I estimate Gibson only made 45 to 50 1960's Gibson Flying V's with the Sunburst finish. All of them, except the very first Sunburst prototype, were built in 1967. The Sunburst prototype was built in 1966. Only 5 of the 25 Sunburst Vs that I have accounted for are still 100% factory original and totally unmolested, including the Sunburst prototype. The Hendrix Sunburst V owned by the Hard Rock Cafe', the two that I own and one owned by Albert Molinaro, the Burst Collector are the others. Some of the Sunburst Vs have black or gold Top Hat knobs and some have Witch Hat knobs with gold trim or silver and white trim. Most of the Sunburst Vs have serial numbers that begin with 940xxx, 93xxxx and 920xxx and came from Batches #3 and #4. However, there were several Sunburst Vs that came from Batch #2 and have 0002xx or 005xxx serial numbers.
Gibson used two different color schemes of Sunburst. Most have a 3-tone sunburst finish with a black outer edging over a reddish-brown outer edging over amber on the front of the body. These came from Batches 3 and 4. There are also several Vs (also pictured in this section) that have a 2-tone sunburst finish with a reddish-brown outer edging over amber on the front of the body. These came exclusively from Batch 1 and 2. The 1966 Prototype has this color scheme. Other than the black neck joint shelf, which is common to all Sunburst Vs, the rest of the finish on all the Sunburst Vs is translucent (walnut) brown. This was used on the back of the headstock, neck and on the back and sides of the body. Jimi Hendrix owned two '67 Sunburst Flying Vs. The famous Hendrix Flying V that he did his psychedelic "Love Drops" art work on was Sunburst, not black as some folks claim (see the Black/Blue weblink above). Pictured below are several Sunburst examples including the first 1966 prototype. __________________________________________________________________________
The two shades of Sunburst used on the 1966 & 1967 Flying Vs
The earliest Sunburst Vs from Batches 1 and 2, including the 1966 Sunburst Prototype, have the 2-tone sunburst with reddish-brown edging over amber (shown on the left). The Sunburst Vs from Batches 3 and 4 have the 3-tone sunburst with black edging over reddish-brown edging over amber (shown on the right). See picture below.
The sides of the body on the Sunburst Vs is always Walnut (translucent brown), just like the back of the body. In this example you can see where the body was taped at the factory so the black paint would not be applied to the sides of the V wings.
___________________________________________________________________________ The 1966 Sunburst Prototype
Serial number: 811197
Thanks to Don B. for sending the below pics. This is the very first Flying V with the 1966-1967 body style that was ever made. Other than the stickers, it is totally unmolested and 100% factory original. Its a miracle this guitar has survived with no modifications and is unbroken. As you can tell, it has been played a lot over the years. It dates from 1966 and has some features that are not on any other 1960's Flying V. Notice the location of the toggle switch and the two front corner mounting screws on the pickguard. Plus, the front of the pickguard is squared-off over the neck joint pickup cavity. It also has the very short neck shelf and long truss rod cover. I have never seen a short neck shelf or long truss rod cover on any other 1960's Sunburst Flying V. The long truss rod cover is more common on the Cherry finish Vs from Batch #1 and Batch #2. The serial number is stamped on the back edge of the headstock as normal, but it is located on the opposite back edge next to the D string tuner instead of the G string tuner. No other late 60's V has the serial stamped in that location. The strap button on the upper wing is located in the same area as the buttons on the 1958-1959 Korina Flying Vs.
This Sunburst Flying V is one of only two Vs that shipped in 1966 and is the initial prototype. The current owner, Don B, purchased the V way back in 1973. At that time he was told it was some sort of prototype. The 1966 Gibson advertisement that re-introduced the Flying V in September, 1966 corroborates that story since the same guitar is featured in the advertisement. Scroll down about six pictures to see the advertisement. Thanks again to Don B. for the pics and info. Originally posted April, 2016. See updates below.
Notice the short neck shelf. This is the only Sunburst Flying V that I have ever seen with this early Batch #1 feature.
The control cavity is not hand-routed on this one. The routed wiring channels and electronic circuit wiring, including the pickups, is very different than any other 1960s V.
Notice the elongated truss rod cover pictured above and below. This is the only Sunburst Flying V that I have ever seen with this style of truss rod cover.
This exact same guitar was featured in the very first advertisement from September, 1966 for the re-introduction of the Gibson Flying V. See below. Notice it has the gold 1960's top hat knobs in the advertisement. The knobs were later changed to amber vintage style knobs as shown in the pictures above.
Update: As of August 2018, I am now the owner of the 1966 Flying V Prototype ! See new pictures below.
The two stickers have been removed and gold 1960's top hat knobs have been added.
Three-tone Sunburst, with black over reddish brown edging over amber
Pictured below are several Sunburst Flying Vs with the darker, three-tone Sunburst finish used on Batches 3 and 4.
