Shop Keyboard Deals, Financing, and More

Sorry, all demos of this item have been sold.

Since demo items are such a great deal, they often sell within hours of showing up on our web site. Order a new one below, or browse every currently available demo item here.

Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V Electric Guitar - Purple Metallic

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Mahogany Neck, Laurel Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Purple Metallic
Building your custom Guitar Gallery
$1,299.00

Earn $65 back in Bonus Bucks OR pay $55/month with 24 month financing*

Find it used on Sweetwater's Gear Exchange
listed for
$800.00
In Stock!

(Hurry, limited quantity available)

Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Certified Fit Cases

No more guesswork! These cases are hand-tested and guaranteed to fit your guitar. See how we do it

Certified Fit Cases

Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V Electric Guitar - Purple Metallic
In Stock!
$1,299.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Ride The Sound of Classic Metallica

Epiphone partnered with the Gibson Custom Shop to create the Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V, a solidbody electric guitar inspired by the Metallica lead guitarist's prized original. Kirk's '79 Flying V was all over the group's early albums, including Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and …And Justice for All, so if you've ever taken a deep dive into this groundbreaking material, you know the sound of this axe. The Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V brandishes a "V"-shaped mahogany body, a set mahogany neck, and an Indian laurel fingerboard, along with nickel hardware. You also get Gibson USA T-Type humbuckers, ensuring that this Epiphone model delivers a tone comparable to its limited-edition Custom Shop cousin. A Kirk Hammett logo on the rear of the headstock puts the final aesthetic touch on this impressive solidbody electric.

Classic Flying V construction

The Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V boasts all the hallmarks of a 1970s-era Flying V. It starts with a solid mahogany body carved into the iconic "V" shape. You'll appreciate the comfortable playability of this solidbody electric guitar's mahogany neck, which is topped by a fast-as-lightning Indian laurel fingerboard. You also get a custom bridge with a LockTone stopbar tailpiece and Grover Rotomatic tuners with spade buttons.

Snarling Gibson USA T-Type humbuckers

Kirk's original '79 Flying V has seen its fair share of changes over the past four decades of road and studio work. Still, the Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V comes equipped with the very same type of pickups that would have been on a late-'70s Flying V straight out of the factory: Gibson USA T-Type humbuckers. Whether you want to kick out some of Kirk's searing solos or practice your rapid-fire downstrokes with James Hetfield's "Master of Puppets" riff, Sweetwater's pickup enthusiasts agree that these humbuckers will seek and destroy.

Kirk's 6-string workhorse

It's tough to imagine how Metallica's sound might have strayed without the help of Kirk Hammett's trusty '79 Flying V, with the man himself admitting that it's "the guitar I played on the first five albums ... I think I played all of Kill 'Em All on that guitar as well as all of Ride the Lightning." While Kirk would go on to explore the potential of the Les Paul later on, the Flying V was his first Gibson guitar and a key element to his development as one of metal's most genre-defining players. The Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V was heavily inspired by that pivotal instrument, arming you with a guitar that celebrates Kirk's 40-plus years of music making.

Epiphone Kirk Hammett 1979 Flying V Electric Guitar Features:

  • Inspired by Kirk Hammett's prized '79 Flying V heard on much of Metallica's early output
  • Solid mahogany body carved into the iconic "V" shape
  • Comfortable mahogany neck and lightning-fast Indian laurel fingerboard
  • Gibson USA T-Type humbuckers produce a raw, snarling tone
  • Custom bridge with a LockTone stopbar tailpiece
  • Grover Rotomatic tuners with spade buttons
  • Kirk Hammett logo adorns the rear of the headstock

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Additional Media

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Flying V
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Body Finish Gloss Polyurethane
  • Color Metallic Purple
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Indian Laurel
  • Fingerboard Inlay Mother of Pearl Dots
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.692"
  • Nut Material Graph Tech
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Custom Bridge & LockTone Stop Bar
  • Tuners Grover Rotomatic with Spade Button
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Gibson USA Calibrated T-Type Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Gibson USA Calibrated T-Type Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 1 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Gibson, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: EIGCKH79FVPRMNH1

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Not my 74, but I love this V

I have to say this guitar is beautiful. These have the thick body just like the gibson '70s reissues.but with a small headstock.the one I received had a nice tight grain finger board and a straight neck.it isn't as narrow as my original that i used to own.but it does feel good in the hand.the only thing I had to do to mine was lower the action a bit and throw some 9s on it.the hardware is top notch.there is a lot of old guitars that could benefit from this bridge. The pickups some great.
Thanks Epiphone and Sweetwater.
Music background: 50 years plus.
Rated 5/5

well that happened

I'll be honest, I wasn't going to buy this guitar. I have a gibson sg tribute that I love to death, a few other guitars. I'd never had a V of any kind and always said I'd get one, I have a thing for purple and pink, when I saw this signature V released I was mainly struck by how cool it was for epiphone to do this guitar, the gibson version is simply unubtainable to me at its' price range, and so are other gibson Vs in general, and oh yeah, it's purple. Long story short Quinn at sweetwater hooked me up with a Model that was just fine save for a small defect in the top edge of the fret board that I *cannot for the life of me notice without going out of my way to find it. Couldn't even tell you where on the board it is fret wise, because it's irrelevant. Oh, and I had it plek'd, all for a good deal. My sg is plecked as well, this V plays better, came perfect out of the box, action, intonation, I've had it for a few months, and have used it a lot, in various scenarios. Haven't needed to adjust anything. Bedroom practice, in, and outside in the cold, into a cranked tube amp, in a band context, at medium volume with a range of overdrives and effect, it plays itself and has lovely midrange without being too bright or scooped. Definitely more sg than les paul and I'm very ok with that. The pickups are impressive, I also prefer them to the stock sg tribute pups, they clean up very well and maintain clarity at high gain. I'm a happy camper. I have my V, it's purple, it rips. I'm not even a kirk hammet fan, who cares. Thanks again to Quinn for reaching out with a deal on my intrument.
Rated 5/5

Brilliance in a V

The Kirk Hammett 79 Flying V went above and beyond my expectations and resulted in one of the best purchases I have made with Sweetwater. The quality, sound, and tones I get out of this guitar are amazing. My sales rep Mitch Dazey always comes through for me and provides excellent feedback before I ever receive the guitar. His knowledge of the products is outstanding. I love this guitar so much I haven't hardly put it down and you would be doing yourself a favor to add this to your collection. I can't say enough about this guitar. It is simply amazing. And you get a custom fitted case that really makes this purchase even sweeter. I highly recommend this beautiful guitar!! Get yours before they are gone!!
Music background: Over 25 years of self taught bliss!
Close Close $2,000 Pick Your PRS Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!