| The Gibson Firebird was made from 1963-65 in the | | | | shape overall. |
| initial reverse body shape, and from 1965-69 in the | | | | Gibson released the Firebird in "reverse-body" format |
| non-reverse shape. The two models were later | | | | in mid-1963. It was much more successful than the |
| reissued and are still on sale. Gibson had been | | | | Modernistic series was, although 1960s guitarists still |
| accused of being overly conservative in the 1950s, | | | | found the shape too radical for their tastes. It was |
| only marketing the Les Paul solid-body electric guitar | | | | decided in 1965 that the bold Explorer-esque shape |
| and its various semi-acoustic guitars such as the ES | | | | was to blame. Gibson designers put the body on the |
| series. This meant that, to the younger market Gibson | | | | other way around, and the more conventional |
| were at a disadvantage to Fender's more modern | | | | "non-reverse" body style was born. This was sold |
| designs, the Stratocaster and Telecaster. As a riposte | | | | from 1965 to 1969, when the Firebird was discontinued |
| to all the people who claimed Gibson were being too | | | | altogether. |
| conservative, the company released the Explorer and | | | | In 1972 the "reverse" Firebird was reissued. The |
| Flying V models in 1958 as part of an angular | | | | "non-reverse" body was not reissued, although it was |
| three-guitar "Modernistic series", along with a third | | | | added as a Gibson Custom Shop guitar in 2002. |
| guitar, the Moderne, of which none were ever built until | | | | In the Firebird's original range there were four models, |
| the model was "reissued" in 1982. The three | | | | all unusually named using Roman numerals. The Firebird |
| modernistic guitars were very unsuccessful. In the | | | | I had one humbucker pickup and chrome hardware. |
| original 1958 series of guitars, no Modernes were built, | | | | The Firebird III had two humbuckers, a Gibson Vibrola |
| (although some eager collectors are still waiting for a | | | | tailpiece and chrome hardware. The Firebird V was |
| 1958 Moderne to surface), and less than 150 Flying Vs | | | | the same as the III, but with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. |
| and Explorers were built in total. The Modernistic series | | | | The Firebird VII had three humbuckers, a Vibrola |
| was discontinued in 1959, having been a complete | | | | tailpiece, a Tune-O-Matic bridge and gold hardware. |
| failure. | | | | Later the Firebird XII was added to the range. It was a |
| Gibson decided in 1963 that they needed another | | | | "non-reverse" shape with 12 strings and two pickups. |
| foray into more modern styles of guitars, although they | | | | The pickup options were Gibson's old-fashioned P-90 |
| were careful to avoid another failure like the | | | | singlecoil, humbuckers, or mini-humbuckers. |
| Modernistic series had been. They enlisted the help of | | | | The "reverse" Firebird is noted for its' radical shape |
| Ray Dietrich, an American car designer. Dietrich | | | | and the fact that the tuners are on the back of the |
| decided to use the Explorer model as a base and | | | | headstock, hidden from view. The more conventional |
| came up with what would become the Firebird shape, | | | | "non-reverse" shape eschewed both of these traits. |
| basically an Explorer with rounder edges and a softer | | | | |