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History continued...
According to Gibson:
"The solidbody Firebird guitars were originally developed
in 1963 by Ray Dietrich, a well-known
automotive designer, who reversed conventional guitar design
by making the treble-side horn longer than the bass horn.
The headstock was also reversed, with the tuners on the treble
side. Banjo-style tuners came straight out of the back of
the headstock to simplify the tuning process. The first four
models debuted in 1963 with a new set of custom colors created
just for them. The revolutionary guitar helped revitalize
Gibson and make it an influential leader in the production
of electric guitars in the mid-'60s. Gibson was in the process
of refining the design, by switching the tuners to the bass
side of the headstock, when Fender claimed infringement on
its offset-waist body design. Gibson then redesigned the Firebird
with a "non-reverse" style in 1965, with a shorter
body, bass horn longer than treble horn and conventional set
neck (the originals had a neck-through-body design). The new
shape did not catch on, however, and the model disappeared
after 1969. After several reincarnations through the decades,
the original reverse-body Firebird has been in regular production
since 1990, and the non-reverse model was reintroduced this
year by Gibson's Custom, Art & Historic division. In the
spirit of the originals, the 2002 Firebirds have a new set
of custom finish colors. The Gibson USA Firebird VII offering
includes Blue Mist, Copper Metallic and Red Metallic finishes.
The Custom non-reverses are available in pthalo blue, cardinal
red and antique natural finishes. There's also a Custom limited
edition non-reverse Firebird Plus with swirled nitrocellulose
finishes and the long neck tenon found on historic reissues.
"
So, who was Ray
Dietrich? Accoding to the Industrial Sociey of America, Ray
was born in 1894. He joined the Brewster and Co. coachbuilders
in 1913, who sent him to the Andrew F. Johnson Technical School
in Manhattan to learn body design and advanced drafting. He
graduated in 1917, went to Chevrolet as an assistant body
engineer, but rejoined Brewster in 1918. In partnership with
co-worker Thomas Hibbard, he established Le Baron Carrossiers
in New York in 1920, pioneering in the practice of what later
became known as "styling." He left Le Baron in 1925,
when Dietrich Inc. was established as the internal design
resource for Murray Corporation of America in Detroit, receiving
50 percent ownership. Although the partnership continued in
name until 1937, Dietrich was forced out in 1931 and joined
Chrysler as a consultant in 1932, serving as unofficial head
of the Art and Color Department, then officially in 1934 until
his resignation in about 1940. He founded Ray Dietrich Inc.
in 1949, worked for Checker starting in 1953, then at Lincoln
and Mercury until his retirement to Albuquerque in 1969. Ray
died in 1980.
In
1959, there was some kind of rift between Les Paul and Gibson,
and the popular Les Paul model was discontinued. Gibson hoped
that the Firebird, along with their SG model, would sell.
In fact, the Firebird did do better than the failed Explorer,
but after a four year primary run, the reverse Firebird was
morphed into the cheaper non-reverse model in '66. By then,
Les Paul was back in the Gibson camp and the Les Paul was
back in production. The original Firebird line was retired
in 1970.
Shipping Totals According To Gibson:
Model I: 1963:80 1964:
497 1965: 800
Model III: 1963: 272 1964: 1254
1965: 1020
Model V: 1963: 62 1964: 510
1965: 353
Model VI: 1963: 20 1964: 173
1965: 110
According
to guitar historian, Tom Wheeler,the official production numbers
for reverse models were (1963-65): (I) 1,377; (III) 2,546;
(V) 925; and (VII) 303. (For a complete understanding of the
history, please see Gibson's
Firebird Line: A '60s Era Radical by George Gruhn.)
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