Gibson Flying V
Manufacturer	Gibson
Period	1958—1959, 1967-present
Construction
Body type	Flying V
Neck joint	Set-in
Scale	24.75"
Woods
Body	Korina, Mahogany
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood, Ebony
Hardware
Bridge	Tune-o-matic
Pickup(s)	H-H: 496R (neck), 500T (bridge)
Colors available
Classic White, Cherry, Ebony, Natural

The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,280 × 960 pixels, file size: 522 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars. ... Jan. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Set-in neck is a method of guitar (or similar stringed instrument) construction that involves joining guitar neck and body, pressing it tightly together using some sort of adhesive. ... Limba (Terminalia superba ) is a dark hardwood native to Africa. ... This article is about the timber. ... This article is about the timber. ... Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. ... For other uses, see Ebony (disambiguation). ... Typical Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar Tune-o-matic (also abbreviated to TOM) is a fixed bridge for electric guitars, designed by Gibson and introduced in 1954 in Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar. ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... Traditional Open Coil (uncovered) humbucker pickup A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ... Traditional Open Coil (uncovered) humbucker pickup A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ... Two different electric guitars. ... The Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars. ... See also: 1957 in music, other events of 1958, 1959 in music, 1950s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 28 - Little Richard begins attending classes at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama February 14 - The Iranian government bans rock & roll because they claim that the form...

Origins

Gibson first manufactured prototypes of the guitar in 1957. They were made of korina wood, a trademarked name for limba, a wood similar to but lighter than mahogany. (Korina, originally spelled 'Korena', is the name that has been given to certain types of African Mahogany.) This Flying V, along with the Futura (Explorer) and, initially, the Moderne, made up a line of modernist guitars designed by Gibson's then-president Ted McCarty. These designs were meant to add a more futuristic aspect to Gibson's image, but they didn't sell well. After the initial launch in 1958, the line was discontinued by 1959. Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Binomial name Terminalia superba Engl. ... This article is about the timber. ... The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro), made its debut in 1958, then known as the Futura. ... The Gibson Moderne is an electric guitar model first designed by Gibson in 1957. ... This article focuses on the cultural movement labeled modernism or the modern movement. See also: Modernism (Roman Catholicism) or Modernist Christianity; Modernismo for specific art movement(s) in Spain and Catalonia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

They started out with a mahogany guitar that was rounded in the back instead of being cut out. Gibson and Ted McCarty decided to change the back for weight reduction. The name supposedly has its origins in a comment that the guitar "looks like a flying letter V." Later they changed it to Korina for even more weight-reduction, plus it hadn't been used on a guitar yet.

Blues-rock guitarist Lonnie Mack and blues guitarist Albert King started using the guitar almost immediately. Later, in the mid-1960s, such guitarists as Dave Davies and Jimi Hendrix, in search of a distinctive looking guitar with a powerful sound, also started using Flying Vs. The renewed interest created a demand for Gibson to reissue the model. Blues Rock or Blues-rock is a fusion genre of music which combines elements of the blues with rock and roll. ... Lonnie Mack (born Lonnie McIntosh, 18 July 1941, Harrison County, Indiana) is an influential rock and blues guitarist. ... Blues music redirects here. ... Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992) was an influential American blues guitarist and singer. ... Dave Davies (born David Russell Gordon Davies, 3 February 1947, in Muswell Hill, London, England) was a singer and guitarist with the English rock band The Kinks, which he founded with Pete Quaife in 1963. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...

Gibson reissued the guitar in 1967, updating its design with a bigger, more stylish pickguard, and ditching the original bridge, which had the strings inserted through the back, in favor of the stopbar tail piece more commonly associated with Gibson models. Some models were shipped with a short Vibrola Maestro Tremolo. This 1967 model is now the standard for the Flying V or, as Gibson now calls it, "V Factor". Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... A tremolo arm, tremolo bar or whammy bar is a lever attached to the bridge and/or the tailpiece of an electric guitar to enable the player to quickly vary the tension and sometimes the length of the strings temporarily, changing the pitch to create a vibrato, portamento or pitch...

