Guitar World Verdict
The Victory is a sharply dressed, rock-solid shredder that is good enough to entice Gibson skeptics over to its side of the fence. It’s well finished, easy to play, and the ‘80s Tribute pickups sound great for higher-gain playing.
Pros
- +
Looks incredible.
- +
Seriously playable.
- +
Rock-solid Floyd Rose.
- +
Pickups have plenty of bite without being too much.
Cons
- -
Placement of the volume is awkward when using the trem.
- -
More modern features like stainless steel frets would be a great touch.
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What is it?
Back in 2024, Gibson set out to give an obscure '80s model a second chance at joining the ranks of the Les Paul, SG, or ES-335, and well, it was mission accomplished. This new version of the Victory was sleeker, meaner, and, by all accounts, more modern, too. It went down well with Gibson fans as well as guitarists who often steered clear of the Nashville guitar giant's offerings. It would seem that after decades of trying, Gibson finally managed to introduce a super-strat alternative that players actually wanted – it only took 45 years!
But it seems fans of the updated model have been very vocal about a small missing detail – the lack of a locking tremolo system. According to Gibson, fans have been asking for the guitar to be equipped with a Floyd Rose, and it has finally listened.
Aside from the new whammy bar, this supercharged Victory sticks to the same specs as the previous version. Much like many Gibson options, it pairs a mahogany body with a rather striking figured maple top. The body is also deeply beveled and contoured for maximum comfort.
As expected, there’s a shredder-friendly SlimTaper mahogany neck with a contemporary 10-14" compound radius, 24-fret medium jumbo frets, an ebony fingerboard, and a Fender-esque 25.5” scale length. The neck is crowned with the hockey stick headstock borrowed from the Explorer and houses the six Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners.
Pickups are a pair of 80s Tribute humbuckers, voiced somewhere between classic PAF and proper hair metal. They're wired up to a push/pull volume for coil split and a push/pull tone for inner/outer coil selection, offering a surprising palette of tones for a dual-humbucker setup.
The guitar ships in a sleek Gibson case with blacked-out latches and is available in three distinct finish options – the exotic Iguana Burst I have for review here, plus the metal-ready Translucent Ebony Burst, and the aquatic Deep Ocean Burst.
Specs
- Launch price: $2,799 | £2,399 | €2,499
- Made: USA
- Type: Six-string electric guitar
- Body: Mahogany with flame maple top
- Neck: Mahogany SlimTaper
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Scale length: 25.5-inches / 647.7mm
- Nut: Graph Tech
- Frets: 24 Medium Jumbo
- Hardware: Floyd Rose, Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners
- Electrics: 80s Tribute pickups, 1 Push/Pull Volume (Coil Split), 1 Push/Pull Tone (Inner/Outer Coil Select)
- Weight: 6.7 lbs / 3 kg
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Iguana Burst (as reviewed), Translucent Ebony Burst, Deep Ocean Burst
- Cases: Gibson hardshell case
- Contact: Gibson
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
The construction is up to Gibson’s current USA standards with a clean and tidy build
The first impression from just looking at the case is strong. It’s sleek and very modern with its all-black Gothic-astic latches. Before I even open it, the lack of brown tolex lets me know there’s no retro reissue tucked away inside. Before receiving this electric guitar for review, I had no idea which of the three finishes I was getting. Once I open the lid, I'm delighted to see a stunning green burst finish.
To me, the Iguana Burst top is even more striking in person than in the promo shots. I’ll be the first to admit I’m a traditionalist when it comes to finishes. I think ES-335s should be red, Les Pauls Sunburst and Juniors TV Yellow, but somehow, this wild finish suits the Victory’s unapologetically distinct styling. It’s got a sharp, contemporary vibe that works.
Out of the case, this is a guitar that feels reassuringly solid, and there are certainly no finish issues or stray marks to distract from its handsome good looks.
The construction is up to Gibson’s current USA standards with a clean and tidy build. The fretwork is on point, being well polished and installed flawlessly. It’s worth mentioning that there are no fret nibs, those little extra pieces of binding that cover the ends of the frets you typically find on Gibson models. This means there’s no fear of snagging your high-E on a wayward piece of plastic. No fret nibs can mean you feel sharp ends if the frets haven't been dressed perfectly, but thankfully that isn't the case with the Victory. The fretwork is spot on.
That said, I can’t help wondering why Gibson hasn’t gone with stainless steel frets for this model. We’ve seen them use this fretwire on the very modern Epiphone Futura, and it feels like a natural fit here, too.
If I have one gripe with the design, it's the placement of the volume control
The deeply contoured body and those bevels make it genuinely comfortable to play standing or seated, and it's balanced just right. Even with that elongated peghead, there’s no neck dive here.
Hardware is all solid and dialed in. The Floyd Rose is set up perfectly from the factory, and it feels rock solid. There’s no weird creaks, no tuning instability, and crucially, no sense you’ll need to reach for an Allen key every five minutes. The Grover Mini Rotomatics hold their own, even if they’re mostly for show with the locking nut in play.
