Gibson Firebird X £3,299 ElEctrics Learning To F ly ames Looker j As one of the best-loved guitar brands of all time continues to assault the boundaries of technology, we review its latest feature-laden creation and ask if the tearing sound is that of the envelope being pushed just too far? Words by Simon Bradley hy by joby sessions & P Photogra 82 Guitarist October 2011 GIT347.rev_gibson.indd 82 9/12/11 4:16:36 PM Gibson Firebird X £3,299 ElEctrics October 2011 Guitarist 83 GIT347.rev_gibson.indd 83 9/12/11 4:16:40 PM Gibson Firebird X £3,299 ElEctrics others were genuinely ill- conceived. The seventies RD Gibson Firebird X £3,299 Artist that featured Moog- designed onboard electronic wizardry could be either, depending on your opinion. In ibson is no stranger to Shortly before that was the any case it didn’t last long, and What we innovation, despite its Flying V and Explorer. “Russia neither did the Corvus – one want to know G position in 2011 as a has her satellite, perhaps to the wacky shape too far. heritage brand in many players’ embarrassment of the US,” With the advent of affordable Hasn’t this guitar had a eyes. For example, its most crowed the Gibson Gazette in and reliable digital technology 1 rather mixed reception highly prized electric solidbody November 1957. “But the has come another spurt of from the guitar-buying – the Les Paul Standard – had a Gibson folks have come Gibson innovations, driven by public so far? torrid time with popularity forward with their own first; chairman and CEO Henry Even a cursory glance at throughout the 1950s, even in the futuristic Flying V guitar.” Juszkiewicz. First, in 2006, the the Gibson.com forum the holy grail flametop ’burst And yes, they’re cool today, but HD.6X-Pro Digital Guitar will show that the format of 1959. But it just wasn’t popular opinion considered enabled you to rout each string negative opinions far selling, so Gibson made it into them laughable in 1958. to a separate amp and effects outweigh the positive what we now call the SG: a There are plenty of other chain. The following year, ones thus far. However, fiercely modernist design that examples of Gibson’s Gibson’s much-lauded Robot as it’s likely that very few also had plenty of critics – not innovations being poorly Guitar introduced the by-then of those people have least the man whose name was received at launch. Some Gibson-owned auto-tuning actually played a Firebird still on the headstock! Ever proved to be slow-burners – technology, originally X, we’ll be making our forwards, maintained Gibson. lovable curios, perhaps – while conceived by Tronical. Then own minds up about it… So, what does it 2 actually do? Well, in theory at least, the Firebird X offers us auto-tuning, extensive pickup switching, onboard editable effects, a piezo acoustic mode and quite a bit more besides… This ain’t your grandaddy’s Firebird, that’s for sure. Which means nobody 3 will want one, right? Everyone’s a cynic! Remember that there was a time when amp modelling and even solid- state technology was assumed to be ‘too modern’ for most players’ tastes. And without innovation comes stagnation, doesn’t it? All the three-way effects toggles have rotatable central shafts to regulate the effect level 84 Guitarist October 2011 GIT347.rev_gibson.indd 84 9/12/11 4:16:46 PM Gibson Firebird X £3,299 ElEctrics 2008’s Dark Fire mixed the self- seen the online pre-launch tuning system from the Robot pictures and press releases and, with Chameleon Tone well, let’s just say that we’ve Technology, which provided a probably all formed our own wide choice of very different opinions before we’ve even seen pickup sounds at the twist of a one in the flesh. single knob. After that the Dusk Let’s try to suspend all that Tiger, released in 2010, for now and judge it on its re-evaluated and improved the merits. The latest launch is concept to make the instrument inked for 30 September, and we “more like a live guitar”. finally have one in our hands. Each of these contemporary The Firebird X aims to deliver releases has been undoubtedly its myriad tonal charms impressive in the terms of courtesy of what Gibson calls a genuine technological Pure-Analogue engine. As with innovation and clear forward- the Dusk Tiger, Gibson doesn’t looking vision. On the other provide a manual with the side of the coin, there are two guitar – you can download it problems as far as we can see. when you register your First, with rock ’n’ roll history purchase online – so we find cemented for the most part, ourselves as in the dark as precious few guitarists have anyone when it comes to how any interest in moving to use it. But the literature we Set up the onboard effects using the sliders, then save it to one of 55 presets ‘forward’. Second, and perhaps have procured suggests that as a result of this, not one of this isn’t a digital device in the offers three modes: Patch Play, that are themselves chosen via Gibson’s latter-day innovations modelling sense; it’s an analogue within which you use the saved the Gear Shift control, a has been met with huge signal path with digital control. tones; Live Edit, which lets you familiar feature from previous enthusiasm by the guitar- Not only does the FB-X create and save any sound; and such guitars that also controls playing public – have you ever include the aforementioned Program, which allows you to the tuning system. seen anyone playing one? Robot tuning system, there are make conventional pickup In addition there are three And so to the delayed launch also 55 presets into which you selections within a saved tone. tog-pots – three-way toggles of Gibson’s latest techno-guitar, can save your own tones based In the first two modes, the that give access to various the Firebird X. Many of you, on a selection of onboard effects five-way lever switch acts as features. Blue and red control a and us for that matter, have and pickup simulations. It a patch selector within banks selection of effects; grey allows access to the tuning system, the piezo system and Program Not only does the Firebird X include the Robot tuning mode. All three have rotatable central shafts for instant system, there are also 55 presets into which you can save volume or effect level control. your own tones based on a selection of onboard eff ects There’s a lot for your brain to deal with, but like anything, the and pickup simulations more you use it, the more you Rotate the Gear Shift knob and watch the Robot tuners do their thing. Pulling it up also turns the guitar on, which took us an embarrassingly long time to figure out… October 2011 Guitarist 85 GIT347.rev_gibson.indd 85 9/12/11 4:16:52 PM Gibson Firebird X £3,299 ElEctrics The Robot tune-o-matic bridge is loaded with piezo saddles to offer acoustic sounds and more start to use functions without we are at a loss to discern other, The distortion sounds let the guitar having to think too much. less obvious pedal functions, The three pickups comprise but the treadle does move up down badly. There are six types and three specifically designed and down automatically when each steadfastly holds on to its wasp- mini humbuckers that feature you rotate the guitar’s volume ceramic, Alnico II or Alnico V pot – one to impress your mates in-a-jam-jar character magnets and each can be split, with for sure. tapped, muted or have their Gibson continues to polarity reversed as required. encourage online communities, But that’s not even half the and includes a G-Node modular as comformable as it’s always story. Supplied with the guitar transmitter so you can hook the been. We must say that we quite The Rivals is a carryall literally stuffed Firebird X up to your computer like the body shape, fashioned with all manner of goodies, the via USB. From there you can from chambered swamp ash, The USA Line 6 James Tyler most important of which are access the Gibson app store to and it does sit very nicely up Variax JTV-69 (£2,299) the two hefty pedals that prove download and share your own against your body, whether mixes boutique playability to be the heart of the system. patches. At the time of writing, sitting or standing. We can’t with some great tones and Both communicate with the the site had not been launched, really comment on the swathes a straightforward guitar’s ‘brain’ via Bluetooth so we’re unable to report of chrome and old-school infrastructure, while the Fret- connection, so there are no whether it works. In addition, toggles, as they’re required to King Super-Matic (£1,299) wires to speak of. One of the your purchase of the guitar will make the guitar work. But the provides a choice of pedals can be used to flick allow you to download Guitar best thing we can say about the automatic tunings via a through patches or turn effects Rig 4 and Ableton 8 Live but, swirly candy finish, dubbed bridge array that can also on and off, while the other acts again, as the guitar isn’t ‘Redolution’, is that at least its be retrofitted into a standard as a global wah, octaver, rotary supplied with said software, we not the even more nauseous Strat vibrato rout.