Flying V Review

This Guitar packs an excellent punch to many worlds of music. Pickups are in perfect place, knobs are not loose, and with some locking tuners, this guitar is surely not to come out of tune.

Features:	8.5
Sound:	9.5
Action:	7.8
Reliability:	9
Impression:	8.8
Overall rating:	8.7
Users rating:	8.1
Comments:	76

overall: 9.6

Featured review by: unregistered, on june 17, 2004

Price paid: 0

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: - 22 frets
- Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Chrome plating/hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- 496R ceramic magnet humbucker on the neck
- 500T ceramic magnet humbucker on the bridge
- Two tone, one volume knob
- 3-way voice Switch // 8

Sound: This Guitar packs an excellent punch to many worlds of music. Whether it be blues, rock, punk, metal. Anything. I use this wonderful Guitar with a Marshall MG100HDFX/MG412 Slant Cab. As goes for any other effects, I have 4 Effects Pedals: (All "Boss") Metal Zone, Flanger, Turbo Distortion, and a Wah-Pedal. The only time I am givin feedback is just when I use my Turbo Distortion pedal. But certainly all of the other sounding is great. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: This Guitar itself is flaw-less factory wise. Pickups are in perfect place, knobs are not loose, and with some locking tuners, this guitar is surely not to come out of tune. My V-Factor is a White on White finish (Colorwise). Thats the coolest looking pair of colors, 80's style. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The Gibson V-Factor is built like a tank. I am in a band myself and is used plenty on times live, I am so sure that it wont have any problems, I dont bring a spare, and I havent needed to yet, or maybe never will need to. Strap buttons are sealed down like a vault door. // 10

Impression: As I said above blues, rock, punk, and metal are all the varietys I play. Including sub-genres between those main ones. If this guitar were stolen, I would go find the prick who did so and beat his ass raw and get my guitar back. It would be worth the time. And if were broken? Not thinking of happening soon unless dropped off of a 20 Story Building. Anybody out there looking for a new reliable, excellent guitar? Pull out the Piggy Bank and go buy this baby. // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: DancinSteve, on october 09, 2007

Price paid: 1052.25

Purchased from: Dolphin Music

Features: // 9

Sound: I play mainly blues or blues rock (Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy etc), and it fits those styles like a glove. There is a really nice contrast between the two different sounds of the pickups. On the neck you can get a really nice full bluesy tone which literally sings on the higher notes, with an incredible amount of sustain. But in contrast you can get a really crunchy sound out of the bridge pickup (great for those Thin Lizzy riffs), and that really packs a punch when you turn the gain up. I use this guitar through a Marshall AVT 50, usually with the gain on about 7 or 8, and even then you can get an awesome sustain with this guitar. Harmonics are easy to find, pinch harmonics can be a little tricky to get on some strings. As far as feedback goes you never get the high squeal or the low rumble, just a nicely pitched note, which can work really well in solos or to add ambience to a chord progression. Only given a 9, because there is a little too much contrast between neck and bridge pickups, and I find I have to change between neck and bridge when I play above or below the 12th fret. I fitted the Gibson Vibrola unit to make it look like an original 67' V used by guitar legends such as Andy Powell or Jimi Hendrix. This addition also helps add to the unique sound of this instrument, as when your playing the long sustaining solo's either high up the neck or lower down, this guitar really does sing. It's inspiring! // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar came ready to play, I didn't have to adjust anything like pickup height or action or truss rod tensions. Since I have developed my playing style I have lowered the action a tiny bit to make those legato runs a bit easier, and have brought the pickups a little closer to the strings, but that is just personal taste at the end of the day! A small electrical problem developed a few months after I got this guitar, with a loose connection on one of the volume pots that caused the volume to swell unpredictably, but this was soon rectified. The pickup selector can be noisy if you abuse it, but if you guide it firmly into place it doesn't give you much hassle! A common problem with a lot of Gibson guitars is their rediculously tight string tension. This guitar is not like that at all, and the tension is lovely, not to tight but not too loose either. I've played a Fender Strat with 9's on and the tension on this guitar is looser than that and I use D'Darrio 10's. It has quite a wide neck compared with other Gibson guitars aswell (especially the Les Paul), especially when playing at the 12th fret. You have to work to get the sound out of this guitar, it almost repays you for your work! Don't be put off by that, it makes you a better player. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is honestly built like a tank! It stays in tune very well (I haven't had to tune it in about a week). I would happily go into a gig with just this guitar and be very confident in its ability to last out the show. The strap buttons are locked down very tight, and I've never had the strap come off while playing. The finish seems to be lasting alright at the moment, I regularly polish and clean this guitar though as I am prone to sweat a lot while playing! // 10

