The Jackson Flying V Standard, the model used by Dave Mustaine.

The Flying V is an unusually shaped, solid body electric guitar that was initially produced in small numbers by Gibson in the late 1950s and again (with minor differences) from 1966 to the early 1970s before entering full production from the mid-1970s onwards. The body of the guitar is shaped like an inverted letter V. The model gained some popularity in the 1960s partly due to the usage of the Gibson Flying V by famous electric guitarist Jimi Hendrix. However, it actually didn't gain huge popularity because its shape was too futuristic at the time. Jimi´s Flying V was hand painted. It was also used by legendary guitarists Lonnie Mack and Albert King. Image File history File links Jackson King V, KV1 Dave Mustaine Signiture owned by Brian Buchner File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Jackson King V, KV1 Dave Mustaine Signiture owned by Brian Buchner File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Left: Rosa Hurricane, a heavy metal-style solid body guitar. ... Gibson Guitar Corporation is one of the worlds best-known manufacturers of acoustic and electric guitars. ... The Gibson Flying V is a popular electric guitar first released in 1958 by Gibson. ... James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, innovator, and cultural icon. ... Lonnie Mack was an influential country and blues singer spanning from the 1960s to 1990s. ... Albert King performing at the Wattstax Concert, 1972. ...

Despite their awkward appearance, Flying Vs are very well adapted to playing onstage, with the guitar held by a strap. The bottom leg of the V rests against the player’s thigh, holding the guitar’s position stably--preventing the guitar from rolling along the neck’s axis while playing. (One of the constant actions of playing a “solo” is to push one of the strings across the neck surface to raise its pitch in a smooth glisand, an action called a “bend.” This imparts a force to the neck that tries to rotate the guitar about the axis of the neck.) The top leg, where the strap is attached locates the point the guitar is suspended from much farther above the guitar’s center of gravity than is the case when the strap is attached to the center of the right side of the guitar--as is most common. However, the Flying V is not a guitar which is meant to be played sitting down, and is in fact very difficult to play in the normal position (body resting on right leg) when sitting. This is due to the lack of the curve at the bottom of most guitars, which gives a stable place for the guitar to rest. With a Flying V, the guitar slips down the leg due to the shape. If the classical guitar position is used, with the body resting on the left (for a right-handed guitarist) leg, the lower wing fits comfortably between the player's legs, and the upper wing rests on their right thigh. This position is quite comfortable to play in, and offers excellent access to the upper frets. Unfortunately, on some flying V guitars, the locations of the jack or strap button can interfere with this method of playing.

Additionally, there being no body to speak of where the neck attaches, there is completely unfettered access to the higher frets.

