Access Backstage Pass
Two years after reviving the Victory, Gibson is finally succumbing to player demand and releasing a version with a Floyd Rose.
The original guitar was designed in the 1970s, but was quietly discontinued as it did little to earn a place at the Gibson – or the wider electric guitar – high table. All that changed in 2024 when Gibson resurrected the design and revamped it for the modern era.
The Victory Floyd Rose, then, will be welcome news to many, as it further leans into that Superstrat aesthetic, with the Floyd Rose ideal for whammy bar acrobatics and dive bombs galore à la peak Eddie Van Halen.
Coming out of Gibson’s Nashville factory, it pairs a mahogany body and a figured maple top with a shredder-friendly SlimTaper mahogany neck with a 10-14” compound radius and 24-fret ebony fingerboard, crafted to a 25.5” scale length.
Given that the majority of Gibsons are made with slightly more stunted 24.75” scale lengths, this empowers the Victory Floyd Rose for drop tuning, meaning it can handle more modern and heavier styles.
Further specs include a GraphTech nut, Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners for its Explorer-style headstock, and black Top Hat control knobs, with one each for Volume and Tone.
The three finishes, comprising Iguana Burst, Translucent Ebony Burst, and Deep Ocean Burst, all come with zebra-style 80s Tribute humbuckers and a three-way toggle switch.
The twin ‘buckers are wired with push/pull controls for coil splitting and selectable inner/outer coil options when split.
Gibson never truly ingratiated itself in the 1980s shred guitar scene. The Victory was its closest, albeit short-lived, attempt at gatecrashing a party dominated by the likes of Charvel and Kramer. This feels like the Victory is now getting the love it deserves, and Gibson is handling its creation with care.
“In Nashville, these tonewoods are shaped and refined using a blend of traditional techniques and modern precision, ensuring every carve, contour, and curve contributes to the guitar’s voice,” it says.
“The result is an instrument as unique as a fingerprint, built to be played, pushed, and ultimately passed down.”
This version has been a long time coming, too. "It quickly became one of our more popular models, but we have regularly heard players request one change: 'Can you add a Floyd Rose tremolo?'" Gibson notes. "Well, ask, and you shall receive."
The Gibson Victory Floyd Rose is available now for $2,799/£2,399.
See Gibson for more.
Gibson has also teased seven-string guitars and baritones are in the works, so perhaps the Victory will be getting another glow-up very soon.
