Gibson Firebird X

[DetroitBlues]

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this yet, but Gibson came up with a new guitar called the Firebird X.
Its a reverse Firebird body in a metallic orange burst finish.  Odd fretboard with the pre WWII headstock.
On board effects such as reverb/chorus/delay/distortion/equalizer.  Robot tuning and piezo acoustic saddles.
Overall its being recieved as the worst guitar Gibson ever created with a price tag of $5500.

Anyone interested in commenting?

[zagatron1]

Like the color, too much gadgetry for me. I'm not gonna comment on the price 'cause I wouldn't pay that price for ANY piece of gear.

[pictoratus]

I haven't seen one of those but looking at the prices of the Gibsons I see in my local music store makes me think pretty much all their stuff is overpriced, although somebody must be buying!

[diaper head]

it made me throw up in my mouth a little   

[DocG]

I think Gibson is totally disconnected from reality.

[diaper head]

i said something similar on another forum, because i kinda think so too.  someone replied to me that gibson may be chasing the collector market.  that would add more exclusivity to their brand,  artificially inflating the prices,  and creating a bigger desire for their stuff.
imo, it's the wrong way to go. there's too many other companies out there making really nice guitars for a third of the price or less.  in today's economy, i would think that's an important consideration.  but what do i know? i'm not a billionaire CEO of a multi national company. heck, i'm not even that great a guitar player 

[zagatron1]

Those are some interesting points. You think stuff like this falls in that catagory?

1)2008 Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom, Signed #20, Ebony. $42,000.00 

2)2009 Gibson Custom Shop Billy Gibbons 'Pearly Gates' Les Paul Standard, Aged & Signed #27, Heritage Cherry Sunburst
$44,995.00

3)Gibson Custom Shop Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom VOS, Randy Rhoads White 
$4,999.00 

Those are just the tip of the iceburg. Can you say "Custom Shop"?

[robert]

I wonder how many really buy these expensive creations?

Personally, I'd much rather spend that kind of money on a Suhr, Anderson, Grosh, or other high quality guitar builder with the reputation to justify their prices.

[DetroitBlues]

Those are some interesting points. You think stuff like this falls in that catagory?

1)2008 Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom, Signed #20, Ebony. $42,000.00 

2)2009 Gibson Custom Shop Billy Gibbons 'Pearly Gates' Les Paul Standard, Aged & Signed #27, Heritage Cherry Sunburst
$44,995.00

3)Gibson Custom Shop Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom VOS, Randy Rhoads White 
$4,999.00 

Those are just the tip of the iceburg. Can you say "Custom Shop"?

I'd rather pay $44,000 for a 1962 Fender Strat at my local Guitar Center than pay for a custom shop Gibson. 

[DetroitBlues]

It looks like Gibson has already made an update to the Firebird X.  While the guitar itself is not exactly what I like, I'm very proud to know that the new finish was completely my idea!  Yes, its unbelievable, but Gibson's CEO has a special forum for product suggestions and I came up with the finish last September, check it out!
My suggestion:
http://4henry.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/585-new-les-paul-finish/
Firebird X Special Edition:
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/firebird-creativity-1202/

[Dan]

I thinks Gibson has gone over the edge I can not imagine wanting a guitar like that, now or ever. It's price is obnoxious as well. Gibson lovers should not take offense but I've pretty much given up on them for a brand now anyway, overpriced, poor QC, need setups from the factory, bad fretwork on way too many of their expensive guitars for me.

I really believe there's a lot of wake up calls coming for some of these "premium" manufacturers. There's tons and tons of real quality cheap guitars being made these days which the kids are buying in droves. The kids don't have the loyalty to brands that older folks who grew up watching Hendrix or Page do. I know because for the longest time I was a brand snob myself.

Perhaps some collectors will want these guitars, but not too far in the future, I believe that's all who'll be playing Gibson, Fender custom shop or any other overpriced rerun of a standard guitar. Give me the Squire, Epiphone, ESP LTD series, Ibanez RG and S models any day.

[DetroitBlues]

I think I'd only take it if it was free and then trade it in for some guitars I'd actually play!

[zagatron1]

I understand where y'all be comin' from! Y'know the sayin'..... beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I also know this, the older I get, the better I used to be! Those of us that really knew how good stuff used to be, can really appreciate what they represent! It's a new world now! History repeats itself to a point. However, it'll never be the same. Us older guys have our memories that can be as vivid as maybe a hour ago. Old plants or factories close for whatever reason, it's just the way it is I suppose. The guys that started it all (guys like Leo Fender, Seth Lover etc..) are now gone, and new ideas have taken the place of what was the "norm" for a lot of us "boomers". Progress can be a big pill to swallow for some of us.

[Dan]

Well, I do remember ... pickup hum, feedback, warped necks, bad frets ... while I love my old vintage gear the cheap guitars nowadays are 1 million times better than the cheap guitars of yore. I would put any cheap Ibanez neck and fretwork up against any vintage guitar off the shelf back in the day. Not saying those old guitars didn't rip out a million of our favorite songs just commenting on the fact that today a good playable working guitar can be had for pennies compared to what you had to spend to get just a decent guitar then.

Not to mention pickup hum even for single coils is almost a thing of the past. I can still remember looking like a compass needle in the Bermuda Triangle trying to find a spot where my strat didn't go bugshit.

[DetroitBlues]

That's really funny.  Love the hum reduction search!  My first two guitars were awesome, as far as playability.  Electronics sucked, but the neck, frets, and hardware were good.  My first guitar was a new 1991 Aria Pro II JS series.  While I didn't know anything about electronics, I made it work for me.  I ended up putting a Gibson BB pro in the bridge and tried to fit two american strat single coils in it.  The sound improved a million times over while still retaining that u shaped neck and low frets.  That was 3 years ago....  I bought my daughter a squire infinity series for $50 and that guitar was also awesome.  I put those American single coils in it.  I would of kept it but I didn't like the size of the neck.  However, there was nothing wrong with that guitar.  Last summer I purchased a 1971 Epiphone 12 string for $25.  That was a real piece of crap.  It was playable, but the action was high and the guitar was falling apart.  Had a great tone though!