1963 Gibson Firebird V

An early 1963 Gibson Firebird V in excellent, all-original condition, with no cracks, breaks, repairs or finish touch-ups. This first-run example features a two-piece neck, an “invisible” heel, a pickguard without the Firebird logo, a black pickup-selector ring and early control-cavity routing. The potentiometers date to the 36th week of 1963.

The guitar plays easily, with low action throughout the neck. Its two Firebird pickups combine warmth and fullness with the definition and bite of a single coil — a character often described as sitting somewhere between a Telecaster pickup and a PAF.

This example brings together the features of the first production run with an unmodified instrument from the Firebird’s debut year.