Firebird X?

[newey]

The new Gibson Firebird X now greets one at the gates of Gibson's website. It's full of lots of Nutziness, and I believe it will also make you a cup of espresso based on the Marketspeak. And it has Robo-tuners and costs an arm and a leg.

Firebird X




For the money they want, at least the knobs and switches should match, IMO. . .

[Teleblooz]

I hate to think of the hangover the designer must've had the next day...

[jcgss77]

I applaud the Nutz-iness of the Gibbies. Gotta give Gibson cred for being innovative. But I think it ends there. There is way too much going on there. And I think it would be a terror onstage, with a bluetooth signal that could be corrupted.

This thing should be made of vibracell, too. It looks like an instrument to be played by the borg. I do like the top. It kinda reminds me of Flaxwood guitars.

And over 5k? People are just lining up to order one of those, I'm sure.

The Gibson design team really needs to get with it, I think. Redolution? Bluevolution? yuck. Oh, yeah, and a digital processor called Pure Analog. Enough said about that one.

I do believe that this is a dream for recording, though. You only carry the guitar and an amp (which for that price, one should be build into the case, I think).

All in all, I think they should focus more on getting more affordable, realistic instruments in the hands of working musicians.

[JohnH]

I also enjoyed the naming of the digital system - 'Pure analog'

This guitar comes in a new shade of red, that we are calling 'Green'

I think there is a fundamental problem with marketing of high priced, high tech guitars. The thing is, they all have to compete with the very tried and tested classic designs that everybody wants and which define the product type. An LP standard or a standard Strat will be just as good, with just as much mojo in 20 years time. But the technologically enhanced guitar, even though (maybe) very much more capable, will be superseded in two years by a 'better' one, just as will the next iPhone.

We expect to change tech equipment often, but high priced guitars are bought to keep long-term.

John

[4real]

Oh Gibson, You've done it again....

I particularly liked this...

"We have studied this very real mojo and added it to every part of what our engine does."...oh my goodness...

I have a soft spot for gibsons, staying true to my Lp for over 25 years exclusively...but really, did they learn nothing from the RD (moog) model of days past.

And so they have coil splitting, on mini hums...hmmm...they seem to have marketing speak directed towards things like fender's V models...yet as far as switching goes, the S-1 and 5 way blade for all it's flaws creates a very useful discrete interface for such things and at least tried to be innovative.

There is a boundary mic in the tail piece?! It runs on 4 'gibson sized' batteries...plus needs a range of foot pedals...why not put the effects on the floor if you need your foot to work them...sheeesh...

"It is our intention to roll this out to hundreds of thousands of guitars in different price points, giving all fans and consumers the ability to take advantage of this new technology. This eco-system, with a well-specified and published Gibson environment, will open up thousands of enhancements for our customers. "

Eco-system, it's environmentally sensitive, that's cool...no, hang on....they mean economic system...you can buy more stuff to load into the thing from them...without them doing the work to develop it...because so many people are going to be programming for this guitar right...

Gibsons marketing people have been smoking their mojo I fear and blowing it out...well, you get the idea. They are good for a laugh...but it is a shame that they are so far behind where things are going. A variax for instance will do this kind of thing more and cheaply by embracing the digital technology...which lets fact it, is what gibson are using...it's guitar rig for goodness sake!

They knock fender's attempts at such thing as being 'not analog'...but it isn't intended to be, it's a digital controller really...plus a normal strat...

It is only using 20% of it's brain...hey, isn't there a movie out now playing on this myth? This is just a lie, if you damage any part of the brain just a little, serious consequences occur (as will know doubt occur here when a bit of moisture gets into the circuitry in time)...if people really only used 20% of ones brain, you could go around drilling random holes in your head with an 80% chance that it will have no effect at all...possibly what gibson execs and marketing guys have done in their own personal R&D...perhaps not literally, but it does smack of some illicit drug taking perhaps for a similar effect...LOL

Here perhaps it is moving towards embracing the DAW environment (which really makes on board effects a little obsolete come to think of it)...has a piezo bridge...but no midi interface, something that people really do want. Why not just cooperate with a ghost like system...fenders V goes that way, Variax allows for computer upgrades and programming patches...

