Gibson Flying V II
September 16th, 2009
during the 1950s America was enjoying the economic boom of the post-war and suddenly the baby boom generation would provide a considerable influence in the United States. Rock ’n’ roll was born and anointed king. The space race was run and so was the guitar. Many companies, like Fender instrument was booming with the introduction of new guitar designs with innovative features that offer strong competition from manufacturers of instruments against established, including Gibson.
Gibson president Ted McCarty was criticized for its dealer network. They sought a new exciting electric guitar for sale. He responded by Korina Flying V, Explorer and Moderne in 1958, which also helped design. However, traders mostly only bought the Flying V guitar, and none of them sold well. In 1959, these guitars were on their way out of the continuous line-up-body Gibson. In total, less than a couple hundred instruments were produced.
Supply and demand are in balance. Little demand, little supply. As so often, years later, once these instruments ignores the experience of high demand and prices rise rapidly due to their unavailability. Subsequently, Gibson introduced three different styles reissue Flying V between 1966 and 1975.
Flying V’s design evokes thoughts of the 1950s era automobile tailfins decades and fascination with the future and space travel. When Gibson was the preparation of the V Korina its market debut, the Russians were launching the first man-made orbiting satellite called Sputnik. During the short life of the walnut / Maple V-II, the United States launched the first reusable manned spacecraft, the shuttle Columbia. During the 1970s, Ziggy Stardust, KISS and disco music represents the change that Elvis, Chuck Berry and the idols of teenagers is reflected in the 1950s. A radical design for radical times.
Gibson guitars built V-II, with a combination of wood types, using walnut and maple. Gibson designed this V to use these forests interchangeably. For example, when dropped from walnut guitar top, back and middle (3 layers), the maple was used as a thin sheet material (2 layers). Maple walnut V guitars as the use of foil. Walnut versions seems to be much more than frequent. Besides, Gibson guitars produced V-II in colors.
These Flying V guitars modernist II were made with the 5-piece necks to match body construction. Collars were glued in a similar style 3-piece neck of the period (the grain of the center section to reverse the force) with the addition of two thin strips of wood are alternated between the three parts of the neck. In the back of the head where the neck, a scroll was added for additional strength. Scrolls neck became larger in the entire decade of the 1970s in most Gibson guitars and these were no exception. Stamped on back of V-shaped blade is the serial number and “Made in USA ’notice. It is interesting that both gold Gibson luxury single plastic button ring tuner, Kluson -like heads of the machine, and the most common Schaller as gold metal button tuner heads with the Gibson brand.
Original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo built the V-II and the now famous V. The Korina Flying V-II, stamped serial number has 8 digits impressed. 6.8 digits less than 500 (and produced before July 1984 for all Gibson guitars) indicates that the plant was made in Kalamazoo. The company moved all production from Kalamazoo to Nashville guitar.
In 1979, a Flying V-II carried a price of $ 1199.00 with case included. That put the V-II in the price list as the second solid body Gibson’s most expensive artist behind the Les Paul at a price of $ 1299.00 without case. It was a price 50% higher than the Les Paul Standard ($ 799.00) and 25% more than the Explorer II ($ 949.00).
Although many believe that the Explorer II and V-II were introduced at the same time as a package, the Explorer II was included in the Gibson price list for many months before the V-II. While the Explorer share the same design of the body contour as the V-II, which used Gibson Dirty Finger humbuckers, compared with the V-II most unique feature is Boomerang V-shaped pills.
Tools and production of the single V II pickups, tailpiece, body / neck and routing sheets, no doubt, brought the cost of the guitar higher than many other instruments of Gibson solid body. The biggest cost was probably a factor that is leading to high standard list price.
V-II Boomerang vans were not used in any other Gibson guitar. On the bottom of these transducers are no clues as to its construction because they are dark pots with compost. Pots usually calms a van by the reduction of microphonic effects.
Within the V-shaped black plastic pickup covers are two separate single coils. These seem to be connected in series and non-phase-noise immunity. Each coil is mounted with a coil of transparent plastic that contains a magnet. Both coils are etched onto a baseplate. This board appears to be a smooth, metal stamping in the shape of the bottom of a hockey stick. Gibson S-1 guitar pickups resemble these individual coils, but are larger. For pots may also have been required to hold the coils against the top of the truck covered with the motherboard does not allow for screw attachments.
The low coil side chain sits against the back of the pickup cover and is almost perpendicular to the strings of the guitar. Length of the coil is covered all three low side chains (E, A, D). The other coil is placed against the bottom front side of the deck and has a penchant exaggerated compared with a Stratocaster bridge pickup. This coil covers acute side chains (G, B, E). With the end of the coil under the coil pointing towards Treble quarter of the way down its length at an angle of thirty degrees from the perpendicular, so the hockey stick with a knob end. Both coils are wrapped with black tape to the motherboard.
These pills measurement indicate a high level of output, or as they say the players, these are “hot” pickups. They ranged from 11k to 13k ohms. Sound characterizations tend to be subjective, however, these guitars are some of the warmth of a Les Paul and a bit of the bite of a Stratocaster. Because the vans are hot, tend to be somewhat muddy which is a characteristic of hot, double-coil humbuckers. With the configuration and production of vans V-II, in combination with laminated wood, the sound will be like any other solid body. If it is a different tone than you’re looking for, the Flying V-II may be worth a test flight.
Add these one-of-a-truck kind of iron ring mounting a V-ridge formed 5-piece laminated construction, sculpted body, deluxe engraved truss rod cover, nut brass inlaid Gibson headstock and tuning pegs ebony finishes around the V-shaped neck pickup mounting ring, and you have a very special instrument. Gibson is still producing the traditional 1970s the type of guitar Flying V during the time a V-II was available.
The books and the standard tags issued with the V-II included; Owners Manual booklet (with the U.S. in the form of guitar on the cover), Gibson Warranty Card (Gibson appears as a division of Norlin Industries, Inc.) Gibson Hang Tag (with the U.S. in the form of guitar) and boarding pass Important advisory.
Finally, Gibson included a bright yellow tag hangs during the fall of 1980, which offered the following: CUSTOM TRUSS ROD COVER FREE with the purchase of this instrument … OFFER GOOD ONLY IN Gibson Flying V Explorer II and II MODELS purchased between October 1, 1980 and December 31, 1980. The back of the card should be completed and returned to Gibson in Kalamazoo with a copy of your invoice. These covers Rod Special armor were also made to distributors buy V-II for the inventory of guitars during this period.
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