We need to talk about V and X shape guitars!

[TSJMajesty]

It's interesting that Gibson was so ahead of its time with the original Flying V that it didn't sell well, pushing into modern designs as it were. Yet now, they won't even go there. There's a few, but nothing like the V in its day.

 

[Mikael Dez]

It's interesting that Gibson was so ahead of its time with the original Flying V that it didn't sell well, pushing into modern designs as it were. Yet now, they won't even go there. There's a few, but nothing like the V in its day.

I think that Gibson lost its way, they should have continued to push the boundaries of guitar design but by the 90s it was just “here’s what your guitar hero played” and every time they tried to deviate from that it flopped. Fender beat them in that regard, especially in terms of purchasing brands to take advantage of design choices without damaging the “mother brand”.

Kinda why I feel like Fender should have been the one to buy Mesa, ESPECIALLY considering Mesa’s history

 

[laxu]

The Solar V jack placement is interesting, doesn't seem to be like that on the X or King V shapes.

Some Solar models have the jack in the back below the controls. Not the best placement which is why it seems they've moved to this one.

ESP has the same "larger wing" placement.

 

[Blix]

I saw Yngwie using this one on the Seventh Sign tour. Late 60s V, scalloped, SSS and with a nft-Floyd!

 

[laxu]

I saw Yngwie using this one on the Seventh Sign tour. Late 60s V, scalloped, SSS and with a nft-Floyd!

It's acutually interesting that single coils are so rare on V/X guitars. I guess they are kinda sold as rock guitars first and foremost but I think it looks cool with single coils, maybe H/S/S.

 

[laxu]

I think that Gibson lost its way, they should have continued to push the boundaries of guitar design but by the 90s it was just “here’s what your guitar hero played” and every time they tried to deviate from that it flopped. Fender beat them in that regard, especially in terms of purchasing brands to take advantage of design choices without damaging the “mother brand”.

Kinda why I feel like Fender should have been the one to buy Mesa, ESPECIALLY considering Mesa’s history

Many of Gibson's most successful models (including the Flying V) have this interesting ups and downs history where they sell poorly -> discontinued -> someone picks one up for cheap and makes a hit record -> guitar model is popular again -> reissued. The SG came about because of waning sales of Les Pauls, which seems unfathomable today.

To me it seems modern Gibson just doesn't have any real innovators left. They've tried to make products that don't solve any real problem, or products that are just plain ugly. They've also tried to fit all those new products to work with their current production line, which is why you have that crappy heel cutaway on a Gibson Modern instead of the sleek contoured ones of their competitors.

At the same time, the brand is now so heavily steeped in nostalgia that people don't necessarily even want anything innovative from Gibson.
They would've been far better off having a sub-brand that makes all the crazy innovative designs. Not Epiphone, but a whole another brand.

 

[Mikael Dez]

Many of Gibson's most successful models (including the Flying V) have this interesting ups and downs history where they sell poorly -> discontinued -> someone picks one up for cheap and makes a hit record -> guitar model is popular again -> reissued. The SG came about because of waning sales of Les Pauls, which seems unfathomable today.

To me it seems modern Gibson just doesn't have any real innovators left. They've tried to make products that don't solve any real problem, or products that are just plain ugly. They've also tried to fit all those new products to work with their current production line, which is why you have that crappy heel cutaway on a Gibson Modern instead of the sleek contoured ones of their competitors.

At the same time, the brand is now so heavily steeped in nostalgia that people don't necessarily even want anything innovative from Gibson.
They would've been far better off having a sub-brand that makes all the crazy innovative designs. Not Epiphone, but a whole another brand.

Exactly, Les Paul shapes with modern neck profiles or scale lengths etc etc etc - meanwhile if you want a modern Les Paul that isn’t Gibson you’re probably going for an ESP EC. Their 7 string Epiphone model is limited to I think just the Matt Heafy sig model which is not that innovative in the grand scheme of things. They *could* have done what Fender did with Charvel or Jackson and created a niche with that market to innovate and push boundaries but they’re stuck with the Blues Lawyer theme. That being said, yes I want a Gibson Les Paul someday but dammit 3k for what I want or some ugly finish they make for 1500+ with specs I don’t want. Ugh lol

 

[TSJMajesty]

Exactly, Les Paul shapes with modern neck profiles or scale lengths etc etc etc - meanwhile if you want a modern Les Paul that isn’t Gibson you’re probably going for an ESP EC. Their 7 string Epiphone model is limited to I think just the Matt Heafy sig model which is not that innovative in the grand scheme of things. They *could* have done what Fender did with Charvel or Jackson and created a niche with that market to innovate and push boundaries but they’re stuck with the Blues Lawyer theme. That being said, yes I want a Gibson Les Paul someday but dammit 3k for what I want or some ugly finish they make for 1500+ with specs I don’t want. Ugh lol

The most innovative LP Gibson made (that I can think of- no, NOT the robot!) was the Buckethead baritone.

