Firebird Amp Trick

[yngwie308]

Found this in Jol Danzig's blog from Hamer, he worked on Johnny's Firebird at one time and showed Johnny how to stop pickup squealing by placing foam behind the pickup, Johnny showed him how to set a Marshall amp to get that Johnny Winter neck pickup tone:
http://guitarguru.typepad.com/my_weblog/page/5/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Look under Winterize Your Firebird!
This one is for you Fill..
yngwie308

[fillmore nyc]

Found this in Jol Danzig's blog from Hamer, he worked on Johnny's Firebird at one time and showed Johhny how to stop pickup squealing by placing foam behind the pickup, Johnny showed him how to set a Marshall amp to get that Johnny Winter neck pickup tone:
http://guitarguru.typepad.com/my_weblog/page/5/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Look under Winterize Your Firebird!
This one is for you Fill..
yngwie308

Muchos gracias, mi amigo!!

Thats a cool link. I sometimes use 7/64" automotive windshield washer rubber tubing in place of the pickup height adjustment springs. It DOES work, but sorts limits the amount of pickup height adjustment available. I think the foam is probably a better idea.
I've heard that JW uses his amps with everything dimed except the bass, which is on zero. Strange amp setting, but then again, if you want that tone... I would think that setting would be nearly impossible on the ears if you used the bridge pickup on a Firebird, though. The one thing I've always felt is that the Firebird might as well be a one pickup guitar... the neck pickup. It works for everything: soloing, chords, etc.
That bridge pickup, though... I've only had one FB that had a good sounding bridge pickup. Mostly they're very harsh and bright.
Thanks for that link, Dave!!!

[Roe]

the amp setting are almost like the woman tone settings. for EC I like being plugged into the normal input and setting everything on 10 except bright vol on 6.5-7 and bass just below mud (depends on the amp)

[yngwie308]

Here's the ultimate Johnny Winter tweak, actually get said individual to play your 'inspired by' JW Firebird..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsB6lbFv ... re=channel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
yngwie308

[Tone-Freak]

his fingernails on his left hand are like claws how does he wail like he does

[fillmore nyc]

Here's the ultimate Johnny Winter tweak, actually get said individual to play your 'inspired by' JW Firebird..

I've seen that clip before, and Im sceptical about some things in it. You have to look real hard, but the 3 way toggle switch on the guitar he's playing is exactly like the one on JW's actual old FB, which has a metal tip that seems to be one piece thru the switch, not a screw-on tip typically used on that type of switch. The "Inspired By" JW FB's come with the standard 3 way, plastic tipped toggle that comes on every Gibson known to man.
The other thing I notice is the amount of relic-ing on the pickups and the p'up mounting rings. His look EXACTLY like old FB pickups that have had the shit played out of them for the last 45 years in countless bars and clubs throughout the world. They're REAL tarnished.
The reissue guitars (mine, 2 others I've seen in person, and every other one I've seen in a pic) dont have anywhere near that level of tarnish to them.
It would be really weird if all that shit was changed on just HIS "Inspired By" guitar, cause IMO, it belongs on all of them.
I dont know who created that vid, but my "Firebird Radar" ( ) tells me that the guitar he's playing IS his old original guitar. It just looks different than any other JW FB I've seen.

As the song says: "I could be wrong... but Im not".

Seriously, it just looks strange, and far be it from me to say that I could get his tone (much less play with that technique to GET that tone in the first place), but my guitar dont sound like that either. Different equipment?? Different guitar??
I dunno.

[yngwie308]

fillmore are you still the owner of the JW Tribute or did you sell it?
I am sorry to hear of your diaapointment with the guitar. I really don't enjoy being negative about guitars and amps, they're what I love, but these days, there is outright deception and f***kery with all this replica guitars and amps.
I seriously believe that any of the Gibson copy luthiers, the Max's of this world say, make a damn better guitar than at Nashville these days.
Companies are run the way the CEO dictates and dictates may be the correct choice of words in Henry's world of Gibson fantasy.
They must have paid big bucks to Jeff Beck for example and maybe that money would be better spent on tooling up to make a guitar worthy of the name Gibson.
For us old guys who know the difference, it is hard to accept.
I am relieved I don't have to worry about GAS as that is only after I eat beans these days..
cheers
yngwie308

[electricskychurch]

since i saw the DVD given with "gimme back my bullet's " deluxe edition LP , i want an original reversed headstock firebird ! LOL
so, i went on the net naively searching for one and then i saw the prices of the original ones !

so, how accurate are the ri's ? LOL

i suppose the pu's are far from the original ones (as it seems a habit ! LOL) , i'd be curious to know if somebody is making some real decent firebird pu's clones ?

