Gibson Firebird I Platypus Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965)
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Item #13875
Gibson Firebird I Platypus Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 258976, Cardinal Red lacquer finish, laminated mahogany neck and body, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
Sometime before Christmas in 1965 a just pre-teen boy asked his parents for an electric guitar; a hardly unusual request in that peak guitar-boom year! His father went, not as so many did to Sears for a cheap Silvertone but apparently to a local Gibson dealer. What he presented his son with just over 60 years ago is one of the rarest and coolest Gibsons we have ever had, offered for sale for the first time since it was originally bought in late 1965.
This is an exceptionally rare Cardinal Red example of the final original "reverse" Firebird I variant, shipped very briefly in the summer/fall 1965 as the Firebird series was being re-launched in the simpler "non-reverse" style. In his 1978 "Rare Bird" column and the classic tome AMERICAN GUITARS author Tom Wheeler coined the term "Platypus Firebirds" for the unusual transitional instruments made at this time, and it became an affectionate collector's byword now even used by Gibson.
The Firebird series was launched in 1963 specifically designed to challenge Fender, a Gibson for the twang'n'surf era. Nearly everything about them was new for Gibson, from the fluid liquid sculpture body lines with neck-through-body construction, sculpted headstocks fitting banjo tuners to special small humbucking pickups. The line consisted of four models designated by Roman numerals I-VII; each had a unique neck binding and/or inlay pattern and different pickup and bridge array that had to be tooled in before finishing.
The Firebird I was originally offered at $215 with a single Firebird humbucking pickup and no vibrato. Gibson expected this lowest priced model to sell in the largest numbers but the mid-priced ($280) Firebird III with two pickups and vibrato racked up the strongest sales in 1963-4. By 1965 problems with the entire line caused Gibson to completely re-design the instruments into what became known as the "non-reverse" Firebirds, much simpler to build with a standard glued in neck and streamlined features.
While this re-engineered line was being prepared very limited quantities of I and III models with some non-standard features were shipped in summer 1965. These used up the inventory of neck-through-body sections clearing the way for the new line. This is one of those transitional instruments, a revamped Firebird I with twin P-90 pickups instead of a single mini humbucker, a flat unsculpted headstock and conventional tuners. Gibson must have noted two pickups and a vibrato was what the "kids" apparently wanted and the headstock was simply easier and cheaper to make.
The defining feature that marks this as a Firebird I is (oddly enough) the unbound fingerboard. This headstock is unique, not sculpted with banjo tuners like the original 1963 Firebirds but cut flat with Kluson strip tuners fitted along the lower side with the high E closest to the nut. A VERY few of the final single-pickup, non vibrato Firebird I's were built with this headstock before this twin-P-90 series appeared. While likely simply an economy measure, the much lighter headstock results in superior balance making for an overall much handier guitar to play.
The two black-plastic covered P-90 pickups are controlled by the typical 4-knob, single switch wiring rig. These were considered a budget fitting by Gibson, another way of keeping the price down. Once again in practice this likely economic choice results in a unique experience for the player; the gutty and powerful P-90 growl added to the "Reverse" Firebird formula gives an utterly distinctive sound. As with all solidbody Gibsons in 1965 a Vibrola was fitted stock, another selling point in 1965.
Most other features remain unchanged from the 1963-4 Firebird I. The multi-laminate center neck-through-body center section has mahogany "wings" glued to the sides. The neck has a fairly chunky feel with a 1 11/16" nut but is a bit slimmer back-to-front than some. The laminated white pickguard bears the spiffy bird emblem which is fairly well worn away. All 1965 Firebirds shipped in Gibson stock #1210 oblong yellow-lined cases which added $42 to the price; this is even a transitional version of the case, with the old yellow lining and neck block/pocket design but the cheaper handle and latches used on the newer budget #310.
The most spectacular feature of this guitar is of course the striking Cardinal Red lacquer, one of the 10 Custom Colors available for Firebirds but seldom ordered. Gibson lore holds that most dealers ignored the jaunty brochure provided, as they were primarily interested in selling stock off the wall. "If you've got a red one, they want a blue one" was the complaint, and whatever the truth, the solid color guitars are exponentially rarer than sunburst models, especially for these last "Platypus" versions. It seems likely this one was ordered in summer 1965 and sat in stock until December, when the shop was probably happy to foist it off on an uninformed dad looking for a present for his son.
Exactly 800 Firebird Is were shipped in 1965, but the proportions of Reverse, non-Reverse and this interim "Platypus" version is unknown as they were all logged the same. While the exact number is unrecorded, only a handful of Custom Color examples of these have ever been documented. Despite a fairly chaotic serial number situation at Gibson in 1965, the progression of Firebirds is surprisingly orderly. This "Platypus" I appears in several small batches from #257XXX into the #265XXX series alongside conventional III and bass models; The final "Platypus" III models with a reversed sculpted headstock and humbucking pickups are numbered higher into the 300,000s. By fall 1965 the "Non-reverse" guitars were in full production and these beautiful 'birds were history.