Impression: As I said before this guitar is very well suited to blues, blues rock, prog rock or classic rock. I also have a Fender Mexico Strat, and this guitar beats the socks off that (even for playing blues). I do not regret for a second buying this guitar, it is the best thing I've ever bought! If this guitar were stolen I would rush off to buy another one, or go off to find who stole it from me and beat them senseless! I compared it to a couple of other Gibson guitars (the SG and the Les Paul), and fell in love with the shape, sound and feel of the V. There is a unique sound that only a Flying V can make! The thing I love about this guitar is (as I have said before) the way it literally sings on the higher notes, especially when the gain is whacked up and the neck pickup is being used. I also love the really old school crunchy sound that is possible out of the bridge pickup. The only pain about this guitar is that it is a b*tch to play sitting down, you have to play it like a classical guitar between your knees, but that improves your playing action anyway, so I can't really complain! When I first bought it I really did miss the absence of a tremolo/vibrato unit on this guitar, and I really wish Gibson made it with the old style Vibrola arm, but they're only £75 to buy and dead easy to fit, so it's no big deal really. // 8

overall: 9.2

Reviewed by: hhamdy283, on july 10, 2007

Price paid: 932.2

Purchased from: Lauzon Music

Features: // 10

Sound: I play a wide variety of music, but I generally play funk, blues, classic rock, progressive rock, heavy metal and progressive metal. I feel that the V fits my style of music. It is versatile enough to play softer, cleaner funk and blues, but sound just as good with Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Rush or Led Zeppelin. I use a Roland JC-120 and a Marshall MG with Boss and Dunlop pedals. Compared to my Les Paul, the guitar is brighter than my Les Paul, but still has a nice full tone with the neck pickup. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: On the whole, I did not have to make many adjustments to the instrument when I brought it home. The action is good, but I did get some fret buzz. The neck, pickups, bridge were all fine, and I did not see any major problems. The low action was irritating though. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I am certain that this guitar would be fine Live and touring. The case is durable, and the guitar is built solid. I am somewhat concerned about the tuners though, since the guitar has as difficult time staying in tune. I need to retune every 2 or 3 songs. I would never do a gig without a backup as a matter of course, but put into that situation, I would rely on this guitar. I have not really had the guitar long enough to see how the finish will turn out, but judging by how well my Les Paul has held up in the time I have had it, I think I will be fine. // 9

Impression: As I stated earlier, this guitar is musically compatible with me. I have used Gibson products in the past, and I am still satisfied with their craftsmanship. Had I tried it out more before I bought it, I would have asked about the action and the fret buzz to see if I could get this improved before I bought it. If stolen, I would buy it again if I was limited to the amount I paid for it, but if I had more, I might go with a Thunderbird or another Les Paul, or possibly a PRS. I love its easy playability, its tone, its feel, and how it looks so damn good. I'm not terribly pleased with the action, and having the toggle Switch at the tone knobs is a problem if you need to Switch quickly. My favorite feature is it's appearance, and the presence that it has. Whilst shopping for it, I was choosing between this and an Explorer. I picked the Flying V just because the Explorer was too difficult to play standing up. I find the V very easy to play sitting down, as long as you rest the "crotch" of the guitar on your right thigh, or off to the side. I wish that the guitar had a tremolo like the Jimi Hendrix signature Flying V, but alas, I shall make do. // 9

