Gibson Flying V Guitar Review

The Gibson Flying V, since its first introduction decades ago, has forged a reputation for being one of the pinnacles of hard rock and metal guitars available on the market. Metal legends such as Iron Maiden have made a trademark of it, and it has been in high demand for years now. In this article, I'll be taking a close look at the newest Gibson Flying V to see what it has to offer today.

Features: The body of the Gibson Flying V is made of solid mahogany. This, combined with the pickups, helps give the Flying V a great hard rock sound. There are several finishes available, including Cherry and Ebony. All of them come with a solid white pickguard and are designed to invoke memories of the old Flying V. The neck, as well, is made of mahogany. It is uniquely designed to fit the player looking for a metal guitar, with a hybrid design that is both rounded and tapered. Also, the joint at which is set into the body is extended to provide better sustain with solos. The fretboard is rosewood, and has twenty two frets total with pearloid dot inlays. As an added aesthetic feature that is one of the Flying V's trademarks, the headstock is slightly angled back. The hardware on the Gibson Flying V varies a bit, as the tuning heads are plastic and the bridge is chrome. Electronically, the Flying V has two Ceramic Humbucker pickups, two volume and one tone control knobs, and a three way selector switch.

Playability: The Flying V is specifically designed to improve a metal player's ability to move up and down the fretboard when shredding. The neck is tapered and smooth, and the extended joint doesn't really inhibit fret access. The only real problem is inherent in the Flying V's original design. The fact that angled lines replace the normal curvature of other guitars makes it hard to keep in the same spot on your thigh when sitting down. Regardless, it is nice and light, which is great for stand-up playing.

Sound: The ceramic humbucker pickups and body wood are made to do one thing flawlessly, and that is play metal. It can go from screaming solos on the high end to crunchy power chords on the low end with little adjustment. If you're looking for rich clean tones, though, something a little more versatile may be needed.

Overall: For the hard rock or metal guitarist, the newest Gibson Flying V certainly lives up to its long and storied reputation. It really is one of the best of its kind, as evinced by the price. There are few things it can't do when playing within its designed genre. You can find the Gibson Flying V in music stores for about $1,200.