Gibson 70s Flying V

Michael Schenker Found His Voice in a Shape Nobody Wanted. Gibson launched the Flying V in 1958 and watched it die on showroom floors. Too strange, too angular, too far ahead of players who weren't ready for guitars that looked like they belonged on runways. Then a young German guitarist picked one up, joined UFO, and proceeded to wring melodic phrasing out of that pointed body that made every other hard rock player rethink what a V could do.

Schenker understood something the 1958 buyers missed - that shape isn't just visual theater. The V geometry puts the upper frets exactly where your hand wants them, and the mahogany mass hanging out behind the bridge feeds sustain in ways conventional bodies can't touch.

This Classic White reissue captures the era Schenker helped define. Matching headstock, chrome hardware, silver reflector knobs - the complete arena package from a decade when subtlety wasn't the point. Those uncovered '70s Tribute humbuckers handle the sonic work with punch and clarity that covers vintage hard rock through modern high-gain territory.

Hand-wired controls with Orange Drop capacitors give you a genuinely musical control range. Roll back that volume knob and the tone cleans up rather than going lifeless, which separates thoughtful wiring from factory shortcuts. Independent volume for each pickup plus master tone and traditional toggle switching keeps everything accessible mid-song.

The Slim Taper mahogany neck with bound rosewood fingerboard encourages exactly the kind of fluid lead work Schenker built his reputation on, while 22 frets and that 24.75-inch scale keep string tension comfortable through long sets.

Aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with aluminum stop bar adds liveliness and sustain that heavier hardware tends to smother. Sometimes the failures of one decade become the icons of the next.

Brand: Gibson
Model: '70s Flying V
Categories: Solid Body
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Body Shape: V-Style
Body Material: Mahogany
Neck Construction: Set-Neck
Color Family: White
Right / Left Handed: Right Handed
Number of Strings: 6-String
Neck Material: Mahogany
Offset Body: Non-Offset Body
Body Type: Solid Body
Bridge/Tailpiece Type: Stop-Bar
Pickup Configuration: HH
Wood Top Style: Opaque
Scale Length: 24.75"
Model Family: Gibson Flying V
Number of Frets: 22