Installing Pickup Covers and Gold Hardware | Gibson 'Golden' Gothic Flying V 

The Gibson Gothic Flying V is receiving its first round of upgrades. Gold pickup covers, bridge, and tuners are all being installed. Display your V securely with VStand: reverb.grsm.io/VStand More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Buy CSGuitars Merchandise: csguitars.bigcartel.com/

I wouldn't relic that guitar at all, it's looking so good new and shiny. Other than that, golden strap locks by Ernie Ball would look great.

I've never been a fan of flying V's, but now I want one. Keep up the great work!!!

I have wanted a goth V since they debuted in 99 so there's a part of me weeping that you're changing it so much (and that you got it for what you did). But it also looks damn good. Black and gold go very well together.

I prefer covered pick ups to uncovered. It just makes them sound smoother, a little warmer and some of the high end treble bite is gone. Not right or wrong, just a preference. Liked and subbed.

Yep, looks dope, and every body knows looks are the most important part of the tone. PS: feel free the say "bobens" again as much as you want

The black and gold is classy looking! Reminds me of B. B. King's Lucille.

Bark at the moon sounded perfect.. the V is coming along nicely, and sounds great. Keep it up Colin!

Definitely my favourite kind of video from you. I love watching all the modifications to guitars

Buttery smooth. Something about your meticulous coverage, from the parts, all the way down to having a V stand for that beauty. It feels like you adopted a raggedy, abused animal, and gave it new life. Love this!

Colin, just wow! Dig what you are doing with the V, & must confess I loved hearing you rock out on some ol school metal riffs. Freakin' awesome!

Brother, that is the best tone I have heard you put out since your revv G3 video. Excellent job!

It really is becoming a whole new instrument, you have a very good way with guitars and I hope to be on your level with more practice modding my own

That thing looks and sounds awesome. I very much respect your attention to detail and eye for aesthetics

Your presentation skills for these videos are so fucking good. Incredibly clear without sounding like a robot. I really appreciate it.

Already looks 100% better. Looking forward to see what it looks like when you are done. Sounds great, too.

Awesome mods to a killer guitar! Sounds pretty great too! You've motivated me to do some modes to a Fender Strat I have that I've been wanting to make look more my style! Thanks bro! And remember...the tone is in your mind, but the feel comes from your heart...combined they are a powerful source! Rock on! MTL

Just a stunning improvement, really well done! 😍🎸🎶🎵

Nothing like a good pickup tone cover debate on a Tuesday

Can't wait to see the proper stringthrough tailpiece installed! Congrats on your axe man

A+ work! Looking classy as hell. Looking forward to seeing this transform more.

Oh I am so glad I watched this just now. I'm working on "restoring" an Epiphone Flying V (1999) that I bought when I was 17. Doing what I can before taking it to my Luthier to do the more challenging stuff (fret dressing and setup mostly). I did not know you have to DIY the bridge slots. I'll make sure to get a replacement bridge BEFORE taking it to be worked on.

Looks and sounds great!

Your tone is amazing

Looking great so far

Sounds incredible!

Looks classy, and sounds great!

Looks classy! I like your mods.

Looks great man. I love the blacked out look , but if it were to be changed, you definitely went the right way with it. The gold on black is a clean classic look but very cool as well. Rock On !

Looks epic! Sounds great as well! Loved the goth series but was too young to buy one when they came out! Maybe one day ill get my hands on one of the SGs or LP! Great video like always!

That guitar looks absolutely stunning Colin

looks killer dude

Damn, it’s looking great. 👍🏻

Love the gold hardware against the black finish. Thanks for the tips.

I put the string Butler on my Gibson too. Works so good.

Looks great

Looks great 👍

Looks and sounds amazing bud.

Looks great, man! I used to have a gothic V when they first came out. It played great! Sadly it was stolen, and the following Les Paul I got to replace it. Might have to get another Goth V and do a design like you've done! Inspiring, brother!

That guitar looks sick! The V string plate will make it look next level though 🔥

Nice work. Bass Quacker here, I do all my modifications, repair, etc, my self. Usefull informations, as usual. Keep up the good work. Buy the way, my french Canadian friends find you hilarious, and knowledgefull, How to not dial a metal tone..

