1963 Gibson Firebird III 1963 one of 272 made - First Year Sunburst

No sales tax for customers outside California.

This Gibson Firebird III is one of just 272 made in the first year of production, 1963.
 
The guitar has escaped the structural issues you often encounter in a vintage Firebird.  There are no body or neck cracks or repairs.  

It plays and sounds absolutely out of this world!

A professional refret has been performed.  As a result, it is the best playing Firebird in the shop right now (we have three 60s reverse 'Birds currently!).

Pickups in these early models often have issues, which I've seen in every 60s example that has come through.  Gibson changed from cloth wire insulation to plastic on the mini humbuckers for a while in the mid 60s.  The insulation lies between the center conductor and the woven outer shield on the pickup leads.  This insulation breaks down, causing the outer shield to ground out to the center conductor.  This is why you see so many Firebird pickups from the period having been worked on. They have been out of this guitar, then returned.  The covers have been removed and reapplied as well.  The Patent Stickers on the pickups are original.  The lead wires were replaced, solving the issue.  The only solders in the control cavity that have been messed with are the pickup lead wire solders.

There are no other issues or changes.  Oh- the original "lightning bolt" bridge is on the case.  A repro unit is on the guitar that has the string compensation correct for the G string, where the 60's original was compensated differently.

The pots date to 1963.  The tuners, knobs, strap buttons, pickguard, truss rod cover, switch ring - all are original parts.

The original case is included.  It has seen better days.  For daily use, a 90's Gibson case is included as well, which will be used for shipping.

You'll find shipping to be expensive, because the box will be huge and we will ship it via UPS Air to make sure it isn't out there too long.  The original case will ship via ground, separate from the guitar.  

Color: Sunburst
Weight: 7lbs 7.4ozs
Body: Mahogany 
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Brazilian Rosewood
Inlays: Mother of pearl dots
Frets: Re-fret
Fret count: 22
Nut: Non Original bone
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 3/4"
Radius: 9.5"
Neck thickness at 1st fret: 0.84"
Neck thickness at 12th fret: 1.02"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 1mm
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 1.5mm
Total length: 43 1/2"
Lower bout: 14 1/4"
Waist: 9 1/4"
Upper bout: 12 1/2"
Body depth/thickness: 1 1/2"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Nickel
Bridge Pickup Brand: Gibson
Bridge Pickup Reading: 6.33k
Pickup Original?: Original, new lead wire
Neck Pickup Brand: Gibson
Neck Pickup Reading: 6.39k
Pickup Original?: Original, new lead wire
Pickguard: Original
Bridge: Reproduction, original included in the case
Tuners: Original
Switch: Original
Pots/Codes: 811 1053
Case: OHSC included, guitar is in a later Gibson Firebird case.
Notes:

Shipping policy:
Three day UPS air shipments will be automatic for buyers including these states and those to the east of them: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas.  Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.