Gibson unveils Rudolf Schenker Flying V

Gibson has unveiled the Rudolf Schenker Flying V, a new signature model for the Scorpions guitarist.

In striking black and white livery, this is a Flying V with thoroughbred form: solid mahogany body, mahogany neck with custom Schenker neck profile, compact headstock, '57 Classic humbucker at the neck and '57 Classic Plus at the bridge.

The Schenker Flying V has a recommended retail price of $2498 (that's approximately £1630), and is the perfectly suited to monochrome metallers.

For more information, visit the official Gibson website.

Gibson press release

Rudolf Schenker Flying V

German guitar ace Rudolf Schenker's roots run to the very origins of heavy metal, and there's no finer rock pedigree on the planet. Schenker founded legendary metal outfit the Scorpions in 1965 when he was still in his teens, and the band rose to world domination in one of music's most competitive genres. Through it all, Schenker has been equally known for his blistering licks, incendiary tone, and radical style-so it's not surprising that the most revolutionary guitar ever created, the Gibson Flying V, has remained his main squeeze for more than four decades.

Now Gibson USA introduces the Rudolf Schenker Flying V, a guitar fully loaded with the look, feel, and tone that took the Scorpions to the pinnacle of rock achievement.

The Rudolf Schenker Flying V is immediately distinctive, with its timelessly innovative body styling and signature black-and-white finish in genuine nitrocellulose lacquer, but the appeal of this artist guitar runs far more than skin deep. Select tonewoods, classic hardware, and two of Gibson's most successful humbucking pickups prime it for optimum performance. The guitar even nails the feel of Rudolf's preferred Flying Vs, with his own fast custom neck profile and compact headstock shape. Experience the Rudolf Schenker Flying V for yourself at your authorized Gibson USA dealer, and get ready to get heavy.

Body and Neck

The Rudolf Schenker Flying V's body is crafted from solid mahogany in the seminal Flying V shape, first introduced by Gibson in 1958. In addition to its radical rock styling, the shape yields a light guitar for enhanced playing comfort, yet superb tonal weight and body, with excellent sustain. The solid-mahogany neck is carved in Rudolf Schenker's preferred profile measuring 0.775" at the 1st fret and 0.900" at the 12th, and topped with a fingerboard made from rich, dark Grade-A Granadillo hardwood.

Pickups and Electronics

More than just a pure metal machine, the Rudolf Schenker Flying V is surprisingly versatile, thanks to its '57 Classic and '57 Plus Classic pickups (neck and bridge respectively). Crafted in the image of the original hallowed PAF humbuckers, these pickups offer plenty of vintage-voiced warmth and depth--yet are updated for contemporary high-gain performance, with loads of crunch and wailing lead tones on tap when you need them. They're routed through the traditional Flying V control section of two independent volume controls, a master tone control, and a three-way selector switch.

Hardware

The Rudolf Schenker Flying V is decked out in the time-tested complement of Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, a hardware set that has proven itself for both sustain and precision intonation for more than five decades. They are accompanied by high-quality Grover™ tuners and traditional aluminum strap buttons. The "double wide" pickguard matches the distinctive black-and-white paint scheme; the guitar carries three black Top-Hat knobs with silver inserts, along with a traditional Flying V truss-rod cover in four-ply white plastic with silver hot-stamped logo.