Cherry Red Gibson Flying V '58 copy

Contents

Introduction
Chinese copies
References

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1. Introduction

Since early 2022 the present writer had scanned Chinese electric guitar sale sites such as DHgate, Aliexpress and even eBay, due to the fact that they offered a wide variety of electric guitars at relatively low prices. By the end of 2025 two had been purchased (each around Aus$300). They included a copy of Jimmy Page's famous Dragon Telecaster - a 1958-59 model given him by Jeff Beck during their membership of the Yardbirds in 1966 and subsequently used up to the recording of the first Led Zeppelin album, and even on later songs such as Stairway to Heaven. The second was a Gibson Les Paul copy in purple with gold hardware. Both were awesome, and the buyer was very satisfied with the purchases.

The interest in iconic guitars from the Sixties continued with the purchase during early 2026 of a copy of the Jimi Hendrix 1967 Gibson Flying V. Like the Dragon Telecaster, it too had been painted by the guitarist during a LSD haze around May 1967. The copy was right handed, and on sale for Aus$350 - a thousand dollars cheaper than the Epiphone version and about three thousand cheaper than the genuine Gibson copy which had first appeared during 2016 (refer link above). The other famous painted guitar from that era was Eric Clapton's '64 Gibson SG The Fool, so-named after the Dutch artists who painted it. This guitar was rare in copy form due to the complexity of the artwork which covered the whole instrument front and back, and therefore could only be reproduced by hand.

Throughout all of this, back in 2024 the writer noticed a beautiful cherry red copy of the Gibson 1958 Flying V, with gold hardware, available from some unknown Chinese guitar manufacturer/s. On occasion a left-handed copy popped up, but at Aus$600+ these guitars were out of reach. Eventually, during July 2026, one appeared for sale through Aliexpress at half price (Aus$269) and was snapped up. As noted, the design, as seen in the image above, was based on the original 1958 Gibson Flying V (illustrated below), with only minor changes.

Original 1958 Gibson Flying V plus case.

These changes included the paint (the original was unpainted Korina wood with a protective gloss), a black, full-body pick guard (as opposed to the original half-body in white or black) and gold round controls, replacing original black caps. The distinctive jack socket circular surround was replaced on the Chinese version by a diamond shaped on in black. The original metallic arrow-head plate covering the string entrance into the body remained, as did two humbucker pickups, a floating bridge, the distinctive V-shaped body design, a fully accessible 22 fret neck, and the large headstock bearing the Gibson logo.

Though difficult to hold and play in a seated position due to the large wings of the body, the guitar sat easy in the standing position for recording or live performance, though the man who made it famous to a modern pop audience around 1964 - Dave Davies of the Kinks - initially held it rather awkwardly, with one arm sliding under the upper V extension, as seen in the photograph below.

The Kinks, circa 1966.

Prior to Davis, the American blue player Albert King famously used a Flying V from the time of its initial release in 1958-9 and throughout the rest of his playing career, though replacing his original model with later editions by Gibson. King's style of playing the instrument was, during the early days, distinctive, as he was left-handed but did not adjust the strings on the guitar accordingly; instead, he left them strung as a right-handed player would string the guitar, and playing his instrument with the thicker strings at the bottom (as he held it) and the thinner strings at the top.

Albert King with 1967 Flying V.

In contrast, the left-handed Jimi Hendrix, when playing his 1967 Gibson Flying V, played it in the traditional manner, with the strings arranged thick to thin from top to bottom. The photograph below shows Hendrix with his painted Flying V during a European television appearance.

Jimi Hendrix, '67 Flying V.

In the modern era the Flying V has been used and adapted by heavy rock bands, such is the nature of the distinct sound emanating from the unique body shape and the Gibson humbuckers. The guitar was also relatively light and easy to handle, compared with the heavier Gibson Les Paul or Fender Telecaster guitars as mentioned above. This lightness may be typical of the genuine models. The meaty sound of the Gibson accommodated both blues and rock, to the degree that Jimi Hendrix used his 1967 Flying V for a period of 18 months from May of that year through to late 1968, alongside his more famous Fender Stratocasters.

