How the Gibson Flying V went from commercial flop to guitar icon
A look at the design choices, early rejection, and the artists who turned Gibson’s radical 1958 Flying V into a cross-genre staple.
Useful takeaways from this story.
A 1967 reissue switched korina for mahogany and updated hardware (larger pickguard, stopbar or Vibrola), changes that helped the V find broader appeal.
The Flying V’s extreme looks caused playing challenges (especially sitting down) but its tone and stage presence made it a visual and sonic shortcut to distinction.
The useful part
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How it works
- Future / Olly Curtis) To fully grasp why the Flying V remains an iconic tone monster, you have to look closely at how they're constructed.
- What fascinates me most as a player is how the V's shape changes the physics of how you play, requiring you to wear it differently.
- Blues-rock powerhouse Jared James Nichols describes how plugging into a Flying V shatters conventional playing habits.
- Explore Explore New Gear Discover guitars, pedals and amps with expert reviews.
What to take from it
Explore Members Exclusive Guitar World Magazine Save on subscriptions to the world's best-selling guitar magazine. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. It's a weird design that you have to adjust to, but that fine line between a trainwreck and a stroke of genius is exactly what Ted McCarty tapped into during Gibson's 'modernist' push in 1957.
Example or evidence
- Luthier Matt Hughes of Banker Guitars highlights the tonality and build variations separating generations of the V.
- It reemerged in 1967, when Gibson brought it back with some crucial changes, trading the original korina wood for a mahogany body, adding a larger pickguard, and updating it with a stopbar or Vibrola tailpiece.
- Albert King was famously a lefty who flipped a right-handed '58 korina V upside down: the way he grabbed those massive, string bends out of his V proved the design had plenty of tone to back up its wild looks.
- In the late '60s, Jimi Hendrix dragged the V straight into the psychedelic stratosphere, hand-painting his '67 Flying V and completely blurring the lines of what a rock guitar was supposed to look like.
Details worth keeping
Keep earning badges Explore ways to get more involved as a member. Discover Guitar Lessons Explore techniques, riffs and playing tips. Gibson had quietly pulled it by 1960 after only shipping about 100 units.
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