Well, actually back when Les had some say, the Recording model was pretty cool. Or was it called the Studio? I can't recall for sure.

 

[metropolis_4]

I had a Dean ML for a while and I really liked it. I’ve tried a few times to do the Rhoads thing, but they flop around in a weird way I don’t like when I’m playing them. Standard Vs don’t do that because the bottom of the V anchors on my leg

 

[DrewJD82]

This is why I said it's a game of "right specs, wrong finish" with Solar. I want that color changing finish or one of these glitter ones in a fixed bridge 7-string!

You're not kiddin' on that front. Fortunately, they tend to circulate the specs around and it seems nearly every combination is available at some point. There's constantly lines starting and stopping, which is cool but can also suck when you didn't grab the particular one you want the most and then it disappears from the site.

 

[DrewJD82]

I LOVE that natural finish! Marzi's new Natural and black Priestess is killer looking as well \m/
View attachment 52154

I actually meant to talk to you about these, figuring you'd be into them as well! I'd probably stain the natural parts with black or purple if I snagged one of these. The Floyd + Sustainer + E-type is massive boner territory and while I think the finish is pretty snazzy, it's not what I'd want on a guitar I'm gonna play chugga riffs and Dimebag whammy/harmonic pull-ups on.

I'm going to look at mine this weekend to see how much of a pain it'll be to relocate the selector switch. I want it right about where the whammy bar bends. I have to hit that damn thing with my fretting hand because it's in such an uncomfortable spot. Might put a killswitch in the existing selector switch location.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

When I was young and broke I sold my drumset to cover my final car payment. I had a little money left over and bought a Dean Michael Schenker Standard that I used for gigging, recording and touring for a while.

It got stepped on one night at a show and the tuning became unreliable from that point on. I didn't know anything about troubleshooting guitars so I just rolled with it.

It got stolen right out of my home (underground punk venue, so go figure) but I found out who did it, where he lived, and went back with the entire band to retrieve it. He must have dropped it a few times because the points of the V were fucked.

Like an idiot I left it in my car while I went to work and the electronics oxidized and rusted from the temperature/humidity change. It had been through so much I decided to rip all the hardware off of it and attempt to turn it into an art piece that didn't quite pan out. After hanging on to the body for a while I got sick of looking at it and tossed it.

I never really sat down with it to play, always standing for practice or shows. It was a comfortable workhorse, loved resting my left forearm on the top wing.

 

[TSJMajesty]

When I was young and broke I sold my drumset to cover my final car payment. I had a little money left over and bought a Dean Michael Schenker Standard that I used for gigging, recording and touring for a while.

View attachment 52182
It got stepped on one night at a show and the tuning became unreliable from that point on. I didn't know anything about troubleshooting guitars so I just rolled with it.

It got stolen right out of my home (underground punk venue, so go figure) but I found out who did it, where he lived, and went back with the entire band to retrieve it. He must have dropped it a few times because the points of the V were fucked.

Like an idiot I left it in my car while I went to work and the electronics oxidized and rusted from the temperature/humidity change. It had been through so much I decided to rip all the hardware off of it and attempt to turn it into an art piece that didn't quite pan out. After hanging on to the body for a while I got sick of looking at it and tossed it.

View attachment 52181

I never really sat down with it to play, always standing for practice or shows. It was a comfortable workhorse, loved resting my left forearm on the top wing.

Damn. There's a guy here (can't recall his username, but @Stone knows who I'm talking about) whom I haven't seen post lately, but I think that story'd make him ill.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Damn. There's a guy here (can't recall his username, but @Stone knows who I'm talking about) whom I haven't seen post lately, but I think that story'd make him ill.

@duzie most likely?

 

[HotRats]

I am more into explorers but If I'll ever buy a V it would probably be a classic Gibson, probably in natural finish or even better some Korina styled one.

I like Jacksons (no reverse headstock please!) I really like that shape, it's definitely a new classic but like X shapes guitars they are a bit too metal for me.

 

[TSJMajesty]

@duzie most likely?

Yeah, that's him.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

My Ibanez X’s.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

View attachment 52193

My Ibanez X’s.

Woah is that one second from the top some kind of Iceman? Never seen that before!

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Woah is that one second from the top some kind of Iceman? Never seen that before!

XH300

The XH300 is a Halberd series solid body electric guitar model introduced in the spring of 2011, as part of the Ibanez X series. It is the sole model produced with this paritcular swoopy "Halberd" body style. The XH300 features a mahogany body bolted to a maple Wizard III neck with a 24-fret...

ibanez.fandom.com

 

[2112]

V's go hard. Would love to get a 60's style one for maximum Schenker.

Here's me with an Epi Korina V when I was 16 before a high school concert