Serial Number: 940154
This is a super clean, totally unmolested, totally original example that spent most of its life in Texas. The original owner played it a few years then stuck it under his bed for almost 38 years. I bought it from a collector in 2009. He got it from a dealer who acquired it directly from a relative of the original owner. As it turns out that same relative bought the guitar for the original owner as a gift back in 1967. This one is a time capsule and has its original case. I spent years looking for one of these that was totally original and unmolested. Finally, my search paid off. This is my dream guitar. It is identical in every detail to the Jimi Hendirx Sunburst Flying V (932954).
Serial Number: 932954
This is one of several 1967 Flying V "gap' serial numbers from 1967. 932xxx is not listed in the Gibson Serial Number Blue Book publication. This amazing Sunburst Flying V was one of the two sunburst Flying Vs owned by Jimi Hendrix. It is now owned by the Hard Rock Cafe. Hendrix used it from January 1969 to May 1970 just before he received his custom made left-handed V. This guitar is 100% factory original and totally unmolested. It sold at auction at Bonham's in 1994 for $71,000 USD. His other sunburst V is the one he did his famous "Love Drops" psychedelic paint job on.
Serial Number: 940082
Even though this Batch #3 Sunburst V has a headstock repair, it's still a really cool V. It has a nice vibe. I purchased this V many years ago and sold it in 2021. Posted: March 2019.
Serial Number: 93273x
This beautiful Sunburst V was probably made at the same time as the Hendrix V pictured above. Both have the 932 "gap" series serial numbers. There are also two sparkling burgundy Vs that have the 932 "gap" series serial number. This incredible Sunburst V is factory original except for the added strap button on the inner edge of the upper wing. Thanks Tim. Posted: Oct. 2013.
Serial Number: 930085
This one has the Stop Bar tailpiece holes and added pickup rings. The holes from the stop bar tailpiece and pickup rings were filled in after this guitar was sold in the Spring of 2013.
Here is the same guitar after restoration. The stop bar tailpiece holes and pickup mounting ring holes have been filled in. The restoration of this guitar took place during the summer of 2013. Its too bad this V had been modifed....it is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. But unfortunatly it fell prey to the dreaded stop bar mod and added pickup ring mod.
Serial Number: 940112 This example had the top refinished and some wood patching done in the Vibrola tremelo area. Notice the shorter style Vibrola tremelo unit.
The Control cavity was also routed for a 9 Volt battery to support active EMG pickups this guitar had at one time.
Serial Number: 940712
This is a really nice V, and one of the cleanest anywhere. But, unfortunately it has a repair at the lower V point corner that is only visible in direct sunlight or under a black light. This guitar changed hands several times from 2003 to 2007 and was eventually sold to a collector in England in 2007. This V was offered for sale again in May of 2016. I owned this V for a short time then sold it to a collector in Pennsylvania in June of 2016.
Original finish on upper wing.
Repaired Corner on lower wing
Repaired corner under blacklight.
Serial Number: 940113
Grovers and newer Gibson tuners were added and removed from this V over the years. Lots of wear. This guitar has had six different owners in the past 16 years, three of which were in the USA. The other three are in the Far East. It sold in Japan in mid 2012, and again in March 2018, and again in May 2019. The current owner lives in Hong Kong. Thanks for the updated info Tim.
Serial Number: 954912 This cool V was a "player" for many decades. Jeff Clark from the band Too Smooth bought this Flying V back in 1974 and sold it to its current owner in April, 2018. Too Smooth was a very popular band in the Austin, Texas area back in the 70s and 80s. Jeff owned this V for almost 45 years. It has the Stop Bar Tailpiece mod and a repaired headstock. Posted April 2018. Thanks Scott.
The video link below is from the 1968 video called "Open My Eyes" by Todd Rundgren and Nazz. In the late 1960's Todd owned a 67 Sunburst V that he is playing in the foreground. Notice that the configuration of the toggle switch and knobs is different than the standard factory arrangement. The video can be seen on Youtube. It is perhaps the earliest video of someone playing a 1967 Flying V. There are a lot of nice shots of the V in the video. The youtube link is below.
Here is another super-clean straight V that I acquired in January 2019. It a Batch #2 V and its got a great story. The gentleman that I bought it from (Thomas) got it from a U.S. Sailor in 1969 who played in a band and was re-deployed to Scotland. He wanted to sell the V and a Rickenbacker bass before he left. Thomas bought the V and the bass for $500 bucks. He is also primarily a bass player and didn't really play the V so it essentially sat in his closet for almost 50 years. Wow ! This one is super clean, all original, and totally unmolested. It has its original case that's in great condition. Thank you Thomas for selling me this incredible V ! Posted January, 2019.
Notice the large U-shaped neck shelf. This is typical for the Batch #2 Cherry and Sunburst Vs.
Serial Number: 000252
This fantastic guitar was previously owned by Albert Molinaro of Elite Guitars. This V is factory original and completely unmolested. It is one of the cleanest Batch #2 Sunburst Vs on the planet. The photos below were used by permission. Thanks Albert. Posted March 2019.
