SeriesEpiphone Flying V

In the late 50s Gibson started putting out futuristic looking guitars to show that they were a hip modern guitar company. This guitar is a copy of the Flying V they put out in the 50s except with a black finish. It was introduced in the late 50s and was way too radical and ahead of its time. It was re-introduced in the mid 60s and people loved it. Gibson has been making them ever since. This Epiphone has the design of the original version. The dimensions are slightly different and it uses Korina wood like the original models did. It has a 22 fret rosewood freboard attached to a Korina neck. It has the pointy flying V headstock from the 50s. It has dual gold finished humbuckers. Each pickup has a volume control and there is a master tone knob. The bridge is a big V shaped piece of metal that helps with sustain. The guitar has a black finish and it looks very classy with the gold hardware. UTILIZATION The Flying V design overall has better playability than the traditional Les Paul design. Because of the V design the upper frets are easier to reach than on a Les Paul. The set neck design means there is a bit of a heel at the neck joint but on this model it is not bad. Since this is a 58 model the upper fret access is even better than on a 67 flying V. The neck attaches to the body higher on the neck than on the 67 models so the neck joint heel is less intrusive. The V shape might be hard for some people to play sitting down. You may have to play in a classical position with the guitar in your lap if you are playing while sitting down. Some models have a strip of rubber to add more traction to the bottom of the guitar, making it easier to play while sitting down. Standing up the shape gives the guitar perfect balance. The input jack is kind of in a bad place if you are use to wrapping it through your guitar strap. SOUNDS Because of the 50s design of the guitar they have put in pickups voiced for medium gain or classic rock type music. The guitar comes with two Epiphone Alnico Classic humbuckers. These pickups are medium output and are voiced for a classic rock tone. This voicing suits the guitar perfectly. When you plug it in it sounds like a classic Gibson. These pickups are also great for blues. With the right amp you can get a really smooth bluesy sound. If you are playing metal or heavier music you may want to upgrade the pickups. These pickups with their medium output may not have the clarity needed for lower tunings or high gain sounds. The bridge with its large metal piece and string through design provides more sustain and an little extra brightness than the normal versions. If you want to play heavier music you may want to swap the pickups out for some Seymour Duncans or EMG pickups for heavier tones. OVERALL OPINION Overall I think the 58 Flying V design is better than the 67 design playability wise. The better fret access on the earlier version may mean the neck join is weaker but I have never had any problems with the neck joints on Flying V's. I have had problems with SG neck joints however. The original shape provides better access to the upper frets and overall I think it looks more classy. . The bridge setup provides more clarity and sustain than a regular Tune-o-matic setup. Gibson versions of this classic design cost thousands and thousands of dollars and are very hard to find. You can get this Epiphone version for less than 600 dollars. At the end of the day a guitar is just a peice of wood with some wires in it. If you want a classy Flying V and dont want to break the bank this guitar could be fore you.

This is the worst guitar I have ever played in my life and I have no idea why i bought this. The pickups are all dodgy and they move about to much. It goes out of tune in 10 seconds flat. I bought it out of a local shop and I told everyone it cost £400 when it actually cost £160 it was a total waste of money.The Guitar has no make on it but its a "flying V" and i don't even no why I bought this guitar because i'm a rubbish player, espically for the time i'v been playing it. There is nothing I like about this guitar, its rubbish and it sounds rubbish. I hate everything about this guitar, its pathetic.The pickups are dodgy and falling apart, it has a bad sound, its cheap and it goes out of tune very very very very quickly. It was probally made by some guy in Bagdad who wanted to make a bit of money. Its quality is absolutly terrible. I hate it. Don't buy it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought from Sheffield Academy Of Sound for a lowlow price of £199! (was £399). I needed a first guitar, this was about as cheap as a shitty squier but 100 times better. This is an amazing piece of arcitechture. Very well set up, one more string than the average guitar - not so I can play some crummy Slipknot/KoRn nu metal pants, so you can go that extra bit further when soloing! Also, I think I am allowed to call it a real Gibson. The switches were cheap and one was faulty, but easy to fix. Quite cheap strings. Very good piece of kit. Not too heavy, even though it has got a bit more body than the average guitar. Buy this if you see it for less than £300, definitely. The 6 string is as good, but you cant do quite as much on it. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Goth series of guitar is Gibsons recent attempt to give some of their guitars a more metal image. Epiphone is Gibsons budget line and they have their versions of the Gothic line of guitar. They are built with the same wood and to the same specs but with different electronics and they are built overseas. Epiphones version of the Flying V Gothic model is close to what the first series of Gibson Gothic Flying V's were like. These guitars have passive pickups where as the new Gibson Gothic Flying V's have active pickups. They have 22 frets on a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The rosewood fretboard is dyed to have a darker look closer to ebony. There are no inlays apart from a 12 in roman numerals on the 12th fret. It has two humbucking pickups which are Epiphone pickups. Two volume and one master tone control with a 3 way toggle switch pickup selector. What makes this model unique is that it comes with a Floyd Rose tremolo system which is pretty rare on any Gibson or Epiphone. UTILIZATION Flying V's overall have better fret access than Les Paul type guitars. This Flying V is based off of the 1958 Flying V. It has more of an angular look. The upper fret access is better because the body joins the neck at a higher fret. The V shape might be hard for some people to play sitting down. You may have to play in a classical position with the guitar in your lap if you are playing while sitting down. Some models have a strip of rubber to add more traction to the bottom of the guitar, making it easier to play while sitting down. Standing up the shape gives the guitar perfect balance. With the Floyd Rose you will need to make sure it is setup properly or it will not stay in tune well. Remember with the tremolo you will not be able to change tunings or strings very easily. Overall I prefer hardtail bridges to tremolo systems. SOUNDS With the thinner body Flying V's generally sound similar to SG style guitars. They both overall use less wood than a Les Paul or Explorer so they will have a brighter crisper sound. The pickups on this explorer have open coils and are a bit hotter to give you a more metal sound. Epiphone pickups normally are not that great. On many Epiphone guitars the stock pickups will sound pretty muddy. These pickups are a little less muddy and normal Epiphone pickups but I would still recommend a pickup change. The big mahogany body on the guitar helps to give it a big tone. This is what you would expect on a Flying V. You can really feel the body resonate with all that wood. The tremolo lets you get more little effects with your sound but if you use it too much it may put your guitar out of tune. OVERALL OPINION This is a good alternative to the Gibson models that cost thousands more. With the tremolo system you are able to do more metal tricks live divebombs and whatnot. Just make sure the tremolo is setup properly. This guitar with a set of EMG pickups would be a total metal machine. If youa re looking for a Gibson with a Floyd that is built for metal you cant get more perfect than this guitar.