Metropoulos Forum

Just released is one of the most important Strats of modern rock history, the David Gilmour Signature Stratocaster. Sad that the death of Rick Wright has occured before this occasion, but still this is a major guitar in rock history. Having six different necks, including now the neck from Dave's cream colored 1984 '57 Reissue, a neck familar to yngwie308 as I have my Blackie '84 '57 Reissue, ordered by me that way and my favorite Strat.
Even having a Charvel neck, a middle mounted humbucker and a Kahler tremelo, this guitar has seen it's share of mods and road use. Rescued from the bowels of the Hard Rock Cafe, David has allowed us to share his pride and joy.
Available in both N.O.S. and Relic versions, with the Relic being quite expensive and limited:
http://www.fender.com/gilmour/home.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
yngwie308

yngwie308 wrote:Having six different necks, including now the neck from Dave's cream colored 1984 '57 Reissue...

What do you mean when you say "having six different necks..."? Are there six different versions of that guitar, or does one guitar actually come with six necks?
Unless I missed something, I only saw 2 different guitars (N.O.S. and the Relic), and saw no mention of optional necks.


(When I REALLY feel like going on a serious anti-Gibson rant, Ill post a mini review of the Gibson Johnny Winter Custom Firebird I recently bought...)

Since it was bought until now..it has had six different necks, you can only buy the one neck now... .
yngwie308

(When I REALLY feel like going on a serious anti-Gibson rant, Ill post a mini review of the Gibson Johnny Winter Custom Firebird I recently bought...)

I wouldn't mind a maxi review with some pics - as long as it doesn't hurt too much.
Shit, but seriously: why do they build instruments like that? I took my '68 SG to the GC recently to compare it to the Angus Sig. and all I can say is that it just took about 2 minutes to be ready to leave again.
But it fits in the overall picture somehow. I've been working as a carpenter for many years now and my impression is that a lot of skills, feel and knowledge gets lost due to all the machinery and CNC stuff and the notorious lack of time. Good materials get rarer too, etc... hmm - don't wanna start a new discussion about vintage or sig stuff here.
Anyway - I'd really like to know what's wrong with THAT one.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

fillmore nyc wrote:[
(When I REALLY feel like going on a serious anti-Gibson rant, Ill post a mini review of the Gibson Johnny Winter Custom Firebird I recently bought...)

uh-oh....

Fill, you didn't care for the broken neck, which I heard they had recreated, the break right in the middle of the neck!
I an sorry you are dissapointed by Gibson's Custom Shop, the reverence they have for the Rossington's, Allen Collins Explorer, ect. may or may not be well founded.
It is impossible to exactly recreate the feel of these old guitars, not to get off topic, but having played Blackie and Franky, not even close unfortunately.
I did play a Firebird V when I first went back to the states in the early seventies at my cousins house in Massapequa, played her through a low power Twin Tweed, kept gettin shocks, .
The old Birds are awesome machines, especially the reverse headstocks.
Gilmours Strat is cool, but to me his '57 Reissues are a Gilmour Strat as well, with the EMG-SA's.

http://www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=66" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=68" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
yngwie308

yngwie308 wrote:Fill, you didn't care for the broken neck, which I heard they had recreated, the break right in the middle of the neck!
I an sorry you are dissapointed by Gibson's Custom Shop, the reverence they have for the Rossington's, Allen Collins Explorer, ect. may or may not be well founded.
It is impossible to exactly recreate the feel of these old guitars, not to get off topic, but having played Blackie and Franky, not even close unfortunately.

Well, I wont go into my COMPLETE rant in your thread here, Dave, but in a couple of days Ill post a "maxi" review (thanks, Fritz!!) with some pics. My ultra short rant (and main issue with the JW Firebird) is that in very typical mega-conglomerate fashion ("We're GIBSON... buy it or dont, tough shit, and expect NO response to your complaints, you fucking peasant!!") Gibson decided to put off the shelf USA issue pickups in this "painstaking, no detail overlooked" , $7500 guitar. If you like the sound of the $1500 USA Firebird gracing every Sam Ash, GC, etc, then you'll love the JW Firebird. For a guitar that costs THAT much coin, they could have even commissioned Seymour Duncan, or Lollar to replicate actual '63-'65 Firebird pickups, especially considering that they only produced 100 of these guitars (allegedly) BUT... how do I say this gently??? Hmmm... what would be the words??? GIBSONS MANAGEMENT IS COMPRISED OF THE LARGEST ASSEMBLED GROUP OF MONEY HUNGRY, CARELESS, CONSCIENCE-LESS, DONT GIVE A FLYING SHIT, COULD CARE LESS WHAT YOU THINK AS LONG AS THEY GET YOUR MONEY BUNCH OF FUCKING GREEDY PRICKS THAT YOU'LL FIND ROAMING THE PLANET, SHORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENTS TAX DEPARTMENT.
Thats about as soft and sugar coated as I could make that statement. My "Maxi-Review" will NOT be so kind and restrained.

(Sorry for hijacking your thread, Dave, but I HADDA throw a word in about it...)

/ / /

yngwie308 wrote:I did play a Firebird V when I first went back to the states in the early seventies at my cousins house in Massapequa, yngwie308

Didya happen to run into Setzer and the Bloodless Pharoahs, Dave?

Later on I do remember a band called the Mississippi Sheiks on the Island, saw them a lot, not the Pharoahs though
Wow, that is typical of the Sir Henry Gibson era, the Gordon Gecko of musical instruments..
yngwie308

yngwie308 wrote:Later on I do remember a band called the Mississippi Sheiks on the Island, saw them a lot, not the Pharoahs though
Wow, that is typical of the Sir Henry Gibson era, the Gordon Gecko of musical instruments..
yngwie308

I heard their name a lot. Never saw them but often wondered if there was a tie to Rory's song....

Gordon Gecko - "Greed is good" can also be affixed to the cocksucking bankers / CEO's / real estate / brokers / politicians that got us in economic mess we're in...

the few things i could say reading that interesting topic and links to Gilmour's strats, is that first , seeing how he constantly changed the parts on his guitar, means to me that he was not totaly satisfied with it (as most of us are with many of our guitars ... LOL) and also that buying that guitar even if it might sound good, won't give you the exact tone he had with his guitar on the most famous LP's of the early and mid 70's knowing several parts of that guitar were changed and that they cloned the last version of that guitar that was never used for a good LP it seems !!
anyway, even if they had cloned the first version of that guitar , used for those famous LP's, the wood would still have been different but at least it would have had a real meaning ; not just marketing !!

For my 2 cents, I would have wanted the Gilmour guitar to be just as it came from Manny's Music. Maple neck, large CBS headstock, white pickguard, ie: stock, but that's me. There is nothing special about this guitar as it is sold now, other than the incredible '57 Vintage Reissue neck profile..
But look at the Duck, I mean the PLAY LOUD ! guitar, it even has the wrong radius!!!
yngwie308

I played the gilmour strat and to be honest, its not worth the money. I've played a few relic custom shops that I like much better tonally.

On the GC ad that came out they mentioned that the Gilmour strat has his special electronics or something.
Don't remember exactly how they worded it. Does anyone know what changes he made to the electronics of his guitar?

I dont know EXACTLY, but to me, it felt and sounded like a basic strat, except it had a little tiny silver switch near the normal toggle switch, which i believe allowed you to run the neck and the bridge at the same time or maybe it was all 3. IMO, again, the strat didn't feel like anything that great. ESPECIALLY for the money it goes for.