[fillmore nyc]

fillmore are you still the owner of the JW Tribute or did you sell it?
I am sorry to hear of your diaapointment with the guitar. I really don't enjoy being negative about guitars and amps, they're what I love, but these days, there is outright deception and f***kery with all this replica guitars and amps.
yngwie308

Yes, I still have it. Im dissapointed as far as what that guitar SHOULD be, as opposed to what it is. The pickups really piss me off in a big way. If (as rumor has it) Gibson only made 100 JW tribute guitars, they could have made some "historically accurate" pickups for it. The pickups are relic'd standard USA issue, high output, screwdriver-in-the-ear FB pickups... inexcusable on this "no detail overlooked painstaking recreation". What a load of crap.
Even if they made 1000 JW FB's, they STILL could have at least contracted out the pickups if they didnt want to retool to make accurate FB pickups. Other than that, the fact that I had to sink hours of my time to correct Gibsons oversights, lack of quality control and "we dont give a shit" way of sending out a guitar pisses me off too. I dont really MIND doing work like that, but on a guitar with an 11K+ list, I shouldnt have to.

so, how accurate are the ri's ? LOL
i suppose the pu's are far from the original ones (as it seems a habit ! LOL) , i'd be curious to know if somebody is making some real decent firebird pu's clones ?

Reissue FB's have nothing to do with older '63-mid '65 FB's. I've owned quite a few of both, and there is a HUGE difference in every aspect. The JW FB would be the closest I've seen, IF you change the pickups. Second closest are the historic reissue FB series (I, III, V and VII), but there are things afoul there too, such as chrome plated tuners on a guitar with otherwise nickel plated hardware (On the I, III and V). The pickups are also not historically accurate... just regular USA high output FB pickups.
When I asked him, Edwin Wilson (MISTER Gibson Custom Shop) told me directly that they used chrome tuners on the historic guitars "cause they had too many laying around, and didnt think it would be worth it to have them nickel plated"!!!! These are on guitars as "historically accurate as possible"!!
(BTW-the FB VII has gold hardware. Under any gold plated metal is... NICKEL!! Why couldnt they just NOT gold plate some VII tuners and put 'em on the I's III's and V's???????)

This is typical Gibson policy. I've posted this before, but to get an understanding of how they operate, when the Historic FB's were out for a little while, I inquired about simply getting a FB III WITHOUT the shorty trem--just dont drill the 3 holes, and leave the trem off, using the already existing wraptail only.
They wanted $900.00 to NOT drill 3 holes, and NOT give me the trem!!!!!! Pardon my French, but thats FUCKED UP.

As far as FB pickup clones, either Duncan Antiquities or maybe Lollars (never tried Lollars, but I know he does make good pickups).
The Antiquities are really nice, and very close to the originals, MUCH closer than Duncans standard SM-1, 2 or 3. IMO, those standard Duncan FB pickups are lifeless, stiff and very dead sounding. No "throat" or "woodiness" to them at all, unlike the Antiquities, which DO have all those qualities.

Well, thats my Gibson rant... for now.

[electricskychurch]

11000 $ for firebird reissue !!??

i must be dreaming !!

is the wood structure (including neck joint and all) on teh JW and historic one exactly teh same on the original one ?

is teh only difference between the JW / historic and the original ones, the hardware plating and pu's ?

what difference between the JW and historic ?

i'm not surprised Gibson pu's are not accurate, it seems to be a habit ! LOL

the problem is that it must be hard to find some original ones !
i haven't tried antiquities pu's but i have some seth lover SH55 and i read they sound quiet similar to teh antiquities PAF pu's with a bit more top end .
i have the seth lover and i think they are not as accurate sounding as some Lindy Fralin's (i haven't tried bare knucles but tehy could be quiet good as well from what i read, as seems to be throbaks and holmes), so i'm not sure i would go with teh antiquities unless i can't find something better.

yes , 900 $ to do not drill some holes sucks !

i never dealt with them but i'm afraid it must not be easy to deal with Gibson and Fender custom Shop .
one thing i can say is that the Gibson and Fender customer service in France (maybe in the whole Europe !) is more than poor , if existing at all !! LOL
there are such a bunch of ass holes there that know shit about anything, at least the ones i met !

[fillmore nyc]

11000 $ for firebird reissue !!??
i must be dreaming !!

Well, thats list price, not what they actually sell for. The lowest I've seen a JW FB sell for is $4500 on a "Buy It Now" on eBay, but thats really uncommon. Most sellers are up around 6k.
I keep posting the same old rant, so once again Ill post the Harmony Central review I wrote.
Even I get tired of ranting!! (sometimes... maybe)


http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... ebird/10/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;