There is no great story behind this guitar other than that I ordered it after seeing Accept's "Balls to the Wall" music video, lol. I always liked the look of the Gibson V and I normally associate this shape with either metal (hard rock) music or oddly enough blues (think Albert King or Lonnie Mack). For most guitar enthusiasts, it is hard not to look at a Gibson Flying V without thinking of hard rock acts like the Scorpions (Rudolph Schenker), Lenny Kravitz, Michael Schenker, Accept etc.

When this design was introduced by Gibson back in the 1950's, it was perceived as way too radical for its time and it was a commercial flop. Ironically, with time it was so widely accepted that its shape has fathered other closely related designs including those made by Jackson guitars; the Randy Rhoads, King V and Double Rhoads models.

I added the chrome pickup covers and strap lock buttons, but other than those small additions, she remains exactly as she left the Gibson factory. After paying a deposit and ordering the guitar I had to wait about 6 weeks for delivery. At that time I was an avid Gibson lover and an absolute Les Paul junkie and furthermore I was (and still am) very impatient. While waiting for my V to arrive, I went to the store to make another payment to find in my amazement a sunburst Gibson ES335 which of course I had to buy. I have since sold my ES335 as I play Charvels almost exclusively these days but the story nicely highlights my G.A.S (guitar acquisition syndrome). For the record the very first song I played on my brand new shiny Gibson V, was none other than the opening riff from Accept's "Balls to the Wall".

I love the way the V suits my body noting that I most always play standing up and have the guitar hung low. The V's shape coupled with its light weight makes this guitar a true pleasure to jam out on. The factory original Gibson pickups are powerful and handle most rock sounds with ease. Access to the upper frets on V shaped guitars is not an issue so I tend to explore notes on these higher frets more when I play V shaped guitars.

The Gibson V is a simple looking, no frills style axe that has certainly stood the test of time. Every guitar player needs at least one V shaped guitar in their collection as the shape has become equally identified with guitar design as the Strat, Tele and Les Paul designs.