- 1958: Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes
- Flipping from Flop to Fame
- $134,500: The Price of Fame?
- Once Upon a Time . . .
- Right Here, Right Now!
1958: Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes
In terms of unleashing radically new guitar shapes that would eventually inspire a whole new generation of guitar manufacturers and players alike, the year of 1958 proved to be pivotal. The company responsible for said pivot was Gibson, and the radical, new guitar designs were the Gibson Flying V and Gibson Explorer offerings.
Until these two Gibson models emerged, guitar shapes were pretty predictable. In keeping with tradition, they were rounded, symmetrical, and boasted a skinnier waist. In short, they looked like you’d expect them to — they looked like, er, guitars! Granted, the launch of the Fender Stratocaster in 1954 bucked the typical symmetrical trend due to its offset cutaways and sleek, flowing shape. That stated, while refreshingly new, the now-ubiquitous Strat body was still very curvaceous. Then, seemingly out of the blue, along came the Flying V with its angular, straight lines and the Explorer with its jagged, straight lines and total lack of symmetry. Can you say, “Total game changers”?
Gibson Custom 1958 Korina Flying V (left) and Explorer (right) with white pickguards
In today’s guitar world, the Gibson Flying V and the Gibson Explorer — plus many similar designs the company has spawned — are synonymous with “rock guitar,” particularly of the harder and metal varieties. They are also considered highly desirable shapes by many, myself included. In the late 1950s, though, the Flying V and the Explorer were invariably thought of as the opposite: odd, ugly, and even laughable. Unsurprisingly, interest was minimal, and both models proved to be disappointing commercial failures. To give you an idea of how low the interest was, consider this: In 1958, Gibson only manufactured 81 Flying Vs and 19 Explorers. Then, in 1959, the numbers were only 17 and three, respectively. Yep — sadly, these bravely futuristic designs were failures.
Flipping from Flop to Fame
Thanks to such artists as Dave Davies (The Kinks), Albert King, Lonnie Mack, Billy Gibbons, and some guy named Jimi Hendrix, the Flying V’s fortunes slowly but surely flipped from flop to fame. Other notable Flying V players include: Marc Bolan (T. Rex), Michael Schenker (UFO, Michael Schenker Group), Rudolf Schenker (Scorpions), Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash), Tom Petty, Leslie West (Mountain), Paul Stanley (Kiss), Nancy Wilson (Heart), K. K. Downing (Judas Priest), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Dave Rude (Tesla), and Richie Falkner (Judas Priest). It’s easy to see why the Flying V is now an accepted and expected hard rock “norm.”
The Explorer’s path to mainstream acceptance was a longer and slower one. But it happened, thanks to such artists as Eric Clapton, Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Rick Nielsen* (Cheap Trick), Edge (U2), James Hetfield (Metallica), Matthias Jabs (Scorpions), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), Brendon Small (Dethklok), Lee Malia (Bring Me the Horizon), and one of hard rock’s leading ladies, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm).
Note: Rick not only owns a 1958 Korina Explorer; he owns two! What is his pair worth? Stay tuned!
And what’s all this got to do with the handful of Flying Vs and Explorers that Gibson made for the first time ever in 1958? Everything — that’s what!
$134,500: The Price of Fame?
As mentioned earlier, in 1958, the first year of production, Gibson only made 81 Flying Vs and a mere 19 Explorers. Furthermore, said 100 guitars were all made using korina wood. Can you say, “Rarer than rocking-horse droppings”?
Unsurprisingly, once these two laughed-at shapes morphed from ugly ducklings to highly revered, six-string swans, those rare and few 1958 Korina Flying Vs and Explorers quickly rose to a near mythical status. Collectors became obsessed with these “birth year” creations, and their worth skyrocketed.
