Black Flying V Electric Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

Overall: I bought this guitar from zZounds a few weeks ago. First of all, I love the way it looks. When I opened the box, the strings were set very high from the fretboard. I had to lower the bridge to remedy this. It buzzed and fretted out. So I changed the stock strings which were Gibson 10s to D'Addario 9s. It helped but it still buzzed a lot. Thankfully, when plugged into an amp the buzz doesn't pick up. It plays well, but it feels sort of cheap. An almost plastic feel.I swore I would never buy a Chinese guitar. I own a Jackson USA King V, a Gibson USA 60s Tribute SG, a made in Japan Jackson Dinky, a made in Japan Ibanez Prestige, a made in Japan Edwards/ESP V, a Mexican Strat, a Korean made Fernandes Vortex and a Korean made Wolf "Les Paul"You can feel the difference in quality, BUT…It is a nice guitar, even though $900 is a little steep for a guitar that is made in China.Chris

My first electric guitar was an ebony v made by epiphone. I lost track of it over the years and was feeling nostalgic when I saw this one online at American Musical. They were out of stock at the time so I asked to be notified when more came in. Anyway, a few weeks later they were back in stock and I ordered it as soon as I got the notification. Shipping was fast and it came in brand new and in great shape. Looks good and it is just as good as I remembered. Epiphone makes great guitars so don't be a guitar snob because it isn't a Gibson. If you want a V, this is a great guitar. Looks good and price is very fair. Rock on.J Madsen

Takes a while to get used to because of the asymmetrical neck, but once you do it’s very comfortable to play. The volume and tone controls are incredibly responsive. As for the build quality it’s pretty good, with some elements being outstanding, in particular the hardware, specifically the tuners, bridge and tail piece, and the volume and tone knobs. Very impressed so far. The only potential downside is that it’s very particular with guitar straps, I’m lucky because I have a few so could try different styles before settling on one. I’d recommend either one with triangular ends (fender style) or a wide soft leather strap.Jay M.

Im pretty good,not like a professional or anything but I practice about two to three hours a day. I love to play the guitar. I dont like guitars with bad sounds, bad buzzing sounds when you strumm, poor qqquality, and very poor pickups. I was looking to buy an ESP guitar like the LTD M100 when my birthday comes again in 7/11.Antonio the guitarist

People exagerate about this guitar on its flaws. I have yet to experience any of the bad flaws that were mentioned and i've had two of these puppies for 2 years now. Sure i eventually traded the pickups for active ones ('cause i favor actives) but the stocks were still good, its the amp settings that would make it sound hoorible. Yeah the strings buzzed a little but a small adjustment to the action of the strings helped that. My bridge still works like a charm and gets better and hasnt failed me or my tuning yet. Overall a very overlooked guitar. Ive dropped 'em numerous times i havent even had a chip off of it. Definitely better than any gibson or fender ive ever played.Extreme Sound Producer

I have been playing for about 11 years now and own quite a few guitars. Before I start bashing the other reveiws let me present my take on this guitar first. First of all in this price catagory you will not find an equal in any other brand. Starting with frett buzz, there has been very few guitars that i have bought that did not require a full out intonation, action set and neck adjustment out of the box. On double locking briges you also have to adjust your tension springs. After I brought this baby home and changed the strings I went ahead with my normal set up. If you do not know how to set up your own guitar ask your local Sam Ash Tech to help you out. In most cases what seperates guitar pricing the most is hard ware ( pick-ups, tuners, bridge ect..). This guitar has very basic stuff. For beginners or a nice practice piece this is perfect. As your playing progresses or if you are already experienced you will want to upgrade thse items. Again your Sam Ash Tech can help you out with this as well. Bottomline anybody writing reviews claiming to be experienced who either;A) Buys a guitar in this price range and expects to use the stock hardware to fit there neeeds orB) Has to complain about frett buzz because they can't set up there own instrument.Is clearly not someone I would take advice from. Hope this helpsJtighe

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I've always wanted an ML and this one looked so beautiful online. It's even better when it's in your hand. Pickups are awesome, nice full tone and great crunch on the distortion side. Love the matte finish on the back of the neck. It has great sustain too, you can feel the tone through the whole guitar when you play a note and I prefer that solid feel when I play. My only two complaints is there are a couple fingerprints under the clear coat on the back. Obviously missed during the QC checks at the factory. But they're barely noticeable and they're on the back. Gives it character to have a workers fingerprints as part of my guitar. The other thing is the frets could've been polished a little better. But when I changed the strings, I took another 30 mins and polished them and that was that. This is my 10th guitar and it's tied for number one favorite. I play it every day and love it. I bought the case for it as well, it's enormous, but great fit and quality.Will

