Gibson is paying tribute to one of their early 1965 Firebird designs – with features like a Non-Reverse shape and flat headstock – with the brand new (old) Firebird Platypus.
The Firebird Platypus features a Mahogany body with a glued-in, set neck and the appearance of a traditional neck-through Reverse Firebird body. The Mahogany neck has a fast-playing SlimTaper profile and a Rosewood fretboard with a 12″ radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, and acrylic trapezoid inlays and sports the Platypus-style headstock with a Graph Tech nut and Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners.
The Platypus-style headstock has been slightly modified to provide straight string pull for less friction and improved tuning stability. The other ends of the strings are routed over a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge for precise intonation and are solidly anchored with an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece for outstanding sustain. Its tone is just as unique due to its two articulate, historically accurate Firebird humbucker pickups equipped with Alnico 5 magnets.
“We had discontinued the Firebird at Gibson USA for a few years, and when we brought it back, we wanted to do it in a way that we’ve never done before—at least not since 1965,” said Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product. “That’s the year you would see the Reverse body with the Non-Reverse neck. To me, that’s my favorite incarnation of the Firebird because you’ve got the tuners on the top side.”
“The Reverse-style body features the raised center section on top; however, it is constructed with classic Gibson set-neck construction like the Non-Reverse Firebird,” added Jim DeCola, Gibson Master Luthier. “It also features the Platypus-style headstock with straight string pull and Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners for better functionality and balance.
“The reissue Firebird mini humbucking pickups utilize black mounting rings topped off with the traditional chrome trim rings for classic sound, looks, and improved performance. The use of the mounting rings under the trim rings keeps the pickups parallel to the strings to provide improved output and balance. We feel the new Firebird Platypus has the ‘best of’ Firebird features, aesthetics, sound, and playability.”
Get the Gibson Firebird Platypus here in Vintage Cherry, Ebony, or Tobacco Sunburst here for $2,499.
