Unusual Flying V

[Hawkesman]

Hi. I’ve got an all-white Epi V (with black head-stock face) which has some unusual features. It has the circular plated jack input at the end of the lower leg, as per the ’58 model, but it also has a stop-bar tailpiece like a ’67, not the normal ‘string-through’ v-shaped tailpiece of the ’58. With the stop-bar tailpieces it’s more usual to find the jack socket in the main scratch-plate. It also has 3 in-line control knobs as per the '58, with the switch in the usual place. The body is a bit thinner than all the other Epi V’s I’ve seen or owned, and it’s a fair bit lighter too, which is the main reason I bought it because the balance is way better than any other V I’ve ever played, including Gibsons.

 

So, to summarise it has:

 

'67 tail-piece

'58 jack input

'67 shape scratch-plate

'58 control knobs and switch layout

 

Also, the rear strap button is placed about a third of the way along the bottom of the top leg. This is original as there are no holes anywhere else.

 

According to ‘guitardaterproject.org’ it was made at the Saein Plant, Korea/China in February 2003. I checked out ‘epiphonewiki.com’ and this tallies with the date for Epi’s reintroduction of the ’67 model. However both models illustrated on the website have the typical triangular layout of the 3 knobs, or 2 knobs with the selector switch between them. They also both have the socket in the scratchplate. I've searched online and there are hundreds of the two ‘standard’ models out there, but I have only ever found one other example of a V that is identical to mine, so what do I have, and why does it seem to have such a rare combination of '58 and '67 features?

 

Your views would be very welcome.

 

Brilliant guitar, by the way! The neck, pups and body work together really well, with loads of sustain and a very low, fast action. In terms of playability it’s certainly on a par with my two Gibsons (Explorer and SG Special).

 

Thanks.

[RobinTheHood]

It sounds like you have a 1st generation 1967 Flying-V. I wll need to see pics of it to know for sure.

[Hawkesman]

Thanks for responding RTH.

 

I don't know how to post pics, but you'll find pictures of an identical one here... (edit - pics of mine now posted below).

 

This is the one I referred to earlier. It's the only one like mine that I've ever seen. It even has the same slight lacquer cracking to the base of the neck.

 

This one was made in the Muse Plant, China, March 2003.

 

Cheers.

[Scott Marlowe]

Thanks for responding RTH.

 

I don't know how to post pics, but you'll find pictures of an identical one here... https://reverb.com/item/72103-epiphone-flying-v-white-with-hardshell-case

 

This is the one I referred to earlier. It's the only one like mine that I've ever seen. It even has the same slight lacquer cracking to the base of the neck.

 

This one was made in the Muse Plant, China, March 2003.

 

Cheers.

 

Get a photobucket or imgur account, post pics there, then come here and use the little picture icon in the text editor to post them here. And yes, we DO need pics. :)

[Hawkesman]

Hi. The link I've given above will hopefully show you what you need. There are 9 pictures about half-way down the page. Like I said, it's not just similar to mine, it's identical in every respect. Thanks.

[Scott Marlowe]

Hi. The link I've given above will hopefully show you what you need. There are 9 pictures about half-way down the page. Like I said, it's not just similar to mine, it's identical in every respect. Thanks.

 

It's not about that, it's about getting to see YOUR guitar. It's no big deal if you can't get pictures uploaded, but we like to see your guitar just because it's yours.

[RobinTheHood]

Everything about this guitar says that it is a 1958 Flying-V...except the stopbar. I'm assuming that your guitar is the non-korina model, which only ran for the 2002/2003 model year, and incidently is the same year production began on the 1967 Flying-V. This was definitely not the typical setup for a 1958 V. The two possibilities that I can come up with is that either the wrong stopbar/string-thru holes got drilled for some of the 1958 guitars and they sent them out like that, or your guitar was a very limited run for a specific market/region.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to special runs that are specific to a store or region, there is little to no official documentation aside from local store advertisements or regional Epiphone promo ads like the E-Club circulars. And if there were a few guitars accidently made this way that were sent out regardless of the tailpiece, there will be absolutely no documentation of them.

 

I'm afraid that your guitar will remain somewhat of an enigma unless you get lucky and stumble upon some info pertaining to that particular setup. But I think that you can safely call it a 1958 Flying-V (with a stopbar). The stopbar is the only thing that sets this guitar apart from the other 1958 Flying-Vs.

 

Also, the cracking around the heel is typical on many Epiphone guitars. It is just the poly finish crackng from neck flex. Its ugly, but stucturally sound.

 

What area are you in, if you dont mind me asking.

 

 

[Hawkesman]

Scott - I know what you mean. It's nice to see what other people have!

 

RTH - Thanks for your input. What you have said goes a long way to explaining why this axe is a bit of an oddity, and why maybe there seem to be so few of them. Interesting that it has a '67 scratchplate though. They obviously thought it would look better with the stopbar. I guess the important thing is that I really like it, and love the way it looks, sounds and plays.

 

You're right, and I don't think it can be Korina. Even allowing for the thinner than usual body, it is still very light. Maybe maple?

 

You're right about the neck too - it doesn't affect the sound or sustain at all, so must be purely superficial.

 

I'm in the UK, by the way.

 

Many thanks for your time and thoughts.

[RobinTheHood]

Right. I forgot about the '67 pickgaurd. Your guitar is most likely made from Alder, which is a lighter alternative to maple. If this is indeed a special run, it doesnt surprise me that it turned up in Europe. They do a lot of oddball stuff that turns up in either Europe or Canada.

[RobinTheHood]

Here is another oddity about this guitar. The bottom edge of the pickguard has four holes like the '58 pickguard...whereas the '67 pickguards have five screw holes along the bottom edge.

[Hawkesman]

I guess that with the '58 control layout they figured that it would look better with '58 screw holes. Probably right too, as the middle one of the 5 holes would have been right next to the pup switch, which would have looked a bit naff!

[RobinTheHood]

I didnt think about that, but you are right.

 

There was definitely some method to the madness with this guitar.

[Hawkesman]

Sorry to bump this. It's only taken me 4 months to figure out how to post pics. What a Luddite! My only excuse is advanced age.

 

Anyhow, here they are... (excuse the cheeky Gibson truss-rod cover. It was there when I bought it - not that I'm complaining!)

 

And no, I don't leave them next to the radiator in the winter. Guaranteed warped neck and cracked finish!