Gibson Flying V2 - an enthusiast!

Bill_S

Hi all 

As you can tell, I am new here. Here are photos of my two favourite guitars...

My initial reason for joining is to endeavour to find out more about my particular idiosyncrasy – a love of Gibson Flying V2s. I know they are not everyone’s cup of tea, and I know there appearance alone divides opinion, however, allow me to tell you my V2 story...

So, back in 1979 when I was still a teenager I somehow managed to scramble together enough money to buy a brand new Gibson Les Paul Deluxe natural top. Unfortunately, a couple of years later our house was burgled and it was stolen. However, it was insured, and when the claim came through, I went back to Kingfisher Music in Fleet, Hampshire, which is where I’d bought the Les Paul.

I fully intended to buy another Les Paul, but instead was blown away by a Gibson Flying V2, which was in what Gibson called “Bahama Blue”. The neck felt great, my fingers seemed to whiz around the fretboard (as much as they have ever whizzed anywhere) and it was a whole lot lighter than the LP. I bought it – I hadn’t even appreciated the significance of it being a V2 as opposed to a “normal” V at the time – it just happened to be the one that was available in the shop that day. Think the cost was £700.

Anyway, a couple of years later – maybe 1984 - I fell on hard times and I was forced to sell it – heartbreaking but necessary.

 I recovered financially and have had some nice guitars over the years, but when my wife and I (more or less) retired to Spain a couple of years ago, a friend of mine who was aware I had “lost” that beloved old V2 all those years ago, sent me a link to a 1980 natural top model that was on sale in at Coda Music in Stevenage. I knew that they had only been made for two or three years in the V2 format and were quite rare – I pulled the trigger and bought it.

 When it arrived and I started to play, I instantly remembered the feel from more than 30 years before, and I swear I started to play things I wouldn’t have come up with on any other instrument! I was in love!

Bringing this right up to date, I have just taken ownership of a second 1980 model – this time in a red sparkle finish. It is in almost mint condition – I certainly wasn’t that well preserved when I was 38! In its original case – just beautiful.

So V2s are now becoming a bit of an obsession! Starts with an emotional attachment to tough times decades ago, and now being in the fortunate position of being able to indulge a little.

 I am hungry for more information about these guitars – I have read the Wikipedia entry of course, seen a few You Tube reviews etc, but would love to know more. I hope this community might be able to help!

 I know they’re quirky, and certainly not to everyone’s taste – the output jack is in a stupid place, the output itself is deemed too low by some and of course they are impossible to play on your knee...but I think the V2s are extraordinary beautiful guitars! And they play beautifully. It’s more than possible to get great tones from them in a studio set up – I use Scuffham S-Gear amp sim software and a J Rockett Archer hardware pedal.

 Would love to hear from any other enthusiasts, or anyone who has knowledge to share!

 Cheers

 

 

 

 

andy1839

Nice!

I love these, year of birth guitar for me, but still haven't taken the plunge and bought one.
One day though..

FelineGuitars

Very nice.

Welcome to the forum.......

Fellow flying V fan here ...although never owned a V2, although I have worked on them.
Unusual pickup - more akin to a Precision bass pickup than a regular humbucker as each coil only serves 3 strings

just found this:

"V-II Boomerang pickups were not used on any other Gibson guitar. Looking at the underside of these transducers reveal no clues as to their construction because they are potted with a dark compound. Potting usually quiets a pickup by reducing microphonic effects.

Inside the V-shaped black plastic pickup cover are two separate single coils. These appear to be wired in series and out-of-phase for noise immunity. Each coil is assembled with a clear plastic bobbin containing a bar magnet. Both bobbins are taped to a base plate. This plate appears to be a soft, stamped metal in the shape of the bottom end of a hockey stick. Gibson's S-1 guitar pickups resemble these individual bobbins but are larger. Potting may also have been required to hold the bobbins against the top of the pickup cover because the base plate does not allow for screw attachments.

The bass string side coil sits against the back of the pickup cover and is almost perpendicular to the guitar strings. It's coil length covers the three bass side strings (E, A, D). The other coil is situated against the bottom front-side of the cover and has an exaggerated slant as compared to a Stratocaster bridge pickup. This coil covers the treble side strings (G, B, E). With the end of the bass coil pointing into the treble coil one quarter of the way down it's length at about a thirty degree angle from perpendicular, forms the hockey stick with a knob end. Both coils are wrapped with black tape to the baseplate.

