Gibson Faded Flying V

June 3, 2007 by Jo Minor 


The first Gibson Flying V electric guitar came out in 1958, when the future was still, well, in the future. It was not as well received as they had hoped, so they tabled it until 1967, when the world was finally ready for it. The rockers of the late sixties and seventies were ready for the radical shape and biting sounds. The Faded Flying V is a distressed reissue that has all the charm of a real vintage Gibson. With a retail price tag of $1058.00, it’s one of the less expensive of the Gibson electrics.

The original Gibson Flying V that came out in 1958 differed from the current model in that it was made from a lightweight African wood called korina. The Faded is made of mahogany, so it weighs a little bit more than its original prototype, but the body is so much thinner and smaller than other guitars that it is still light and easy on the shoulders.

When Gibson reissued the Flying V in 1967, it took only a little while before rockers were using it. One of the artists that adopted the Flying V among his arsenal of guitars was the late great Jimi Hendrix. Since some of the greatest guitarists of the time were using the Gibson Flying V, it was a sure thing that it was a design that would live on.

As rock music became harder and more widely accepted, extreme shaped rock guitars became the norm. The Gibson Faded Flying V has that unusual look, but is much more restrained and conventional than the “boutique” guitars produced by Dean and other guitar companies. This makes it a nice choice for a moderate rocker. (Is there such an animal?)

Advantages: The Gibson Faded Flying V gives you the progressive look and fat Gibson tone without the fat Gibson price of the standard Flying V. The worn look lends authority to your image, as though you were the one to wear it out. The natural finish is actually better for the tone than a thick coat of high gloss polyurethane. Playing it standing up, or performing, are both easy because of its light weight and maneuverability. It is balanced well and does not feel the least bit top heavy when engaged in a long gig.

Gibson’s Faded Flying V electric guitar has a simple design that is well crafted, though it is a factory made guitar. The neck is slick, the fingerboard is smooth, the action is fast, and the pickups are hot. What more could you want?

Disadvantages: If you want to play sitting down, the Flying V shape is going to challenge your creativity as far as finding a comfortable position. That seems to be the first negative thing anyone says about the V. And just about the only negative thing, really. It comes with a gigbag instead of a hardshell case, and it can be pretty hard to find a hardshell case to fit a V shaped electric guitar.

The Flying V is a great guitar for playing rock and metal, but it is not really designed for other sounds, such as jazz or light pop. For this reason, you might not choose it for your only axe. Of course, who wants to be limited to just one guitar, anyway?

I might mention that some people think the Gibson green key tuners are cheap looking, but they do a good job of keeping the guitar in tune. Also, the faded finish will get more faded with wear - but that seems to be the idea. Some guitar traders have found V shaped guitars to be hard to sell, but this one is probably a keeper, anyway. All in all, it’s a good sounding, vintage looking axe for the serious rock musician.

Specs:

  • Mahogany V-shaped body

  • Mahogany neck

  • Neck joined at the 17th fret

  • Rosewood fingerboard

  • 24.75 inch scale

  • 22 frets

  • 1.695 inches wide at the nut

  • Dot inlays

  • Chrome plated hardware

  • Stopbar tailpiece

  • Tune-o-matic bridge

  • Black top hat control knobs with silver inserts

  • Two volume controls

  • One tone control

  • Three way switch

  • Green Key tuners

  • 496R Ceramic Magnet humbucker pickup at the neck

  • 500T Ceramic Magnet humbucker pickup at the bridge

  • Available in left-handed model

  • Brite Wire strings in .010-.046

  • Comes with a black padded gigbag with white “Gibson USA” Logo

Here’s a website called “Flying Vintage” that’s devoted to collecting guitars. Scroll down for a link to pictures of Jimi Hendrix’s original Flying V. Did you know he played  left handed?

Want to see pics of the largest playable Flying V guitar in the world?

Gibson occasionally donates guitars to charity. Here is a story about the Jimi Hendrix hand painted Flying V being auctioned off to help abused children in the Philippines. There’s a nice pic of the guitar, too.

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