And they speak of analog...meaning robot tuners instead of digital pitch shifting...it's been a consistently failed concept...but then, neglect even the possibility of a trem so you cant bend down pitches. If they had embraced the digital thing more fully, they could easily have created some kind of pitch whell digital trem kind of thing...and kept their fixed bridge and robot tuners...an on board whammy in effect...

So many missed opportunities on a guitar that they are only making 1800 of and I am sure will be snapped up by collectors and never played. Only Gibson seems to have the money to burn on such fantasies.

I think you are right with making affordable 'gibsons' at a lower price point...the 'studio' was a great move in that direction...the old 'firebrand' thing, not so good.

But really...on a firebird too...goodness me, they even changed the heastock which is kind of the point but thought a truss rod cover would suffice for looks. The firebird is a real "fifties car with wings' impractical "fender killer" of it's day...but in it's quirky neck heavy way, it does have a kind of retro cool factor...but it was a 'fail', hardly anyone seriously plays them in a popular sense and all acknowledge the draw back quirks.

Way back when they were messing with futuristic 'shapes' like V's and the explorer...but why have they not tried harder to do something new in that department...or just make some of their basic designs like the old melody makers and such is hard to tell.

But I don't blame the R&D guys so much, but the hands on the wheel...and especially these whacked out marketing people...really, much of this makes no sense and is trying to promote 'mojo' in the most bizarre and false ways, desperately trying to align themselves with Apple and iPhone culture (name checks, but of course nothing at all like it) while knocking the oppositions attempts at innovation...they surely must be out of touch. I can't think of any major player that would go anywhere near such an instrument truly...and if people that would be given such guitars for free wouldn't play them or make any sensible musical use of them...why would anyone want to pay for the privilege!

I'm not sure that products like this that edge into the guitar mod nutzy thing really does that area a service...the idea of more switching options is only going to be mocked by such examples I suspect...

[JFrankParnell]

well, I for one, love the robo tuner thang. If my old telecpy wasnt in open G, it would never leave its case. All those fx, though? no one's going to seriously use those, all that stuff is better in pedals or some kind of multi fx where you can stomp 'em. And, aesthetically, barforama.

[newey]

.the idea of more switching options is only going to be mocked by such examples I suspect...

I hadn't thought of that, but that may be the case. We can only hope that we'll make our modding more aesthetically pleasing- which shouldn't be hard, this thing sets the bar pretty low.

What did occur to me was that, at least Gibson seems to allow Epiphone to sort of do its own thing. Compare the new $549 Epi Riviera Custom Royale P93:



3 P90s and a Bigsby for under $600. Now that's the kind of thinking we need, not $5000 digital MCFs ("Mongolian Cluster. . .").

[4real]

That's what I was thinking...though epiphone is a valid brand in itself, not just a gibson cheap-y. Squiers have done a lot as an alternative fender with the higher end ones being pretty close in quality and higher in variation.

It took those classic Made in Japan fenders to really kick fender back in great quality wise and show them how to do it.

That epi though is of course in the 'retro vein...in the high tech end of things and innovation...gibson seem to really be behind the times of a very rapidly changing market with these things. Much of this stuff is already in pedals or amps and probably where it should be and easy to use...the actual package on this guitar seems to require all this and a lot of power...

images.gibson.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Firebird/Gibson-USA/Firebird-X/Features-Images-New/Hero-Accessories.jpg[/img]

www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Firebird/Gibson-USA/Firebird-X/The-Accessories.aspx

I mean to say, so many people already have access to enormous amounts of effects in amps and computers and pedals...why in the guitar.

The tuning thing does have a bit of potential...jimmy page made good use of it in a concert I saw...but how many are really going to be wanting to explore alternate tunings to the extent that this offers?

[JohnH]

Thinks....That Epi is very appealing.....
Bigsby and Grover tuners too!
$1US = $0.99Aus

I need a business trip to the US.....

J

[jcgss77]

Yeah, I am definitely on board with the Epi sentiment. I played an Epi SG and it was by far one of the best guitars I have ever played, very fast and the electronics were nice stock. I think Gibson should take notes on this one- I played a Gibby Les Paul and it did not sound nearly as good as the SG. I am still thinking-what the heck? Guess it was just a bad one.

[Teleblooz]

Another vote for Epi here. I just brought home a new Dot Studio & couldn't be happier with the bang-for-buck factor.

[jcgss77]

The dots don't last long on eBay and have some good value, as far as I have seen. I have always wanted a hollowbody or semi-.