Gibson Es-137 Vs. Firebird V

Kegzy05

Hey guys,

Very very long time since I have posted but hope you are all well.

I will be getting a new guitar in the near future and I am having trouble deciding. Ultimately I am going to have to go in to a music shop and try them out anyway but I was wondering what your thoughts were on the Gibson ES-137 and the Gibson Firebird V which are the main two i have been looking at.

I am currently in a cover band that does mainly classic rock (60's to 80's), with a bit of newer stuff thrown in but at home I also enjoy playing alot of Pearl jam, Foo Fighters and assorted other hard rock. So I guess I want something pretty versatile. Im trying to steer away from a les paul but im just worried that the es137 wont be able to cut it with the harder rock like pearl jam, and the firebird wont be able to give me as good a classic rock tone.

Appreciate all comments and other guitar suggestions :-) Thanks!

DewieCox

Both guitar should cover everything you are lookin for. I would guess the 137 would get nastier, but ya never know til you try em. Make sure you can play em sitting and standing(particularly the Firebird), unless you are always gonna play it one way or the other.

Also, I would check out the es339's. It's a Gibson hollowbody, the size of a Les Paul.

mccreadyisgod

Yeah, based on your description of what you'll use it for, I'd say +1 on the ES-339.

That said, I'd personally go for the Firebird, and I don't think it would have any trouble doing classic-rock duty.

Lee M

I think either could do what you're looking for them to do, but I think you'd get a little more versatility out of a 137/339. Play them and see what you think.

mccreadyisgod

It's probably also worth recommending that you check out user reviews of any guitar you're looking at. Most online retailers (Musician's Friend, Sam Ash, etc) have user reviews on their product pages, and Harmony Central has a lot of great unbiased reviews.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... ird+V/10/1

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... assic/10/1

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... +Neck/10/1

(there are other reviews for other versions of the ES-339, but that one had the most reviews listed.... I still haven't held a 30/60 Gibson neck, but I'm eager to try one out)

Kegzy05

Hey thanks guys.

Another thing I just came across but was a video demo on youtube of the 137 and one thing that the guy mentioned was that its quite difficult get up past the 15th fret and do lead work around there. Perhaps this would be a guitar more suited to rhythm?

To be honest im more and more coming back to the idea of a les paul classic but i was sort of hoping for something different.

And when i think rock guitar, i think gibson, and im too stupid to try other guitars. Im sure there are lots of awesome guitars from different brands.

mccreadyisgod

Hell, there are a TON of great guitars out there that aren't Fender or Gibson. If you've never tried a Paul Reed Smith, you really need to give one of those a shot. For sheer playability, if nothing else. I've been eyeing one of their single-cut models (the one Gibson said looked just like a Les Paul) for a while... really well-made guitars. The higher-end Hamer guitars are almost better than their Gibson counterparts. And while I don't care for the looks, the same can be said of high-end ESP guitars (especially their Les Paul-ish models).

That said, there's nothing wrong with a Gibson, except maybe their prices in the last 10-15 years...

The 137 is a slightly deeper guitar, and combined with that funky florentine cutaway, it's not exactly easy access to those upper frets. The Firebird or Les Paul will be much friendlier in that respect, being thinner solid-bodies with more open cutaways. But I still think you would enjoy an ES-339. The design just seems to fit what you've stated you're looking for: A more comfortable, smaller, easier to play semi-hollow. It's got the iconic 335 body shape, which should make easier access to those higher frets. And it's built to be a classic rock monster!