Gibson Modern Flying V guitar officially announced

Gibson wasn’t at NAMM this year, but it did showcase a couple of new Custom Shop models at the Consumer Electronics Show, most notably the Modern Flying V. We got a few candid shots at the event, but now, official details on the “space-age design” have come to light.

Aside from the new body shape - which may or may not be inspired by the Star Trek Starfleet logo and Jackson’s Roswell Rhoads - the limited-edition model features a contoured maple top, Apex headstock carve and 496R (neck) and 500T (bridge) humbuckers.

Gibson will use lightweight solid woods for the build, which also includes a counter-sunk output jack and colour-matched hardware, along with custom-plated metal appointments.

In keeping with the sci-fi theme, three prism-sparkle finishes are available: Ebony Prism, Silver Prism and Gold Prism.

Naturally, being a Custom Shop model, the price of entry is steep, at $4,499 - but quite not as steep as the company’s similarly divisive Custom Boogie Van Les Paul models…

The announcement comes as reports claim Gibson is “running out of time - rapidly” to resolve debt issues.

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Michael Astley-Brown

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.