Historical Gibson Flying V model entry

Gibson Custom Shop K.K. Downing Judas Priest Flying V

The best-supported production year for Gibson Custom Shop's Judas Priest Signature K.K. Downing Flying V and its matched Glenn Tipton SG set is 2005. Bonhams dates Downing's separate Gibson prototype to circa 2004.

Guitar photos

Upright full front rendering of the K.K. Downing Flying V — Full guitar — front rendering

Angled front view of the K.K. Downing Flying V — Front view

Front of the burgundy body with pickups and controls — Body front

Additional body detail of the K.K. Downing Flying V — Body detail

Close view of the bridge and tailpiece — Bridge detail

Close view of the fingerboard and frets — Fingerboard and frets

Rear view of the K.K. Downing Flying V — Back view

Back of the headstock and tuning machines — Headstock back

Photos courtesy of Vancouver Guitars.

Distinguishing features

Sparkling Burgundy 1967-style V; matched “Judas” numbering with Tipton's SG; mahogany body and neck; rosewood dot-inlay fingerboard; two '57 Classic pickups; nylon-saddle ABR-style bridge.

Specification	Documented details
Model / date	Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition Judas Priest Signature K.K. Downing Flying V; production set dated to 2005 by surviving listings and a guitar publication. The earlier circa-2004 date applies to Downing's prototype, not the numbered production set.
Set relationship	Paired with Glenn Tipton's Gibson SG; a surviving example is numbered 22 of 30 for both instruments.
Body / finish	Mahogany body; Sparkling Burgundy; 1967-style Flying V pickguard.
Neck / profile	Mahogany neck described in a surviving listing as a 1967-style shape, fuller overall but slightly slimmer at the nut. No formal profile name is published.
Fingerboard / inlays	Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays.
Frets / radius	22 frets; fret size and fingerboard radius are not specified in the located listings.
Scale	24.75 inches.
Pickups / controls	Two Gibson '57 Classic pickups; two volume and two tone controls; three-way selector.
Bridge / hardware	Nylon-saddle ABR-style bridge and stop tailpiece; chrome hardware; Grover tuners.
Reported production	30 matched numbered sets made in 2005, one V and one SG per set number, according to surviving set records and guitar coverage. A Gibson factory ledger confirming the total has not been located.

Dating the limited edition

The best-supported production year for the 30 matched K.K. Downing Flying V and Glenn Tipton SG sets is 2005. Bonhams dates Downing's separate prototype to circa 2004; that is the prototype date, not the year of the numbered production set. Gibson's original launch catalog has not been located.

Sources and research notes

Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction catalog — documents the prototype's relationship to the Judas Priest Signature V and SG set.
Reverb archived listing for matched set 22 of 30 — seller's account of the set, date, numbering, finish, and specifications.
Reverb archived K.K. Downing Flying V listing — corroborating 2005 identification.
Guitar.com feature — dates the 30-set Gibson Custom Shop release to 2005.

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