ashtray - on a V?

[swarfrat]

Rather than pollute the giveaway thread... I'm not a big fan of V's, or any of Gibson's other poorly balanced designs (all of them.. I seriously don't get their utter disregard for balance. but anyway...)

I don't know that I've ever seen an ashtray on a V. But if I ever build me a V - I'd like to see how close I can this image from my childhood to resemble a playable guitar. (Did I just say V and playable guitar in the same sentence?)

Other than being lefty (Bob Hartman is not, perhaps the artist was, or just drew it that way) Missiles are pointy (ouch), and I'm a big fan of H-gate buckers, so that'd work there.  Dual strap button jacks might work.  The wings are a bit extreme, and thin, but I think it would look cool with quite a bit of dished radius to the body.  Actually, you might could play off that lefty thing and the scifi thing and make the controls ambidextrous / duplicated. (My 4yo son appears to be lefty as well, and he too loves this album that's 30 years older than he is. Asks for it when we get in the car. Goes around the house doing GXV impressions.)  The headstock is not featured on the covers, but you might could come up with something for it other than plain snakehead.  The exhaust? Hmmmm

Not sure if I'd ever build this sucker, but it's been in the back of my head for a while. The ashtray posts brought it back up to the surface.

 

[ghotiphry]

Well, that's really cool, and really an interesting idea.  The first thing that pops into my mind would be to try your hand at carbon fiber molding, but that sounds expensive.  Can you make a guitar body from fiberglass?  It's strong enough for boats.  I don't know what that would do for tone.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I have that CD.

Hartman also had a Star shaped guitar for the Not of this World tour.

 

[bbl4ck]

Can you make a guitar body from fiberglass? 

I have never played one, so I can't comment on sound quality, but Valco has made guitars from fiberglass in their National and Supro lines...
I would like to try one sometime.  There are some kits out there to reproduce a Res-O-glass body, but have never seen one in person.

 

[swarfrat]

Fiberglass might be interesting, but it'd be a brand new skill set.  One thing that might be cool is to make it neck through - and fret it all the way up to the bridge pickup like the drawing. Totally useless, but that's beside the point.

 

[rgand]

A body like that could be made fairly easily out of sheet metal. It would sound much like the metal guitars already being made.

 

[Devin]

RS Guitarworks makes this guitar called the TeeVee Custom.....I think they look awesome!

 

[swarfrat]

Awesome name for that. And ironically, I know Bob is a fan of the Tele bridge pickup - even putting it on some of Floyd equipped guitars back in the 80's.

 

[TBurst Std]

RS Guitarworks makes this guitar called the TeeVee Custom.....I think they look awesome!

Sorry, but that actually looks great!

 

[swarfrat]

Oh yeah, forgot another tie in. Bob's a Warmoth fan.

 

[Devin]

Who is Bob?

 

[mayfly]

Who is Bob?

Oh - my - god    have I stumbled into Twin Peaks in some kind of alternate reality ??!??  :tard: :help:

 

[swarfrat]

That body is almost Steinbergish compared to a real V. The wings are impossibly thin compared to the body, but even just a 1/4" step down would integrate the look.  I like the idea of dual end pin jacks - but probably it would be best to make THEM the rocket nozzles instead of yet another part.

As for tonality... I think he's playing an LP Jr for at least a few of the tunes. Hard to say exactly what's used on it, but if I were picking ideas out of the air - I'd say JCM800 and a Super Distortion would not be far off the mark.  But I'm a huge fan of the GFS Memphis - about the only reason I WOULDNT put one there is I already have two guitars with that pickup.

 

[fdesalvo]

I miss real album covers like these.  You must build this V. 

 

[Wolf Follower]

I've never played a Flying V but I don't think it could possibly be more unwieldy than the Thunderbird bass: possibly the least balanced instrument ever made. Still love the look and sound of it though.

WF

 

[Androidred0100]

I'm not sure if you're trying for a 100% literal interpretation, but it seems like you could try something along the lines of the Fender Aerodyne line in terms of body stylings and then use some choice hardware and paint work to accentuate the look. Maybe instead of a Tele style ashtray cover, get a vintage Strat style trem and cover. Harder to come by, sure, but maybe more in line with the proportions given.

/2cents

 

[kgk9000]

A V is actually one of the most ergonomic guitar shapes, and this is counter-intutivie at first, so I'll explain why.

The trick while sitting is to put the "V" part on your right leg (it goes around your leg), and then cross your ankles.  The V will sit like a classical guitar, with a great ergonomic neck angle, and this is how I often practice when I'm too lazy to reach for my foot stool.

A V is trivial to stand up and lean against a wall, so they don't need a stand (at least on carpet)....

The downside of the V is that it gives very poor access to higher frets, and 24 frets likely only make sense for tapping with the right hand.

So, they don't just look cool, they really are amazing.

 

[Logrinn]

The downside of the V is that it gives very poor access to higher frets, and 24 frets likely only make sense for tapping with the right hand.

About the access to higher frets - it depends on what model of Flying V you've got.
This:

or this:

Also the Flying V doesn't need to be neck heavy. Probably because the body itself acts as a counter weight:

 

[swarfrat]

Yes, that's definitely a strat covered bridge, I might not have said it but that's what I've been thinking all along. You might could pick up some busy detail with decals under clear coat on the thickness. The face and neck are nothing particularly difficult to implement.

As for access to the higher frets...I was considering fretting all the way up to the bridge pickup, just for looks.  Maybe I could throw a middle humbucker there so there wouldn't be as many frets and the switch would make a sense.  Maybe a Liverpool and a Memphis.  Is there a locking term that the cover will fit?

 

[Kostas]

...So, they don't just look cool, they really are amazing.

Τhe '58 Flying V it's the coolest guitar ever. It's definitely not a poorly balanced design and it has unlimited 22 fret access.

When Gibson released the guitar in '58 people could not understand the greatness of the design. Excluding the Telecaster & Stratocaster (maybe a couple others) most guitars were still designed looking at the past greatly influenced from the orchestra stringed instruments.

Gibson revolutionized the guitar design with the Flying V, Explorer, Moderne and Futura.

                                                                                                                        IMO  :headbang5



People have been putting all kinds of bridges and pickups on their guitars and the V is not an exception. The symmetry of the three V (headstock, body, tailpiece) is one of the reasons I prefer the '58 over the '67 V, aesthetically I would change nothing on the guitar.