If I have one gripe with the design, it's the placement of the volume control. It sits directly under the Floyd arm, and I found myself accidentally rolling down the volume mid-dive bomb. It’s a common complaint for Strat users, so it’s not wholly unique to the Victory, but if the volume control was scootched back a touch, it would solve the issue.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★★
The SlimTaper neck profile is genuinely fast, but never feels too skinny or insubstantial
There’s a distinct feeling when I pick up a guitar with a well-set Floyd. It just makes me play and approach things differently. Growing up, I went through the obligatory Dimebag Darrell phase, owning a Dean Razorback that would eventually be traded for a ‘72 Fender Tele Deluxe when I came to my senses. What my time with that guitar taught me, along with how to harmonic squeal, is how freeing a Floyd Rose is to perform with – so I was excited to relive my youth and dive bomb my way over some shred-worthy backing tracks with this Victory.
The SlimTaper neck profile is genuinely fast, but never feels too skinny or insubstantial. The compound radius, which morphs from 10” to a flatter 14” as you reach the higher frets. It's pretty subtle but makes a real difference for shred runs and wide fret-spanning legato licks.
This is a slick-feeling guitar, for sure. The set-up is low – at 1.25mm on the low-E and 1.00mm at the high-E – and buzz-free, and the trem stays exactly where you want it, even after some aggressive use.
I must say, it’s a guitar that makes me want to keep playing, whether I’m burning through scales or just messing around with some classic Floyd Rose flutter. The only real adjustment was getting used to the volume knob placement, which is a small price to pay for everything else that works so well.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★½
While they aren’t what I’d call super high-output by modern standards, these pups aren’t shy either
Tonally, the Victory is served by a pair of Gibson 80s Tribute pickups. These are higher-output passive humbuckers featuring Alnico 5 magnets and can be found in the ‘80s reissue of the Explorer and Flying V.
For testing, I plug into a Positive Grid Spark Live and its matching cab. I dial up the gain, add a splash of delay, and set about testing what the Victory can do.
Now, while they aren’t what I’d call super high-output by modern standards, these pups aren’t shy either. There’s enough oomph for hard rock and metal, but enough note definition and clarity if you want to clean things up. The mids are smooth and up front, the lows are tight, and the high end has a pleasing bite and top-end. The result is a pickup set that perfectly fits the vibe this guitar is going for.
The push/pull volume for coil splits and the push/pull tone for inner/outer coil selection give you a lot of tonal options for a two-humbucker guitar.
Switching from the high-gain amp to that of a Roland JC model, I want to see how it handles the cleaner side of things. Popping up the volume coil activates the coil split. Okay, so single-coil sounds aren’t going to fool anyone into thinking you’re playing a Strat, but they’re more than usable for a gig.
Experimenting with the inner and outer coils in the middle position, suddenly it has an almost out-of-phase character that’s genuinely cool for funk, or anything where you want to step outside the standard Gibson box. A very useful tone indeed.
Verdict
Everything about the Victory Floyd Rose feels right, from the bold finishes to the rock-solid hardware and the great-sounding pickups
Much like a Pokémon, I think we’re seeing the Victory reach its most evolved and most powerful stage yet. The Floyd Rose genuinely feels like the finishing touch this model always needed. It’s finally the super-strat alternative Gibson fans have quietly wanted for decades, and it stands up to anything from the big names in the shredder world.
Everything about the Victory Floyd Rose feels right, from the bold finishes to the rock-solid hardware and the great-sounding pickups. As it stands, this is a fabulous guitar, but I can’t help but wonder what it could be if Gibson was a little bolder.
Now, I don’t think people are buying the Victory because it’s an ‘80s throwback – it’s because it’s the most modern thing in the current Gibson catalog. So, with that in mind, I’d love to see Gibson double down on this for the next version. Why not throw in stainless steel frets? And while we’re at it, what about a set of Fishman Fluence pickups for good measure?
Look, that’s maybe just wishful thinking on my part. At the end of the day, this is still a fantastic axe. If you’re after a high-performance, visually wild, and fiercely playable instrument for modern genres, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.
Guitar World verdict: The Victory is a sharply dressed, rock-solid shredder that is good enough to entice Gibson skeptics over to its side of the fence. It’s well finished, easy to play, and the ‘80s Tribute pickups sound great for higher-gain playing.
Test |
Results |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality |
Superb build quality with flawless fretwork and a solid, modern feel. Volume control positioning could be better placed though. |
★★★★½ |
Playability |
Top-notch feel with a fast neck and perfectly set Floyd Rose that stays solid even after intense dive-bomb action. |
★★★★★ |
Sounds |
A versatile clutch of tones from high-gain metal to classic rock and even a sweet out-of-phase voice if you need it. |
★★★★½ |
Overall |
The Gibson Victory Floyd Rose is a very capable modern super-S-type that’s a compelling choice for contemporary players who may not be fans of Gibson's more traditional offerings. |
★★★★☆½ |
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