1963 Gibson Firebird VII, Sunburst
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
At a Glance:
Model: Firebird VII
Year: 1963
Finish: Sunburst
Construction: Neck-through-body reverse Firebird
Fingerboard: Bound ebony with block inlays
Hardware: Correct gold-plated throughout
Bridge: Correct ABR-1
Tailpiece: Correct Lyre Vibrola
Tuners: Correct banjo tuners
Pickguard: Correct 3-ply white Firebird guard
Pots: 4 x CTS, all 1963 dated
Modifications: Changed nut, neck pickup lead changed, middle pickup lead cut/spliced with PVC wire
Repairs: Headstock break/repair
Nut Width: 41.5mm
Neck Depth: 1st Fret - 21mm | 12th Fret 25.8mm
Weight: 4.15kg
Case: Modern Gibson hard shell
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.
1963 Gibson Firebird VII, Sunburst
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
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1963 Gibson Firebird VII, Sunburst
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Description
A rare and undeniably charismatic top-of-the-line example the Firebird VII is one of the most striking and desirable solid bodies Gibson produced in the 1960s. Introduced in late 1963 as the flagship of the new Firebird range, the VII sat at the very top of the line with deluxe appointments throughout. With only around 200 reverse-body VII examples produced between late ’63 and mid-’65, these remain among the rarest and most sought-after of all original Firebirds.
The appeal of the early reverse-body Firebirds goes far beyond rarity alone. Designed with its dramatic sweeping offset lines, sculpted “reverse” body shape and distinctive elongated headstock, the Firebird's neck-through-body construction with glued-on side wings gave them their unique resonance, sustain and unmistakable visual identity. The design proved expensive and time-consuming to manufacture, which is a large part of why Gibson replaced it with the simplified non-reverse version by 1965, making these early examples all the more special today.
As the flagship VII model, this guitar carries all the deluxe features that separate it from the Firebird V and lower models: a bound ebony fingerboard with block inlays, triple Firebird pickup layout, gold-plated hardware throughout, ABR-1 bridge, banjo tuners, Lyre Vibrola tailpiece and a 3-ply white Firebird pickguard. It is the most lavish expression of the original Firebird concept, sharing some of the visual grandeur of a Les Paul Custom but with all the radical flair of Gibson’s most forward-thinking body design.
This is an excellent overall example. The frets appear original, with binding nibs still retained, and the neck has a very comfortable carve measuring with a 41.5mm nut, with a depth of 21mm at the 1st fret and 25.8mm at the 12th. The nut has been changed, and it's had a headstock repair, something not uncommon on Firebirds.
Electronically, it retains four CTS pots all dating to 1963, with one visible week of 36. The neck pickup has had its PVC lead changed, the middle pickup’s original braided wire has been cut and neatly spliced with PVC wire, while the bridge pickup appears original and undisturbed. Tonally, these guitars deliver exactly why the VII has become such a cult classic: clear, piano-like neck tones, articulate bite from the bridge, and that gloriously nasal, cutting middle-position that helped make the model famous in the hands of Brian Jones, whose use of the Firebird VII has become part of the model's mythology.
A bold design statement, a genuinely rare top-tier Gibson and one of the most visually dramatic instruments of the era, it's easy to see why the reverse Firebirds are held in such high regard today.
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At a Glance:
Model: Firebird VII
Year: 1963
Finish: Sunburst
Construction: Neck-through-body reverse Firebird
Fingerboard: Bound ebony with block inlays
Hardware: Correct gold-plated throughout
Bridge: Correct ABR-1
Tailpiece: Correct Lyre Vibrola
Tuners: Correct banjo tuners
Pickguard: Correct 3-ply white Firebird guard
Pots: 4 x CTS, all 1963 dated
Modifications: Changed nut, neck pickup lead changed, middle pickup lead cut/spliced with PVC wire
Repairs: Headstock break/repair
Nut Width: 41.5mm
Neck Depth: 1st Fret - 21mm | 12th Fret 25.8mm
Weight: 4.15kg
Case: Modern Gibson hard shell
We are not box shifters, we take your packing and shipping very seriously..!
We have to. You're considering spending a lot of money with us and you would obviously like your valuable musical instrument to arrive at your door, without drama, fuss or damage.
We have many years (stretching way back in to the last century) of packing and shipping fragile musical items all over the world - in fact the number of sometimes priceless, vintage instruments we have shipped is in the thousands.
When you buy a vintage or second hand item from us, it will be hand packed by one or more of our specialist, in house staff and then shipped in our own custom made cardboard boxes (If applicable).
We normally ship via our preferred carriers UPS, DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail for smaller items such as straps and leads. Tracking numbers are always provided.
Shipping prices vary by item and by location, please see the individual products for details but as a guide, prices for a guitar is usually:
UK - £50
Mainland Europe - £75
USA - £200
Rest of World (rates can vary a lot depending on country) - £250
How can I pay?
All our base prices are in £GBP Sterling and exclude delivery.
Payments can be made by bank transfer (up to any amount) or credit/debit card through our website (up to £10,000.) Due to fraud risks we do not take payment by phone. We accept and use many online payment services that work by way of bank transfer and recommend Wise.com who will in generally offer far better exchange rates than banks.
Do your prices include VAT?
All prices include UK VAT but most used or vintage guitars are sold under the UK marginal scheme for secondhand goods which means you will not get an invoice with the VAT amount shown separately, neither will you be able to claim this VAT element back if you are VAT registered, and the VAT element cannot be deducted for export sales.
For new items such as some guitars, pedals, straps, cables etc 20% UK VAT is included and if you are in an export country, which since Brexit now includes Europe and of course the US, this 20% VAT will automatically be deducted at checkout for you. You may have to pay local taxes and duties when your goods arrive in your home country, we advise you to check with your local customs office to be sure.
Can I reserve or put an item on hold?
Yes you can. Items can be put on hold for a deposit payment of 10%. This will hold the item for up to 30 days but this deposit payment is non refundable in the event of the buyer failing to complete the sale.
A further 10% payment at the end of the initial 30 day period will extend this period for another 30 days and subject to individual approval, this arrangement can be extended at our discretion. ATB Guitars holds title to the goods until paid for in full and if the buyer should change his/her mind for any reason, a restocking fee equivalent to to 15% of the total purchase price will be deducted from any refund given.
Do you have a mailing list?
The best way to get on our mailing list is to submit the form at the bottom of every page on our website. Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ATBguitars as most new items are posted there as soon as we buy them and before they go on the website. If you are searching for a specific guitar then send us an email and we will attempt to alert you once one has been found.