NGD- drunken Firebird purchase

Had a couple of maragritas at dinner with the wife the other night and I'm such a lightweight that I bought a guitar on ebay when I got home. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

It's a Tokai firebird, but of course the seller changed the parts and the truss rod cover to Gibson. Actually, the guy shielded all the cavities with copper tape, put in a TUSQ nut, upgraded the tuners and put in Iron Gear mini-humbuckers. $500, why not? Sounds and feels pretty great right out of the box. It's big, but not unwieldy.

I am kind of considering putting P-90s in it, but I think I'll play with it as is for a while. The only drag is no case, gotta find one before I take it on a gig, I see this headstock snapping right off at the first bad fall.

Always wanted a Firebird. Brian Jones, eh?

P.S. my hair is in a transitional stage.

That's a cool guitar congrats.

I'm actually at the moment of typing gluing wood together to make a body from, I have this self made P-90 powered Epiphone wilshire looking thing that sounds really good but is feeling a bit too wimpy, so I'm going to make another body for it and was either thinking of making it a Firebird or an SG.

I gotta say, I have a Tokai Les Paul Jr. that I bought for super cheap on craigslist and it's awesome. I mean, I have some really expensive vintage guitars as well, but some of these cheap beaters are a lot of fun.

I gotta say, I have a Tokai Les Paul Jr. that I bought for super cheap on craigslist and it's awesome. I mean, I have some really expensive vintage guitars as well, but some of these cheap beaters are a lot of fun.

Oh yeah, I agree totally.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/guitarman91/My%20musical%20instruments/100_1714.jpg
My Tokai Love Rock is my darling.

That's a really nice guitar. The mini-humbuckers, if like most, has a very unique sound. The tight compression gives it a very direct, almost Rickenbacker sound that you don't find on full sized humbuckers or any single coil other than some P-90s. They are great pickups for running through effects and cutting through and have very similar qualities to the slightly more powerful EMG-81. That being said, if you like clean work on the guitar or just slight distortion, P-90s have it all over any mini-humbuckers so going there is also great, and equally unique.

Couple your guitar the way it is with a closed back cabinet amp (Marshall half stack, for instance or good solid state amp with a very in your face attack) and you will have a sound akin to an overpowered superstrat, but without all the ridiculousness of a 24 fret neck, giant frets, and Floyd Rose tremolo. Anyway, short of putting in EMG-81s or midrange heavy Seymour Duncan Invaders, almost any mini-humbucker has all those tones at a slightly lower volume (but same kick butt metal sound distorted if they are comparable to Duncan minis). Check out this guys axe and probably similar to yours. I don't know why more hard rock guys didn't get these Firebirds. They may not look as menacing, but they have it all over my Gibson Vs for pure adrenaline:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIgUOgijm6Q

That looks awesome man. Never played a Tokai but assume they are somewhat similar to an Edwards? I love my Edwards!!

P.S. my hair is in a transitional stage.

:shock:

TV Yellow, right on! Here's a video of my Tokai Les Paul Jr. I made right after I got it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3uOD6QudXI

Keep the mini HB in the neck and change out the bridge for a P-90, for that Allen Collins sound!

Enjoy your new guitar.

Cool guitar, it's got a Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe to it. My vote is tokeep the mini HB's. And uh,......transitioning from what to wha? :shock:

That remains to be seen! It's just getting bigger and more and more curly as the Summer goes on!

Maybe I need to take my wife out for Margaritas :idea: Congrats on the Firebird, have fun with it.

P.S. my hair is in a transitional stage.

I know I'm a bastard, but I couldn't resist. :twisted: :mrgreen:

Separated at birth?

Just look at the guitar, New York.

I would leave it alone unless you don't like the tone. They are pretty bight huh??

Yeah, it's an interesting sound. Once I find my way around it, I'll record some examples and see what you all think. I'm just a P-90 nut, always think they should be on everything vaguely Gibson-ish (but not my teles).

Yeah, it's an interesting sound. Once I find my way around it, I'll record some examples and see what you all think. I'm just a P-90 nut, always think they should be on everything vaguely Gibson-ish (but not my teles).

Where they both cut through on some situations where a full sized humbucker can get muddy, the P-90 is wonderfully open and can work well clean or distorted. The mini-humbuckers, as you probably notice, don't give a lot of leeway and are very unforgiving at first. I didn't initially like them on a Les Paul Deluxe but found that if you adjust your technique, they can work fine. Try avoiding double stops, for instance which full sized humbuckers shine with. Single note lines, as in some bebop jazz (with pick) can really be the the Holy Grail with a tightly compressed alnico or ceramic mini-humbucker. Where a full sized humbucker can get lost in mud and single coil drop off in volume, the mini-humbucker will get you the same peaked volume no matter how softly or hard you hit the string. Basically, when I play these, I think as if I am playing an EMG 81 loud and clean through a Fender Twin and think, "Commit every note as if it was planned from the dawn of time!" It's not an easy way to play at first, but it's a way to stand out and if executed well will definitely put your stamp on anything musical.

The closest thing I can think of to these clean are either Hot Rails or EMG 81s. You can't get sloppy on either of those clean or semi-distorted and you can't get sloppy on the mini-humbuckers. I don't know exactly what makes a full sized humbucker so much more forgiving but it could be the magnets used or the width of the magnetic field.

Anyway, if you want something that approaches the buttery softness of a full sized humbucker, Lollar seems to be the closest in a softer wind mini. So many who have tried a mini without balls (Epis pre Gibson and earliest Gibsons) demanded more oomph so the result of the last 50 years is the tight and focused Gibson mini-humbucker. And if that wasn't enough Seymour Duncan, who makes our '52 Hot Rod, starts hotter than any Gibson and goes up from there!

Other than that, people who don't like the mini-humbuckers right out of the gate seem to show an ignorance or unwillingness to work with them as this post (below) shows:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-905006.html

Anyway, don't listen to those who think the way of all pickups should be aged alnico and that all amps should have tubes. Sure that's one type of sound a player can work with, but we should be happy that there are many options giving us many sounds.

get an Epiphone case it'll fit perfect, well made and the price is good. I got rid of my Firebird years ago and have always regretted it...they DO feel like they're the biggest guitar ever made and that neck seems to stretch outh the into infinity...they are cool Gibsons though (or Gibson types as the case may be). THAT is a beauty you snagged there:mrgreen:

Thanks for the pickup advice above, good food for thought. Mind you, if we we depending on me to play anything cleanly and with purpose, those mini- humbuckers are I big trouble!

I was actually thinking about the cool sounds Dennis Coffey got with a firebirdon all those cool psychedelic Norman Ehitfield productions. If I could utilize them like that, I'd be super pleased. Now, let me see, where'd I leave that Mutron and my curly cable?

I don't know how good the pickups are in your Tokai, but a quality Firebird-style pickup has a great tone. Firebird pickups are not built the same as traditional mini humbuckers and have a very different tone. I love P-90s as well, but I hope you'll give the standard pickups a chance. Seymour Duncan and Jason Lollar both make excellent replacement Firebird-style pickups if you feel the need to upgrade.

Enjoy your new guitar and congratulations.

P.S. my hair is in a transitional stage.

equinsu ocha!

My hair is transitioning from my head to my nose and ears.:wink:

CC

P.S. my hair is in a transitional stage.

Yeah, but from what to what?

Oh, and congrats on the NGD! My suggestion is to keep the miniHBs. It's a great look and sound with a Firebird, and it gives you an excuse to get something else with P90s. Unless you already have something with P90s. And even then...