Gibson has issued several limited-edition "signature" versions of the Flying V, including the Jimi Hendrix model and the Lonnie Mack model, the latter of which included a Bigsby tailpiece tremolo arm identical to the unit Mack has continuously used on his own Flying V since 1958. Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... Lonnie Mack (born Lonnie McIntosh, 18 July 1941, Harrison County, Indiana) is an influential rock and blues guitarist. ... A tremolo arm, tremolo bar, vibrato bar, whammy bar, or wang bar is a lever attached to the bridge and/or the tailpiece of an electric guitar or archtop guitar to enable the player to quickly vary the tension and sometimes the length of the strings temporarily, changing the pitch...

A fully functional, playable, highly enlarged replica of a Gibson Flying V, sizing over 43 feet (13 m), was built in June 2000 by Scott Rippetoe and his team from The Academy of Science and Technology (Texas). This world record is registered in Guinness World Records.^[1][2] Guinness World Records 2008 edition. ...

Other makers

Many other guitar companies have copied the Flying V design, most adding several "personal touches" to avoid legal entanglements with Gibson. Among these other V's is the Jackson Rhoads model, custom built for Randy Rhoads in 1981 (It was originally to be called the Concorde, but after Rhoads' death it was named as tribute). As the very first Jackson guitar and colloquially known as the "Shark Fin", it featured an asymmetrical cut among other differences from Gibson's. Following the Rhoads model, Jackson produced another V variation for Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby and marketed it as the King V. Other popular V shaped guitars are the B.C. Rich Kerry King V, Jr. V, and Draco Models. Other manufacturers, such as Cort, Antares, and Ibanez, produced clones so close to the original Gibson design that they were reportedly the target of legal action by Gibson.^{[citation needed]} The Jackson logo Jackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. ... For the talk radio host, see Randi Rhodes, or for the guitar model, see Jackson Randy Rhoads. ... Ratt is an American sleaze metal and semi glam metal band that formed in San Diego and enjoyed significant commercial success during the 1980s. ... Robbin Crosby (August 4, 1959 – June 6, 2002), born Robbinson Lantz Crosby and nicknamed King was one of the former lead guitarists in the glam metal band Ratt, who had several platinum albums in the U.S. in the mid to late 1980s. ... The King V is a v-shaped, electric guitar made by Jackson Guitars based on the Gibson Flying V as well as the Jackson RR model, which was designed and built for the late Randy Rhoads. ...

V Bass

In 1981, Gibson produced a four-string bass version of the Flying V. Only 375 were produced, most of them black but a few in alpine white, silverburst, or transparent blue. Dean Guitars and Epiphone also make V shaped basses. AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... There are a range of musical instruments that can be collectively be regarded as bass instruments since they are in the bass range. ... Transparent glass ball In optics, transparency is the property of allowing light to pass. ... Dean Guitars is a manufacturer of musical instruments, primarily famous for their electric guitars. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ...

Notable Gibson Flying V players

Main article: List of Gibson players

Les Paul onstage with his highly customized Les Paul This is an alphabetized list of musicians who have made notable use of Gibson Guitar models in live performances or studio recordings. ...

See also

• Gibson Explorer
• Gibson Moderne
• Dean V
• KKV
• Jackson King V
• Gibson Reverse Flying V

The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro), made its debut in 1958, then known as the Futura. ... The Gibson Moderne is an electric guitar model first designed by Gibson in 1957. ... The Dean V is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars[1].It was released at the same time as the Dean ML, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z in 1977. ... The KKV (Kerry King V) is an electric guitar designed by Kerry King of Slayer for B.C. Rich. ... The King V is a v-shaped, electric guitar made by Jackson Guitars based on the Gibson Flying V as well as the Jackson RR model, which was designed and built for the late Randy Rhoads. ...

References

1. ^ Meiners, Larry. "World's Largest Playable Flying V Guitar Sets Guinness World Record". Guitar Collector Magazine. 
2. ^ Meiners, Larry (2001). Gibson Flying V: The Illustrated History of this Modernistic Guitar, foreword by Billy F. Gibbons, Flying Vintage Publishing. ISBN 978-0970827333. 

• Gruhn, George; Carter, Walter (May 1999). Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments, 2nd ed., Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0879304225. 
• Bacon, Tony (1997-10-15). The Ultimate Guitar Book. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0375700903. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gibson Flying V

• Flying V 1967 reissue, V-Factor X, V-Factor Faded, Flying V Gothic, and Flying V Limited edition, from the Gibson website
• Gibson's Historic Korina Flying V, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine
• Gibson Flying V Site, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players
• Flying V Model DataBase
• Epiphone Flying V Bass