The Delta Snake Review: Musical Gear Review and Music Article Archive: Review: 2006 Gibson Faded Flying V

Review: 2006 Gibson Faded Flying V

This guitar is part of a whole Gibson line of faded-finish versions of their more expensive counterparts. The intent, besides lower price, is to give the axe a more “vintage” look, as if it's already aged, and from other comments I've heard, this finish will fade more.

I'm sure there's more to the approximately 300.00 discount than the finish, but from a sound perspective, there does not appear to be any. It does have a good Flying V type sound (not entirely vintage due to the pickups, but more than good enough).

The guitar, though, does look a bit cheap but nonetheless, it is a real Gibson. The workmanship of the guitar is good, the simplicity of the design works in its favor, but it’s like a nice neck and headstock with a plain body added as an afterthought. The white pick guard makes it seem even plainer. A nicer finish would have made this a killer buy.

One surprise is that this guitar, due to the mahogany body, can have a bit of an SG quality in its tone at high volume, and its clean tone is surprisingly good. In fact, it can sound very jazzy or jazz-blues like if the player wishes.

However, those who buy a V want that classic sharp, biting tone, like that of Albert King and Lonnie Mack, or go to the far left into metal territory (which it excels at). The guitar can handle metal, classic rock, and blues and it's always been underrated.

Also, it's a light, balanced guitar, so it doesn't pitch forward in your lap as much as an older V might, although it still has that weird “sliding forward” feel when playing sitting down due to the body shape. If you hook a leg with the V cut, it’s as stable as any guitar you care to mention.

However, when talking about a V, you really can't judge it like a regular electric. There are those who love that type, and those who hate it. Personally, I found its sonic range well covered with my own old 1992 Les Paul Special so I traded it off.

If you love V's, and are on a budget, this is better than any you'll find, even over the esteemed Jackson or Dean versions. One thing of note. At least in my area, I've noticed that faded V's do depreciate drastically, and even a mint one often goes as low as 450.00 or 500.00 and can be hard to sell. However, you won't be buying this type of guitar unless you know what it is and want one.

Any review of this Gibson has to take into account that it's one of the ultimate cult guitars. It will give you a V sound at a lower cost, though you can count on a lower resale value (although no Gibson ever drops THAT low), but for those who love that razor sharp tone, and love that design, then half of the appeal is emotional, and no review is going to convince the converted to buy otherwise.

I do advise, however, if you want a V to keep forever (which isn't always true for guitarists, I know), then save a little more and get a full-blown V like the ‘58 reissue. The extra detail and finish will add to your experience, and like a nice car, you can't overrate the aura. After all, our attachment to guitars isn't some clinical thing that can be rationalized purely by price or what someone says we should be playing.

- Al Handa

2006

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa