Gibson Custom Shop · Figured-top Flying V Standards

2013 and 2015–2017 Figured-Top Flying V Standards

This page documents two separated periods of Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard figured-top guitars: individual 2013 examples and the 2015–2017 model run. No figured-top run is confirmed for 2014, so these years are not presented as one continuous 2013–2017 series. These figured-top Vs all appear to have received a Les Paul-style treatment, similar to the one-off Custom Shop examples from 2003–2005. They are distinct from Flying V Custom models such as the newer Cobra Burst.

2013 Build — Cherry Sunburst Figured-Top Flying V Standard

Back of the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Body back

Front body detail of the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Figured top, pickups, and controls

Front detail showing trapezoid inlays and controls on the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Front detail

Full back view of the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Full back

Alternate full front view of the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Alternate full front

Full front view of the Cherry Sunburst Gibson Custom Shop Flying V Standard, serial CS301946 — Full front

Photos courtesy of DavesGuitar.com.

The pictured guitar is serial CS301946. Its body binding, trapezoid inlays, and four-knob layout match the Cherry Sunburst example described in the chronology below.

2013 Build — Natural Figured-Top Flying V Standard

Full front view of the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Full front view

Back of the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Back view

Body and figured maple top of the 2013 Natural Flying V Standard — Body and figured top

Headstock detail of the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Headstock detail

Back of the headstock on the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Back of headstock

Rear headstock detail of the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Rear headstock detail

Pickup and control details on the 2013 Natural figured-top Flying V Standard — Pickups and controls

Photos courtesy of The Music Zoo.

Year / period	Documented guitars and what is known
2013	Two distinct examples are documented: serial CS301976 in Natural, with a flame maple top, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, and CustomBucker pickups; and serial CS301946 in Cherry Sunburst, with a bound flame maple top, mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays, and Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups installed. These are two known examples, not a total production count.
2014	No figured-top Flying V Standard run is confirmed for this year. A 2014 Custom Shop Flying V Standard Goldtop is documented separately; its opaque finish does not establish a figured top or a broader figured-top offering, so it is not counted here. See the 2013–2014 Goldtop examples.
2015–2017	The Flying V Standard figured-top model was made across this period, with Ice Tea or Washed Cherry finishes. Individual examples located: none separately identified from 2015; one 2016 Washed Cherry guitar, serial CS501417, with a bookmatched flame maple top; and two 2017 examples, one Cherry Sunburst and one left-handed special order. These are known examples, not a production total.

The example counts describe identifiable guitars, not all instruments Gibson made. The 2014 gap remains unconfirmed.

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