I'm looking to buy 1967-1969 Gibson Flying Vs and 1971 Medallion Flying Vs. Also, 1958-59 Flying Vs.
Contact info: [email protected]
To be redirected to my 1971 Gibson Flying V Medallion website click here ---> "Medallions"
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The Class 0f 1967-1969:
Left to right: Cherry, Two-tone Sunburst, Three-tone Sunburst, Sparkling Burgundy, Walnut.
Latest Website Additions for the 1967-1969 Flying Vs:
7/19/23: 1969 Walnut, SN: 906xxx. Original tuners replaced with Schaller tuners.
5/20/23: 1967 Sunburst, SN: 95484x. Repaired pickguard, 3 filled-in holes.
10/21/22: 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, SN: 940050. Incredibly clean !
10/7/22: 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, SN: 9204xx. Changed tuners. See Burgundy weblink.
10/6/22: 1967 Cherry, SN: 001xxx. Cracked & Repaired Headstock. See Cherry weblink.
6/12/22: 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, SN: 940031. Changed nut and frets. See Burgundy weblink.
12/6/21: Added two 1969 Walnut Flying Vs: 906980 & 907070. See "Walnut" weblink above.
11/2/21: Added 1968-69 Cardinal Red V, SN 955100 (custom-order). See "Custom" weblink above.
5/12/21: My latest addition: 1969 Walnut Flying V, SN 907113 (Unmodified). See Walnut weblink above.
3/9/21: Added Kirk Hammett's unmolested 1967 Cherry Flying V. See Cherry weblink above.
1/8/21: Added Walnut Flying V, SN: 906949. Purchased by current owner in 1976. See Walnut link.
10/20/20: Added Walnut Flying V, SN: 908000. Stolen from the Austin, TX. area. See Walnut link.
10/3/20: Added Michael Schenker's cherry Flying V from the Lights Out Era. Painted black & white.
9/18/20: Added Sunburst Flying V, SN#: 005102. Super clean with stop bar mod removed.
7/24/20: Added new group picture that shows the five standard factory finishes (below).
6/15/20: '67 Flying V, Cherry (refin) from Batch #1, SN# 000949. See the "Cherry" weblink above.
4/21/20: Added information about Billy Peek's 1967 Flying V. See the Refins/Reissues link above.
2/11/20: Added more info. about Eric Johnson's 67 Sunburst V (see Sunburst section). It is currently on display at Songbirds Guitar Museum in Chattanooga TN.
1/3/20: Added a new 60's V collection group picture that includes my new Batch #1 Cherry V.
11/11/19: Added info about several fake & refinished Flying Vs that have been sold as authentic over the years.
5/8/19: '67 Sparkling Burgundy Flying V, SN#: 932596. All original, super clean and unmolested.
3/28/19: '67 Sunburst Flying V, SN#: 0002xx. All original and unmolested. Owned by Albert Molinaro.
3/27/19: '67 Walnut Flying V, SN#: 940134. One of only a handful with the black headstock.
1/26/19: '67 Sunburst Flying V, SN#: 000292. All original and unmolested, latest addition to my collection.
12/16/18: K.K. Downing's auction results for his burgundy '67 V & Medallion #233. See respective sections.
12/7/18: Bio information added about your Web Host. See bottom of this page.
8/12/18: The first-ever 1966 prototype, Serial Number: 811197, 1966 Sunburst Flying V, "The Prototype", factory original & unmolested. Click the Sunburst web link above. This is the latest addition to my collection.
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My Collection
November, 2022
My 1960's Flying V collection with their original cases as of November, 2022. Left to right: 1969 Walnut, 1969 Walnut, 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, 1967 three-tone Sunburst, 1967 two-tone Sunburst, 1967 Cherry with long truss rod cover, 1967 Cherry, and 1967 Sparkling Burgundy. All nine guitars are original 1960's examples and have their original cases.
My 1960s V Collection as of May, 2023
Introduction:
The 1967-1971 Gibson Flying Vs
This is the only website in the world that is dedicated exclusively to the 175 incredible Flying V guitars that were built by the Gibson Guitar Company in the mid to late 1960's. It is also dedicated to the 353 Gibson Flying V Medallion guitars that were built in 1971. These guitars are, without-a-doubt, some of the coolest and most sought-after guitars on the planet. You won't find a more comprehensive website or source of information about these guitars anywhere else. Concerning the late 1960's Flying Vs.....
