Review: Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Brent Hinds Flying V Custom Guitar

GOLD AWARD

If you’re a fan of the Flying V or Mastodon lead singer/guitarist Brent Hinds, chances are you already said, “Shut up and take my money!” the second that you laid eyes on this beautiful Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Brent Hinds Flying V Custom.

If that and the awesome allure of the Silverburst finish didn’t instantly get you (what’s wrong with you?), then perhaps you might be swayed by its combination of vintage Flying V and classic Les Paul Custom features.

Actually the Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V Custom is loaded with so many cool features that there’s not just one reason to consider adding it to your arsenal, but if you’re still sitting on the fence you should also know that it has Hinds’ skull graphic logo in neon green on the back of the headstock. Game over.

FEATURES

With its glued set-in mahogany neck and mahogany body with V-shaped string-through-body tailpiece, the Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V Custom is inspired by the timeless 1958 Flying V design. Like the first V, it also has two humbucking pickups, a pickguard covering only the lower half of the body, a master tone and individual volume controls, and 22-fret neck with a 24 3/4–inch scale.

Even the neck’s slim, rounded profile is based on that of a 1958 V. However, it also shares several features similar to a Les Paul Custom, including the ebony fingerboard with block inlays, multi-layer body and headstock binding, bound fingerboard, top hat knobs with metal inserts, and “split-diamond” headstock inlay. The most significant customized touch (besides the skull logo, of course) is the pair of Lace USA Brent Hinds Signature Hammer Claws humbuckers that give this guitar its own distinctive grind and growl.

PERFORMANCE

The Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V Custom offers everything there is to love about a Flying V and more. Sure, it can be a little neck heavy and uncomfortable to play when sitting down, but who wants to sit when you have an awesome beast like this in your hands? The medium jumbo frets and slim neck profile provide the ultimate in playing comfort, and if you’ve ever played a V I don’t have to tell you that the entire fingerboard lies in waiting like a weak country begging for conquest. The Hammer Claws pickups are the reason this guitar is a must buy, delivering soulful midrange and solid bass thump that sounds equally awesome clean or distorted to oblivion.

LIST PRICE: $1,332
MANUFACTURER: Epiphone, epiphone.com

• The Lace USA Brent Hinds Signature Hammer Claws humbuckers deliver incredible detail and dynamics whether playing clean or with high-gain distortion.

• High-quality hardware includes the Epiphone LockTone Tune-o-matic bridge and Grover Rotomatic 18:1 tuners.

THE BOTTOM LINE: With its Silverburst finish, combination of Flying V and Les Paul Custom features, and awesome-sounding Lace USA Brent Hinds Signature Hammer Claws humbuckers, this guitar is quite possibly one of the coolest Flying Vs ever conceived.