheers, mate
Loved the blues riff you played on this video!
I know allot of people ragged on the mini humbuckers back in the day but I put a set in a silverburst ML that I have and I dig them. Just a different sound
Looks like this Steve Budesky may have passed away late last year: www.talkbass.com/threads/my-former-band-member-passed-away-friday.1423626/
You can still find him on Facebook (he posted a lot of pictures of his guitars, even some Firebirds) and perhaps reach out to a family member or a former bandmate. Appears like he played in a band called Three of Hearts. I found something here: issuu.com/pamusicianmagazine/docs/pamusoctober2016/19
It has been confirmed that that is the Steve. A commenter above yours said he knew Steve well and that he owned his own repair shop in PA. Also that he passed away last fall.
I'm sure someone has already contacted you. After playing a bit of "internet PI" I've found quite a bit of information on a Steve"Stevie B" budesky. Played for a band named three of hearts and apparently quite a luthier too!(would explain the i to iii conversion) according to a post from one bandmate he died late last year.
Surely it's him, how many luthier players with the name s budesky from Pennsylvania of that era can there be???
Would be amazing to try get in contact with his band! RIP
Also you can have a look on TH-cam for him. There 1 video of him playing a very nice old Strat!
Mini Humbuckers, I think? That's the best tone I've ever heard from a Firebird regardless of the year. Thanks for posting Scott!
Omg my dream guitar!!! I always wanted the Steve Clark def leppard firebird style!!! Subscribed to your channel! Can’t wait for more content man!
Thanks for being here
Damn, that thing sounds amazing
Nice find Matt.. This might have already been mentioned but the original and newer ones never had a pickup selector switch.. unlike an Esquire.. look under that pickguard and see if that rout is factory or not.. including soldering in there
My first thought was a Firebird I that was modified and it being routed for humbuckers at one time made me think so even more but Gibson did do a lot of custom orders in the 50’s and 60’s so it certainly could have been a 2 pickup FB-1 from the factory. If so I wonder if it was made with factory humbuckers. I’ve actually found myself wanting a Firebird more and more lately. I’ve always been a Johnny Winters fan and love the vintage Firebird sound, I have a Tele with Firebird pickups but I’ve really started to look at picking up a Firebird. I would be happy right now even with one of the new Epiphone versions with the proper laminated neck and put the J Winters pickups with a proper fret dress and setup.
Ive been searching all over for one.
Dude I think it’s a modified firebird 1. Seems legit, and badass. Good find!
Thanks Roger I agree.
Great sounding guitar and the usual fine playing from you, Matthew. The first time I ever saw a Firebird was in the hands of the two guitarists in The Merseybeats - that would have been 1963, possibly 64. Would it be feasible to take it down to bare wood? That's one of my favourite 'custom colours'. Good luck with your detective work!
Could have been a custom order. Gibson did that a lot back then. Excited to see more Gibsons on the channel. I like fenders but Gibson has always been my number 1
She's a beauty. The white firebird is one of my top favorites. If it were me, I'd change out that bridge/tail piece. Great guitar.
I'm on it 👍🏻👍🏻
I love the Firebirds. Those raw pick-ups in them. They feel so great to play, like riding a cruiser. They looked so cool. The control knobs were too far away through.
Awesome Find Matthew.
Those Firebird Mini-humbuckers are some of my favorite pickups.
Thank You for this content/upload.
Color, inverness green would be nice.
Sounds great through the Super. Are those pickups period correct or newer?
Also, a simple compensated wrap tailpiece would look much better than the huge adjustable piece.
Wow Gibson quality never ceases to amaze me!!!! Sounds great with your 64 Super!!!!! Thanks Matt!!!!
Matt, that looks and sounds amazing. I know what you're saying about making it period correct, but what you have there is simply a six string weapon and I'm pretty sure if you started messing with what you have, you'd lose some of its unique appeal, and instantly regret it. You and that guitar sound really in synch. To mess with that chemistry may very well be a mistake!
Well done Brother! Very nice guitar!
Like others, it reminds me of Johnny Winter. Thanks for sharing brother and Be Well All!
Your taste in guitars and ability to play is sublime... Rock on Matt.....
Thank you very much.
Keep these coming, mate. Love your videos, your playing and the world of vintage guitars you opened my eyes to. Great stuff as always ✌️ Cheers from India.
That is the smoothest tone...man...you get some of the good ones Matthew!
That smile on your face says it all. Fantastic sounding guitar!
I'm stoked to see where you go with this one!
Just now seeing this video. Did you ever do an update with the restoration? Thats an awesome find man.
Stunning guitar!!! One of the best that i've heard on your yt channel, for sure. I even love that finish.
Hey Matthew - I have a very similar guitar and I went through a crazy time trying to figure it out. No binding, sunburst, two pickups (routed for humbuckers but returned to Firebird). It has just the wrap around lightning bridge. It also has the silver paint on the back panel (and inside the cavity). Your pickguard looks like a replacement - mine is original and shrunken/cracked. My serial number is printed in black under the headstock lacquer - not embossed like yours. At the end of the day, based on the capacitors/pots, I believe mine is a 1964 Firebird 1 that was converted to a Firebird 3 configuration (which btw is what Allan Collins preferred). I'd guess that's what yours is too - though possibly yours is a 1963.
Forgot to mention, I only have the pointers on two of the knobs - which is another clue that it started as a Firebird 1
I doubt it, probably been messed with.
I believe mine is the same. Could you email me some photos of yours? Would be very cool. Matthewscottlive@gmail.com
My guess is the it's a #1 that had been routed-as you said- for humbuckers, but with one PU and two knobs as well. Then it adds up.