Gibson loses a trademark in Europe

[uwe]

I  always liked the production functionality in Ray Dietrich's original design: "Hey, let's make neck and center body one piece and wedge the rest of the body in as wings at the side ...". That is just so neat (in both meanings of the term). And it must have been something he must have come up with by himself (perhaps inspired by Rickenbacker) -  did Gibson ever do a neck-thru before? The reverse look of the Firebird/Thunderbird was  of course inspired by the Explorer and not the other way around as one might be inclined to think - Ted McCarty asked Ray Dietrich what he might be able to do with the failed Explorer shape, but that was set neck.

And Dietrich's Art Deco design flourish - he was an Art Deco man ...



... and already retired as an auto designer when Ted McCarty approached him - really gave the Fire-/Thunderbird something. The Explorer had looked strangely modern and bit like a sawed out prop from a 50ies sci fi B movie, but Dietrich's design was more classy than modern. Designwise a Fire- or Thunderbird wouldn't have looked out of a place in a hotel lounge bar band scene in some Raymond Chandler inspired film noir from the late 30ies or early 40ies with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall just around the corner. The design of that bass (or guitar) is great art, just look at that glorious headstock (for the same reason, I prefer the similar NIKE swoosh to whatever ADIDAS and PUMA do on their sneakers).

In comparison, a non-reverse TBird is to me just another bass with both a nondescript look and construction. With the swoosh turned upside down, adding insult to injury. 


PS: If Wilfer dares a rev Bird with a Warwick headstock, I'll have him sent to the Ostfront.

[Basvarken]

Just curious: has Dietrich ever designed any other guitars or basses?

[uwe]

Not to my knowledge. He was old by the time he did the Fire-/Thunderbird design, almost 70 and had retired three years before. In his later years he did move from auto design to general appliances industrial design.

Here's a good background article on him:

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/06/28/gibson-made-firebird-guitar-shaped-like-a-car

And those two are good too:

http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/d/dietrich/dietrich.htm

https://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2016/08/guitars-designed-by-automobile-builders.html

[Chris P.]

I call mr. Wilfer tomorrow!

[Dave W]

I call mr. Wilfer tomorrow!

Ask him when the WarwickBird will be released. 

[4stringer77]

The Buzzard was close to an explorer. I've seen some pics of it with a 2 x 2 but the 4 in line version was bitchin.

[Chris P.]

2x2 were the bolt-ons. Normal are four in line and then you have the bog beak and the smaller, more streamlined beak.

Imho there's an evolution from Explorer to Tbird to Buzzard.