I'm a collector and player of the unique and unusual of the big brand and some off brand stuff. Never been a huge Gibby fan, even though in a classic rock guy. The flying v crescent moon is wonderful though, and has a vibe and feel all its own. When you think that legends from Hendrix to king played them, and had a style all they're own, the V just has its own place in the guitar world. I swapped the hot ceramic Gibby pups for some Seymour Duncan's with chrome covers, as I wanted a more dressed look and blues warmth from this lightweight but oh so solid beast. I did the graphitec saddles as well, again for a warm vibe. The result is amazing, period. I'll put her against anything from anybody in tone, weight, style, playability and feel. Even before the mods, still best of the best. All welds perfect, fret work perfect, finish accomplished the look of a vintage road warrior. Nickle hardware, true Ebony fretboard, feels like one gorgeous piece of mahogany in your arms as the neck and body are so perfectly set together.golfn64

This guitar sounds so good, it's hard to say if it's the wood or pickups. Who cares? It sounds good. Good tone and sustain. I look forward to playing it. Tuning is easy, playing it is comfortable. It has the original good looks that the Flying V was made with. I have heard people with Gibsons say that they with the knobs were like on my V. They also liked the placement of the jack. Which, I want to say, are 2 solid reasons I wanted this guitar. The Through-the=body stop and the jack at the end of the wing tip. Very nice.David

Gibson Flying V. Antique natural. Low action and great playability from factory. Awesome fretboard even though multiple tool marks around fret ends. Good access. Pickups sound good clean and can get hot enough for metal with a boost. Nice grain in wood. Couple small sand marks under nitro. Neck feels great. Giving it 4 stars for cosmetic issues but played so well did not send it back or even pursue price reduction. Case is very nice. AMS great as always. Killer payment plans and fast shipping.Todd

I was amazed at the quality for the price on this guitar . I own over 20 guitars and actually purchased this one for my sons birthday. All my guitars will be my boys one day but wanted to ad one to his current collection and this was a great choice. I have been a AMS customer for over a decade and love their prices, selection and payment plans. I always recommend AMS to my musician friends, they are the best!!!!Mike

LOVE this guitar! It have a smooth rosewood fret board which makes soloing slick and precise. The tone is perfect for Metal & clean playing. It stays in tune & is all around well built. Great price too!traviveg_9

I expected better from Jackson. Pickups are iffy,tuners are junk will not stay in tune. Pickup selector switch is scratchy and works sometimes. Action is ok after a good setup and string change. Had it for about 5 months now and thinking about trading it in for something a little better. It does look great hanging on the wall though.Keith C.

Ordered this during covid lockdown as a gift to myself after years of wanting a Jackson. Not disappointed at all. Ridiculous looking and ultra playable. Proaudiostar got it to me super quickly and I'm very happy with everything.AnxiousMink-41502

A great guitar for gigging and recording. Since Fender owns Jackson and Floyd Rose, they were able to use better parts. The finish is awesome, and the pickups are strong with no unwanted squeal or feedback. The neck is fast and screams for low action. Highly recommend if you're a V fan.brius-pkoxvc

Beautifull yet simple. The first thing I did was change out my strings. The second thing I did was put in a fat tunsgsten block and noiseless springs, then readjust untill its set up perfectly. The third is Duncan custom shop pickups. I do these things to all of my guitars. Stock I could have played this guitar and be perfectly happy. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and have to seek out my own unique tone for all of my guitars. The stock strings are rather thin and I don't like 9's, I can hardly feel the strings. The finish is nice and glossy, however I have a ding and it wasn't a hard hit just a soft bump and it took the black off in that little spot like it was nothing so I'm parnoid as all hell to touch anything with it. The neck is super solid, I back the truss rod off all the way and the didn't move with no strings, some guitars you can flex the neck back and forth but not in the case of this baby, it still feels rock solid. That makes me feel very comfortable with going thicker then stock strings. When the guitar showed up the neck was perfectly straight, the action was super low and there was no fret buzz what so ever. With thicker strings and still having no bend to the neck it still plays flawlessly, which I think is a testament to Jackson's quailty. Out of 10 I would have to give it a 9, hands down the best guitar I own. Do yourself a favor, it your have the money and your on the fence about buy it!Drew

First off NOT made in china! Made in Indonesia! I have been waiting for months for this guitar to show up. I was worried because the new crackle finish Rhodes guitars are made in China for $1300. I cannot find a blemish anywhere on this guitar the binding, frets, paint are flawless. It sounds monsterous when you want it to but also has a beautiful clean tone in the neck position. it can do it all.Chris, K

