Gibson Reverse Flying V Limited Edition Electric Guitar Review
Gibson Reverse Flying V Limited Edition Electric Guitar Feature
- Vintage-Style Split Headstock
- Gold Hardware w/Kluson Tuning Machines
- Classic Dot Inlays
UPDATED
[UPDATED AGAIN 3/14/10: Whoa! The price just went up a *lot* - a week ago, I bought this for quite a bit less; the guitar was not ,499 when I purchased it…keep that in mind when considering this review]
Ok, I got a replacement and have given it a good workout. On that score, Amazon gets high marks. All I did was describe the issues with the first one I received and ask whether or not these were “blems”. In less than 24 hours I had a reply in my inbox that didn’t even bother with my questions - a new one was already on its way out, to be delivered the next day, and a return authorization provided for the first one, giving me 30 days to get it back. The only less-than-perfect bit is I have to front the cost of return shipping, but I can see their position on this. Once it’s received and they see the problems, return shipping costs will be refunded. 5 stars to Amazon.
The new guitar also came new in an unopened factory box, and is a vast improvement over the first one, though it too was atrociously set-up and I was a little disappointed again. I knew it would improve with some tweaking, but you’re never sure by how much. Right out of the box, there was way too much relief in the neck, the action was very high, and the guitar just felt and sounded kind of dead. The case was pristine and awesome though. 2-for-2 on the cases. But I was worried that I’d be left with that horrible feeling of falsely trying to focus on a few good points to make myself feel o.k. about what turned out to be a mediocre purchase.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Dove in and changed the strings to make truss-rod, intonation and action adjustments. Right away, it seemed like a different guitar, just having string that weren’t lame and dead. It’s amazing how dead strings can actually *get* just sitting on a guitar in a box for a while. And the factory strings they use are *so* bad. You’d think they’d spring for some better ones at the factory. Smart store owners must re-string their Gibsons right away before putting them on display - the strings they ship with do not show off the guitar to its advantage (though in my case I’m sure it was worse from a long time languishing in storage).
I tightened the truss rod down a bit more than a 1/4 turn and straightened the neck out to leave just a *hair* of relief at the 8th fret with the strings depressed at either end. The truss nut is a *bugger* to get at - a little finish got gummed up under it making a very tight squeeze, and the rout is just barely big enough to accommodate the thinnest nut driver you can find - but it’s actually probably good that a rout in the headstock is so minimal. Got it to work. Then I dropped the action a good bit, and lowered the pickups some. Re-tuned it, made some rough intonation adjustments, and bang-o - the guitar just came to life. I was ear to ear right away, not only relieved of my disappointment, but my highest and best hopes were exceeded one by one. I’m just plumb tickled (we say that down here sometimes).
None of the nut and nut-slot issues like the first one they sent me, hardware is all great, the electronics all working beautifully (though the volume knob is currently quite stiff), and the neck laid back nicely with the truss-rod adjustment. The fretboard could use a little cleaning and a touch of oil, but the frets are aces and nicely dressed; no dings, scratches or gouges anywhere on the guitar this time. However, I did notice the fretboard is just the smallest fraction of an inch too narrow for the neck-bed; true of both of the Reverse V’s I’ve received. Not of any real consequence - you can just barely feel a tiny ‘lip’ on either side of the board where it’s centered on the ever-so-slightly larger neck. Doesn’t interfere with playing and easily ignored, but the only word for that is “shoddy”.
Unlike the previous one, the tailpiece is perfectly centered and not offset over the string holes, so the strings actually rest against the wood and not the metal tailpiece where they exit. As I stated previously, the ferules on the back are fine (if a bit ‘relic’-looking, which I’m sure is not the intention), but it would be nice to have them extend to the top, or at least have some sort of insert on the top side of the string-throughs so they’re not digging into the wood. Still, it’s better than having that hard break angle over the metal tailpiece. The volume knob is in the *perfect* spot for grabbing it with your pinkie/3rd finger with your hand resting on the bridge. And like most Gibson-style wiring, the volume does not actually decrease very much in that first half of pot-travel (from 10 to 5), but the highs start to roll off right away. A lot of people mod their controls to avoid this, but in this case it’s actually great - roll the volume back to 6 or so (a good place to leave it anyway), and you’ve still got 90% of your gain and sustain (giving you some room to goose it when needed) but the highs are reigned in. Bang, there’s your tone control. Well, sort of. It darkens up fast from there on down, but you’re losing volume rapidly too - can’t have everything, and personally, I like the uncluttered look of the guitar with minimal controls on the face. I think it’s fine just like it is.