In the past 25 years, I have accounted for 153 of the 175 Gibson Flying V's from the mid to late 1960's, including the first Sunburst prototype.
Pictures and information about many of these fine guitars can be viewed at the above web links. Of the 153 Flying Vs from the 1960's that I have accounted for, there are only 33* "survivors". That means they are completely factory original, virtually unmodified and unbroken. If you are an owner, as I am, or an enthusiast of these great 1960's Flying V guitars, send me your pictures and information and I will post them to this website. Or, if you just have questions or information to share, you can contact me, your web host at: [email protected]. Also, I want to say thank you to those of you out there in the world that sent me information and pictures of your 1960's and 1971 Flying Vs, many of which are now featured on this website. To see more pictures and detailed information click on the weblinks at the top of the page, under the picture.
The First Advertisement for the 1966-67 Flying V
Pictured below: This is the very first advertisement for the re-introduction of the 1966-67 Gibson Flying V. It first appeared in Gibson's literature in September, 1966. The sunburst prototype is pictured in this advertisement. It was the very first Flying V built with the 1966-67 body style. Notice the odd pickguard configuration and the location of the toggle switch. It also has the rare long truss rod cover and gold top hat knobs, plus other peculiar features. This same guitar is featured in the "Sunburst" section. Click on the "Sunburst" web link at the top of the page to be directed to the Sunburst web page. Added April, 2016.
Factory Finishes:
Group picture of five of my original 1960's Gibson Flying Vs featuring the five standard factory finishes used on the 1966-1969 Flying Vs. Left to right: Walnut, Two-tone Sunburst, Cherry, Three-tone Sunburst and Sparkling Burgundy. Note: All of the Gibson literature from the 1960s lists the two different styles of Sunburst as "Sunburst". However, the difference in the two Sunburst finish styles is pretty obvious. There were also a few custom-color Flying Vs from this era that were custom ordered. This included Cardinal Red & Newport Yellow.
My 1960's Gibson Flying V collection as of May, 2023.
My personal collection of 1966-69 Gibson Flying Vs as of August, 2018. Left to right: 1969 Walnut, 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, 1967 Sunburst, 1967 Sparkling Burgundy and 1966 Sunburst Prototype (I now own the Prototype. It is featured in the Sunburst section). All five guitars are original 1960's examples.
1967-69 Gibson Flying V
General Information
Gibson built 175 Flying V's from 1966 to 1969. Although it is commonly called the 1967 Flying V, two of them were actually built and shipped in late 1966. It was the brain-child of Ted McCarty who also designed the famous 1958 Korina Flying V. He helped design the 1967 version of the Flying V just before he left the Gibson Guitar Company in 1966. All 175 guitars were built in 5 production batches from late 1966 to 1969. Each batch was made up of 35 guitars. The 5 batches are known as Batch #1, Batch #2, Batch #3, etc. All of the guitars had a one-piece mahogany body and shipped from the Gibson factory with a short Vibrola tremelo bar, of which there were two different versions. None of the guitars had a factory installed Stop Bar Tailpiece. The guitars from Batches #1 - #4, all of which were made in 1966 (2) and 1967, had a one-piece mahogany neck. The guitars from Batch #5, which were all made in 1969, had a three-piece mahogany neck. The first Flying V that shipped in 1966 was a Sunburst prototype that had some very unique features, especially with the pickguard and electronics. It is featured on this website along with many other fine examples.
Most of the pickguard assemblies were probably built at the same time due to the fact that most the original pots on the 1960's V's have date codes of 1376630 and 1376640 (30th and 40th week of 1966). Also, the factory machine-routed wiring channels for the pickup harness wires, located in the wood body control cavity, required additional factory hand-routing on most of the late 60's Flying Vs . This was due to the fact that the wires that extended from the pickups to the pots were cut too short when the pickguards were mass-assembled.
