Gibson Flying V model details

2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V

Gibson’s 2020 Custom Shop recreation of Jimi Hendrix’s original left-handed 1969 Flying V, made as a right-handed instrument. The 2020 model appears first below; photographs of Hendrix’s original guitar follow for comparison.

2020 Gibson Custom Shop model

Full front view of the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Full front

Full back view of the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Full back

Body view of the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Body view

Headstock of the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Headstock

Back of the headstock on the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Back of headstock

Pickup details on the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Pickups

Additional detail of the 2020 Jimi Hendrix 1969 Flying V — Detail

2020 model photos courtesy of The Music Zoo.

Hendrix’s original 1969 Flying V — comparison

The images below show Hendrix’s original left-handed 1969 guitar, for comparison with the 2020 Custom Shop recreation above.

Full front view of Hendrix’s original 1969 Flying V — Full front view of the original guitar

Side view of the body, pickguard, and bridge on Hendrix’s original Flying V — Body and side view

Headstock and split-diamond fingerboard inlays on Hendrix’s original Flying V — Headstock and fingerboard details

Back of the headstock and tuners on Hendrix’s original Flying V — Back of headstock

Original guitar photographs courtesy of Marc Fettarappa.

Specification	2020 Gibson Custom Shop release
Body / finish	Mahogany Flying V body; Murphy Lab aged nitrocellulose lacquer in Aged Ebony.
Neck / profile	Mahogany set neck with short tenon. The 2020 Gibson one-sheet specifies an Authentic ’67 Flying V profile, .85 inch at the nut; Gibson’s current product page calls it a ’60s SlimTaper D profile.
Fingerboard / frets	Ebony fingerboard with one-ply white binding; mother-of-pearl split-diamond inlays; 22 reissue frets; 12-inch radius.
Scale / nut	24.75-inch scale; Corian nut, 1.60-inch width; 2.04-inch end-of-board width.
Pickups / controls	Two Custombuckers with aged-gold covers; two 500K CTS volume controls, one 500K CTS tone control, a three-way Switchcraft selector with black tip, and a 1/4-inch Switchcraft output jack.
Bridge / tailpiece	ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles; Maestro Short Vibrola.
Pickguard / hardware	’67 Flying V pickguard; aged-gold hardware; Kluson single-line, single-ring tulip tuners; black Witch Hat knobs with gold inserts and dial pointers; black plastic parts.
Headstock / truss rod	’67 Flying V headstock with mother-of-pearl Gibson logo; adjustable truss rod; three-ply black/white/black truss-rod cover engraved “CUSTOM.”
Other details	Two brass strap buttons, inside the wing and at the back of the heel; .010–.046 strings; Jimi Hendrix case; Hendrix-branded picks and truss-rod cover; certificate of authenticity and Eddie Kramer-signed archival print.
MSRP at launch	$9,999 US launch price; Gibson Japan listed ¥1,439,900 including tax.
Production / release	Announced November 2020. Gibson states 125 right-handed models; Gibson Japan reported a worldwide total of 150, including 25 left-handed models. Exact factory production dates within the run are not published.

Sources

Gibson Custom 2020 one-sheet — release specifications and the original ’67 profile description.
Gibson Custom product page — current specification listing, including fingerboard radius and neck profile.
Gibson Japan launch announcement — release date, worldwide quantity, left-handed run, and yen reference price.
MusicRadar launch report — US launch price.

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