This guitar, unsurprisingly, has a lot in common with a standard Flying V - which, oddly, I’ve never been terribly fond of. Go figure. It’s very lightweight and resonant, with good sustain…quite loud acoustically for a solid-body. Often a very good sign. I don’t find the unusual shape hinders playing at all. All guitars ’sit’ and ‘hang’ a little differently, and you have to adjust to that. This one has a tendency to not want to ‘lay back’ and stays very vertical on you when you’re standing, if not even leaning forward a touch, and I had to adjust my position a little to get it to tilt a little so you can clearly see the face and have a good playing angle. The body shape is very comfortable though, and your picking arm has great access to the bridge area and strings, unhindered by a fat lower bout. I find myself actually getting bruises sometimes from the edge of the body on Les Pauls because of where my arm tends to rest when I’m strumming, or just flat out banging against it when I’m a little over-enthusiastic. But that’s more about me being a hack than anything.
The neck, as Gibson explains, is somewhere between the ‘clubby’ 50’s neck (which I like), and the 60’s slim taper (which I also like). I tend towards a more traditional hand position and don’t wrap my thumb over the top of the fretboard very often, so I love this neck, but your mileage may vary depending on your playing style. It’s fat-ish and feels great with my thumb on the back, but not to the point of feeling like a bat the way some older Explorers with vintage style necks can. While the neck feels nothing like the sinuous SG, the guitar is very lively in your hands similar to the way an SG feels to me. I’ve always thought SGs are the most “Fender-ish” of the marquee Gibsons in that regard - you can really feel the whole guitar vibrating and humming, where a Les Paul will often feel much more solid.
Needless to say, it screams. I fired up a JCM800 and plugged straight in (it *had* to be an old Marshall first out of the gate for a guitar like this). The ‘57 Classics do not disappoint. With the nice sustain and flatter post-adjustment neck, there were smooth singing bends all around, and nothing trying to choke-out; crisp and articulate all the way up. Even with the set-up only about 3/4s dialed-in, it feels comfy and snappy, holdd tune beautifully, and open-position chords ring out with gobs of harmonic nuance and great authority.
As for its ‘voice’, the highs surprised me by having that SG-ish clang and bite that’s so tasty, and there’s a TERRIFIC honky lower midrange that’s very ‘rock’ - but not to the point of being ‘nasal’, and most noticeable on the bridge pickup, naturally. Unlike the SG however, the lows don’t have that ‘tonky’ quality to match the toothy high-end, but are more meaty, akin to a Les Paul. Not *entirely* like a Les Paul, but hey, what are you gonna do? Nothing flat-out roars like a Custom with a good pair of Tim Shaws. And if I wanted a Les Paul, I’d buy another Les Paul I guess. The neck pickup lead tones are just *soaring*, and the rhythm sounds are nice and beefy without being muddy (if you dial the amp in for neck pickup rhythm). The guitar being so resonant, coaxing up some controlled feedback is a breeze…a slightly stanktacious breeze reeking faintly of sweaty leather, bourbon and nicotine, leaving you feeling just a little greasy. (sorry for that, can’t help myself sometimes)
The only significant criticism I have left is the finish work. This replacement guitar is all-around better than the first one I received, but both of them appear to lack some grain-fill and body sanding, and possibly are shy a few coats of color. The coverage is opaque, but you can clearly see the texture of the wood grain through the finish in reflective light (yep, it’s mahogany). The ‘reject’ I first got was worse though - actually bordering on ‘orange-peel’ in some spots too. Just sloppy (failed to mention that before). In actual practice, it may arguably help the tone and resonance a *hair* to have less grain filler and finish on the guitar, but solid finishes really should be smooth and glassy (I got the white one - it’s the most obnoxious. Gold mirror pickguard anyone? Really send it over the edge). The neck does feel a touch ripply and gummy under your hand, but it’s no real bother and will smooth out in time.
At this price, if you like Gibsons, want something freaky and you’re tempted, I’d say pull the trigger. Light as a feather, cool as the other side of the pillow, and hollers like a laser-loaded pterodactyl on god’s own crank (sorry again). I LOVE this guitar. But be prepared to spend some time tweaking the set-up. If you’re not into doing all the fiddling yourself, take it to a good shop and drop the cash to get it dialed in. What started as a decent and very unusual guitar at the price will end up as an *awesome* guitar at any price, that you’ll enjoy playing regardless of what it looks like. Four SOLID stars. And five for Amazon’s customer service.
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PREVIOUS BLATHER
I took delivery recently, and I have to say, as much as I love it, I’m also disappointed with a few things. At this price, I’m pretty tickled and I’m glad I made the purchase - the issues I have with it will be sorted out. But I can’t help but feel let down that the guitar has these issues to begin with.
On the plus side, it is a generally well-made instrument, and is what you’d expect as a Gibson mahogany, solid-body electric. The neck is true and solidly-seated, set up with minimal relief, the fret-work is a-o.k., the hardware is mostly top-notch, and to my delight when reading-up on these, Gibson sprung for the ‘57 Classics - a great factory pickup. Also, it came with a very nice solid case, which you can’t verify from the listing. In photos, the interior of the case looks a bit cheesy, but it’s actually alright and nicely fitted; and the case itself is quite robust.