The nut width used on all 175 guitars was 1 9/16 inches. This nut width was introduced in the summer of 1965 and was used on many Gibson electric guitars until the early 1980's. The tuners that were used on Flying V production batches 1 - 4 were Kluson Deluxe double ring tuners. The tuners used on the Batch 5 Walnut Flying Vs built in 1969 were Gibson Deluxe double ring tuners. Both tuners were identical except for the name inscription on the back, Kluson Deluxe or Gibson Deluxe. The standard finishes that Gibson used on the Flying V guitars were Cherry, Sunburst (two versions), Sparkling Burgundy and Walnut. There were supposedly also a few guitars that were finished in Pelham Blue. If anyone has a picture of a real 67 Pelham Blue Flying V please send it along. The only '67 pelham blue Flying V that I have ever seen is an aged copy that was made in the early 1990's. There is a rumor that Wally Bryson of the Raspberries had a pelham blue V with black stinger and natural neck treatment in the early 1970s, but no pictures exist anywhere. This info has come to me from two different sources. Wally Bryson claimed it was blue when he bought it. He also claimed he had it refinished black. The only V with a factory black finish is the one that Jimi Hendrix had custom ordered in 1969. No other colors are known to exist.
The serial number system that Gibson used in the 1960's leaves much to be desired. For example, many guitars that were built in 1967 often specify a 1968 serial number. Guitars with three piece necks that were built in 1969 often have 1968 serial numbers. As a result of these serial number oddities it can be difficult to pin-down the exact year that many Gibson guitars were actually made. The Flying V did not escape this serial number confusion. However, since only 175 Flying V guitars were built, it is much easier to pin-down when these guitars were built and shipped. Some of the Flying V's from Batch #4 have "gap" serial numbers. This means the serial number falls outside the range of the Gibson serialization publication. For example, the Hendrix Sunburst V, plus at least two others, have a "gap" serial number series of 932xxx which is outside the published serial number ranges noted in the Gibson Serial Number publication. There were also many other Gibson guitars from that era that have "gap" serial numbers, ie: the ES-335, SG, Firebird, etc.
Gibson also built approximately 5 custom-order and one-off Flying Vs in the late 1960's. Plus, I am sure there were a few employee built guitars that were built after hours that made it out of the Gibson factory. This website will also feature some of those customorder and one-off guitars.
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Originality:
Concerning the original 175 guitars that were built (plus four that were custom-ordered), I estimate that no more than 35 of them are straight, unmolested survivors. Of the 153 Flying Vs that I have accounted for, only 33* are still totally factory original and unmodified survivors. 12 of the 33 are cherry, 6 are sunburst, 5 are sparkling burgundy and 6 are walnut. There is also a Cardinal Red V that was custom ordered in 1968 that is an unmolested survivor. With maybe one or two exceptions that are near mint, virtually all 33 "survivor" guitars have acquired some dings and nicks over their life spans, but that is typical. Some of the 33 are a lot cleaner than others. Only a hand-full are super clean. Beyond those 33 "survivors" there are 4 others that have pickguard issues whereas pickup rings were added, or extra pickguard screws were added, or large support washers were added at the input jack due to the pickguard breaking at that vulnerable spot. Two others had a complete re-fret and a newer nut installed. However, the 6 slightly altered guitars that I just mentioned do not have any modifications to the wood body. Wood body modifications can have a huge affect on the value of these guitars. Beyond that, the rest of the 153 guitars that I know of have been modified, refinished, broken or repaired. Four had extra strap buttons installed with no other mods. Some had holes drilled in the body to move the input jack or add a strap button. Many had the Vibrola plate removed and a stop bar tailpiece added in its place. Some had routes added to the wood under the pickguard to incorporate additional electronics or a third pickup. Many of these guitars have been heavily modified with multiple modifications. I am sure some have also been lost or destroyed over the past several decades.
The most common mods that were inflicted on these guitars were swapping out the Kluson/Gibson Deluxe tuners for Grover tuners or, as I mentioned, removing the Vibrola tremelo bar and installing a Stop Bar Tailpiece. The Grover mod required enlarging the tuner holes. Unfortunately, most of the 1960's Flying V's have at least one of these mods. Finding one of these gems in all original condition with its original case is incredibly rare. The square, factory Faultless yellow plush-lined cases that came with the guitars were so big and heavy that they would usually fall apart and then be discarded. A majority of the 1960's Gibson Flying Vs are missing their original cases.
Gibson used two different truss rod covers on their Flying Vs from Batches #1 and #2. Four Flying Vs from Batch #1 have the long truss rod cover, and five Flying Vs from Batch #2 have the long truss rod cover. Nine of the Flying Vs with the long truss cover are Cherry and one is Sunburst for a total of ten. All of the other Flying Vs from all 5 batches have the standard short truss rod cover.
