Gibson Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V ‘Love Drops’, 2006

Based on a stock, black 1967 model, the Gibson Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V features the ‘Love Drops’ patterns Hendrix hand painted likely using nail polish or model paints.

This Gibson Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V dates to 2006 as number 79 of 300, and built at the Gibson Nashville Custom Shop. It is in excellent condition with the original black Gibson Custom branded hard shell case but no Certificate of Authenticity. Construction is of the simplified type mentioned below, with Mahogany for the two-piece body and neck and Indian Rosewood for the fingerboard with a black finish topped with a reproduction of Hendrix’s ‘Love Drops’ artwork. The back of the head shows the Custom Shop logo, Hendrix signature reproduction and serial number as JIMI 073. The metal parts are Chrome plated. Kluson style tuners with Keystone buttons, short frameless Vibrola tailpiece and ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles. Electronics start with a pair of ’57 Classic pickups, individual volume controls, three-position pickup selector, master tone and output hack, all mounted on an off-white three layer pickguard.

The original, for a time on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was used extensively during Hendrix’s 1967 and 1968 European tours, and into 1969. It was used BBC Radio sessions and appeared on a number of recordings, including parts of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and ‘Little Miss Strange’.

Ultimately, the guitar was given to Mick Cox, who stripped the finish and sold it around 1973, at which point it was refinished in its original black. In 1994 it re-appeared for sale and the new owners restored Hendrix’s custom paint from photographs. This work was ultimately provided to Gibson and used for this series of 300 Gibson Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic Flying V Custom Shop ‘Inspired By’ guitars. That history is detailed on this page. At Gibson, the custom paint was hand-applied by Bruce Kunkel.

Gibson had previously built 400 Flying V Hendrix Hall of Fame models from 1991 to 1993, but these were the stock black finish without the custom paint. The company currently offers a version of this in right and left handed versions, though they have some differences notably the Ebony fingerboard and custom inlays.

The Flying V was launched as one of three futuristic guitars in 1958. The trio consisted of the Explorer, Flying V, and the Moderne. The Moderne only existed as one or two prototypes and was not produced until 1982 as part of the Heritage series. The Explorer and Flying V were dropped in 1959, with the V returning from 62-63 and then in a simpler design from 1966 to 1970, and then 1975 to 1981. Other variations have followed since then, and it’s become a standard part of the Gibson lineup. The Explorer had a similar production pattern, reappearing in 1963 though those may have been unsold 1958 models. Again in simplified form, it was built from 1975 to 1982 at which point Metal and related genres were rising in popularity and variations on the original Explorer design took off and those are also standard parts of the Gibson lineup.