This Used 1980 Gibson Flying V2 in Cherry Sunburst is here on consignment. It is in great shape, especially for its age. The neck is straight, the truss rod functions properly, and the original frets are fairly low but still have plenty of life left in them. This guitar was either babied or didn't see much playtime to remain in such nice condition. This is also a fairly rare color for this model; they are most often spotted in Natural.
Introduced in 1958, the original Gibson Flying V was ahead of its time and struggled to find commercial success, leading to its discontinuation by the early 1960s. Gibson revisited the model in limited production runs during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s before taking a dramatically different approach.
In 1979, Gibson designer Tim Shaw introduced the Flying V2, a bold redesign of the classic Flying V. Its multi-layer body was constructed from five laminations of maple and walnut, then sculpted and finished in natural to showcase the contrasting wood layers. The V2 was offered with either a walnut or maple top, with walnut proving to be the more popular option. The neck was also built from maple and walnut and paired with an ebony fingerboard.
The original Flying V2 featured several unique design elements, including sealed "Boomerang" humbucking pickups and a distinctive V-shaped top-loading tailpiece. While innovative, these features made the guitar expensive to produce and limited the ability to replace pickups or hardware with standard components.
In response to slow sales, Gibson revised the Flying V2 by replacing the specialized electronics and tailpiece with traditional humbuckers and a standard stopbar tailpiece. Later examples were also finished in solid colors while retaining the model's distinctive sculpted body contours—features not found on any other Flying V design. The use of standard hardware also made future modifications much easier for owners.
Despite these changes, the updated Flying V2 failed to gain wider acceptance and remained both a commercial and critical disappointment. Production ended in 1982, and Gibson has never reissued the model, making original examples the only vintage Flying V2s available today.
Because of its unconventional styling, the Flying V2 has often been overlooked by collectors and traditionalists. Even so, it represents a unique chapter in Gibson's history, with a design unlike any other Flying V. As a result, values for vintage Flying V2 guitars can vary significantly depending on the specific instrument and market demand.
Gibson
Flying V2
Cherry Sunburst
8 lbs 4 oz
5-layer Maple/Walnut Body
Walnut/Maple Neck Material
Ebony Fingerboard
24.75" Scale Length
Engraved V2 Truss Rod Cover
Boomerang Humbucker Pickups
Top Loading V Tail Piece
Original Gibson Tulip Tuners
Original Knobs/Hardware
Original Hardshell Case