A note of interest.....I have been contacted by two '67 Flying V original owners and one '69 Walnut original owner that bought their guitars brand new and still own them. All three gentlemen are in their mid to late 60's and played in bands in the mid-west. One was a Batch 1 with Cherry finish. One was a Batch 2 with Sunburst finish, which was refinished in walnut. And one was a Batch 5 Walnut from 1969.
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1960's FlyingV Counter:
175 Flying Vs were built in the mid to late 1960s. There were also 5 others that were custom-ordered. Of these 180 Flying Vs,
153
have been accounted for.
33*
are unmodified, straight survivors.
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The 33* Unmodified Survivor's:
1966-67 Sunburst: 7
1967 Cherry: 12*
1969 Walnut: 7
1967 Sparkling Burgundy: 5 or 6*
1967 Walnut with Black Headstock: 1
1969 Cardinal Red (Custom Order): 1
* 2 of the 33 are refrets & had their nuts replaced.
Color breakdown of the 153 Flying Vs that have surfaced since 1998:
1966-67 Sunburst: 39
1967 Cherry: 35
1969 Walnut: 30
1967-1969 Sparkling Burgundy: 33
1967 Walnut with Black Headstock: 4
1969 Newport Yellow: 1
1968-69 Cardinal Red: 1
196? Pelham Blue: 1
1969 Black (Hendrix lefty and 1 right-handed): 2
1967-1969 Refins (original finish unknown): 7
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Three original 1967 Sunburst Flying Vs.
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Production Batches & Serial Numbers:
Detailed information about the five Gibson Flying V Production Batches (35 guitars per batch) is listed below:
Batch #1:
- All 35 were Cherry except the Sunburst Prototype. All were built and shipped in 1967 (33) and 1966 (2).
- All serial numbers begin with 0009xx except the Sunburst prototype.
- One of the two that shipped in 1966 was serial number 811197 (Sunburst prototype).
- One piece Neck, one piece body. Headstock front is black.
- Neck joint shelf: Short neck shelf.
- The Ground wire is connected from the pots to the lower ABR-1 bridge screw post.
- The Sunburst prototype and four others that are cherry have the rare long truss rod cover.
- Case: Faultless yellow-lined case with case compartment lid. White outer stitching. No Gibson logo on case.
Batch #2:
- All 35 were Cherry and Sunburst. All built and shipped in 1967.
- All serial numbers begin with, 0002xx, 001xxx and 005xxx.
- One piece neck, one piece body. Headstock front is black.
- Neck joint shelf: Longer U-shaped neck shelf.
- The Ground wire is connected from the pots to the lower ABR-1 bridge screw post.
- Five Flying Vs that are cherry have the rare long truss rod cover.
- Case: Faultless yellow-lined case with case compartment lid. White outer stitching. No Gibson logo on case.
Batch #3:
- All 35 were Sunburst and Sparkling Burgundy. All built and shipped in 1967.
- Most serial numbers indicate 1968 and begin with 920xxx, 930xxx, 932xxx, 940xxx, 95xxxx.
- One piece neck, one piece body. Headstock front is black.
- Neck joint shelf: Longer tapered V-shaped neck shelf.
- The Ground wire is connected from the pots to Vibrola tremelo plate.
- Case: Faultless yellow-lined case with case compartment lid. White outer stitching. No Gibson logo on case.
Batch #4:
- All 35 were Sunburst, Sparkling Burgundy and a few Walnut. All built in 1967. 8 shipped in 1967, 15 shipped in 1969, 12 shipped in 1970.
- Most serial numbers indicate 1968 and begin with 920xxx, 930xxx, 932xxx, 940xxx, 95xxxx.
- One piece neck, one piece body. Headstock front is black.
- The Ground wire is connected from the pots to Vibrola tremelo plate.
- Neck joint shelf: Longer tapered V-shaped neck shelf.
- Case: Faultless yellow-lined case with case compartment lid. White outer stitching. No Gibson logo on case.
- Note: The 12 Vs that shipped in 1970 were all most-likely sparkling burgundy and had the Faultless yellow-lined square case with no case compartment lid. The case also had the gold Gibson logo stenciled on the front and back. Also had black outer stitching. 3 of the Batch #4 Flying Vs were all walnut with the black headstock.
Batch #5:
- Walnut. All 35 were built in 1969. 34 of them shipped in 1970. 1 of them sold at a Gibson factory sale in 1972.
- All serial numbers indicate 1968 and begin with 906xxx, 907xxx and 908xxx.
- Three piece neck, one piece body. Headstock front is also Walnut (one with black headstock).