I’m perfectly content with the toggle-switch and single volume knob. The volume is the most important control on an electric guitar, and hey, it’s got one. I’m quite happy to adjust tone at the amp, or with any outboards I’m using. And of course, it sounds great as you’d expect (from what I can tell - can’t give it a totally thorough workout though, as you’ll read below) - nothing but mahogany, which I love, and those nice pickups.
I feel compelled to address some of the general criticisms commonly leveled at this guitar. As far as the style of it, well it’s certainly not for everyone. It does look a bit ridiculous - but that is exactly why I love it, and let’s face it, the appearance would be the primary reason to buy it. Personal taste aside, the more practical slams I’ve seen most often concern the guitar being neck-heavy when played standing up, and being impossible to play sitting down. Neither are true, and I can only imagine that the folks saying that have not actually played one. When on a strap and played standing, it does subjectively feel as though the guitar is slightly weighted toward the neck, but it’s not something I think I’d ever notice if I weren’t looking for it, and it never actually took a dive - nearly every SG I’ve ever played (yeah, and we all know *those* are awful and have a rotten reputation [that’s a joke by the way]) was far more prone to this. As for sitting, I don’t know if some people are into some weird yoga and contortions when they’re noodling, but it seems perfectly comfortable and stable on either leg. In fact, the neck tends to assume a rather comfortable playing angle with the body shaped as it is, putting the headstock up a little higher and the nut about half way to eye-level. Ideal frankly. And in this position, the lower part of the body is level - it ain’t sliding off anywhere. Even more-so with the guitar on the left leg (for righty players) and the back point of the body resting lightly against the inner part of the right leg. I wish more guitars felt like this, as most have a tendency to want to be very perpendicular to the torso, which is fine, but it’s far more conducive to comfort and focused practice to have the headstock elevated a little bit.
Now for the bummers - and there are couple. Mine showed up in a factory box that appeared unopened, so I can’t really blame Amazon for this, but the particular guitar I received appears to be a “blem/scratch-n-dent/factory second”. There are a couple of hickies in the finish, and one rather nasty ding near the jackplate that goes right through to the wood. Frankly, I wouldn’t be that bothered if it were listed that way (at an even better price one would presume) but it’s not. I’ve asked for confirmation that these aren’t “blems” and will exchange it if more are available.
On the definitely-Gibson’s-fault end: firstly, it has a tune-o-matic bridge as advertised, but that ain’t an ABR-1, it’s a Nashville. Fine by me, though I prefer the ABR-1; it’s clearly visible in the pics so I knew what I was getting. And while they did include some nice ferules for the string-throughs on the back of the body, the top side has nothing. The strings are kept off of the edges of the string holes by having the tailpiece placed with its holes just inside the holes in the body, so the strings rest against the tailpiece and not the wood. Cheesy. And that’s a pretty hard break-angle against the metal of the tailpiece. Well see how that works out.
Also, with the tailpiece having that ‘V’ shape (which *looks* great, granted) both the upper and lower E strings are pretty close to the bridge - the action is set a bit high right out of the box, so hopefully there’s room enough to play with, but the E strings are actually resting against the back of the bridge in its current set-up, and not running free to the tailpiece. If a reasonable action adjustment doesn’t take care of that, I will be less than pleased.
The worst by far though is the tragically inept cutting of the nut. The retro split headstock (which, again, *looks* great) puts the D and G string tuners pretty far out there, creating a serious angle off of the nut, and there are no string-trees or similar hardware incorporated. Those 2 strings cannot even be tuned to pitch without slipping off the nut because the slots are too shallow. I don’t see how anyone could possibly have inspected this guitar or set the intonation because they WILL NOT stay in place when tuned to pitch. I’m not even talking about them popping out when you’re playing - you can’t tune them up, and the D in particular comes clanging out of the slot before it’s much beyond B. Really disappointing. And I’m leery of cutting the slots much deeper (haven’t actually measured yet) for fear of hosing up the action and potential intonation. Neither do I want to go drilling to install string trees or something on the headstock. I may have to replace the entire nut with one slightly taller on the wound-side just to get enough working depth for the strings to stay in place. Not. Happy.
On the whole, I’m pleased with the guitar, and at this price I’m glad I bought it. But buyer beware, you may have some issues to contend with. The fixes I think it needs won’t take all that much to accomplish, but there’s no way around stating that out-of-the-box, it’s unplayable because of the hosed-up nut. 3 stars because of what it CAN be.