overall: 7.2

Reviewed by: fretmaster5000, on august 28, 2007

Price paid: 500

Purchased from: Airport Music

Features: My Gibson Flying V is a new 2007 with a metallic red finish, the man Who sold it to me said it was made in america so I'll take his word on that. It has 21 frets a normal sized neck with a triangular shaped head. It's body is shaped like an upside down V (thus the name). On it are 2 tone controls along with a volume. It has active active electronics and came with only a gig bag. // 7

Sound: Without an amp the Flying V has a smooth almost jazzy sound, but with an amp you can rock on it as hard as you want. Since I like rock and heavy metal it suits my needs fine even better than I expected. The guitar can do many effects it can slide, bend, hammer on, and pull off just as well as a $3000 Ibanez. I used a large performance amp along with a wah wah pedal and got as good results as I could have asked for. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar I'd say was made for quanity not quality. I bought the thing Brand New and it had a noisy pick up sector and a loose control for the volume. The overall look is nice the classic red (even though it does get old). The shape that people could kill over, and it's head that I think is it's best quality. // 5

Reliability & Durability: I'm pretty sure this guitar will be able to rock for a couple of gigs maybe it's not give it to your grandchildren sturdy, but sturdy enough to last for a while. Maybe after a while it would start to wear down a little bit, but I think it would still play the same enen if the back got dented, a peg loosened etc. All of the strap pins are ok for now. // 7

Impression: I play rock music so in my genre this guitar is very popular so I think it is a good match soundwise and lookwise. I have been playing for three years and have three guitars (this one is my prized possession) I have two practice amps 1 performance amp a wah wah pedal along with a floor switch. I wish I had asked if they had another finish but the red because it doesn't go with any of my performance clothes. If it was lost I would not buy thos guitar over again because I've always wanted an Ibanez and 500 is a lot for a guitar with a loose control. I love it's smooth sound and it's ability to Switch from that to hard rock and that's probably my favorite feature too. I hate that the guy sold me one with a loose volume control. I did in the store compare it too a Kramer something but I chose the Flying V after I played them both. There is only one thing I wish it had and that is a whammy bar! // 8

Comments

I've heard it's a bitch to play sitting down, does anyone have any comments on this?

[fretsofhell]

put the bottom half between your thighs

[Striketalonx]

you play it classical style, it actually improves your form, and becomes very comfortable if you get used to it.
i even play my Jackson Soloist like that now

[zeppelin5005]

my cousin has this guitar and it is such an unreal guitar. i just wish i could afford it.

[ordino]

how much is its rrp??? cos the reviewer put 0 for price paid???

[anarchistwar]

i thought it was the most comfortable guitar sitting down

[hobo467]

no matter what you do, it's nearly impossible to play sitting; i have one, i should know. my gonads have suffered as a consequence. still, play it standing up and it's a sick guitar.

[hobo467]

btw i got mine for 900 CAD.

[Eskimohoe]

I got mine 2nd hand from a musical supply, it had a small sratch on the back of the neck so I got it for 600 CAD, so i would say if i got a mint new one, you could get it for anywhere from 750- 1000.

[Polish guy]

It's hard to play on this guitar in sittin' position..:P

[pickingking]

Whats better an SG or a Flying V?

[g-unitie]

definatly the sg.....i almost had the flying but im an idiot

[g-unitie]

flying v

[alexilaihocob]

g-unitie wrote:

flying v

Good Job! Flying v! you can read

[bullets aswords]

yes this this is a pain to play and sit down it slides down and then your thy is resting on the fret board, i put the bottom between my thys when sitting or put the strap so high to it wont rest on your thys.