- The Ground wire is connected from the pots to Vibrola tremelo plate.
- Neck joint shelf: Short neck shelf, similar to Batch #1, but shorter.
- Case: Faultless yellow-lined case. Most of the cases did not have the compartment lid and also had the Gibson logo stenciled on the front & back.
- Custom Order:
A custom-order sparkling burgundy Flying V was ordered by Todd Rundgren through Manny's Music in New York City in 1969 but he got tired of waiting for it and never took possession of it. It sat around the store for a few months and was later sold. Serial #: 007380. This guitar is featured in the "Burgundy" section.
A custom-order Newport Yellow Flying V was ordered through a music store in Memphis, Tennessee in 1969, but as noted above, the guy that ordered it got tired of waiting for it. He never took possession of it. It was later purchased by the gentleman that provided this story. Serial #: 907008. This guitar is featured in the "Custom" section.
A custom-order Cardinal Red Flying V was ordered in 1968 and shipped in 1969. It has the Natural neck finish treatment and no black stinger. It also has a three piece neck. Serial #: 955100. This guitar is featured in the "Custom" section.
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Shipping Totals Summary:
1966: 2 shipped (including the Sunburst prototype).
1967: 111 shipped (all from Batch #1, Batch #2, Batch #3 and 8 from Batch #4).
1969: 15 shipped (all 15 were from Batch #4 and were built in 1967).
1970: 47* shipped (12 were from Batch #4 and were built in 1967. The remaining 35 were from Batch #5 and were all Walnut. 1* of the 35 Walnut Vs was actually sold at a Gibson factory sale in 1972).
Pictured Below: The Gibson Dealer Price list from September 1, 1967. On page 8 it shows the Flying V and its price.
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Truss Rod Covers
The standard short truss rod cover pictured below was used on most 1967-1969 Flying Vs.
Notice the unmistakable pointy headstock !
The rare long truss rod cover pictured below was only used on four Flying Vs from Batch #1 and six Flying Vs from Batch #2 for a total of ten. Nine of the ten Flying Vs that were fitted with the long truss rod cover were Cherry. The other one was the 1966 Sunburst Prototype, which is pictured below.
My personal collection of 1967-69 Gibson Flying Vs as of April, 2019.
Pictured Below: From 2012: My personal collection of 1967-69 Gibson Flying Vs from back in 2012. Left to right: 1967 Sparkling Burgundy, 1967 Sunburst, 1969 Walnut. All three guitars are original 1960's examples. They also have their original Faultless cases. I have since replaced the Sparkling Burgundy V with a much nicer one that only has an added strap button hole. I have also replaced the Walnut V with a factory original, unmolested example.
1966 Korina Flying V
A total of 98 Korina Flying Vs shipped from the Gibson factory in 1958 - 1959. There were a handful of custom-order Korina Flying Vs that shipped from the Gibson factory from 1960 to 1964. There was also one "possible" custom-order Korina Flying V that was built and shipped from the factory in 1966. It was most-likely the very last Korina Flying V built before the 1981-83 Korina 58 Reissues were introduced by Gibson. The 1966 Korina V was sold on consignment back in 2002 at Elderly Instruments. Prior to that, there is no known provenance other than the person who put it on consignment said he was the original owner. According to the Gibson shipping ledgers, two Gibson Flying Vs were shipped in 1966. The Sunburst prototype was one of them (see Sunburst section). Perhaps the 1966 Korina V was the other, but that is unsubstantiated. It does not have the rubber grip pad strip on the lower wing. It also has a very large and uncommon neck shelf that was not typical of the 1958 and 59 original Vs. It has mid-1960's era chrome parts and PAT # decals on the bottom of the pickup plates. It has a small "2" on the back of the headstock and has a 5-digit impressed serial number. The 1966 Korina V is pictured below. Thanks Craig.
All Pictures used with the permission of Craig Jones of Bay State Vintage Guitars.
All Pictures used with the permission of Craig Jones of Bay State Vintage Guitars.
All Pictures used with the permission of Craig Jones of Bay State Vintage Guitars.
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For tons of additional pictures and info about these great guitars, including info about the various finishes, parts, details, refinished Vs, etc, go check out the other nine web links at the top of this page.
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You can also click on the below web link to be redirected to my personal vintage Gibson guitar collection (mostly Gibson Flying Vs).
http://flyingvguitars.weebly.com/
Contact info: [email protected]
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