• Registered: 2012-05-30
  • Posts: 485

Topic: Pelham Blue Firebird

What can you guys tell me about the Firebird Joe used on Black Winter on the KTBA cruise?

What pickups does it have and what is with the tailpiece? Looks interesting and piqued (again) my interest in getting a Firebird for myself...especially in Pelham Blue.

Guitars: Fender American Original 60s Strat, Fender American Vintage 52 Tele, Gibson Les Paul Traditional
FX: Various including - Ceriatone Centura, Fire Custom Shop Carpe Diem
Amp: Fender ML212 Deville + 212 extention cabinet

2 Reply by RoadcaseBoy (edited by RoadcaseBoy 2017-02-20 19:33:35)

  • From: Seymour Duncan's Hometown, NJ
  • Registered: 2012-03-05
  • Posts: 2,309

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Sorry, this is all I know:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNSJpyahMVW/

(The Baltimore show Joe was referring to for it's debut was on November 26, 2016 ... thanks to Jane H. ... I got to see it debut from the front row. big_smile)

Joe Bonamassa - Mountain Climbing - 11/26/15 The Lyric - Baltimore, MD
https://youtu.be/DkuuVDtqCck (1AnitrasDance)

"I was in Space for less than 2 weeks … and suddenly Jeaniene’s back … half the Band is off the gd wagon … we have comedians opening for us … and the nice kid that ran our website is now a kleptof’nmaniac.  Boy ... did you guys miss me!!"  Phil Valentine - Road Manager - Staton House Band

JBLP#251 (unaged) ... thank you Ron.
  • From: Bristol, UK
  • Registered: 2011-10-20
  • Posts: 237

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Adrian J wrote:

What can you guys tell me about the Firebird Joe used on Black Winter on the KTBA cruise?

What pickups does it have and what is with the tailpiece? Looks interesting and piqued (again) my interest in getting a Firebird for myself...especially in Pelham Blue.

The tailpiece is the usual that was used on the original Firebirds but without the Maestro 'Lyre' decorative plate behind it as fitted to the V and VII. I think it was called a vibrola.

I don't know what pickups are in Joe's but a new current model Firebird will not have original style pickups. New Firebirds are fitted with ceramic pickups that have high output (mine measured 16k at the neck and 22k at the bridge). They do sound quite good but not the typical tone you would normally associate with an original Firebird.

I bought my Firebird in 2011 and it is one if the last made with banjo style tuners. I recently replaced the pickups with a vintage style hand wound set from Creamery Pickups. Mine has a stop tailpiece but I also bought an original Gibson Maestro baseplate and lyre engraved cover (as fitted to the Derek Trucks SG) and it now sounds and looks even better!

4 Reply by njpaulc (edited by njpaulc 2017-02-23 08:54:22)

  • Registered: 2010-12-06
  • Posts: 122

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Don't know about the pickups, but except for the Joe Bonamassa fretboard, it is a copy of (or maybe an original) Firebird, III with the "Lightening bolt"bridge and the short Maestro.  The original had dot fretmarkers.

5 Reply by DougH (edited by DougH 2017-02-21 10:28:25)

  • DougH
  • DougH
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: Toronto, Canada
  • Registered: 2011-04-01
  • Posts: 1,700

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Looks like mini humbuckers to me.

https://wildwoodguitars.com/product/150 … ebird-iii/

Here is some info abet from a Canadian retailer

https://www.long-mcquade.com/68961/Guit … m_Blue.htm

---------------

(If only I had 1% of Joe's guitar talent)
  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Firebird mini-humbuckers are not like typical minis. Blades instead of poles.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • Registered: 2012-05-30
  • Posts: 485

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

RichardH wrote:
Adrian J wrote:

What can you guys tell me about the Firebird Joe used on Black Winter on the KTBA cruise?

What pickups does it have and what is with the tailpiece? Looks interesting and piqued (again) my interest in getting a Firebird for myself...especially in Pelham Blue.

The tailpiece is the usual that was used on the original Firebirds but without the Maestro 'Lyre' decorative plate behind it as fitted to the V and VII. I think it was called a vibrola.

I don't know what pickups are in Joe's but a new current model Firebird will not have original style pickups. New Firebirds are fitted with ceramic pickups that have high output (mine measured 16k at the neck and 22k at the bridge). They do sound quite good but not the typical tone you would normally associate with an original Firebird.

I bought my Firebird in 2011 and it is one if the last made with banjo style tuners. I recently replaced the pickups with a vintage style hand wound set from Creamery Pickups. Mine has a stop tailpiece but I also bought an original Gibson Maestro baseplate and lyre engraved cover (as fitted to the Derek Trucks SG) and it now sounds and looks even better!

I knew the current USA Firebird pups aren't vintage correct. If I do get one at some point they'll be replaced, as will the tuners and thanks to this thread possibly the bridge as well!!

Guitars: Fender American Original 60s Strat, Fender American Vintage 52 Tele, Gibson Les Paul Traditional
FX: Various including - Ceriatone Centura, Fire Custom Shop Carpe Diem
Amp: Fender ML212 Deville + 212 extention cabinet
  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

I bet that JB blue bird has stock pickups in it.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • Registered: 2012-05-30
  • Posts: 485

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

macg1 wrote:

I bet that JB blue bird has stock pickups in it.

I almost guarantee they're not the same as in USA production one. Maybe the same ones as in his Epiphone sig though...

Guitars: Fender American Original 60s Strat, Fender American Vintage 52 Tele, Gibson Les Paul Traditional
FX: Various including - Ceriatone Centura, Fire Custom Shop Carpe Diem
Amp: Fender ML212 Deville + 212 extention cabinet

10 Reply by macg1 (edited by macg1 2017-02-23 08:39:18)

  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
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Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Adrian J wrote:
macg1 wrote:

I bet that JB blue bird has stock pickups in it.

I almost guarantee they're not the same as in USA production one. Maybe the same ones as in his Epiphone sig though...

I would be curious to know. Maybe JB will chime in. I own two production Firebirds which date to 1999 and 2002. I also own a real 64 which has replacement pickups from Klein (if you are looking for vintage correct bird pickups these cannot be beat. Note however he does not wax pot them so stay away from high gain. I potted mine because especially in rehearsal situations it was squeal city USA).

The 1999 is a Firebird III Custom Shop Historic all stock and sounds killer as is. The other is a 2002 Firebird VII, but the pickups needed major help, so I had a neck one custom wound and the other two are Shaw era vintage ones. The Saws clock in at 21 and 17K. Having used the SD Seymourized pickups and others also, I found no real correlation between DC resistance and tone. The Shaws for example are higher DC but sound way better.

At first glance the stock pickups on both guitars look to be the same type.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • From: Bristol, UK
  • Registered: 2011-10-20
  • Posts: 237

Re: Pelham Blue Firebird

Having described it in an earlier post I thought perhaps I should show you what my Firebird looks like. As you can see, the Maestro tailpiece is purely ornamental and nicely covers the expanse of wood behind the stop bar.

http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o54 … rdnyri.jpg