1966 Gibson Firebird III Sparkling Burgundy Metallic

I hear you thinking: "Ah right, a Sparkling Burgundy Metallic Gibson Firebird. Thats cool!"
 
But no, no, no, my friends, don't you think Sparkling Burgundy is a standard Gibson custom color for Firebirds. While the metallic shade resembles the Candy Apple Red found on Fender instruments, it was not, strictly speaking, an optional finish. Stanley Rendell, who served as president of Gibson in the early/mid ’70s, recounted the true origins of Sparkling Burgundy.. “Gibson had a problem making the 335 series,” he said in an unpublished interview from 1982. “Apparently, when they laminated the sandwich, they did not have great control of the moisture content in the wood and they got a lot of checking in the guitars. So they came up with a finish – Sparkling Burgundy – which was a disguise mechanism. They would fill the cracks and spray Sparkling Burgundy to cover the repair. It’s almost like what happened in the old days of piano industry, with ebony.”. This explains why, as of 1967, Sparkling Burgundy was listed as a regular finish, not a custom option, on the thinline models – ES-355, 345, 335, 330, and EB-2. At the same time, it was offered standard on the Flying V reissue and Melody Maker in lieu of Fire Engine Red.
More rarely, Sparkling Burgundy was applied to SG bodies; but oddly enough, practically no Firebird or Thunderbird was ever done with it!!
 
So here you go, another über rare Gibson Firebird III made in the USA somewhere in between late 1966 (pots date 1376626 week 26, 1967) and very early 1967 (serial number) that  was painted at the Gibson factory in this gorgeous Sparkling Burgundy Metallic. Over the past 60 years the finish faded to the amazing Bronze/Gold you see today!! Underneath the pickguard the original Burgundy is still visible in all her glory.

And the best news is: there are no cracks, breaks or repairs to this unicorn despite the wear and heavy craquele and finish checking from top to bottom! All parts are original like the 3 x P90 pickups, pots, electronics, wiring, pickguard, knobs and the original 60's Gibson rectangular bird case with orange plush lining. The switch was replaced (original in the case) and the pickguard has shrunk so much that it cracked in several places but was reinforced underneath with tape. A high end repro pickguard is easily available online.