“Sparkle, jangle and chime, refined”: Gibson’s Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-string revives an ultra-collectible model from 1965 – with a crucial upgrade

Last month, Gibson got back into the 12-string electric guitar game with the Jimmy Page EDS-1275. 

Now, for those who don’t want a 12-string guitar with a six-string fretboard attached (or want to pay $50k for a guitar) the firm has issued a new Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-string.

With a very alluring Aqua Mist VOS colorway, the quirky offset revives a highly collectible model from 1965, though does so with “one key improvement” – it offers a fuller neck width instead of the narrower, harder-to-navigate alternative found on the original. On paper, that means it should be easier to play.

Not only that, Gibson also returned to its 1959 Oldsmobile color chart to help source that striking finish. Said chart has been the force behind a collection of “historic Gibson custom colors.”

The Non-Reverse Firebird is one of Gibson’s most out-there ergonomic designs, so to see it with a longer, more traditional open book-style headstock and 12 strings makes it even more obscure – in the best way possible.

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Gibson first unveiled the model back in NAMM 1965, ushering in a collection of quirky-shaped six-strings that arrived in a handful of pickup and hardware configurations. The 12-string model, though, was arguably the most eye-catching.

For its revival, the guitar has been treated to a mahogany body, traditional ‘60s-profile mahogany neck, and 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. It also boasts a 12” ‘board radius, dot inlays, and a corian nut.

Tones come by way of two Firebird Alnico V pickups that, like most other Non-Reverse models, are controlled by two volume and two tone controls laid out in a one-on-three fashion.

“Sparkle, jangle, and chime, refined,” Gibson says of its new release. “The 12-string electric guitar has been a mainstay of popular music since the mid-1960s, when its unmistakable jangle was embraced by bands such as The Beatles and The Byrds. 

“Gibson’s iconic EDS-1275 has starred on many classic recordings and concert stages the world over, but for those who prefer to play a 12-string electric guitar without a six-string attached to it, Gibson Custom is proud to introduce the 1965 Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-String Reissue.”

This is the latest addition to the Gibson Custom Shop’s ‘Historic’ range, which also includes a regular 1965 Non-Reverse Firebird V. This one is slightly more expensive, weighing in at $5,999.

Head over to Gibson to find out more.