Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Between the two I'd say Gibby's, my favorite v is probably the King V closely followed by those old Kramers that were a flipped over King V....
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Gibson - the original and the best.

Not that I've ever owned a V, but I plan to make one from scratch soon....and it will be a 58 clone.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Are they both mahogany? Gibson V for me, Deans are nice but I prefer the Gibson finish.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Like I posted, I hated the headstock for 25 years. Now, it has no bother because my reasons, the strings angle weird and it seems huge, were unfounded after playing it for a while. It was not something I could get over in 5 minutes at the music store. I had to play it at least a week an hour or 30 minutes at a time. I saw that the strings cleared the tuners and the headstock with your hand out there playing E or A or D is size relative to the headstock. Yeah, ya might want to watch the points in close quarters but you would a regular guitar too. :headbang:

MMMM Dean Zs! Oh Yeah, Them Too!!!!
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

The thinking on the headstock according to Dean Zelinsky was that like when you have your headstock resting on a wall when you play it, if the headstock has more mass it will be louder acoustically and have more sustain.

I've read just the opposite, that small headstocks promote more sustain.
 
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Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

What is the hate for the Dean headstock? Is it aesthetics, or function, or both?

Mainly looks. It's horrible to the average player. Too bad, for an otherwise nice guitar. My second choice after the '58 design would be Hamer.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I have neither.

There are at least 4 or 5 Dean V's I gas for

Gibson? Meh


I'd gladly play either!
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I am regularly told I cannot go pointy - where there's a will, there's a way...

But for me it would be the Gibson (unless, of course, I can find a Tokai)
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Rob Option: Give me a Jackson

Jackson1.jpg
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Gibson for me. I think the Gibson headstock and overall styling is much more classy.There's a couple of custom Gibby Vee designs I would like:

A replica of Jimi's black 68 with the hand painted art work he did himself using nail polish. That guitar had an ebony board and with unique fret markers too.

A 58 style in pelham blue with a brushed aluminum scratch plate kinda like the fender fin of a 57 chevy, solid metal knobs, and chrome bobbin toppers.

A Gibby vee with a Schenker style paint job only in green and blues instead of black and white
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

A lot of people misunderstand the Dean headstock. It's meant for poking your bass player when he's doing what he's not supposed to. You know, to get him in line? Just give em a poke to get em playing back in tempo.

As for which company, well look at my sig, and that will tell you.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I love Deans and Gibsons so much that I had Grubisa guitars make me two custom V's which are a combination of the two:

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Re: Which do you prefer?

Re: Which do you prefer?

Had to look them up. Cool stuff.

http://grubisaguitars.com/

I like that Natural one with the reverse Explorer headstock a ton. :headbang:


Man, I have had the Explorer Flying V bug since about 1975 or so. LOVE them shapes! Saw an ad for Ibanez's new Rocket Roll and Destroyers. Then found out about the history of the designs not long after. Funny thing is, that as many of those shaped guitars that I own or have, I have never owned a full sized original issue Gibson in either model. :scratchch I own an Explorer 90 but that is my only Gibber in those models I have owned. Hamers, Deans, and a few good and bad copies but no Gibbers. :31:
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I'll chime my two cents in since I am currently playing both atm. I have owned many Dean's and a couple V's but only one Gibby

I happen to really really love my dean for the following reasons:
it looks beautiful with that matched headstock,
The frets are big and plays with a scalloped feel
I love that headstock! It's like another mini flying v out there!
Ebony board is just amazing.
No plastic faceplate!

Only dislike is the plastic nut, and input placement.



I love the Gibson for the following reasons:
Smaller frets play faster and more comfortable.
Stock Wiring is much better
Nut is better
Stock pups are better by far
Sounds more organic if you will on clean.

Only dislike is the plastic and the only jack placement.


Since I immediately installed a Duncan distortion in my Dean, I will say it sounds better in my setting.

Being a nostalgic thing I'm sure most people go Gibson because the headstock looks right on the Gibby.

Final answer, I love them both! But if I could only keep one, I'd keep my Dean.


Let's talk bcrich v vs Jackson v??

 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I own several Flying V's. My main guitar is a Gibson, but I also own two Deans. One is an import, and the other is a USA. The USA Dean blow the Gibsons out of the water, quality-wise. They are just amazing instruments. Even the import is a great guitar, possibly on par with a Gibson. Maybe I just got a good one? Anyway... That said, my '05 Faded Gibson Flying V is the one for me. It's just a part of me, and even with it's imperfections, it's perfect to me.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I've read just the opposite, that small headstocks promote more sustain.

I always heard the greater mass is better. This was before a company named Aspen & Associates came out with the Fathead. It was a brass plate that was mounted to the back of the headstock between the wood and the tuners. A friend had me mount one to his Strat and it did seem to increase the sustain. This was before a lot of guitar players became wimps and said they wanted lighter guitars :D. They looked like this...

A2690032.jpg

I also think build quality is a little better on the Dean's. Every Gibson neck pocket I've seen looks like a swimming pool filled with a ton of glue as compared to at least my vintage Dean neck pockets.
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

My order of preference for Vs:

1. Gibson '50's style (well above all the others)
2. Dean
3. Hamer
4. Gibson '60's style (but I don't like this style enough to ever own one)
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

Mainly looks. It's horrible to the average player. Too bad, for an otherwise nice guitar. My second choice after the '58 design would be Hamer.

What are you talking about, the Gibson V headstock looks like a sand spade
 
Re: Which do you prefer, a Gibson Flying V or a Dean V guitar?

I greatly prefer the 58 V style control layout of the Deans. The headstock does not bother me (unless it is a shrimpfork). I had several MLs ranging from $400 to $3600. The USA Custom was a great player, and beautiful, but was beyond overpriced compared to say a USA Hamer or Gibson RI, or USA PRS of the same time. And I had all of them to make the comparisons. The Dean should have been priced about 40% to %50 less. It was a fun guitar though.

But I love the 67 style Vs by far. I have had had five over the the past 30 years and all but one was stellar. I still need to add a vintage white with ebony board to my collection. Or TC's.
 
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