Rare Guitars: Gary Gand’s ’64 Firebird
Gary’s owned a lot of guitars over the years, but he really does seem to fancy this one over all of the others.
Musician, collector and architectural preservationist Gary Gand has a trove of vintage rarities that would make you drool. In this feature, we’re taking a closer look at his ’64 Firebird, which has tremendous sentimental value for him – his long-gone first guitar was also a ’64 Firebird.
“When I got that guitar, nobody was playing them,” Gary admits, noting just how uncool he felt among his guitar-playing peers even though he loved the guitar. Their tune changed the day Cream came to town. “There was Clapton, playing a Firebird. All of a sudden, I went from being this scrawny kid with the goofy guitar to the coolest kid on the block.”
This is not Gary’s original guitar, but just like it, it’s a rare ‘transitional’ model with a reverse body, non-reverse six-in-line headstock, P-90 pickups and short-frame Vibrola.
Check it out here:
Check out Gary’s ’59 Gibson Flying V and ’57 Gibson Trini Lopez Standard, too.