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Gibson firebird I 1964 pick up vs firebird cs Clapton 2020

Crossroads88

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
3
Hi all,

hope you can help me with the following. I am obsessed with EC tone Firebird I 64.

saved some money and doubting to buy a vintage FB 64 or a cs fb ec 2020 ( the limited run of 100) .

I had hoped Gibson would have exactly recreated the fb I 64 pick up. This seems not to be the case.

so than I was thinking buying a vintage FB I 64. But a vintage FB 64 will have 56 year old pick ups. What to expect from electronics do Old. I can imagine it will not be the tone of FB I 64 in 68/69.

what do you think?
Regards,

cr88
 

Tommy Tourbus

Active member
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
871
Actually, get a 2 pickup Firebird. I had a I and a III at the same time for a bit, both Custom Shop reissues, and ended up selling the I. The I and the bridge pickup of the III solo'd sounded nearly identical, and the Firebird neck pickup is amazing. The neck solo'd or combined with the bridge in the middle position are both amazing sounds. There's no advantage to having a one pickup bird over a two pickup model. For reference, I had a Novak in the I and a set of Kleins in the III.
 

Crossroads88

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
3
Thanks for your responses. Now decided to go for a epi fb hb. This is to be had < 900 usd. Will try some boutique pick ups and will get familiar with the sound. Will than compare with vintage 64. On reverb it is written tat vintage 64 fb go for approximately 6k usd. However, now seem to go for minimum 13k usd.
 

Crossroads88

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2021
Messages
3
Actually, get a 2 pickup Firebird. I had a I and a III at the same time for a bit, both Custom Shop reissues, and ended up selling the I. The I and the bridge pickup of the III solo'd sounded nearly identical, and the Firebird neck pickup is amazing. The neck solo'd or combined with the bridge in the middle position are both amazing sounds. There's no advantage to having a one pickup bird over a two pickup model. For reference, I had a Novak in the I and a set of Kleins in the III.
Good idea!
 

copernicus

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
64
Exactly which "EC tone Firebird I 64" is it you're obsessed with? The one you get through a wall of cranked Marshalls at the Royal Albert Hall, or the one you get when the stage manager tells you to "turn down your volume or else!" on a Glen Campbell TV Show? If it's the latter, a $119,99 Ashthorpe from KMart will do just fine.
In either case, you can forget about the Woman Tone, the Firebird I doesn't have it.
 

Wally

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
Exactly which "EC tone Firebird I 64" is it you're obsessed with? The one you get through a wall of cranked Marshalls at the Royal Albert Hall, or the one you get when the stage manager tells you to "turn down your volume or else!" on a Glen Campbell TV Show? If it's the latter, a $119,99 Ashthorpe from KMart will do just fine.
In either case, you can forget about the Woman Tone, the Firebird I doesn't have it.
This is the worst version of this Song that Cream ever played…surely?????
 

Tommy Tourbus

Active member
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
871
This is the worst version of this Song that Cream ever played…surely?????
It's not that bad, it's just the weak guitar tone from Clapton being turned down too low as the other guy here has mentioned.
 

gmann

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
6,147
Mojotone makes an accurate Firebird pickup if you’re lookin’ for one.
 
Last edited:

Wally

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
It's not that bad, it's just the weak guitar tone from Clapton being turned down too low as the other guy here has mentioned.
I disagree….the volume doesn’t bother me. It is the change in the rhythm ri… listen to the above…..
and then listen to the original…


or the BBC cut….

imho, Clapton screwed the song up on purpose…perhaps because of the dictate to t urn dow?? But…whatever the reason, the cut in the first post sucks Because of the rhythm part he played.
 

Coachmoe

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
1,139
Thanks for your responses. Now decided to go for a epi fb hb. This is to be had < 900 usd. Will try some boutique pick ups and will get familiar with the sound. Will than compare with vintage 64. On reverb it is written tat vintage 64 fb go for approximately 6k usd. However, now seem to go for minimum 13k usd.
What exactly do you mean : epi fb hb ? Do you possibly mean Epiphone Joe Bonamassa FB I ?
 
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