I have GAS for a Flying V - Help Please!

[alexreinhold]

It's time - I need a new guitar! I pretty much settled on a V this time given that I recently joined a metal band. Here's my huge problem: I am torn between building or getting an off-the-shelf V (e.g. the Schecter Evil Twin ). My dramatic emotional rollercoaster has led me here:

Off-the-shelf:
Reasons: I have never owned a neck-thru and really wanna try.
Pros: I don't have to go through the hassle of building and have an awesome instrument.
Cons: I REALLY do not like Tune-o-Matics and 99% of all Vs seem to have them. I am very peculiar about neck radius, finish and width (which will minimize my array of choices)

Build:
Reasons: full customizability. Will be my baby no matter what.
Pros: I am privileged to go through the hassle of building and have an awesome instrument.
Cons: no chance to play a neck-thru. No open-mindedness to awesome brands like ESP or Schecter (which I have both never owned)

Please help - this is giving me sleepless nights (not really, but you know...)

 

[ragamuffin]

Build it! Build it!

Neck throughs are neat, but other than avoiding having a neck joint they're not so different than any other guitar

 

[mayfly]

well, if you really want a neck-through V, you could get a kit from Precision Guitar here in Canada:

https://precisionguitarkits.com/product/v-type-mto

I've built kits from Precision guitar before. The kits are absolutely top notch with great woods, well finished fingerboards, the works. The downside is you need to finish the guitar yourself.

The stock guitar comes with a TOM route. They may do other options off-menu. No harm in asking...


CORRECTION! The precision guitar kit is actually a 'set neck' design - not a 'through neck' design. My mistake. However, I'm guessing that Alex is thinking set neck anyway...

 

[aarontunes]

I have always, my whole life, wanted a Gibson Flying V in vintage white.

I'm no help at all.

 

[alexreinhold]

General question to everyone: why do almost all Vs have a Tune-o-Matic bridge? I don't get it...

well, if you really want a neck-through V, you could get a kit from Precision Guitar here in Canada:

https://precisionguitarkits.com/product/v-type-mto

I've built kits from Precision guitar before. The kits are absolutely top notch with great woods, well finished fingerboards, the works. The downside is you need to finish the guitar yourself.

The stock guitar comes with a TOM route. They may do other options off-menu. No harm in asking...

This looks super cool. Will definitely take it into consideration.

 

[mayfly]

I think it's a neck angle thing: Gibson derived guitars all have that slight neck angle built in, which requires a higher bridge than, say, a strat.

 

[bagman67]

Back when I was a wee lad and just undertaking my guitar journey, I had a real jones for those Carvin neck-throughs they had in their catalog in the 80's (DC127, etc). They were pretty well regarded, if off the beaten track. If you can find a used one at a decent price, you might not be dissatisfied. And they definitely had a few things for the pointy-metal-head guitar crowd.

The Carvin Museum - 1988 Guitars

Stay away from the DN-612 with the 12-in-line headstock, though. YIKES.

 

[NedRyerson]

For metal, it's gotta be the King-V variant, not the Flying-V. The pointier, the better.

Demon K-V

Went up to the vacation home to meet with an HVAC service tech to look at our A/C unit. And since my K-V body arrived before I left (as shown in the Out of the Box thread), I brought it up to work on. In between bouts of painting the bathroom, mowing the ¼-acre lawn, and chatting with my...

unofficialwarmoth.com

 

[Spud]

Back when I was a wee lad and just undertaking my guitar journey, I had a real jones for those Carvin neck-throughs they had in their catalog in the 80's (DC127, etc). They were pretty well regarded, if off the beaten track. If you can find a used one at a decent price, you might not be dissatisfied. And they definitely had a few things for the pointy-metal-head guitar crowd.

The Carvin Museum - 1988 Guitars

Stay away from the DN-612 with the 12-in-line headstock, though. YIKES.

View attachment 61059

I had a sweet Carvin DC-127 neck thru pointy. Played and sounded superb. You retain some snap with a neck thru that a glue in saps. Eventually had to part ways though as the neck was mighty shreddy wizardy thin.

 

[DuckBaloo]

General question to everyone: why do almost all Vs have a Tune-o-Matic bridge? I don't get it...

I think it's a neck angle thing: Gibson derived guitars all have that slight neck angle built in, which requires a higher bridge than, say, a strat.

This. The Gibson neck angle, a throwback to the acoustic and jazzbox days, won't work with a traditional , flush hardtail or trem bridge. That's why the '80s Gibsons used those awkward Kahlers. Plus, the TOM is Gibson bridge o' choice and vintage spec is what sells for Gibson and Epiphone.

If you went with the Precision, you could use something like Floyd Rose FRX, but you probably won't be able to use a flush-mount bridge

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Jackson Scott Ian V with the Gibson inspired appointments.

 

[aarontunes]

Richie Faulkner flying V comes with a Floyd as well. I would love to have one of those!

 

[bonesofwrath]

I have always, my whole life, wanted a Gibson Flying V in vintage white.

I'm no help at all.

Yeah - don't care about the color but ... its a guitar that I don't have much need for but kinda want. My next build I'm kicking around making some sort of neck through or set neck really short scale. It might be a good candidate for the V. I know epiphone made a wee vee and Jackson made the minions but - this'll be a single pickup guitar and not necessarily a shredder.

My nextdoor neighbor has a shopbot and we've done a couple of iterations of router templates for the Gotoh. A mini would be a good candidate for this one as his machine is 24x24.

Do it! Vee all need somebody to lean on.

 

[alexreinhold]

Pulled the trigger on a Schecter Evil Twin V. Delivery time 7-9 weeks, 30 day cash back (if I hate it and decide to go for a build instead). So I'll update this thread in April lol

 

[mayfly]

Congratulations! Well that's a solution to your GAS.

got a floyd on it?

 

[bonesofwrath]

I didn't see an option on the web page but I can't imagine they don't offer it. My Schecter is losing its floyd this evening a few minutes after my bushing compatible router bit arrives. (But its getting a Gotoh - I did briefly think about blocking it but decided if I have just one guitar with a floyd, the Schecter is the one.)

 

[Spud]

Pulled the trigger on a Schecter Evil Twin V. Delivery time 7-9 weeks, 30 day cash back (if I hate it and decide to go for a build instead). So I'll update this thread in April lol

Good on you for moving forward! Congrats!

 

[Rick]

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the only to get rid of temptation is to give in.

 

[alexreinhold]

Congratulations! Well that's a solution to your GAS.

got a floyd on it?

I am allergic to floyds

 

[mayfly]

I am allergic to floyds

As am I

What kind of bridge did you get on it?