Gibson Reverse Flying V Limited Edition Electric Guitar Overview
The Gibson Reverse V has a solid mahogany reverse body, with a set neck and ebony fingerboard. The neck profile is a hybrid between a 50’s/60’s shaped neck. The guitar ships with the vintage ‘57 classic pickups & one volume control.
Meet Gibson’s Reverse Flying V Electric Guitar.
Innovative. Groundbreaking. Daring. Revolutionary. Those are the words most commonly used to describe Gibson’s legendary Flying V, first introduced in 1958. In 2007, when Gibson took it a step further with the bold and fearless Reverse Flying V, people coudn’t believe their eyes. Smart guitarists grabbed one while they could, nabbing one of the most popular and collectible Gibson electrics of the past 20 years. Now, in response to a popular demand that has increased ever since the original run, Gibson USA is proud to once again offer the Reverse Flying V, in a very limited edition.
Features of Gibson’s Reverse Flying V Electric Guitar
The new limited edition Reverse Flying V features a solid mahogany, V-shaped body, four-ply pickguard, Kluson-style green key tuners, and retro-style V-shaped gold tailpiece. The neck sports the traditional Flying V profile, a hibrid between the classic ’50s rounded contour and the popular ’60s slim-taper. The ebony fingerboard and gold-plated truss rod cover round out htis testament to Gibson’s bold and pioneering design tradition. With a pair of ‘57 Classic humbuckers, for legendary vintage Gibson tone, the limited edition Reverse Flying V is available in Classic White, Ebony, and Natural.
Solid Mahogany Body
Probably the most central of the Reverse Flying V features is its V-shaped, solid mahogany body. The solid mahogany body provides tone, sustain, and performance. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson’s woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories.
Set-Neck Construction
Like all classic Gibson guitars, the necks on the new limited edition Reverse Flying Vs are distinguished by one of the more traditional features that have always set them apart–a glued neck joint. Gluing the neck to the body of the guitar insures a “wood to wood” contact, no air space in the neck cavity, and maximum contact between the neck and body, allowing the neck and body to function as a single unit.
The result? Better tone, better sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks.
Neck Profiles
No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional ’50s neck profile is the thicker, more rounded contour, emulating the neck shapes of Gibson’s iconic models of the late 1950s. The ‘60 neck profile is ocnsidered the more modern, slim-tapered contour most commonly associated with the Gibson models of the early 1960s. The neck on Gibson’s new limited edition Reverse Flying V has the best of both worlds–it is a hybrid between the ’50s rounded countour and the ’60s slim-taper profile. As with all Gibson necks, it is machined in Gibson’s rough mill using wood shapers to make the inital cuts. Once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest– including the final sanding–is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.
22-Fret Ebony Fingerboard
Ebony has always graced the fingerboards of the word’s finest stringed instruments. The fingerboard on Gibson’s new limited edition Reverse Flying V is constructed from the highest grade ebony on the planet. The ebony is personally inspected and qualified by Gibsno’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories to be fitted. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note-bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses. Resilient and less porous, ebony absorbs oils well, allowing it to preserve its rich, beautiful color.
‘57 Classic Pickups
Gibson pickups have been setting the standard for the guitar industry since 1935 when the company introduced its first electric model, the E-150 Hawaiian lap steel. Add the pioneering introduction of the revolutionary double-coil “humbucking” pickup invented by Gibson’s own Seth Lover in 1957 and you can clearly see that Gibson has dramatically influenced the evolution of popular music in all genres, from the warm jazz tones of Charlie Christian, to the world-shaking rockabilly of Scotty Moore and the crunching rock of Jimmy Page. The pickups in the new limited edition Reverse Flying V are Gibson’s ‘57 Classic humbuckers. With alnico II magnets and balanced coils, these pickups deliver an unmistakable vintage vibe with warm, rich tone. They are carefully hand-wound at Gibson USA in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tune-O-Matic Bridge
The tune-o-matic bridge, aslo known as the ABR-1, was the brainchild of legendary Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954. At the time, it was a true revelation in intonation, and set a standard for simplicity and functionality that hsa never been bettered. This pioneering piece of hardware provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minuets. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. It is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, essentially a modified version of the earlier sustain. It is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, essentially a modified version oft he earlier wraparound bridge. To this day, the Tune-o-matic remains the industry standard. It is the epitome of forma nd function in electric guitar bridge design, and is one of the most revered and copied pieces of guitar hardware ever developed.
Electronics
When it comes to guitar electronics, less is definitely better. And that certainly holds true with Gibson’s new limited edition Reverse Flying V. Gibson has chosen to install only one volume control, which translates into less resistance between the pickup and the acutal output. This means you end up with nothing but pure tone from the pickup, and one flat-out screaming rock and roll machine.
Gibson Reverse Flying V Limited Edition Electric Guitar Specifications
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 17, 2010 02:00:17
