Flying V

The Gibson Flying V

is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed in 1957 but not released until 1982.

The initial run of guitars used a distinctive wood of the Limba tree marketed by Gibson under the trade name "korina"; later models used more conventional woods. Perhaps too radical for its time, the initial run of Flying V guitars was not successful and fewer than 100 were manufactured and sold. Some players, such as blues guitarist Albert King and rock guitarists Lonnie Mack and Dave Davies, gravitated towards the unique design and helped popularize the model years after it had left production.

After renewed popularity led to increased demand, Gibson manufactured a small number of Flying V guitars in 1963 from leftover parts from the original run, and the guitar reentered regular production in 1967 and has been reissued numerous times since then. A number of variant models, including the redesigned Flying V2 from 1979 to 1982, and an unusual Reverse Flying V from 2007 to 2008, have been released as well.