[68_SG]

dude SG owns if you ever played a gibson but i preffer the V's looks

[mr. blobby]

alexilaihocob wrote:

g-unitie wrote:

flying v


Good Job! Flying v! you can read

you asswipe, he was correcting his previous comment:

g-unitie wrote:

definatly the sg.....i almost had the flying but im an idiot

please read stuff properly before you take the piss like that

[mr. blobby]

the reviewer says it luks best in white on white -- i rekon white on black

[separanets]

I own an SG Standard, but I was told the Flying V beat the SG at all positions, so I think wether to buy the Flying V or just stay with my SG which is still Ok.

[Dominish]

i reckon the sg beats the v with looks but overall performance is way better!

[vanhalen4life]

i own a V with the white one white and i love the look of it and its overall performance is awesome

[iamtheguitarpro]

im buying this in like a week... i can already see myself with a leather vest on, like, on my knees, playing a mad solo.

[The Hellion]

SG is in my opinion better than V, but they're actually pretty similiar with same pickups. I have a Flying V, nice guitar, but needs some changes to be made... When it comes to neck, I prefer Fenders small neck and bolt on necks generally. Humbuckers are okay (and expensive, so if you don't like them, sell them and buy SD or DiMarzio or something), but not very versatile. I mean, neck pickup is very muddy (IMO) and quite weak, bridge pickup is vicious. But it doesn't give you the same versatility as HSS-setting.

And yeah, it's pretty hard to play because of it's shape, but it's still a good guitar. I'll have Kahler to be installed to my V and then it's perfect.

[Hammett5]

The Hellion wrote:

SG is in my opinion better than V, but they're actually pretty similiar with same pickups. I have a Flying V, nice guitar, but needs some changes to be made... When it comes to neck, I prefer Fenders small neck and bolt on necks generally. Humbuckers are okay (and expensive, so if you don't like them, sell them and buy SD or DiMarzio or something), but not very versatile. I mean, neck pickup is very muddy (IMO) and quite weak, bridge pickup is vicious. But it doesn't give you the same versatility as HSS-setting.

And yeah, it's pretty hard to play because of it's shape, but it's still a good guitar. I'll have Kahler to be installed to my V and then it's perfect.

I hate the look of SG's and I just dont like them.. If someone handed me an SG for free I'd sell it in a heartbeat. I just put a 100 $ deposit on a gibson flying v. I can't wait for it eheh . Flying v's kick ass

[Rivers]

Any of you seen Jimi's flying V at gibson's custom shop? Now that is a kickass guitar!

[Hammett5]

pickingking wrote:

Whats better an SG or a Flying V?

Flying V all the way.. SG's suck

[Hammett5]

Ya you play the Flying V in between your legs it improves your form tremendously and helps alot when playing faster songs.. It's more of a guitar to play standing up anyways.. but it is an excellent guitar.. I love mine! =D

[powerhalf]

I play my old V with the bottom half of the lower "arm" of the body between my legs and kind of hooked in by my right calf. This is similar to how classical players play. The only real disadvantage to this is that it makes it even harder than the normal "casual" position to play in a chair that has arms - you kind of have to sit on the edge of the seat and turn youself away from the left arm.

[powerhalf]

*sorry for the double post*
I just remembered, there's a video floating around somewhere of Kirk Hammet showing how to play some Metallica riffs. Aside from some soloing he does in the beginning of the video, he's sitting on a stool with a V. You might want to watch how he does it.

[A-G-guitarist]

It's one of those guitars that spring into mind even when you mention the word 'guitar'. It takes alot of popularity to do that. For example, if you say "BC Rich Warlock" to any random person that hasn't got any concept of guitars, they'd have no clue what you're going on about. But "Gibson Flying V" would mean something to them. The man who designed this guitar and put it into production is a genius. Anyone like to say something to that?

