Re: what makes a flying v special?
Wow, that is the most informative and intense explanation I've ever seen written down about a V.
Yes... unfortunately, some parts of it are
A. pure speculation
B. downright false and historically provable to be so.
....
The original Gibson guitars features a split-headstock, causing the strings to have more downward force on the nut. This increased tuning stability, sustain, and upper mids.
I´ve never seen a Flying V from
any era with a split headstock.. I have however seen both Explorers and Moderne´s with them.... In the Patent documents, the Flying V also has the same "arrowhead" headstock that has become synonymous with it´s design to this day...BTW "Arrowhead" was IIRC the working name for teh flying V until it was finished and named.
More downward force on the nut is not the result of a split headstock, but of an increased headstock angle. Splitting the headstock as Gibson did on the Moderne (
if ever actually produced, nobody´s seen an authentic one yet, the last one about 10 years ago went for >350k and was a forgery according to George Gruhn) and the first few Explorers actually makes it more likely for the strings to bind in the nut, becasue they now not only have downward pressure but significant lateral pressure. This lowers tuning stability if anything compared to the more in axis string path of the arrowhead. The angle of 13° was the same for both
This is no more than basic physics, you can`t increase force in a specific direction by adding a force that is working 90° off axis to that direction. Newton just doesn´t roll that way
Because V's are top routed, they have the properties of chambered guitars with the pickguard acting as a soundboard.
By this logic, a strat is an acoustic, becasue there´s significantly more wood missing... But back then one knew less about guitar construction, so some things seemed more important than they were :laugh2:
Les Paul originally wanted the flying V to have a pickguard made out of American Spruce wood to capitalize on this property of the guitar, however Gibson decided to go with plastic to cut costs.
Les Paul had
nothing to do with the design of the Flying V, it and the other "modernistic guitars" (Explorer and Moderne) were designed by Ted McCarty. Using plastic to cut costs however is correct, as Gibson wanted to invest as few resources as possible into this idea.
There's more to it, but most people wouldn't consider it "scientific".
I agree, this following part is interesting, but speculative at best... Most of it seems more like coincidence than anything else to me, partly because the history of the Flying V and Explorer was a passion of mine during my training.
The shape was actually inspired by a symbol from Germanic Paganism known as the
Valknutr:
While it may be true, I´d love to know where this came from.. I highly doubt it´s from Ted, and he´s kind of the
only one that would know.....
This is Odin's symbol, and so a guitarist who plays a flying V is (supposedly) in connection with Odin who bestows upon the guitarist his magical golden axe. This is in fact how the term "axe" got to be used as a nickname for guitar. It's also why the original Flying V was a golden or "korina" colour.
Actually, it got it´s color because they used the cheapest wood they could find (at the time White Limba) and essentially just clearcoated it. At the time almost all lacquer clearcoats had yellowish tint added to them. And that´s where "korina" came from. Whether or not this route was chosen for it´s golden color and historical significance or because it was simply the cheapest thing to do...I tend to think the latter
The term "Axe" for the guitar predates the Flying V by at least 30 years. Some say it originally comes from a situation where somebody smashed his guitar on a block of wood, others say it comes from a badly batteres jazz box that was missing half it´s body, others still speculate that it comes from a seldom mentioned murder in the 20s where a guitar was used to bludgeon 2 people to death.... Yet others say it´s because the first Fender Esquires /Broadcasters/Nocasters /whateverthefrigtheywerecalled looked as if somebody "had strung up the axe instead of using the tree they felled"
The term didn´t however become widespread until the solidbody electric cought on... coincidentally enough, in the late 50s
