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Gibson Firebird X £3299
The much talked about self-tuning, effects-laden super-guitar is finally in our hands...
Simon Bradley (Guitarist), Thu 29 Sep 2011, 1:03 pm BST
As with the other recent hi-tech Gibsons, the Firebird X is a limited edition.
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Gibson is no stranger to innovation, despite its position in 2011 as a heritage brand in many players' eyes.
For example, its most highly prized electric solidbody - the Les Paul Standard - had a torrid time with popularity throughout the 1950s, even in the holy grail flametop 'burst format of 1959.
But it just wasn't selling, so Gibson made it into what we now call the SG: a fiercely modernist design that also had plenty of critics - not least the man whose name was still on the headstock! Ever forwards, maintained Gibson.
Shortly before that was the Flying V and Explorer. "Russia has her satellite, perhaps to the embarrassment of the US," crowed the Gibson Gazette in November 1957. "But the Gibson folks have come forward with their own first; the futuristic Flying V guitar." And yes, they're cool today, but popular opinion considered them laughable in 1958.
There are plenty of other examples of Gibson's innovations being poorly received at launch. Some proved to be slow-burners - lovable curios, perhaps - while others were genuinely ill-conceived.
The seventies RD Artist that featured Moog-designed onboard electronic wizardry could be either, depending on your opinion. In any case it didn't last long, and neither did the Corvus - one wacky shape too far.
With the advent of affordable and reliable digital technology has come another spurt of Gibson innovations, driven by chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. First, in 2006, the HD.6X-Pro Digital Guitar enabled you to rout each string to a separate amp and effects chain.
The following year, Gibson's much-lauded Robot Guitar introduced the by-then Gibson-owned auto-tuning technology, originally conceived by Tronical. Then 2008's Dark Fire mixed the self-tuning system from the Robot with Chameleon Tone Technology, which provided a wide choice of very different pickup sounds at the twist of a single knob.
After that the Dusk Tiger, released in 2010, re-evaluated and improved the concept to make the instrument "more like a live guitar".
Each of these contemporary releases has been undoubtedly impressive in the terms of genuine technological innovation and clear forward-looking vision. On the other side of the coin, there are two problems as far as we can see.
First, with rock 'n' roll history cemented for the most part, precious few guitarists have any interest in moving 'forward'. Second, and perhaps as a result of this, not one of Gibson's latter-day innovations has been met with huge enthusiasm by the guitar-playing public - have you ever seen anyone playing one?
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User comments (8)
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i think it's a great idea that has been badly thought through, and the price is a joke. Neither Gibson or Fender are the big names that they used to be (by way of the fact that there are now so many guitar manufacturers of the same caliber) and these ridiculous prices are not just totally unjustified but they're blatantly taking the piss.
There simply is no reason to buy this guitar. If you want clever electronics get a VariAxe for less than a quarter of the price, if you want a well made great sounding guitar there are hundreds of alternatives every bit as good or better but for a 10th of the price. If you want both, then go buy a good guitar and a VariAxe and pay someone to transplant the electronics (this would still cost you less than half the price of this firebird).
Epic product FAIL -
I think Gibson are going in the wrong direction. All the smart stuff needs to be off the guitar, as it can then be upgraded easily when technology changes. The actual playing part (guitar+pickups+controls) need to be durable and non-powered. Good on Gibson for pushing the boundaries, but they they need to be pushed in another direction.
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Shit sandwich
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Good review by Mr Bradley. The stability 'niggles' (cutting out occasionally and auto tuning inappropriately) I would classify as a potentially publically humiliating major problem though. This is being marketed as a live guitar as any reasonably fascilitated studio will provide all the sound manipulation pre or post tracking that one could desire and tuning to anything one likes (in the studio) will not result in having bottles of bodily fluids catapulted to the stage. The less electronic tomfoolery between fingers and speaker in a live situation, the less that can go wrong. Looks like Gibson have gone 'wrong' with this one. I would prefer not to rate this as I have not actually tried one but from what I've seen/read afraid I'm rather unimpressed.
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I have one. The distortions "out of the box" are indeed buzzy hi-gain stuff that I never use. But with some editing and understanding... you can get whatever you want from this guitar. It takes time to figure it all out and the computer editing software to mold your tones!! Some knowlege about how your favorite guitar sounds are processed doesn't hurt either. Very compact and comfortable to play for sure. The shape and finish may not be everyone's cup-o-tea but I have the blue one and have felt no nausea thus far. Cheers!
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Ok, so your the CEO head of the direction of an ICONIC company like gibson and you dream up this crap. Has he never heard of an epiphone + Zoom processor pedal = Gibson Firebird X sound.
Me thinks he should focus on trying to get wood (snigger) and work on how he's going to keep his job with share holders. -
The swirly finish is lovely.
I'd happily have that on a guitar.
Ironically the Firebird X could be improved by an application of fire, and the hotter the better. -
So essentially it's very clever, but a a bit shite?
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
Excellent acoustic simulations. Inherent level of innovation. Playability.
Cons
The distortion tones. Lack of a manual. Unappealing vibe. Price.
Verdict
While we applaud anyone trying to push the electric guitar forwards, we seriously wonder if the Firebird X is the future of electric guitar, especially at this price.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
Where to buy
Buy similar products from Sounds Great Music
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Specification
Firebird X
- Price:
- £3299
- Accessories:
- G-Node interface, Bluetooth Number controller, Bluetooth Continuous Pedal controller, stereo cable, three USB cables, MIDI lead, microphone lead, two battery changers, eight lithium ion batteries. Software: Ableton Live 8, Guitar Rig 4, Gibson Editor software (all available as downloads to registered user, as is the manual)
- Available Finish:
- Redolution (as reviewed), Bluevolution – all nitro-cellulose
- Body Style:
- Double-cutaway electric with onboard effects and auto-tuning, chambered swamp ash
- Features:
- Compression, distortion, EQ, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, vibrato, delays, echoes and reverbs
- Hardware:
- Robot stud tailpiece, tune-o-matic piezo-loaded/Robot bridge, three-a-side RoboHead tuners
- Neck Material:
- Maple, glued-in
- Pickup:
- Three Firebird X mini humbuckers, hexaphonic piezo bridge elements, volume control, tone control/momentary switch, five-way lever patch/pickup selector switch, 11-way rotary Gear Shift pot, three Tog-Pots, two sets of three faders for effects editing
SarahBellum
33 weeks ago.
User rating 1 of 5