Guitars : Electric Solid Body - Fretted Americana"/>

1963 Gibson Firebird III "Reverse"

$35,000.00

  • Year: 1963
  • Manufacturer: Gibson
  • Model: Firebird III "Reverse"
  • Case: Hard
  • Color: Mahogany Sunburst
  • Condition: Excellent
  • Description: Carlos Santana's first year Firebird lll model. This incredible guitar weighs just 7.90 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a wonderful medium-to-thick profile and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Solid mahogany body, mahogany, neck, and bound rosewood fretboard with 22 jumbo frets and inlaid pearl dot position markers. Headstock with gold-painted "Gibson" logo on black plastic truss-rod cover with three screws. Individual Gibson Banjo-style tuners with rearwards metal tulip-shaped buttons. Two "patent number" mini-humbuckers with outputs of 6.60k and 6.45k. Three-layer (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with a "Firebird" emblem painted on in red and eight screws. The pickguard has been signed in silver marker "Carlos Santana". Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch. Gold plastic bell-shaped knobs with metal tops. Combination bar bridge/tailpiece with pre-set ridges and factory Gibson short Vibrola tailpiece with walrus tooth tip. All parts nickel-plated. The pots are dated "137 63 36" (CTS Sept 1963). This is one of the very earliest examples with a two-piece full length neck and a convex heel which blends into the body. Also there is no 'Firebird' emblem on the three-layer plastic pickguard. There is some fine finish checking and a few small and insignificant dents and dings mainly on the edges, but overall this amazing guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition. Housed in a later Gibson black hardshell case with purple plush lining (9.25). (01319).