Gibson Flying V Faded 3-Pickup

The Flying V faded is Gibsons budget version of the Flying V. Gibson noticed that people were starting to like worn in looking guitars. They decided to start a line of Faded guitars that do not have the final clear coat on them to give guitar players a line of new guitars that look old. The guitar is made from solid mahogany with a mahogany set neck. The neck is 22 frets with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is not bound. It has two volume knobs and one tone knob and a 6 way chicken head pickup selector. The tuners are non-locking as well as the bridge which is a tune-o-matic. On this version you get 3 Gibson 490s which are mellower than what you normally get in these guitars.

UTILIZATION

These guitars are pretty comfortable. They have a lightweight design that is a welcome change compared to many other Gibsons. 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. Because there is no clear coat on the final the guitar feels very smooth and it does not ever get sticky. Because of the shape you may have to play in a classical position when you play sitting down but this is not a problem for me because I always play in a classical position. Some models have a rubber grip on the bottom so you can play them in a normal position but this one does not.

SOUNDS

The 490 pickups in this guitar have a slightly mellower tone than what you would normally get in this guitar. The 3 pickup configuration gives you many tonal combinations. The pickup selecting is done with a 6 way chicken head knob that takes some getting use to. The first position is the bridge position. Which gives you your traditional trebley bridge tones. The next position is the bridge pickup and the middle much like a strat. The middle pickup gives more low end and thickness to the bridge tone but it can also get a bit muddy. The next position is just the middle position. I am not a fan of middle pickups by themselves. I prefer the middle pickup when it is mixed with something else. Like in the next position which is the middle and the neck. This mostly is your neck position tones with a bit more clarity and high end from the middle pickup. After that you get your neck position tones which are your traditional super smooth bluesy and jazzy tones. This is where I do most of my lead playing because I like the smooth sound. Finally you get your traditional middle position with your neck and bridge pickup. I like this sound for cleans because you can get the smoothness of the neck with some clarity from the bridge. It is similar to the neck and middle in sound on this particular guitar.

OVERALL OPINION

The Gibson Flying V faded is not a bad guitar. This model is just a way for Gibson to get more life out of the model. This model is not bad either. Some people may want the extra tonal capabilities of the middle pickup. Not many Gibson users care for a middle pickup because they have gotten by without it for so long. If you are dead set on having a middle pickup by all means get this guitar but if you are just looking for a decently priced Flying V the normal Faded version is plenty of guitar for the money.