Measuring these pickups indicate a high output level, or as players say, these are "hot" pickups. They ranged from 11k to 13k ohms. Sound characterizations are usually subjective, however these guitars have some of the warmth of a Les Paul and a bit of the bite of a Stratocaster. Because they are hot pickups, they tend to be somewhat muddy which is a characteristic of hot, twin-coil humbuckers. With the configuration and output of these V-II pickups in combination with the laminated woods, the sound produced will be like no other solid-body. If it's a different tone you're after, the Flying V-II may be worth a test flight.

ICBM

Bill_S said:

Hi all 

As you can tell, I am new here.

You'll probably find that Earth is quite a strange place, but you'll get used to it.















There was a shop in Edinburgh that I think had one of these from new for years, along with a Silverburst V Bass and three Corvuses.

It's good to be different and like unusual things. It would be boring if everyone only liked Les Pauls.

Koa

Interesting guitars, last one I saw was in Cash Convertors type shop in Belfast around 4-5 years ago, it was a natural one too. 

sixwheeltyrrel

Supercool guitars.

I've never seen them in any colour other than natural. 

guitarfishbay

I've never seen them before!  Interesting guitars

JezWynd

guitarfishbay said:

I've never seen them before!  Interesting guitars

Me too, I like the way the pickup cover impinges on the fretboard, makes it look all of a piece.

Foster

This reminds me I really need to get a new nut sorted for my flying v

clarkefan

Foster said:

This reminds me I really need to get a new nut sorted for my flying v

And this reminds me I need a Flying V in my life in 2019

normula1

I lusted after the V2 in my local music shop fir years until I left the area. I still like the look esp. in natural.

Henrytwang

Interesting guitars. Gibson made a an attempt to give a new look and sound to a classic guitar. Unfortunately most of us guitar players are traditionalists so the instrument was discontinued. It’s quite likely that they will become expensive collectibles if they’re not already. I’d imagine that it would be a problem getting a pickup rewound in the event of a failure.

FelineGuitars

Henrytwang said:

Interesting guitars. Gibson made a an attempt to give a new look and sound to a classic guitar. Unfortunately most of us guitar players are traditionalists so the instrument was discontinued. It’s quite likely that they will become expensive collectibles if they’re not already. I’d imagine that it would be a problem getting a pickup rewound in the event of a failure.

You may find that Kent Armstrong can do one and maybe already has and has a mold for the cover shape

richardhomer

I remember seeing one of those in a glass fronted cabinet in the cellar of A1 Music in Manchester sometime around 1980. Very cool looking guitars!

Funkfingers

Somebody I know locally had the Explorer II sister model. It was a maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple example. Cripplingly heavy.

guitarcookie1

I remember Kingfisher Music, usually had some interesting second-hand stuff in there. 

Henrytwang

FelineGuitars said:

Henrytwang said:

Interesting guitars. Gibson made a an attempt to give a new look and sound to a classic guitar. Unfortunately most of us guitar players are traditionalists so the instrument was discontinued. It’s quite likely that they will become expensive collectibles if they’re not already. I’d imagine that it would be a problem getting a pickup rewound in the event of a failure.

You may find that Kent Armstrong can do one and maybe already has and has a mold for the cover shape

That information could be very valuable to somebody in the future, I’ll certainly file it away in the old memory bank.

guitars4you

guitarcookie1 said:

I remember Kingfisher Music, usually had some interesting second-hand stuff in there. 

you are going back in time to Kingisher - can't recall when they closed down, but during the 70's and 80's they were a very popular shop 

Philly_Q

This is another of those guitars which has held a fascination for me since goggling into music shop windows as a teenager.  They are weird, but the designer - unusually for a Gibson employee - obviously had some sense of style and the "different" elements all work together visually.  I think they look great.

Always associated in my mind with NWOBHM band AIIZ.  Dig those outfits.

Brize

Here's one for sale in Blue Sparkle:

http://davidjpym.com/page381.html

Bill_S

Hi all - thanks for all the comments - I am glad a subset of guitarists like them! That Blue Sparkle one has been for sale for a long time and given the price it is not surprising - it is several times the price I paid for my Red Sparkle which is in equally good condition. The natural top versions tend to be in the £2k to £2,300 range, with the coloured versions maybe up to 50% more. That said, very few V2s are ever available so prices can vary enormously.