1964 Gibson Firebird III Vintage Neck Through Guitar Sunburst w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1964 Gibson Firebird III in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case.The Firebird III’s mahogany/walnut nine-ply neck through construction results in plenty of natural sustain, growl and fundamental warmth.

The pickups are a pair of ‘60s Gibson mini humbuckers, modified with the correct alnico magnet structure as early Firebird pickups, retaining the stock pickup windings and fitted with new aged nickel covers (original pickup surrounds intact). These Firebird pickups offer exquisite clarity, bark and sensitivity to picking dynamics. The bridge pickup has a gutsy punch and snarl, and the neck is broad and smooth. This Firebird III weighs 8lbs 6oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany/Walnut
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .825” 1st fret, .980” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Brazilian rosewood, dot inlays
-Frets: Medium jumbo, refret, no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Tuners: Banjo
-Serialization: Six-digit stamp dates to ‘64

Body Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany/Walnut
-Pickups: Firebird x2 (vintage mini humbucker conversions, neck meters 5.75k ohms, bridge 6.90k)
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector
-Harness: 2x CTS pots date to the late ‘63, 2x replaced 500k CTS pots, Bumblebee caps (vintage, replaced)
-Hardware: Short-frame Maestro Vibrola, ABR-1 bridge, pickup covers and surrounds
-Plastics: Gold reflector cap knobs, three-ply pickguard with (faded) Firebird graphic

Hardware includes a circa 1980s nickel-plated Gibson ABR-1 bridge and the original Maestro short frame Vibrola fitted with a modern replica “spoon” arm. This Firebird had previously been fitted with at least two alternate bridge/tailpiece iterations, with visible stoptail holes, and a few doweled/touched-up mounting holes for the original wraparound tailpiece and additional bridge hardware.

The finish is 100% original save for the touch-up from the bridge hardware, with no headstock or heel repairs. There’s some finish chips along the body perimeter, an area of buckle wear on the back and various dings and scuffs. The gloss on the neck profile is free of palm wear with some shallow marks on the profile length, buffed smooth through play.

A modern Gibson USA hardshell case is included.