To give you an idea of how dramatic the transformation was, ponder this eye-popping truth. In 1965, Dave Davies of the Kinks visited a music store in California to look for a guitar to replace a recently stolen one. After trying a few, he spotted a few old brown cases, one of which contained one of the 81 Gibson Korina Flying Vs built in 1958 that no one had previously wanted. Dave played it and decided to buy it. The price of his purchase? A mere $200! And so, the rock-loving public’s interest in Gibson Flying Vs was slowly but surely born.
In 1999, Eric Clapton put one of the 19 Gibson 1958 Korina Explorers up for sale at London’s world-famous Christie’s auction house. He sold this incredibly rare guitar he’d bought from a fan in Texas around 1983 to raise money for his Crossroads Centre. Said Explorer (Serial No. 8 4541) ended up selling for a whopping $134,500!
Based on the above 1999 selling price and more than two decades’ worth of inflation, it’s pretty safe to say that Nielsen’s pair of 1958 Korina Explorers are worth a king’s ransom — or two!
But there’s still one crucial piece of information missing. Exactly where and when were the Flying V and Explorer shapes dreamed up? And by whom? Here’s the skinny.
Once Upon a Time . . .
In 1948, a gentleman named Theodore “Ted” McCarty joined Gibson as general manager. He obviously did a top-notch job because a mere two years later, he became the company’s president! In 1951, Fender launched the Telecaster, and things started to change in the world of electric guitars. While some mocked Leo Fender and company’s new offering, referring to the Tele as “a boat paddle,” it was the world’s first mass-produced, solidbody, Spanish-style electric guitar. Despite the ridicule, Telecaster sales were impressive, prompting Gibson to also develop a solidbody guitar. Thus, the Les Paul was released in 1952.
Then, as mentioned earlier, in 1954, Fender launched the Stratocaster, which boasted a more contemporary, less traditional look, thereby making Gibson’s offerings look a little “old” in comparison. As if to rub salt in the proverbial wound at that time, Fender himself apparently often referred to Gibson as a “stodgy old company”! As a direct result from this competitive goading, McCarty put together a design team to create some “modernistic”-looking new guitars in around early 1957.
The Gibson team tasked with developing these bold new designs consisted of four or so people plus McCarty himself. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly clear who was involved in this challenging process alongside McCarty. The only official Gibson line on the subject was that it was accomplished by “a task force of engineers and craftsmen.” That said, I’ve read several stories revealing that Seth Lover — the legendary inventor of the humbucker pickup — played a significant role. In fact, Tony Bacon’s excellently written and titled tome, Flying V, Explorer, Firebird: An Odd-shaped History of Gibson’s Weird Electric Guitars, states that Lover himself told the author that the Flying V was “a body style that I designed for them when I was at Gibson.” Interesting stuff!
While I’ve never seen official corroboration of Lover’s above statement concerning the Flying V, McCarty has gone on record giving Lover credit for the model’s name. Lover said, “[T]hat looks like a flying V,” when he first saw one, and the name stuck!
I guess the only thing we can 100% be sure of is that countless hard rock–loving guitarists and fans owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those involved in the designs of the Flying V and Explorer — whomever they may be!
Right Here, Right Now!
In recent years, Gibson has released some amazingly accurate re-creations of the fabled Gibson 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer. These offerings included an “Exclusive Run” of 81 Flying Vs and 19 Explorers hand-aged by the company’s Custom Shop Murphy Lab. Stunning stuff with equally stunning price tags — especially the latter. Thankfully, if you’re a mere mortal with bills to pay (like me), then you’ll be pleased to know that Epiphone now offers its own re-creations of the legendary 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer “[i]nspired by Gibson Collection.” Furthermore, these great-looking and -playing instruments sell for less than 1% of Clapton’s $134,500 original 1958 Korina Explorer! Phew! Plus, if you’re a lefty (like me, too), then you’ll be delighted to learn that left-handed versions are available at no extra charge. Nice!
If you want to grab Epiphone’s re-creation of Gibson’s Flying V or Explorer for yourself, then please call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at 800-222-4700.