“By their very nature, electric 12-strings are quirky… But surely there’s no cooler instrument on which to progress your jangly journey”: Gibson Custom Shop 1965 Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-String Reissue review

There are certain guitars we tell ourselves we definitely must get one day, but somehow it never quite happens. At the top of that list for many sits the electric 12-string. When would we use it? Wouldn’t the money be better spent on an amp upgrade, a top-line acoustic, or perhaps the latest modelling system?

While obvious 12-string contenders would be one of Rickenbacker’s Beatles, Byrds or Petty-inspired models, and Fender’s hockey stick headstock Electric XII, we reckon if anything could coax the moths from your wallet it’s this magnificent beast from Gibson. 

Based on Kalamazoo’s unbelievably cool non-reverse Firebird from 1965 it comes in glorious Aqua Mist, one of the Oldsmobile motor company’s flagship colours. 

A simpler build than the complex construction of its reverse forbear, the guitar features a mahogany body and glued-in SlimTaper neck, also in mahogany. The rosewood ’board is dotted and unbound, while the body boasts a forearm chamfer and belly cut. 

Another sensible thing from the player’s perspective is that Gibson has widened the nut from its mid-’60s norm of a little over 39.5mm (1.6 inches) to just under 43mm (1.7 inches). Given that most 12-string action happens around the first few frets, it’s a welcome improvement.

Twin strips of Kluson tuners sit either side of the Firebird’s massive headstock, while a white/black/white pickguard with red emblem houses two mini-humbuckers. These occupy a broadly similar sonic ballpark to Rickenbacker’s ‘toaster top’ pickups, and the split single coils of Fender’s Electric XII.

They’re controlled by twin volume and tone, and we found the best mix for all those classic 12-string licks to be both pickups on, bridge full up, and neck rolled back to about 7.

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It’s inherently bright but also provides the chime that delicate Johnny Marr-type riffs and triads or slamming Jam-meets-Who-style chords demand.

An old adage states that if you play 12-string you spend half your time tuning, the other half playing out of tune. With our Firebird, that’s mostly not the case as the strings anchor firmly at the specially designed tailpiece and the Kluson tuners are tight and smooth. However, since each pair of strings shares a single tune-o-matic saddle, you could encounter issues when venturing up the dusty end.

By their very nature, electric 12-strings are quirky. They all face compromises and as players we simply have to work around them. But surely there’s no cooler instrument on which to progress your jangly journey.  

Specs

• PRICE: $5,999/£5,299
• TYPE: 12-string electric guitar
• NECK: Mahogany, Traditional 1960s Slim Taper, glued in
• BODY: Mahogany
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, dot inlays
• SCALE LENGTH: 24.75"
• RADIUS: 12"
• PICKUPS: 2x Firebird Alnico 5 Humbuckers
• CONTROLS: 2x volume, 2x tone, 3-way slide switch
• HARDWARE: ABR-1 bridge with 12-string claw tailpiece, Kluson tuners
• FINISH: Aqua Mist, VOS
• CONTACT: Gibson