# Has anyone "fixed" the Thunderbird/firebird shape before??



## SnowfaLL (Jul 11, 2010)

(note: vintage firebird lovers, do not to look at this thread, I am going to say things you will not want to hear.)

I just woke up and was watching some random stuff on TV when some band had a firebird.. and I figured it kinda looks cool but it just looks slightly off to me. But It is overall a pretty alright shape.

Has anyone took it and made it more proportional to look better? My main issues with it is the thickness is in all the wrong places, as is the curves. SPECIFICALLY the top horn, it just looks wayyyy too beefy compared to the rest of the shape. 

Jackson did a good job with giving them nice tops and etc, altho it looks pretty much the same still.. But much improved over the Gibson ones by getting rid of that hideous raised-middle section of wood.. but I still cant get over that top horn. Its just horribly unproportional.







Some of the basses seem to look way better with smaller top horns.. but im not sure if its just my eyes tricking me or not.. Maybe the burst here is making it look smaller.





*Has there been any companies/people who took this shape and made the proper improvements to make it a sexy guitar? *Like I said, vintage "it looks how its suppose to" people.. well I disagree, it looks pretty craptastic right now imo, but it has potential if it was reshaped slightly.


----------



## Murmel (Jul 11, 2010)

Yes, ESP has made it into a sexy as fuck guitar.


----------



## SnowfaLL (Jul 11, 2010)

I find the top horn is still huge as fuck.. but I like what they did with the bottom horn cutaway, and the headstock is alright too. Still that top horn though ughh


----------



## Murmel (Jul 11, 2010)

NickCormier said:


> I find the top horn is still huge as fuck.. but I like what they did with the bottom horn cutaway, and the headstock is alright too. Still that top horn though ughh


Well, it's still smaller than the Gibson horn 
But I agree, if they shrink the horn a little bit more it would be a killer looking guitar. Then put 24 frets on it and I'd be all over it


----------



## SnowfaLL (Jul 11, 2010)

the top horn reminds me of like a huge tumor growing out of the side of someones head..


----------



## josh pelican (Jul 15, 2010)

Are we all comparing bird/horn sizes?


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jul 15, 2010)

Firebirds are one of those guitars that I really don't like the looks of, but really like how comfortably they play.






I really don't think the upper "cutaway" is too bad. It's the huge contour leading all the way out to the upper bout of the body that makes it look .


----------



## Randy (Jul 15, 2010)

The Agile Ghost is kinda the bastard child of an Explorer and a Thunderbird. The version with the new headstock is pretty sexy, overall.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jul 15, 2010)

Randy said:


> The Agile Ghost is kinda the bastard child of an Explorer and a Thunderbird. The version with the new headstock is pretty sexy, overall.



I always thought the Ghost was a take on the Ibanez Destroyer.


----------



## Razzy (Jul 15, 2010)

Here you go.


----------



## Randy (Jul 15, 2010)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I always thought the Ghost was a take on the Ibanez Destroyer.



Hmm... perhaps more the Destroyer than the Explorer, than. But something about it has those more subdued angles to it like the "rounded" design of the Thunderbird versus drawing exclusively from the Destro/Expo.


----------



## darren (Jul 15, 2010)

I love the Firebird and Thunderbird (other than their propensity to neck dive). I think any changes made to them would make them look too much like an Explorer or an Iceman.


----------



## Key_Maker (Jul 15, 2010)




----------



## Justin Bailey (Jul 15, 2010)

would love to get a firebird I in that seafoam green-ish color


----------



## JohnIce (Jul 15, 2010)

Epiphone makes one without the neck-through raise, and I think the horn looks a bit sleeker here:






Other than that, I still think the Iceman is the baddest of the bunch:


----------



## Metalman X (Jul 15, 2010)

JohnIce said:


> Epiphone makes one without the neck-through raise, and I think the horn looks a bit sleeker here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Agreed! The Iceman is the shiz-NITE!

I especially love the Giger finish one (Celtic Frost/Triptykon FTW!!!):


----------



## LLink2411 (Jul 15, 2010)

darren said:


> I love the Firebird and Thunderbird (other than their propensity to neck dive). I think any changes made to them would make them look too much like an Explorer or an Iceman.


I agree.

I believe the Reverse Thunder-/Firebird is perfect as is. The step between the wings and the neck laminates is the best part.


The original set-neck, non-reverse Thunder-/Firebird looks just silly though, but it is not without its charms. The non-reverse headstock looks miles better than the reverse to me though, it has a very "bald eagle head" appeal to it.


----------

