Gibson Flying V
and Gibson Explorer
Gibson guitars are long
known as the bitter rival of Fender. Indeed, these
two guitar manufacturers have been trying to outdo
each other till today..
In the mid 50s, Ted
McCarty, Gibson's new president, set out
to further set Gibson apart from Fender. He wanted
to create new designs that did not conform to the
basic guitar shape. He wanted something new, something
different. Together with a local artist, McCarty
worked on guitars that were made up of straight
lines, and three new guitars were born- the Moderne,
the Flying V and the Explorer.
The Moderne was the only one that
never quite made it into production. The Flying
V and the Explorer (whose body was intended to look
like a lightning bolt) were introduced in 1958.
The body of the guitars were made out of Korina,
a light colored and lightweight wood that looked
very exotic. However, sales of the two guitars were
bad, as their shapes were just too weird for guitarists
at that time. Not more than 200 units of each guitar
were sold, and production ceased around 1959-1960.
The Flying V however found a new
lease of life when it was used by, among others,
Lonnie Mack, blues master Albert King and Dave Davies
of the Kinks. The Explorer was popularized by Rick
Derringer. By 1970, these two guitars had become
classics. More and more companies, especially Japanese
ones, were copying the Flying V, and eventually
Gibson began reproducing the two models, as well
as the forgotten Moderne.
Today, the original
Flying Vs and Explorers have become priceless vintage
guitars. The search for the original Moderne, which
has earned the name "the Holy Grail of electric
guitars", still continues. One thing for sure,
these three guitars have changed the traditional
image of guitars, and laid down the foundations
for more innovative and imaginative designs for
the future.
Click on the image for a complete view of the guitar