Never realised how much I like the black and gold look until I saw it on this guitar

That looks soooooo much better with the gold. One other thing, getting the correct cover. I've made the mistake of getting some off Amazon, not paying attention to the pickup screw lineup.

Great explanation on what changes with metal pickup covers. I’m a dumb dumb so “they look purdy” would have been enough for me, but now I know.

Bark at the moon! Nice!🤘

Looks so good! Homage to Jake sounded perfect... Tone and style

Wow guitar bling :). I like it

I want to do this to my Gothic Les Paul now!

damn it sounds amazing

Goth goes Glam, looks heavy Colin!

Nice Collin!😎👍

Love the necklace

Thanks

It looks great! =)

Man, that just looks and sounds killer! Also, I really like the look of the string butler? Like, I didn't expect to enjoy the aesthetics of it (or dislike it, as it's just a functional thing), but something about that fan effect reminds me of a cathedral or something.

Black and gold is a best friend.. Look fantastic..

Ah i used to have a goth explorer. It was my first gibson. It was great. That last bit of the video is where i am currently with this vintage and fairly beat up les paul i acquired recently. Ive been thinking about adding a middle humbucker because i like the look but im afraid to take that step because theres no going back.

That sure is a beauty with the gold hardware now, Collin. Last year I built a Flying V from parts I purchased at GuitarFetish.com. The body is Red Wine Mahogany with a black pick guard, the neck maple with a rosewood fretboard with white binding and black headstock, all gold hardware, locking tuners, a GFS 'Crunchy Pat' in the bridge position, and a 'Fat Pat' in the neck position. The guitar plays and sounds as good as it looks. I love it when a plan comes together.

When I heard Enter Sandman and Hotel California, it already made my day! The guitar improved a lot in the looks department - it balances the classic and the modern.

The intonation!

Dude! that V looks sick as it is! If I had the money I'd gladly buy it off you! :)

Could you please show us in the video how you go about aging the body? I'd be really interested in seeing your techniques.

Bah!! I thought this was a new video. It took me almost a minute to realize I watched this the other day on Pareon lol.

holy shit that Bark at the moon riff had almost identical tone to the original song

I want one!

ALL THE GAIN!

This is an underrated guitar shh don't tell anybody. I remember playing it years ago and I absolutely loved it. I wish I had bought it at that time

This reminds me that I need to put pickup covers on my artcore.

Great video Colin, I plan on putting some covers over a pair of black pearly gates I own. I have seen some other RU-vidrs pouring melted wax over the top of the pickup. Is this worth worrying about as you didn't mention anything like that in the video?

I had the Les Paul model, I sold it though. Wish I got the explorer when the same store I got it from had one for sale the year after

A gold brushed finish on the peckups would look sweet.

I think putting black screws in the pickups would have been a cool way to offset some of the gold, but it's your guitar keep it up can't wait to see everything you do to it.

Bark at the moon has never sounded so good!

You should try Optima Gold Strings. Not only will the look be awesome on your guitar, but after the break-in period, your strings are good to go, (and get this),...they will last for years. They literally never wear out. And they never lose their tone either, not like brass and nickel strings do. My Gold top has only had two new sets of Optima Gold strings on it since I bought I got in 2014. I changed the first set, before I actually had to after two years, Probably just because I was so used to monthly string changes and I thought I needed to. But I really didn't, and this second set has lasted me now for four years so far, and are still going strong. The 24 karat gold strings simply don't react with your finger oils and sweat. They don't corrode, and they don't oxidize. They DO start out very treble-y, and bright, and you probably wont like that sound. BUT, once that break in period is done, the treble-y brightness goes away, and there you have it, your strings are good to go, for years. Just wipe them off on occasion. (Wiping them off is Something I am very bad at doing, as I have yet to do it after 4 years. It shows a little in spots where the gold is worn.). Yes they are $35-$38 dollars a set. But Compare that to what your monthly string changes cost you a year and at 10 bucks a pop, after a year you are already up to $120 bucks. So the value is also there because they actually save you money. $38 dollars spread monthly over four years is .79 cents. Comparatively In four years of regular monthly string changes at $10 dollars a pop, you would be up to $480 bucks. I am just going to keep going with this set I have on the gold top and see how long this set lasts. Unless I break one, I really don't have a need to change them. And just one last point to reassure you, I don't hesitate to do Bends either. In fact I do a lot of that. So these string have also been a very, very durable set of strings. Optima Gold 9-42 is what I am using. They do have them in different sizes.