Every thing about this guitar is top notch. It has quickly become my go to guitar. The EMG pickups sound so good. And the Floyd Rose in this guitar is flawless. Stays in tune no matter how hard I dump the tremolo. And the pitch squeals I get out of it! Dimebag would be proud. I'm just so happy it came with a real Floyd. I will never buy another guitar that has those junk specials in them. Buy this guitar! Trust me you won't be sorry. Also the case that the guitar comes in blew away my expectations. I thought it was gonna be a plain gig bag but nope, it's a gig bag but it's like a hard shell case. I wouldn't throw it around but it does it's job just fine going from gig to gig.Andrew

The potential is there! BUT,the stud mounts for the Floyd Rose are way to loose,as if the bolts should be a size bigger,I wound teflon tape several times to tighten the threads.Not sure if they all come this way but mine was a mess,it will no way no how stay in tune the way it was.Another problem with the trem is the plate that holds the springs underneath was installed way to close to one side,I had to redo that as well. The action was terrible intonation way off.So I just started from scratch took the neck off and btw the strap button is screwed in with one of the bolts for the neck a bad idea,I repositioned it so all 4 bolts had the same torcque holding the neck on. I put a very small shim under the neck put it back on, adjusted the truss rod,then set the action and intonation and put an EMG 81 in the bridge position…..After all that I love it! Stays in perfect tune ,has that Gibson mahogany wood sound to it,and plays great! Just be prepared to rebuild it out of the box if you have the same problems I did.Metalmonger

Outstanding. The feel of the instrument is incredible. Gibson did good with these new kramers and once the brand picks up some momentum i can see them coming back into the scene easily. The main reason i really took to this guitar was just looking over all the similar guitars with the same features for the price this one stands out not only with looks but the quality and the feel/tone it provides. I was looking towards all brands ESP Schecter Epiphone Fender and ended up with this axe. It beats the rest. I will confidentally say that. I personally hate how every model of guitar has EMG's and an ebony fretboard/mahogany body combo. Come on people lets get real here people want something different. An extremely comfortable and fast playing guitar. The neck profile feels incredibly smooth and fast. Its very easy to get around and feels increasingly natural. The modified V style body not only feels comfortable playing standing up or sitting down but it also looks great. The satin finish is smooth (though requires a little more cleaning care). The guitars stock pickups sound great and are a staple on alot of the epiphone models. The coil tap adds a little bit more in the tonal dynamic of the instrument and the overall weight of the guitar is balanced and solidly built. The fretboard is very dark (says rosewood but almost looked like ebony) and the inlays add a little flare to the guitar. The guitar was set up almost perfectly right out of the box. Very little fret buzz and the action was near perfect. Tuned it up and the stock strings sounded good. Quality from the first strum. i had figured that it would be compareable with some of the other epiphone models i played and the quality is similar but the playability is a lot better. The only real problem i had was some very minor buzz (barely noticeable) and whoever had set up the guitar had left a string sitting on one of the saddles out of the groove (which with a one finger push popped right in) for what you get the dollar price on this axe is not bad at all. It easily plays better than instruments twice its price and has the added tone to boot. Eventually most players will want to swap the P-ups out but for the time being the stock pickups deliver. No complaints with the instrument whatsoever. If your looking for something that plays well and wont break the bank see if you can get your hands on one. In terms of the playability alone this instrument is worth every penny.RennexGreyven

Been waiting for this Kramer NiteV for almost 2 years and finally these are made available, I always loved Kramer from way back in the 80's. Thus Nite V has awesome sustain and the neck feels smooth, great balance with this guitar, the pickups are great for this guitar, and the look of this thing means Metal!!Metaldave

I've always wanted an ML and this one looked so beautiful online. It's even better when it's in your hand. Pickups are awesome, nice full tone and great crunch on the distortion side. Love the matte finish on the back of the neck. It has great sustain too, you can feel the tone through the whole guitar when you play a note and I prefer that solid feel when I play. My only two complaints is there are a couple fingerprints under the clear coat on the back. Obviously missed during the QC checks at the factory. But they're barely noticeable and they're on the back. Gives it character to have a workers fingerprints as part of my guitar. The other thing is the frets could've been polished a little better. But when I changed the strings, I took another 30 mins and polished them and that was that. This is my 10th guitar and it's tied for number one favorite. I play it every day and love it. I bought the case for it as well, it's enormous, but great fit and quality.Will