Gibson Skunk Baxter Firebird

Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist gets a signature guitar   28-Mar-14

Gibson USA has announced the Skunk Baxter Firebird, built in the tradition of the original reverse-body Firebird, with its distinctive looks and multi-piece neck-through-body construction for superior strength and sustain.

They tell us that it's pickups, a radically new set of Firebird Mini-humbuckers (designed by Jim DeCola), while the hottest mini-hums yet, retain the sweet, dynamic tone similar to that of Gibson's original '57 humbuckers. Gibson says you can route three of these powerful pickups through independent on/off and full/split-coil switching for an insane number of variations and combinations, making this is the most sonically versatile Firebird yet to take flight.

Gibson believes that the high-quality Tune-o-matic bridge, Lyre vibrato tailpiece, and Steinberger gearless tuners deliver consistent performance on stage or in the studio--and when it come to looks, the high-gloss Copper Metallic finish, black plastics, white fingerboard binding, and pearloid block inlays make the Skunk Baxter Firebird a visual treat.

A spokesperson told us, "With one of the most jaw-dropping resumes in music, Skunk Baxter knows about tone. After playing bass in Jimi Hendrix's pre-Experience band, Baxter became a founding member of Steely Dan, then joined hit-makers the Doobie Brothers in 1974. He's worked with Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, and several others--and if that isn't enough, has also worked as a high-security-clearance consultant in Ballistic Missile Defense for the U.S. government, and been named a Senior Fellow and Member of the Board of Regents at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. His weapon of choice? A Gibson Firebird, of course--and with that kind of background, you just know that his Firebird is going to be something special."

Pricing and Availability:
$1,999

More information:

• Skunk Baxter Firebird