It was cool to start with now it’s gonna Burn 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Good call on the upgrade to this style. If i wasnt allergic to gibson and rounded off V's i would need this. Need the hardware on a beast BC Rich or somethin

oh man i think it would look sweet with mixed black and gold hardware like put the gold bridge on the black posts with black saddles and the gold covers in the black pickups rings with black pole pieces and the gold tuners but still use the black sleeves

Damn. this is what i'll be doing only with a gibson les paul studio in ebony. I did not know that little tid bit about the saddles on the replacement bridge...kinda bummed about that.

I know it is a high budget thing to do but with the gold look get the gold color Evo frets would be cool.

I see you with some of that Joe Walsh phrasing!

Is the last song you played the solo to Hotel California? Those pickups sound massive now

The Golden Goose is on the loose and never out of season.

Pulled out by your bare hands... would those be your robot self hands? You know, the lefty that introduces your vids? Seriously, thank you for all your entertaining/enlightening videos CSG - cheers! PS 3:00 LOL Yeah, I say the same things. PPS (Yeah, I should comment *after* I watch, but I live on the edge). BEWARE: Do *not* over tighten the tuning peg nuts, or you will crack the finish! Finger tight, or just ever so slightly more, is enough. Then check and snug them, if necessary, when changing strings.

I´m no fanboy of v-style but that´s a very nice axe. And I love your dialect, must watch some other videos as well. Irish is it? No fence if I´m all off..

Have you ever checked out the roller tune-o-matic bridges? They look like a solid upgrade but there isn't a lot of input on them.

GREAT VIDEO!! I did the exact same Gold hardware upgrade to my Firefly Semi Hollow and I was warned, to NOT change the mounting studs but I did since it bugged me that the studs were chrome and the bridge was gold. Either way, after about a month, the bridge/saddle has pulled out by about a 1/16th of an inch. Not sure how to secure it back in so that it'll hold. I noticed you simply pulled yours out with your hand 1:46. My question is without using glue or any kind of binding agent, how is your bridge is staying in place??

You’ve mentioned about melting the plastic bobbins with screwing too quick (giggidy) but will you be repotting the pickups especially with the added (future) heat of soldering the covers

Honestly, I thought the all black version looked better, but whatever flies your V

I have a question Where did you buy the screws for the humbuckers? I want some chrome screws for a future project

I never thought about the changes a pickup cover could have to the tone! Is there any chance you'd be able to go more in-depth on that at some point, maybe A/Bing the same pickups with and without covers?

I am looking so forward for the next wave of modification.

Have you ever thought about doing something with an evertune bridge?

I think you jumped the gun on the Pedal Baby video by a bit and spoiled the reveal 😛 Looks great, man!

I would recommend wax potting those pups. Melt equal parts perifin wax candle and beeswax candles at 155° F and submerge the pickups for about 15 minutes. Use marbels or clean stones on the bottom of the pan so the pups dont make direct contact with the bottom.

What is the name of that marchell amp behind you love the video😁😁

For your bridge piece at the saddles, you had to replace the bushings that came with the guitar for the gold bushings. I don't know if you remember but did your guitar originally come with what they call M8 thread or something like that and did you have some kind of conversion piece for your new polls that go into your new bushings called an m4 kind of thread? I finally think I'm on to what I need to do but I'm actually in the process of getting the natural wood look and staying on my guitar, SG, and I am replacing the hardware with gold hardware just like you are and my bushings at the bridge are not fitting The original ones were bigger I got some tone pros and it didn't come with any bushings but I bought more bushings online but they don't fit and I just have to go through a lot of information you did it with such ease. That's what I'm wanting to do as well. Hope there's not too lengthy and that someone can help me out with this, I've purchase too many wrong pieces. Thank God for returns and refunds

I would go with black speed knobs

Man never thought I'd hear you name drop Eddy currents like that

Need one of those V stands ...three actually ;)

Would you mind specifying the size of screws needed for the pickups?