Gibson is revived a totem of 1970s rock with the limited edition 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue.
The '71 Flying V Medallion has been described by its maker as "one of the most sought-after and historically significant guitars ever produced by Gibson" – and for good reason.
It was a standout in the early hard rock era. Michael Schenker, with his black and white Medallion, quickly became the guitar’s poster boy. Kirk Hammett also has close ties to the model.
The reissues’s recipe is, of course, an echo of the past, with a two-piece mahogany body, three-piece mahogany neck with volute, and a 22 medium jumbo fret rosewood fingerboard and corian nut.
But there’s a touch of premium exclusivity to boot: the guitars each feature individually numbered 1.5” gold medallions.
Tonally, it has a pair of authentic unpotted 1968 T-Top humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets. They’re flanked with two Volume and one Tone knob, and a three-way selector.
Hardware specs, meanwhile, include an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with Stop Bar, Kluson Deluxe tuners, and Black Witch Hat control knobs. Its pickup covers are chrome.
Handcrafted in Nashville, the body features a thinner two-piece mahogany design to mirror the original. The guitar is said to simultaneously deliver reduced weight and premium resonance and sustain.
The Flying V Medallion was originally created to commemorate the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, with an estimated run of 350 models produced. That makes it one of the rarest Gibsons around town, which only added to the mythos of Schenker’s monochrome companion.
“The 1971 Flying V Medallion holds a special place in Gibson history,” says Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson.
“As one of Gibson’s earliest limited-edition instruments, it helped establish a lasting legacy within hard rock guitar culture. This reissue brings back the details, feel, and sound of the original, giving players the opportunity to experience an iconic instrument.”
Speaking to Gibson Gazette, Kirk Hammett, who now owns Schenker’s #56 V, likened it to a “religious relic.”
“I spent so much time as a teenager just staring at this guitar on the back of UFO’s Force It album,” he says. “There’s a picture of Michael Schenker playing this very guitar – it’s red, you can see the medallion – and I used to stare at the guitar and go, ‘I need to get a Flying V.’ Little did I know that, decades later, I would have the very Flying V that I was staring at.”
The Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is priced at $4,999/£4,399.
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