NASHVILLE, TN: Gibson, the iconic and leading global instrument brand, continues to shape sound across generations and genres of music for over a century, becoming one of the most relevant, played, and loved music brands around the world. The original Firebird™ design-one of the most distinctive-looking guitar designs ever-transitioned through several different iterations in early 1965. One of the transitions flipped the headstock to a “Non-Reverse” shape and unlike the original Reverse Firebird headstock design, which featured a two-layered headstock with a holly veneer, the new headstock was flat, like the bill of a platypus. Gibson is proud to introduce the new Firebird Platypus, which pays tribute to those rare original transitional models. The Gibson Firebird Platypus is available worldwide at the Gibson Garage locations in Nashville, and London, at authorized Gibson dealers, and on www.gibson.com.
The Firebird Platypus takes this legendary guitar a step further with its unique appearance and features a mahogany body with a glued-in, set neck and the appearance of a traditional neck-through Reverse Firebird body. The mahogany neck has a fast-playing SlimTaper™ profile and a rosewood fretboard with a 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, and acrylic trapezoid inlays and sports the Platypus-style headstock with a Graph Tech® nut and Grover® Mini Rotomatic® tuners. The Platypus-style headstock has been slightly modified to provide straight string pull for less friction and improved tuning stability. The other ends of the strings are routed over a Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge for precise intonation and are solidly anchored with an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece for outstanding sustain. Its tone is just as unique due to its two articulate, historically accurate Firebird humbucker™ pickups. They are equipped with Alnico 5 magnets and can deliver tones with a bell-like chime when played clean and great rock and blues tones that easily cut through the mix when pushed. Individual volume and tone controls allow you to tailor the sound even further, and of course, the pickguard features the legendary hot-stamped Firebird graphic. A Gibson hardshell case is also included.
“We had discontinued the Firebird at Gibson USA for a few years, and when we brought it back, we wanted to do it in a way that we’ve never done before—at least not since 1965,” says Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product. “That’s the year you would see the Reverse body with the Non-Reverse neck. To me, that’s my favorite incarnation of the Firebird because you’ve got the tuners on the top side.”
“The Reverse-style body features the raised center section on top; however, it is constructed with classic Gibson set-neck construction like the Non-Reverse Firebird,” adds Jim DeCola, Gibson Master Luthier. “It also features the Platypus-style headstock with straight string pull and Grover Mini Rotomatic® tuners for better functionality and balance.”
“The reissue Firebird mini humbucking pickups utilize black mounting rings topped off with the traditional chrome trim rings for classic sound, looks, and improved performance. The use of the mounting rings under the trim rings keeps the pickups parallel to the strings to provide improved output and balance. We feel the new Firebird Platypus has the ‘best of’ Firebird features, aesthetics, sound, and playability.”
Explore the new Gibson Firebird Platypus HERE.
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