When Gibson unveiled the Flying V in 1958, it looked less like a guitar and more like something that had escaped from a sci-fi movie set. With its sharp, angular body and unapologetically futuristic vibe, the Flying V stood alongside equally bold siblings like the Explorer and the (much later) Moderne. Gibson president Ted McCarty pushed these “modernist” designs to compete with Fender’s wildly successful Stratocaster, and after ditching an uncomfortably heavy mahogany prototype, Gibson landed on limba wood—rebranded with marketing flair as “korina.” Light in color, lighter in weight, and rich in tone, korina gave the Flying V both its distinctive look and sound.
Unfortunately, 1958 guitar buyers were apparently not ready to rock something that resembled a boomerang with strings. The original Flying V run flopped hard, with fewer than 100 guitars produced between 1958 and 1959 before Gibson quietly pulled the plug. The design was simply too radical for its time. Yet scarcity has a funny way of turning yesterday’s misfires into today’s holy grails: original 1958–59 Korina Flying Vs are now among the most valuable production guitars in existence, commanding prices well into the six-figure range and earning a permanent place in vintage guitar legend.
What truly saved the Flying V, though, wasn’t collectors—it was players. Blues powerhouse Albert King wielded his beloved Flying V “Lucy” with authority, while Lonnie Mack practically made the model his lifelong musical partner, proudly naming his early example “Number 7.” Later, rock guitarists like Dave Davies embraced the V’s aggressive look and sound, cementing its reputation as a rebel’s instrument. Thanks to renewed demand, Gibson reissued the Flying V in the 1960s and beyond, experimenting with variants like the Flying V2 and even a Reverse Flying V. Today, the Flying V stands as proof that sometimes the future just needs a little time to catch up. 🎸
