Made in collaboration with Gibson Custom, now with a rosewood fretboard and a new Vintage Gloss finish

Epiphone and Gibson™ Custom have teamed up once again to create the updated Inspired by Gibson Custom 1963 Firebird I – an authentic replica of the guitar designed by legendary automotive designer Ray Dietrich. When it was launched in 1963, the Firebird™ was Gibson’s first neck-through-body model, and it went on to be used by players in a wide range of genres, including blues legend Johnny Winter, Keith Richards and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, to name a few. The updated Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom 1963 Firebird I delivers vintage Firebird specifications at an accessible price, including a 9-ply neck-through-body made of mahogany and walnut with mahogany body wings to either side of the neck. 

This construction method results in the tuners, pickup, and bridge all being anchored into the same pieces of wood for exceptional resonance, sustain, and tonal transfer between them. The neck features a SlimTaper™ Rounded C profile with soft fretboard edges for a comfortable, played-in feel. The rosewood fretboard is adorned with mother-of-pearl dot inlays and equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets. Even the side dot position markers are the same size as on vintage Firebirds and placed in historically accurate locations. Kluson® planetary geared “banjo” tuners anchor the strings at the headstock and further add to the historic Firebird look, while a Wraparound Lightning Bar bridge holds things down at the other end and further reinforces the outstanding sustain.

SPECIFICATIONS

BODY

Body Finish : Vintage Gloss
Body Material : Mahogany (Wings)
Body Shape : Firebird
Body Styles : Firebird

NECK

Fingerboard Material : Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius : 304.8mm / 12.0in
Fret Count : 22
Frets : Medium Jumbo
Inlays : Mother of Pearl Dot
Joint : Neck-Through-Body Construction
Neck Material : 9-ply Mahogany/Walnut
Nut Material : Graph Tech
Nut Width : 43.0mm / 1.69in
Profile : 1963 Firebird
Scale Length : 628.65mm / 24.75in

ELECTRONICS

Bridge Pickup : Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker with Alnico 5 Magnets
Controls : Master Volume, Master Tone, Hand-wired with CTS Potentiometers and a Mallory Capacitor
Output Jack : 1/4" Switchcraft

HARDWARE

Bridge : Wraparound Lightning Bar
Control Covers : Black with Silver Inspired by Gibson Custom Logo Hotstamp
Control Knobs : Black Top Hat with Reflector
Finish : Nickel
Mounting Rings : Nickel
Pickguard : 3-ply White; Firebird Logo Hotstamp in Red
Pickup Covers : Nickel
Strap Buttons : 3 - Bottom, Shoulder, and Neck Heel - Historic Firebird Strap Button Placement Locations 
Truss Rod : Dual Action 
Truss Rod Cover : Single Ply Black with Epiphone Logo in Gold 
Tuner Plating : Nickel
Tuning Machines : Kluson Banjo-style Planetary

MISCELLANEOUS

Case : Inspired by Gibson Custom Hardshell
Model : ECFIR3CHNH
Headstock Inlay : Modern Epiphone Logo in Gold (on Truss Rod Cover)
Strings Gauge : .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046