More recent users of such shaped guitars include Michael Schenker and Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions, K.K. Downing of Judas Priest, Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Randy Rhoads of both Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot, Greg Tribbett of Mudvayne, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield of Metallica, Lenny Kravitz, Cameron Muncey of Jet, Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, Murdoc Niccals of Gorillaz, Wayne Static of Static-X, Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, Kerry King of Slayer, Buckethead and Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel. In the anime FLCL, Naota uses a Flying V as a baseball bat to hit a UFO. Michael Schenker circa 1983 Michael Schenker (born January 10, 1955) is a hard rock and heavy metal guitarist of UFO and a founding member of the Scorpions. ... Rudolf Schenker (born August 31, 1948 in Hildesheim, Germany) is a German guitarist and founding member of Scorpions and the rhythm/lead guitarist of the band. ... Scorpions are a hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, best known for their 80s rock anthem, Rock You Like a Hurricane and their singles Wind of Change, No One Like You, and Still Loving You. // History Formation and early history (1965-1973) Rudolf Schenker, the bands rhythm guitarist, set... K.K. Downing of Judas Priest K.K. Downing was born as Kenneth Downing on October 27, 1951 in Walsall, England. ... Judas Priest is an immensely influential heavy metal band formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England by K.K. Downing and Ian Hill. ... Bob Mould (b. ... Hüsker Dü was an influential rock music group from Minneapolis-St. ... Noel Gallagher performing at a concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California, September 11, 2005 Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born May 29, 1967) is the lead songwriter, guitarist and sometime lead-singer with the British rock band Oasis. ... Oasis are a rock band originally formed in Manchester, England. ... David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961 in La Mesa, California, United States) is a heavy metal guitarist, songwriter, and singer. ... Megadeth is an American speed/heavy/thrash metal band led by Dave Mustaine. ... Randall William Randy Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American virtuoso guitarist, considered to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. ... Ozzy Osbourne John Michael Ozzy Osbourne (born December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, England), is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and is a popular solo artist and reality television star. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mudvayne is a Peoria, Illinois, USA-based alternative metal quartet started in 1996. ... Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962 in El Sobrante, California, USA) is the lead guitarist in heavy metal group Metallica. ... James Alan Hetfield is the main songwriter, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and a founding member of the band Metallica. ... Metallica is an American heavy metal band. ... Lenny Kravitz, 2005 (José Cruz/ABr) Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist whose retro-style amalgam of rock, pop, funk, and even techno is inspired by such music icons as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. ... Caption Cameron Muncey (born February 8, 1980)is the guitarist of the Melbourne based rock band Jet. ... Jet is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, whose debut album Get Born, released in 2003, has so far sold over 2. ... Andy Powell Andy Powell (born February 19, 1950 in Stepney, East London) is an English musician, one of the founding members of legendary rock band Wishbone Ash, an influential British rock band that formed in 1969. ... Wishbone Ash are a British classic rock band, formed in Devon, 1969, forming out of the ashes of the groups as The Empty Vessels, then Tanglewood. ... The members of Gorillaz (from left to right): Russel, Noodle, 2D and Murdoc Gorillaz is an animated hip-hop/trip-hop collective or supergroup and virtual band, comprising four animated band members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. ... Gorillaz are a virtual band, comprised of four fictional animated band members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. ... Wayne Static Wayne Static (real name Wayne Richard Wells) was born on November 4, 1965 is an American musician who was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and is currently the Singer, guitarist, and programmer for the Industrial band Static-X. His hometown is Shelby, Michigan and he graduated from Western Michigan... Static-X is an American Industrial metal band. ... Alexi Laiho Alexi Wildchild Laiho (born April 8, 1979) is the lead guitarist of the bands Children of Bodom, Kylähullut and Sinergy. ... Children of Bodom is a metal band from Espoo, Finland. ... Kerry King Kerry King (born June 3, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is best known for his work as a guitarist in the band Slayer. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band, founded in Huntington Park, California (not Huntington Beach, as has often been reported), in 1982[1] by Tom Araya (bass guitar and vocals), Kerry King (guitars), Jeff Hanneman (guitars) and Dave Lombardo (drums). ... Buckethead Buckethead is the stage name of Brian Carroll, an avant-garde guitarist and composer. ... Trey Azagthoth [ATZ-ig-tott] (born George Emmanuel III 1965 in Tampa, Florida) is an American musician. ... Morbid Angel is a Florida-based death metal band assembled in 1984 which was crucial in the development of the death metal genre and standards. ... // A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime ), which is short for the English word animation, in the western world most popularly refers (but not limited) to the medium of animation originating in Japan, with distinctive character and background aesthetics that visually set it apart from other forms of animation (e. ... FLCL , pronounced and officially romanized as Fooly Cooly) is a six episode Japanese animation OVA series, the brainchild of director Kazuya Tsurumaki of Gainax and released by Gainax and Production I.G. The series has been broadcast on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim block numerous times. ... Rawlings SLLMP Liquidmetal Plasma Senior League Baseball Bat A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal rod used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. ... UFO can mean: Unidentified flying object United Future Organization, a Japanese-Brazilian electronic jazz band UFO, the rock band that previously featured Michael Schenker UFO, the Gerry Anderson TV series United Farmers of Ontario, a political party that formed the government in Ontario from 1919 to 1923 U.F.O...

Randy Rhoads had a custom V made by Karl Sandoval that was black with white polka dots and had a "harpoon" headstock. The fretboard inlays were made to be bowties. Randall William Randy Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American virtuoso guitarist, considered to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. ... Karl Sandoval is a luthier. ...

Although it was first created by Gibson, many other guitar makers have imitated the Flying V design. Among these other Vs are:

• the Jackson Rhoads model which was the first Jackson guitar custom built for Randy Rhoads in 1981, it features an assymetrical cut and is colloquially known as the "Shark Fin",
• the Dean V often referred to as "the best deal in V guitars",
• the B.C. Rich endorsed by Kerry King,
• the Ibanez RocketRoll which nearly replicated the original Gibson Flying V.
• the Alexi Laiho signature model ESP
• Samick also makes a replica Flying V.

The Flying V, along with the "Super Strat" is an icon of Heavy Metal (mainly in the 80s era). Many Heavy Metal guitarists such as Michael and Rudolf Schenker from UFO and Scorpions, Kerry King from Slayer, Kirk Hammet from Metallica, K.K. Downing from Judas Priest played and still play the Flying V. Its aggressive design and humbucker pickups sometimes combined with a Floyd Rose bridge make it perfecty suitable for the Heavy Metal genre. Jackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alexi Laiho Alexi Wildchild Laiho (born April 8, 1979) is the lead guitarist of the bands Children of Bodom, Kylähullut and Sinergy. ... ESP can mean: In the paranormal: Extra-sensory perception Effective Sensory Projection In music: E.S.P. (album), an album by Miles Davis Ectopic Shapeshifting Penance-propulsion, on The Mars Voltas De-Loused in the Comatorium The Electric Soft Parade, a British band ESP-Disk, a 1960s free jazz... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ...

See also

• Gibson Flying V.

The Gibson Flying V is a popular electric guitar first released in 1958 by Gibson. ...

External links

• The Gibson Flying V Website.