In the decades since many Firebirds have suffered headstock cracks, been heavily played and/or modified. This all-original I is a splendid survivor, honestly worn but never abused. The young man who received it in 1965 played the guitar over the years, but eventually switched primarily to bass and it was put away for decades. It bears the scars of some enthusiastic use but no structural damage or repair, as resplendent in its holiday-appropriate red-and-white today as it was under the family tree 6 decades ago.
Overall length is 43 3/4 in. (111.1 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This super rare "Red Platypus" Firebird is nicely original with enough wear to feel authentic and giggable without having been abused! The original Cardinal Red finish shows general wear overall with some typical checking and a collection of nicks, dings, scratches and chips overall, heaviest all around the body edges and most notable along the lower back edge. The back of the neck has some checking but surprisingly little wear, just some light chipping along the treble edge. There is heavier wear the tip of the headstock, which must have hit a few walls or ceilings in its day; a bit of red paint was added there that is mostly chipped off again. Dings on the headstock front edges show a few small touch ups. The most common Firebird malady is completely absent -- the neck has NEVER been cracked or broken, not has the control cavity.
There is minor typical pickguard shrinkage, it is somewhat scuffed and the bird emblem is largely worn away. The rear tip of the guard is cracked off; the piece is still in the case and this could be repaired, but the screw hole in the body underneath would need to be moved up a bit so we have left it as is for now. All other mounting holes in the guard are intact; the original screws are a bit rusty. All hardware appears original and complete, the oft-missing vibrato arm is intact including the mounting screw and nylon bushings. The nickel plating shows typical wear but remains largely intact. The pickups and wiring remain original with pots dated the 2nd week of 1965; the only alteration jack was replaced long ago; the original plastic-body jacks were often prone to failure.
The original frets were crowned down somewhat and a newer bone nut fitted, the fingerboard has some minor wear. This guitar is an excellent-playing and fantastic sounding example of this sleek and singular Gibson rarity, gigged but still ready to rock out, as the saying goes. It includes an original second-pattern yellow-lined hard case, very solid with the somewhat fragile handle and all three latches still intact. Overall Very Good + Condition.
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Sometime before Christmas in 1965 a just pre-teen boy asked his parents for an electric guitar; a hardly unusual request in that peak guitar-boom year! His father went, not as so many did to Sears for a cheap Silvertone but apparently to a local Gibson dealer. What he presented his son with just over 60 years ago is one of the rarest and coolest Gibsons we have ever had, offered for sale for the first time since it was originally bought in late 1965.
This is an exceptionally rare Cardinal Red example of the final original "reverse" Firebird I variant, shipped very briefly in the summer/fall 1965 as the Firebird series was being re-launched in the simpler "non-reverse" style. In his 1978 "Rare Bird" column and the classic tome AMERICAN GUITARS author Tom Wheeler coined the term "Platypus Firebirds" for the unusual transitional instruments made at this time, and it became an affectionate collector's byword now even used by Gibson.
The Firebird series was launched in 1963 specifically designed to challenge Fender, a Gibson for the twang'n'surf era. Nearly everything about them was new for Gibson, from the fluid liquid sculpture body lines with neck-through-body construction, sculpted headstocks fitting banjo tuners to special small humbucking pickups. The line consisted of four models designated by Roman numerals I-VII; each had a unique neck binding and/or inlay pattern and different pickup and bridge array that had to be tooled in before finishing.
The Firebird I was originally offered at $215 with a single Firebird humbucking pickup and no vibrato. Gibson expected this lowest priced model to sell in the largest numbers but the mid-priced ($280) Firebird III with two pickups and vibrato racked up the strongest sales in 1963-4. By 1965 problems with the entire line caused Gibson to completely re-design the instruments into what became known as the "non-reverse" Firebirds, much simpler to build with a standard glued in neck and streamlined features.
While this re-engineered line was being prepared very limited quantities of I and III models with some non-standard features were shipped in summer 1965. These used up the inventory of neck-through-body sections clearing the way for the new line. This is one of those transitional instruments, a revamped Firebird I with twin P-90 pickups instead of a single mini humbucker, a flat unsculpted headstock and conventional tuners. Gibson must have noted two pickups and a vibrato was what the "kids" apparently wanted and the headstock was simply easier and cheaper to make.