[rford40]

Rivers :
Any of you seen Jimi's flying V at gibson's custom shop? Now that is a kickass guitar!

yea at musiciansfriend.com and probably more places but they are way overpriced and not really worth it considering the paintjod on his was done by hand and they probably just stamped on witha machine and the signature of course isnt real

[untitled039]

I'm so lucky i got one of these beauties for free!! Actually my godfather gave it to me coz he didnt use it. I have no idea how much its worth though

[Metallifan1626]

Hmm...The gibson flying V...Classic metallica style From kirk to james...Too bad they downtuned...

[LORD V4DER]

These are $1,100 on Musician's Friend (American). Not cheap, but worth it from what I've heard. Case included.

[Leeviva]

This is the guitar of my dreams

[Leeviva]

I once had a nightmare where my dad was getting one of these for my birthday but instead he bought me a Squier, I didn't sleep well that night.

[Megahunter]

i actually like sitting with the guitar neck upp like on a big base and play a HIM oslo on it

[Mahoru]

Going to buy it this year for sure!! Packing it with 11's and going to standard C tuning, I'll finally get that 'stoner' tone I've always looked for ^^

[HendrixCMD]

Flying V is the coolest guitar. Once you know how to hold and get use to it its easier to play.

[LORD V4DER]

I'm sooooo poor. And I need one of these sooooo bad. CURSES!

[guitarman547]

The Flying V is a frickin awesome guitar.
I agree with HendrixCMD.

[TK1]

im thinking of getting one. whats the difference between the faded v and the standard?

[-deathbox-]

uh,m what id like to know if the clean sounds on the flying v are the same or worst that the cleans of a sg..i assume by the body of the sg the cleans sound better and warmer but...any comments?

[Der Bomber]

The cleans on V's are supposed to be very muddy, perfect for classic rock though! Any of you tried the faded series?

[adg77]

the faded series are pretty nice guitars. Very affordable price and i personally like the finish on the faded series more than a standard V. I personally think they sound very good on clean, not muddy at all.

[kfong03]

beautiful

[freakypop]

i have a X-plorer its nice but mine is a 26 fret

[freakypop]

oh never mind lol worng page

[freakypop]

i have a older ibenze v but its in shitty shape

[metal jello]

powerhalf wrote:

*sorry for the double post*
I just remembered, there's a video floating around somewhere of Kirk Hammet showing how to play some Metallica riffs. Aside from some soloing he does in the beginning of the video, he's sitting on a stool with a V. You might want to watch how he does it.

I've seen that, I'm not sure if it's a Gibson V or and ESP re-make. Awesome video, go to Youtube and search Kirk Hammett and go down to the picture of him with the v.

[metal jello]

freakypop wrote:

oh never mind lol worng page

How do you posta comment on the wrong page? Didn't you see the picture and the words FLYING V over and over again?

[metal jello]

TK1 wrote:

im thinking of getting one. whats the difference between the faded v and the standard?

The Faded V has a worn finish and woods and is a little cheaper, get the standard, it rocks.

[metal jello]

Why are you coming to the Flying V page just to say you like SGs more? OK, amazing! You have an opinion! Great job! Go tell someone who cares.

[Bplay915]

great guitar only thing is strap buttons are too small so i had to install straploks

[Pingis_Or_Death]

If you don't have enough money for a gibson flying v, you an always buy the epiphone version. You can get them for a bargain at musiciansfriend.com, nearly half the price :O

[The Hellion]

Pingis_Or_Death wrote:

If you don't have enough money for a gibson flying v, you an always buy the epiphone version. You can get them for a bargain at musiciansfriend.com, nearly half the price :O

And I recommend to buy a used Gibson rather than a new one. You might save a lot of money if you're lucky. New Gibsons are just too expensive I think and they're becoming more expensive all the time. Couple of years ago they were even 100e cheaper here.

[metal jello]

Rivers wrote:

Any of you seen Jimi's flying V at gibson's custom shop? Now that is a kickass guitar!

Those started for $12,000 and now they're like $8,000. You have to be like Bill Gates to get one.
GOOD LUCK!!!!!

