1981 Gibson Firebird

Gibson first introduced the Firebird in 1963 in an effort to bring a more forward-looking design to its otherwise conservative model range. Its revolutionary construction featured a multi-piece mahogany neck-through centre section interleaved with walnut strips, along with mini-humbuckers, banjo-style tuners and the striking reverse-body design. As these guitars were exceptionally complex and labour-intensive to manufacture, the original version was replaced after only two years by the structurally simpler “non-reverse” Firebird.

The first reissue of the original reverse-body model — or technically the second, if the 1971–72 “Medallion” series is included — appeared as a limited run in 1976. Despite its initial limited-edition status, the model remained in production in essentially unchanged form until 1982.

Its construction is closely based on the original Firebird V, with several notable differences. These include a stop tailpiece in place of the Vibrola, dot fingerboard inlays instead of trapezoids, gold-plated tuners and a neck-through construction without the original walnut strips.

This particular example dates to 1981, with potentiometer codes from 1980 and a 1979 stamp in the control cavity. Finished in Natural, the guitar remains completely original apart from an additional strap button fitted at the heel of the neck. This is a common and practical modification, as the original strap-button position on the upper bout does not provide particularly good balance. It comes with its original Gibson hardshell case.