The defining feature that marks this as a Firebird I is (oddly enough) the unbound fingerboard. This headstock is unique, not sculpted with banjo tuners like the original 1963 Firebirds but cut flat with Kluson strip tuners fitted along the lower side with the high E closest to the nut. A VERY few of the final single-pickup, non vibrato Firebird I's were built with this headstock before this twin-P-90 series appeared. While likely simply an economy measure, the much lighter headstock results in superior balance making for an overall much handier guitar to play.
The two black-plastic covered P-90 pickups are controlled by the typical 4-knob, single switch wiring rig. These were considered a budget fitting by Gibson, another way of keeping the price down. Once again in practice this likely economic choice results in a unique experience for the player; the gutty and powerful P-90 growl added to the "Reverse" Firebird formula gives an utterly distinctive sound. As with all solidbody Gibsons in 1965 a Vibrola was fitted stock, another selling point in 1965.
Most other features remain unchanged from the 1963-4 Firebird I. The multi-laminate center neck-through-body center section has mahogany "wings" glued to the sides. The neck has a fairly chunky feel with a 1 11/16" nut but is a bit slimmer back-to-front than some. The laminated white pickguard bears the spiffy bird emblem which is fairly well worn away. All 1965 Firebirds shipped in Gibson stock #1210 oblong yellow-lined cases which added $42 to the price; this is even a transitional version of the case, with the old yellow lining and neck block/pocket design but the cheaper handle and latches used on the newer budget #310.
The most spectacular feature of this guitar is of course the striking Cardinal Red lacquer, one of the 10 Custom Colors available for Firebirds but seldom ordered. Gibson lore holds that most dealers ignored the jaunty brochure provided, as they were primarily interested in selling stock off the wall. "If you've got a red one, they want a blue one" was the complaint, and whatever the truth, the solid color guitars are exponentially rarer than sunburst models, especially for these last "Platypus" versions. It seems likely this one was ordered in summer 1965 and sat in stock until December, when the shop was probably happy to foist it off on an uninformed dad looking for a present for his son.
Exactly 800 Firebird Is were shipped in 1965, but the proportions of Reverse, non-Reverse and this interim "Platypus" version is unknown as they were all logged the same. While the exact number is unrecorded, only a handful of Custom Color examples of these have ever been documented. Despite a fairly chaotic serial number situation at Gibson in 1965, the progression of Firebirds is surprisingly orderly. This "Platypus" I appears in several small batches from #257XXX into the #265XXX series alongside conventional III and bass models; The final "Platypus" III models with a reversed sculpted headstock and humbucking pickups are numbered higher into the 300,000s. By fall 1965 the "Non-reverse" guitars were in full production and these beautiful 'birds were history.
In the decades since many Firebirds have suffered headstock cracks, been heavily played and/or modified. This all-original I is a splendid survivor, honestly worn but never abused. The young man who received it in 1965 played the guitar over the years, but eventually switched primarily to bass and it was put away for decades. It bears the scars of some enthusiastic use but no structural damage or repair, as resplendent in its holiday-appropriate red-and-white today as it was under the family tree 6 decades ago.
Overall length is 43 3/4 in. (111.1 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This super rare "Red Platypus" Firebird is nicely original with enough wear to feel authentic and giggable without having been abused! The original Cardinal Red finish shows general wear overall with some typical checking and a collection of nicks, dings, scratches and chips overall, heaviest all around the body edges and most notable along the lower back edge. The back of the neck has some checking but surprisingly little wear, just some light chipping along the treble edge. There is heavier wear the tip of the headstock, which must have hit a few walls or ceilings in its day; a bit of red paint was added there that is mostly chipped off again. Dings on the headstock front edges show a few small touch ups. The most common Firebird malady is completely absent -- the neck has NEVER been cracked or broken, not has the control cavity.
There is minor typical pickguard shrinkage, it is somewhat scuffed and the bird emblem is largely worn away. The rear tip of the guard is cracked off; the piece is still in the case and this could be repaired, but the screw hole in the body underneath would need to be moved up a bit so we have left it as is for now. All other mounting holes in the guard are intact; the original screws are a bit rusty. All hardware appears original and complete, the oft-missing vibrato arm is intact including the mounting screw and nylon bushings. The nickel plating shows typical wear but remains largely intact. The pickups and wiring remain original with pots dated the 2nd week of 1965; the only alteration jack was replaced long ago; the original plastic-body jacks were often prone to failure.
The original frets were crowned down somewhat and a newer bone nut fitted, the fingerboard has some minor wear. This guitar is an excellent-playing and fantastic sounding example of this sleek and singular Gibson rarity, gigged but still ready to rock out, as the saying goes. It includes an original second-pattern yellow-lined hard case, very solid with the somewhat fragile handle and all three latches still intact. Overall Very Good + Condition.
