Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying V

The Epiphone Flying V '58 is a moderately priced reissue of the famed Gibson guitar that first turned heads and ears back in the swingin' 50s. It features a Korina body and set neck, also Korina. The fretboard is rosewood, and it has 22 frets. The tuners are the typical vintage style models, and the bridge setup is a tune-o-matic model and a flatmounted tailpiece shaped like a V. It also has very classy looking gold hardware. It features a pair of Epiphone humbuckers wired to a pair of individual volume controls and a master tone, as well as a 3 way toggle. It's pretty simple features wise, but the looks and sounds really turn heads!

UTILIZATION

The design is pretty ergonomic and cool. It's a little hard to get used to playing a V if you are coming from a Strat or Les Paul, just because it is a bigger instrument. However once you wrap yourself around the idea it is fine. It is easy to play standing up or sitting down. I've seen some of these V's with a small grip pad on the bottom side of the body for extra traction when sitting. However this guitar was ultimately made to rock out, so it's better used standing up in my opinion. The upper fret access is pretty killer given that there's no cutaway or no real neck heel to get in the way. It's not as flawless as a neckthrough design, but for a set neck you aren't getting much better access here, folks.

SOUNDS

The tones out of this guitar are actually pretty decent given that it's a cheaper instrument. The stock pickups are basically medium output clones of Gibson 'buckers and they do a fair enough job at the cleans and drives. The clean sounds are not the best for what I wish to hear, but they do a passable job and work well for bluesy or rock tones. It's a bit muddy though, and you don't get the brightness that would be ideal for funky sounds. Switching over to a drive tone is where this guitar shines. The pickups work very well for classic rock a-la Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, The Scorpions. Again, the muddy quality is apparent if you're used to hearing the real deal, but for someone who cares more about the look and just getting a loud, raunchy guitar sound, these pickups suffice for rhythms or lead tones.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Epiphone '58 V is a great buy for someone looking for a well made and very cool looking guitar. It sells new for about $550 which is a good price. The stock parts, as with most Epis, really aren't the best in the world, but you can get decent parts to mod it if you're so inclined. However if you're looking for a cool looking guitar that would not break the bank and allow you to really fly, this one is definitely worth the consideration

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.

The Epiphone Flying V Korina is a pretty much exact copy of the 1958 Gibson Flying V. The Flying V is a classic design by Gibson. 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.

UTILIZATION

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

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.

OVERALL OPINION

I prefer the 58 Flying V design to the 67 design. 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. It is very hard to justify spending thousands and thousands on a guitar when you can get pretty much the same guitar for this kind of price.