Difference between the Regular Flying V and the Faded

[Paco The Taco]

Is there any real difference besides the finish? like tone?

[clance]

I think the faded bodies are sometimes made up of 3 or 4 separate pieces of wood glues together, which can sometimes affect tone.

[Ian Martin]

I have heard that because of the lighter finish, the guitar "breathes more" (interpret that however you want) leading to a "better" and "fuller" tone.

 

That's just an opinion though, I've never seen anything to substantiate that claim.

 

There are other advantages, such as the neck being 'faster' due to the finish not getting 'sticky' like gloss finishes.

 

Honestly, I have NEVER EVER heard anything bad about the faded finishes (except for some sharp frets occasionally). For the money, they are AWESOME guitars and if you're contemplating getting one I do not think you will be disappointed.

[Morten M]

Have a Faded + a black V. Both from '04. The Faded is louder unplugged and plugged in it's a bit more 'woody' in the sound if you like.

[Morten M]

I think the faded bodies are sometimes made up of 3 or 4 separate pieces of wood glues together' date=' which can sometimes affect tone. [/quote']

Mine's made of 3.

[guardcats3]

I have a faded V and it's 1 piece of wood. I have taken it apart, buffed it down with fine steel wool and refinished it and there are no glue marks in the body cavity. It sounds the same at the $1000 models.

[modoc_333]

the glue lines aren't in the cavity. they generally dodge those. look at it from the back strap button view. that's the only way to tell. i have never seen a faded that is 1 piece. looking at the guitar from the common view can be deceptive if they matched the grain properly (pretty easy with mahogany)

[e/2 Explorer]

The faded series are also chambered in the legs. Drill out the strap button blue thing and your bit drops right into the body. This is why they are much lighter then the standard V

[TattooedCarrot]

I doubt the regular V's are one-piece, let alone a faded. More than likely you're just not seeing it.

 

I've never heard of a V's legs being hollowed. That seems more trouble than it's worth.

 

My regular V's and faded V's seemed no different in weight or tone. The difference was the finish and yes some of the fadeds seem to have some fret overhang.

 

Here's my current faded; it's been stripped and refinished with tung oil, a black pickguard, Dimarzio Super D and PAF pickups, CTS pots, Hoveland cap, Sperzel tuners. It's a killer guitar.

 

[thejay]

I owned a faded V and it was a great guitar. I prefer the "unfinished" necks and the frets were great on mine. The faded series seems to be very hit and miss in general I believe but for half the price its wonderful.

[Hydra26]

I had a faded until recently. I also had a regular v (V98) which I still have.

 

Side by side, what I noticed was that the faded was lighter in weight. No brainer there. They both had 3 piece bodies as typical for modern flying v's.

 

The faded was more resonant unplugged. When I plugged them in, the regualr v seemed to have a fatter juicier tone while the faided sounded thinner, almost airy. Probably great for shredding.

 

My faded actually had really really nice action, a little too low, even, after I did a setup on it. No buzzes, no sharp frets. Really nothing to complain about.

 

As the Gibson logo is not inlaid directly into the headstock on the standard model and the body is just a 3 piece slab, the faded v is probably the closest model to it's parent, imho. Great value I think.

 

Ultimately I got rid of mine cos I needed the money and having to choose between the too, I like the feel of the gloss finish better and the fatter sound of the standard.

[ninety1vee]

my friend once bought a faded that was 5, seriously five pieces of wood

nowadays on the standards, 2 and 3 piece bodies are common and a one piece is really rare

the best way to go is get an older standard

mines all one piece of wood (stock 500T and 496R pups), the quality is alot better thatn the new V's i've played, fatter tone than my explorer w/ the emg 81/85 set

 

heres some nice ones

http://cgi.ebay.com/1997-GIBSON-FLYING-V-REISSUE-HERITAGE-CHERRY-NICE_W0QQitemZ180310298965QQihZ008QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/1986-GIBSON-WHITE-FLYING-V-USA_W0QQitemZ270310240694QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/1997-gibson-flying-v-in-black_W0QQitemZ110319893267QQihZ001QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/USED-GIBSON-FLYING-V-ELECTRIC-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ250336931430QQihZ015QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem