Flying V Guitars

Flying V guitars are electric guitars with a V-shaped body introduced by Gibson in 1958 and later adopted by hard rock and metal guitarists. On this page, you’ll find classic Flying V models from Gibson and Epiphone alongside more angular metal shapes: Jackson King V, ESP LTD Arrow, Vulture and SV. The main differences between models are their bridges, pickups and scale lengths.

What’s the difference between Flying V and King V guitars?

Flying V is Gibson’s original shape. The Gibson 70s Flying V has a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets and 70s Tribute pickups; Epiphone offers this shape in its Flying V 70s, Prophecy and Dave Mustaine Flying V Custom ranges. King V is Jackson’s metal version, with bevelled body edges and a headstock with six tuning machines in a single row. You can choose from JS Series, X Series and Pro Series. ESP LTD has its own shapes: Arrow with angular lines and a reversed headstock, Vulture designed with James Hetfield, and the asymmetrical SV and Alexi. For models exclusively from Gibson, visit the Gibson Flying V page.

Fixed bridge or Floyd Rose tremolo?

A double-locking Floyd Rose-type tremolo holds its tuning even during steep pitch dives and pull-ups. You’ll find it on the Jackson JS32 King V, Pro Series King V KV, ESP LTD Arrow-400, Arrow-1000, GH SV-200 and Alexi Hexed. A fixed Tune-O-Matic-type bridge is easier to adjust, and you can switch to a different tuning without rebalancing the bridge, making it useful if you change tunings often. Models with this bridge include the Jackson X Series Scott Ian King V KVXT, ESP LTD Arrow-1000NT and Epiphone Flying V Prophecy.

Which pickups and scale length should you choose?

• High-output humbuckers: Jackson JS32 and JS32T King V, ESP LTD GH SV-200.
• Active EMG pickups: The Jackson X Series KVXMG and ESP LTD Arrow-400 have EMG 81 and EMG 85 pickups. The ESP LTD KH-V (Bone Breaker) and Vulture (Het Set) feature their own EMG sets.
• Seymour Duncan: Jackson Pro Series King V KV (Distortion) and Wes Borland King V (a single Invader pickup).
• Fishman Fluence with switchable voices: Epiphone Prophecy Flying V and ESP LTD Arrow-1000.
• 24.75″ (628 mm) scale length: Epiphone Dave Mustaine Flying V Custom, ESP LTD GH SV-200 and Vulture. At the same tuning, the strings feel more supple.
• 25.5″ (648 mm) scale length: ESP LTD Arrow-400, Arrow-1000, KH-V and Epiphone Prophecy Flying V. The strings have more tension and handle lower tunings better.

You’ll find more guitars for heavy sounds in the Hard & Heavy category. Seven-string King V models are listed under 7-string Guitars.