Flying V Turns 50

Dave W · February 05, 2008, 10:07:42 AM

Not bass related but Gibson related: http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/004187.html

OldManC · February 05, 2008, 11:20:43 AM

That would mean Happy Birthday to the Explorer and Moderne as well (though I doubt there are many lining up to wish Gumby many happy returns).

(Yes, I know these are the Ibanez versions, but that's the picture I had handy, and Photobucket won't let me get to the others right now

)

TBird1958 · February 05, 2008, 12:24:45 PM

Hmmm.....I'm 50 this year too........does that mean I'm what? a classic....

I love the Moderne!

uwe · February 05, 2008, 12:41:27 PM

Michael with Flying V (and bad perm):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZzZUyD00Fg&feature=related

Rudolf with (Dean) Flying V (and tanks in background):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjb0mld4SpM&feature=related

Ken with Flying V (doing football chants):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3rL2jBHv34&feature=related

Andy with Flying V (and a bassist - even if he's the great Martin T. - with questionable shirt taste):

Jim with (Ibanez) Flying V (and housemaid on your knee):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHnDSTSy6N8&feature=related

Jimi with Flying V (you can play the blues with it too):

Wolf on ze Flying V (and zere is anozzer one too, zwei Fliegende V, Himmel!!!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph8kGPXOoUw&feature=related

Dave W · February 05, 2008, 03:13:04 PM

Lonnie Mack is the V man. When I first heard Memphis and Wham 45 years ago

I just couldn't get over that fluid tone he got. But I didn't know what he used until I saw the cover of his first album, and even then I had never seen one and figured it must have been custom made. They were such dogs on the market.

Lonnie and SRV: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rjdbXwD-xnk

Probably not many other L7 fans here (if any), but Donita Sparks is my choice for more recent V rockin': http://youtube.com/watch?v=-EVzM843nGk

V bassists? When Tom Ray was with the Bottle Rockets he used a Warmoth V bass body with a Fender neck.

SKATE RAT · February 05, 2008, 06:26:32 PM

Bob Mould played an Ibanez flying V in Husker Du

Nocturnal · February 05, 2008, 09:38:22 PM

Didn't Bob Mould use one of those V2's or something? The one's with the V shaped pickups? Where those V shaped pickups just a gimmick or was there a reason for the shape?

TBird1958 · February 06, 2008, 01:08:46 AM

I know its about Vee's, but Pete Way........Effing Rocks Thunderbirds!..........Nikki who?

uwe · February 06, 2008, 05:43:42 AM

I notice that there are no pics or vids of him pre-Bicentennial era where he plays a TBird. Up to 1975/76 you only see him playing a Fender P. A late convert so to say. Of course, he then went on to become iconic with his TBirds (and the odd Iceman bass). These days he even plays Epis, money from UFO gigs and royalties as well as record company advances are obviously not what they used to be ...

godofthunder · February 06, 2008, 05:59:53 AM

I meet Pete once when his band Waysted came through town '86-'87 ?. They did a in store at the House of Guitars, I was working there at the time. We hung out and talked bass. Pete gave us all back stage passes for the show, had a great time as I remember ! I belive he he played a ESP Thunderbird I think it was dark metallic blue. On stage we Marshall solid state amps, he didn't think much of them as I recall.I got some vinyl autographed by him, still have it....................... somewhere. Another thing I remember is the singer had one hell of a black eye from the night before, he wore shades the whole time. LMFAO We hung out back stage at the end of the night he and the band were gracious and fun to hang with.

Barklessdog · February 06, 2008, 06:42:02 AM

Now back to our schedualed program- Flying V's

Flying V bass page
http://www.flying-v.ch/81vbass/fb81bass.html

Guitar & basses
http://www.flying-v.ch/gallery/gallery.htm

6 STRING FLYING V BASS one off

uwe · February 06, 2008, 07:13:07 AM

Ibanez Rocket Roll, Dean DOA 2004 V and Kramer XKB-10:

The real (but not very good) thing:

My "modernistic guitar" (or bass) collection. How come ony the V turns fifty and not the Explorer? Did that come out later? I thought they were all designed and released at the time.

uwe · February 06, 2008, 08:04:28 AM

Look what he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-fbC5Y8oBY&feature=related

And what became of him

:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=77771

Though he seems to be fine and sobered up again on the current tour. Joining UFO basically as a teenager (he was 16 when he recorded the Scorpions' Lonesome Crow and joined UFO when he was 18) without being able to speak English obviously came at a price - I don't think his disciplined and 7 years older brother Rudolf would have watched him disintegrate in the Scorpions like Mogg and Way did in UFO -, but of course he must have had some demons in him before.

Barklessdog · February 06, 2008, 08:16:30 AM

How does the Dean compare with the other V's?

uwe · February 06, 2008, 08:22:53 AM

Quote from: Barklessdog on February 06, 2008, 08:16:30 AM
How does the Dean compare with the other V's?

Reasonably well: More authority than the Gibson (especially in neck pup solo mode) and more bite than the Ibanez. Action and high register accessability of the double octave neck is a dream. With the gain of the SVT up high, you can get a barky sound with the (probably) EMG passive pups and the (rather non-descript) active circuit that wouldn't leave a TBird player too unhappy.

The Kramer is a beast of its own: That alu neck is so sound-determining, the bolt on body doesn't play much of a role.