Torren61
Well-Known Member
I'm a huge fan of Johnny Winter's style of playing and his tone so I've been lusting after a Polaris White Gibson Firebird for awhile but the $3500+ price tag has given me pause. I started looking at the Vintage Sunburst ones and I bought this last Saturday. I couldn't let it get away as the price was really fair and it had been listed only for a few hours. So I snagged it before anyone else swooped in.
The guitar arrived today. It's a 2012 model with the Steinberger tuners. I liked the look of the "banjo" style tuners but I understand they could exasperate neck dive with their added weight. I've never used Steinberger tuners and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to use.
If you have never played a Firebird, it's an awakening. Where your picking hand would normally be picking the strings... a stop tail is there. Everything is shifted to the left so it requires an adjustment in the way you play. The guitar is physically longer than all but my bass guitars. The case is taller too.
I'm on 12 hour shifts so I only had a short time to play. I think the pickup heights need to be adjusted. The neck has a lot more bass than the bridge. I'll have to wait until Sunday to really give it some playing time so I'll reserve my critique until after then.
Here are some pics:
The guitar arrived today. It's a 2012 model with the Steinberger tuners. I liked the look of the "banjo" style tuners but I understand they could exasperate neck dive with their added weight. I've never used Steinberger tuners and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to use.
If you have never played a Firebird, it's an awakening. Where your picking hand would normally be picking the strings... a stop tail is there. Everything is shifted to the left so it requires an adjustment in the way you play. The guitar is physically longer than all but my bass guitars. The case is taller too.
I'm on 12 hour shifts so I only had a short time to play. I think the pickup heights need to be adjusted. The neck has a lot more bass than the bridge. I'll have to wait until Sunday to really give it some playing time so I'll reserve my critique until after then.
Here are some pics:
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