Gibson is continuing its recent trend of dipping into its vast archive of more left-field builds as it announces the return of the Firebird Platypus – a transitional design from the mid-’60s.
Ostensibly, it is very similar to the Firebirds of today that we all know and love, save for the platypus-bill-like headstock from which this forgotten design gets its name.
This particular model, launched in 1965, introduced some important changes to the guitar’s lineage: the headstock was flipped and flattened compared to previous versions. While its predecessors’ headstocks were given a two-layer holly veneer and banjo-style tuners, the Platypus has a flat headstock and six-in-line tuners.
Throughout the ’60s, Gibson’s designers were constantly tweaking the Firebird recipe. The company knew it was onto a winner with its distinctive body shape, with several iterations falling under ‘reverse’ and ‘non-reverse’ categories.
Yet the Platypus is an interesting proposition as it takes aspects of both for a hybrid design, and it's underscored with a mahogany body, a glued-in set neck, and the appearance of a traditional neck-through reverse Firebird body.
The party-trick headstock has been modified a little, providing a straight string pull for reduced friction and better tuning stability. Elsewhere, speedy playing is ensured via a SlimTaper neck profile, and its rosewood fingerboard is crafted with a 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, and acrylic trapezoid inlays.
Jutting out from that fast-playing neck is its defining platypus headstock, which is adorned with Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners and a Graph Tech nut.
While Gibson has brought its headstock up to speed, it's gone full nostalgia with two historically accurate Firebird humbuckers. They feature Alnico 5 magnets and are said to offer the “bell-like chime” and “articulate” sounds that ’60s Firebirds are known for.
Master Luthier Jim DeCola comments on how the pickups “utilize black mounting rings topped off with the traditional chrome trim rings for classic sound, looks, and improved performance”. By placing the mounting rings as such, the pickups are parallel to the strings, improving output and tonal balance.
Its three-way pickup switch is situated beside the classic Firebird stamp on the pickguard, and there are dedicated Volume and Tone knobs for each ’bucker.
“We feel the new Firebird Platypus has the ‘best of’ Firebird features, aesthetics, sound, and playability,” says Jim DeCola.
“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.
“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,” continues 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 Gibson Firebird Platypus is available now for $2,499, with three colorways – Tobacco Sunburst, Ebony, and Vintage Cherry – on offer.
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It follows a special Gibson Certified Vintage drop that pays homage to its long-forgotten Superstrat era and the return of the Gibson Victory from that same period, as the firm looked to appeal to the shred hype of the time.
Other archive-inspired designs have come via the Theodore, originally designed in 1957 but only recently brought to life, while CEO Cesar Gueikian has teased the return of its offset RD, a model loved by Dave Grohl and Ghost.
