Gibson Flying V

Quite possibly the most distinctive electric guitar ever produced. Made by Gibson in the late 50's, the Flying V's model name perfectly describes its shape. The V is almost impossible to play sitting down, has poor balance when played standing, and weighs, as all true Gibsons do, a ton, but damn it looks good.

The guitars dual humbucking pickups and distintive shape made it a favorite of early metal guitarists such as Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and AC/DC's Malcom Young (who later joined his brother Angus on the Gibson SG bandwagon).

Later Randy Rhodes set the tone for 80's metal guitar with a polka dotted V, though he too moved onto other models.

An unusual guitar manufactured by Gibson. Introduced in 1958, the Flying V gets its name from its distinctive V-shape which, in natural wood tones, looks unmistakeably 1950s. The current model comes with 2 humbuckers, 1 volume and 2 tone controls, a tune-o-matic bridge and a stop bar tailpiece.

It enjoyed popularity for a time in hard rock music, and one of the most famous guitarists who played this style guitar was Randy Rhoads, who played with Ozzy Osbourne.

IMHO, the allure of a Flying V comes not from its mediocre tone, but from its stunning good looks. In fact, guitars of this shape can be somewhat uncomfortable to play due to an often uneven distribution of weight. But, in high-gloss black, you can't beat the bad-ass look.