SOLD! - 1976 Gibson Firebird Bicentennial Ebony Black & Gold Limited Edition

A true piece of history!

This Bicentennial Firebird is one of just a few custom color ebony 1976 reverse body Bicentennial guitars produced to mark America's two hundred years of independence.

It is essentially a reissue of the 1963-1964 Reverse Firebird III without the body contour, but with a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and all hardware gold-plated. The colors offered at the time were Sunburst, Natural Mahogany, White or Ebony. We have seen quite a few Sunburst and natural mahogany versions but the white and ebony guitars are pretty rare. The whole production run was 2.847 guitars between 1976 and 1978 and it is certain that just a very few examples were produced in Ebony, let alone the first year bicentennials with the blue/red 76 Firebird logo on the pickguard.

Back to the Bird. There are no repairs or modifications made to this guitar and apart from 2 extra strap pin holes in the body (as usual) and a small superficial hairline smiley in the neck (perfectly stable and comes with our Shop's guarantee), it is in great condition. All the parts and electronics are original with untouched solder. With the original frets in pretty good condition and a nice low action, this bird plays exceptionally well all along the neck. The serial number, red/blue 76 logo and pots all date to early 1976.

The acoustic tone is full of life and it rings like a bell. The neck humbucker has a warm, rich and smooth sound with a clear open quality to it, the bridge pick-up has a good bite and attack and a real nice edge, perfect for soaring leads and twangy telecaster like sounds. During the day she sleeps in a recent rectangular Gibson Firebird case which is included in the sale.