WHEN THE FLYING V’s original patent appeared in 1957 alongside the Futura/Explorer and Moderne, it might have been argued that Ted McCarty’s heady 1950s sci-fi-style brainstorming sessions in the Gibson boardroom were a little too far out in the modernist field. As it turned out, these guitars were way ahead of their time and took many years to catch on. The Flying V stuttered, stalled and got off to a few false starts before it really began to fly. Fender’s Stratocaster and Telecaster models consistently captured the guitar-buying public’s imagination by embodying the modernist design principle that “form follows function.” But for the Flying V, function appeared to follow its form, as it eventually took off and found its wings as an archetypal hard-rock statement.
“It’s very much a rock guitar,” says Mike Long, proprietor of ATB Guitars (atbguitars.com) in Cheltenham, England, where the 1969 Flying V shown here was taking up temporary residence. “And that’s probably dictated by its shape as much as anything else. It evokes a certain kind of playing style. You can’t exactly sit down and play folk music on it. You’re more likely to strap it on, stand up and rock out with it. The pickups are very raunchy-sounding mid-’60s humbuckers with lots of bite and sustain. You won’t see many of these being played through clean Fender amps, but they really come into their own through something like a Marshall stack.”
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Steel of a Deal
Jerry Byrd’s Steel Guitar Favorites packs a heap of American styles in one outstanding disc.
The Knockoff That Became a Knockout
Forced to stop copying U.S. guitars, Ibanez launched the all-original Artist line and took America by storm.
UNCOMMON FOLK
He grew up in a folk music haven. As he celebrates his latest album, Wide Open Light, Ben Harper shares sights and memories of his childhood home.
WILD SIDE
After Lou Reed's Berlin concept album bombed, guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner helped him get his groove back. The result was Rock 'n' Roll Animal, the live classic that redeemed his spirit and saved his career.
'THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR BAND IS TWO GUITARS'
Sleater-Kinney were making bass-less records long before the White Stripes and the Black Keys came along. Says co-leader Carrie Brownstein, \"The power comes from the conversation the guitars are having with each other.\"
YOUR INFLUENCES STICK WITH YOU
Scott Henderson spent lockdown training his ears and building improv skills. As Karnevel! shows, his jazz chops flourished, but his blues-rock roots remain as strong as ever.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Erstwhile blues-rocker Hannah Wicklund finds her true self with an album of songs she calls the most authentic I’ve ever written.”
'I PLAY LESS NOTES THESE DAYS, BUT THEY ALL MEAN A LOT MORE'
On Broken, Walter Trout packs his licks for maximum impact as he testifies to the hope that can save our divided world.
TIP SHEET
Think effects are a crutch? Reeves Gabrels has a few choice words and good advice) for you.
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE
As he releases One Deep River, Mark Knopfler reflects on the guitars he's loved, the music that keeps his passion youthful... and how he'd like a do-over on that Dire Straits Rock Hall induction.