[metal jello]

Hetfield played these monsters back in the golden days, I NEED ONE, HETFIELD IS LIKE THE LORD OF METAL RHYTHMN GUITAR.....! I'M NOT WORTHY!!!!!

[AaROn!]

Zamboni m :
I've heard it's a bitch to play sitting down, does anyone have any comments on this?



i have one and there not to bad once you get used to it but they are totally awesome!!!!!

[leonkennedy74]

get an SG there so much easier to play, the sg has a really cool look though and no u dont dont have to be bill gates to get the jimi cause guess what! i have one (got it used for 1200) and i love that guitar like my brother lol

[gumbloid]

This would be part 3 of my Gibson collection. I own a LP Special and plan on buying the V and the SG. Any recommendations on replacement pickups? On the SG Special I want to install P30/P93's. Since the LP, SG & V have similar pickups I would like to get something totally different sounding. Any suggestions?

[Rock_Bassist]

Eh, I don't wanna sound assish, but it's an ugly SG in my opinion.

I mean it's just not that good looking... at all.

[guitaringsailor]

I've heard it's a bitch to play sitting down, does anyone have any comments on this?

yeah! i've played one at a store and it was almost impossible! I had to borrow one of their straps to play at all. awesome guitar though, but my impression was that if you want that bluesy sound you should go for a LP instead, but thats just me

[KK47]

metal jello wrote:

powerhalf wrote:

*sorry for the double post*
I just remembered, there's a video floating around somewhere of Kirk Hammet showing how to play some Metallica riffs. Aside from some soloing he does in the beginning of the video, he's sitting on a stool with a V. You might want to watch how he does it.


I've seen that, I'm not sure if it's a Gibson V or and ESP re-make. Awesome video, go to Youtube and search Kirk Hammett and go down to the picture of him with the v.

Kirk has a Esp re make.I cant wait till i buy this guitar.

[HELLSHREDD]

EXPLORERS make any guitar look less than.....

[HELLSHREDD]

EXPLORERS make any guitar look less than.....

[chili157]

I have a Gibson faded flying, but I'm unsure whether to keep it or get an SG instead. I think they both look pretty cool, but I'm still not sure.

Anyone got any suggestions on which one to get?

[will-loves-zep]

i want one! stick some emgs on it and it would be perfect

[slashNpage77]

fretsofhell wrote:

put the bottom half between your thighs

haha that's what she said.

[HELLSHREDD]

Sg is made for ladies ya fools , les paul made it for his wife to be lighter & easier for her to play , & 2 me they look fricken ugly & retarded like angus young that goon,,,,,lmao

[chili 157]

Yeah it's been like 3 months since I asked that, my minds been pretty much changed since then. but tanx anyway

[will-loves-zep]

Striketalonx wrote:

you play it classical style, it actually improves your form, and becomes very comfortable if you get used to it.
i even play my Jackson Soloist like that now

hi just what is form? im not taking the mick, but i hear loadsa words and don't actually get what they mean its the same with fluid (playing style)

[StonedSheep]

i dont like the look of it, v shapes are a bit to..errr.. pointy for my liking

[boneless_360]

all Gibson V's ive seen in mags and stuff have open coil pickiups, not coverd 1s, duz that effect tone?

[AngryGoldfish]

The word form refers to posture. Its important to have good posture so you don't do your back in later in your life. It also can refer to your hand postitions. chili157, its totally up tto you whether you replace a V with an SG. I probably wouldn't cause theres such little difference between them. They both have similar pickups, similar woods, similar distorted sounds. The cleans can be slightly muddy to some people on the V but so can the SG. The necks are thiner and more like a Strat than the V which means you can play faster on them. But other than that, theres only aesthetic reasons to change.

[Fuzzbox91]

pickingking wrote:

Whats better an SG or a Flying V?

The SG is more versitile, a bit better sounding, great upper fret access, better finished. The only thing is its a bit neck heavy, but its a dream to sit down with unliek the V