Update: This guitar is now owned by Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Posted March, 2021.
Pictures are used with the permission of Albert Molinaro.
Pictures are used with the permission of Albert Molinaro.
Here is a pic of Kirk Hammett playing 000252. He is now the owner of this beautiful V.
Serial Number: 0050xx
This early Batch #2 Flying V was routed for a third pickup then restored with a replacement pickguard. It also has a severely cracked headstock and had Grover tuners at one time.
Notice the original pickguard, third humbucker and stop bar tailpiece added in place of the ABR-1 bridge. This guitar has since been "restored" as shown above. At one time "lightning bolts were in." Ha ! The Sunburst prototype also has a lightning bolt sticker.
Serial Number: 005102
This early Batch #2 Flying V is really clean. Unfortunately it has the stop bar tailpiece mod. A black plastic cover was also installed over the three tremelo screw holes. No other mods were done to the guitar. It was sold to a dealer in Japan in 2018 by the original owner, Tim L. He bought the guitar new back in 1967. He told me he has always regretted selling it, but needed the money at the time. It also has the additional factory pickup cavity routing that was done on some of the Batch #1 Cherry Flying Vs. This was done to lower the pickups. Thanks Tim. Posted September, 2020.
Serial Number: 005xxx
Another Sunburst Flying V with the lighter reddish-brown outer edging from Batch #2. The neck was also replaced and refinished. Notice the non-original parallelogram fret inlays and added neck binding. Unfortunately, the serial number was sanded off when the neck was refinished. However, based on the characteristics of this guitar the serial number was most-likely in the 005xxx range since the two pickup cavities have been hogged-out at the factory. Two other Sunburst Vs have this same characteristic and both are 005xxx.
Notice how the pickup routes have been chiseled out to allow the pickups to sit lower in the cavity. All of the Batch #1 Cherry Vs and the early Batch #2 Cherry Vs with serial numbers 001xxx and Sunburst Vs with serial numbers 005xxx have this anomaly.
Serial Number: 00028x
The story goes that this V was originally sold in London back in 1967, most-likely to Kim Simmons of Savoy Brown but this has not been confirmed. Apparently two other sunburst Vs were shipped to London at the same time, one of which was purchased by Jimi Hendrix which he eventually painted with his Love Drops artwork. This V has an added strap button at the crotch, and the Grover mod (original Kluson tuners now back on). It also has a changed nut and has been re-fretted. Posted: December 2018.
Eric Johnson's 1967 Sunburst Flying V
Serial number: Unknown
Notice the gold Top Hat knobs and short style Vibrola base plate. Only a hand-full of the 1960's Flying Vs are known to have the shorter Vibrola base plate. This V is one of them. Eric's 1967 Flying V has a very strange and totally unique color combination. It has the Sunburst color combination of the 1966 Prototype and the Sunburst Vs from Batch #2, but it also has a Walnut headstock. It's the only one I have ever seen with this color combination.
This V was formally on display at Songbird's Guitar Museum. It is now owned by a private collector. Thanks Kris. Posted: December, 2021.
Here is a picture of the same guitar when it was on display at Songbird's Guitar Museum in Chattanooga, TN.
Serial number: 0002xx
Even though this V is walnut, the factory finish was two tone sunburst. It was refinished decades ago by the original owner. Unfortunately, the serial number was sanded off during the refin job. The guitar was left in the trunk of a car during cold weather and the entire guitar checked, so he had it refinished. Needless to say all Flying Vs from this era have checking. The original owner still owns the guitar and still has the original cancelled check. This is a Batch #2 Flying V. Thanks Larry. Posted: Oct. 2013. Updated: June 2020.
Here is the original owner (Larry) with his Flying V way back in 1968. Pretty cool. As of June, 2020 he still owns the V.
Here is another picture of the V before it was refinished. The truss rod cover has been turned over.
Serial number 000254
Here is another Batch 2 Sunburst V that the owner sold back in the 1970s. However, he sent me this picture of the guitar way back when he owned it. At the time he owned it was unmodified, except for an added strap button at the V-crotch. I wonder where it is now ? Thanks Wayne. Posted January, 2016.
Serial Number: 000271
Here is another Batch #2 Sunburst Flying V. The current owner played over 100 gigs with this V over 20 years ago. It has seen lots of stage wear over the years. This one has had the stop bar tailpiece mod and the Grover mod, both of which have been returned to original. Thanks Richard. Posted October, 2018
Serial Number: 00028x
Here is another Batch #2 Sunburst Flying V. This example also appears to be totally original with no modifications. Thanks for the picture Allen. Posted November, 2020
Serial Number: Unknown
Here is one of Rudolph Schenker's Sunburst Flying Vs. This is the Sunburst V that Andy Powell traded to Rudolph for a leather jacket. Rudolph has another sunburst '67 flying V. Both have pickup mounting rings that were added.