Like many of the vintage guitars, they are superb instruments. An overpriced plank of wood. It is worth it if you can afford it, if you can't afford it you will not miss out getting a great sound and making great music with affordable guitars.
Who knows why a Gibson Flying V made from Karina costs 10,000 and a guitar made from mahogany Gibson Flying V costs 15,000 - while the Epiphone Flying V from Corina costs 1000 ?????
Thank you Guitar Center for this fun video! It's really nice to see that Joe really appreciates vintage guitars and that he shares the stories with us...Really cool! Great playing by Joe but I think that this particular Flying V sound much better LIVE when played through his vintage high power tweed Fender twin amps...In this video it sounds a little muddy to my ears...Thanks again Guitar Center!
Asperger spectrum collecting. Collecting I think is the result of past trauma or insecurities in other areas of life. It’s one thing to be an expert. It’s another…. To need to know it all And own it all. Just sayin’
Not just a unreal guitarist, or a musician/songwriter, but a ceritified guitar and music equipment geek, whats not to like about Joe, love these videos, part of the history we need to keep for the future
No dignity or integrity in taking advantage of others...Your actions will come back positive a hundred times over Joe! Great back story on this instrument.
Joe is such a gentlemen in every aspect!!! And - besides hearing him play, it's a joy to listen to him talk also, especially with all these unique stories to his guitars!! What a great video!!
Obviously he’s a great player, but he absolutely kills it in these kinds of vids, which he does a lot. His enthusiasm, respect and natural curiosity always come shining through.
So cool that Guitar Center called Joe to tell him about this instrument. He's such a good dude, people all around want to help him. And this is a win-win-win situation.
Love hearing the stories of the guitars Joe has gathered and how he respects where they came from. That is a beauty and so good that he plays it live. Each previous owners DNA is carried in those guitars. How cool they get to go along for a ride with JB on stage. Awesome!!
I love to hear Joe’s guitar stories. I’m glad he is working with Guitar Center. The guitar world needs both of you. I’m hoping and praying that it’s a successful collaboration for both of you. I know I am searching your online store for my next guitar.
Pretty baller. Love how it's looking as an aged instrument. You can see all the knicks and dings in it and the cracked nitrocellulose lacquer. It's got a whole history and life of memories associated with it. So cool.
Joe a great blues guitarist..,he's a very rare gem out of the corners 👌 of the universe..,he 's got class & talent...,and great singing voice to go along with his guitar 🎸 licks..,from your fan..,Richie WBear
It’s amazing how knowledgeable he is about guitars. He’s an absolute monster virtuoso and at the same time he could run a music store. There’s nobody like him.
I saw the Hendrix '58 at the HRC in Dallas in the early '90's. The one with gold plated hardware he played at Isle of Wight. Strange yet awesome instrument.
Not much a flying V guy, but I am a vintage instrument guy and a tone guy, and this work of art makes angels sing the blues. Holy cow! I might be a V guy now!
I really like Joe Bonamassa. He seems like an interesting larger than life kind of person and I'm glad he has adopted so many vintage guitars that needed a good home, lol.
I love that a great vintage instrument is still being played & as for being in Joe’s hands & on the road … vintage guitar lottery ! Sounds great (of course)! 👍
Joe don't forget Lonnie Mack, Jimi Hendrix and Leslie West used them too? Although Jimi and Leslie's were 70's reissued. But its definitely Albert King that put the instrument on the map! As much as Hendrix the Stratocaster or Johnny Winter with the Gibson Firebird
Fascinating stories,have a 98 Epi v,and like nice strats,you also catch yourself looking at them often,Joe is right the design was too futuristic for the 50,s,choice of Korina,superb also
when my dad purchased his 58' blonde unbound es 335 ( only 50 made) he said he remembered seeing one at the time. back in the day the number 335 denoted the retail price as well...His receipt says $267.50
Nice find, you did the right thing. I remember reading a story about a guitar store in London (if I remember correctly) in the late 50's or early 60's that had one of the very early Flying V guitars literally hanging up outside the store. The owner of the store thought it would never sell, but thought it looked like an eye-catching gimmick that would entice customers.
I go to this guitar center all the time. I live in arden arcade. Makes me sick thinking I could have bought this at an estate sale. Just a hypothetical pipe dream.
Yeah I think one of those in pretty much mint condition are going for around the million dollar mark or very close to it..they are just so very rare...🎸🎸🎸
Joe’s crack about CLEARLY not being married, because he still does all this crazy musician stuff, shows he’s got some real humility, which would make him a decent husband, ironically.
I had a Selmer alto that had been pulled off a manufacturing line. Only part of the engraving, no neck. Someone even added a number to the serial number on it, as if it had been smuggled away from some 'to be completed' room somewhere. It was as if the factory switched design without finishing out the skid of bodies, tossing partial(s) into storage, indefinite style. With the Flying V--there may exist, because the makers dropped the line, axe(s) that were finished by a person(s) that salvaged or cleaned away the forms & templates--even the guy that emptied the dumpster lol, then 'finished' the guitar themselves. Partly imo but probably. Would have to see other 1958 finish examples.
Speaking of the mojo inherent in the korina wood, let's not the third (and often forgotten) member of the '58 exotic family -- the now twice abandoned "Moderne".
Obviously a great guitar, and Joe B makes it sound like a great guitar. I respect that Joe B. values and loves this rare vintage axe. For me, there is zero allure. If someone gave me a 1958 Flying V, the first thing I would do is try to get hold of Joe B to see if he wanted to buy it. As they say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." To me, the V is the ugliest (and certainly the most unwieldy) guitar ever made (by Gibson) next to the Gibson SG, which just reminds of the Devil every time I see one. But please don't think I'm pissing all over Gibson guitars... I proudly own a 2016 Custom Shop Les Paul and a vintage '92 ES-355TD SV "BB King Lucille" Artists Model, the latter of which is probably the best playing guitar I've ever played. Still in awe of Joe's 3-state "Nerdville" collection, and his awesome playing ability! Press on brother Joe! Thanks for being America's most ardent caretaker (aside from Norm) of American vintage guitars!
Even if the first generation Flying V is a killer model, I think it is one of the single most overvalued electric guitars on the market. It’s a perfect specimen of why the vintage market needs to cave in. It was better when it was undervalued.
If anyone is curious about the value, made from '58 to '59 Gibson stopped production because they only managed to sell 98 of this new design. It was brought back in '63 and again in 1967 to the present day. A 1958 V like the one joe is holding here will easily fetch $100,000 but can sell for as high as $200,000 - $250,000. I bet the seller was shocked.
V is not my cup of tea but I can look at it and tell it’s bad ass, I would own an Explorer I really love the way Allen Collins wielded like a chainsaw and the way it screams! But I have 2 GLPs that I got dialed in.
In the early 1980s I had the chance to trade a burst plus $2,500 for Ronnie Montrose's V. I decided against it because I didn't like the V as a player. Much is made of Vs and Explorers because they are rare, but, at least to me, a burst is a much superior instrument. If you're rich enough to have both, good on you. But for me, the choice is clear.