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2. Another Chinese copy?

To be frank, it is often considered that Chinese copies of guitar are of lesser quality then their "genuine" branded equivalents, and in some cases this is true. The fact that there is no easy service model, and in transport across the seas sometimes they arrive smashed to pieces, turns some buyers off, unwilling to take the risk. However, the fact is, a lot of those same famous name brand guitars and pieces of equipment are actually coming from Asian factories, rather then their traditional American or English sources. Many Marshall amps, for example, are made in Vietnam, as are Fender guitars. As such, and from first hand experience, the quality of many modern day Chinese guitars is high. They can fall down in the quality of the pickups and tuners, however these are easily replaced. The build quality is usually high, and this is why they are used by traditional manufacturers such as Gibson and Fender, as the cost of production is also lower compared to that in Western countries. As a result, the phenomena now exists of individuals posting on Facebook websites such as Chibson Owners photographs of a swathe of Chinese guitars of all varieties - purchased and collected due to the low cost price, and perhaps sometimes never played. However, like all guitar, the true value lies in the playability, and that can be both a personal thing and connected with the quality and age of the instrument. Most guitar players are aware of the famous old icon guitars played by musicians such as Neil Young (black Les Paul), Peter Frampton (Black Beauty Les Paul) and Kirk Hammett of Metallica ("Greeny") to name a few.

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3. References

NB: The following list of references covers all the guitars noted in the links at the head of this article.

Bacon, Tony, Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2011, 160p.

-----, Jeff Beck on giving Page the "Stairway" Tele and other tales from the a life in guitars, Bacon Archives, Reverb.com [website], 21 June 2018. First announcement of the restoration of the Dragon Telecaster.

Brewis, David, How I discovered Jimi Hendrix's psychedelic Flying V, Reverb, 3 January 2019.

Dalton, Andrew, Guitarist Jimmy Page looks back at 50 Years of Led Zeppelin, AP News, 31 October 2018.

Erlain, Jeff, Jimmy Page's guitars: a short history, Five Watt World, 28 January 2022, YouTube, duration: 30.29 minutes.

Five Watt World, The Gibson Flying V: A Short History, Five Watt World, 18 June 2020, YouTube, duration: 26.14 minutes.

-----, The Guitars of Eric Clapton - A Short History, Five Watt World, 7 July 2022, YouTube, duration: 25.33 minutes.

Fjestad, Zachary R. and Larry Meiners, Gibson Flying V, 2Blue Book Publications, 2008, 104p.

Gibson, Gibson Custom 1967 Mahogany Flying V reissue, gloss, sparkling burgundy, Gibson Custom Shop, 2019.

Gill, Chris, The secrets behind Eric Clapton's guitar tone on Cream's Sunshine of Your Love, Guitar World, 15 April 2022.

Guitar Hangar, Gibson Eric Clapton Todd Rundgren Fool Guitar [webpage], Guitar Hanger.

Hunter, Dave, Fender Telecaster & Stratocaster: The story of the world's most iconic guitars, Voyageur Press, 2020, 320p. Introduction by Tony Bacon.

Jimi Hendrix and the love drops story: The magic Flying V, The Flying V Documentary, 27 December 2027, YouTube, duration: 8.33 minutes.

Jimi Hendrix Epiphone "Love Drops" Flying V - full demo, Official Epiphone, 28 November 2024, YouTube, duration: 6.20 minutes.

Jimmy Page quietly revealed his restored original Dragon Telecaster for the first time in 50 years, Led Zeppelin News [blog], 24 January 2019.

McGuinness, Tim, The amazing story of how one of Jimi Hendrix's famous guitars ended up in a Newcastle music shop, Chronicle Live, 17 November 2020.

Meiners, Larry, Flying V: The Illustrated History, Flying Vintage, 2001, 72p.

Muir, Ross, The Fool Guitar - The Fool Story, FabricationsHQ [blog], August 2010.

Organ, Michael, Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster '58, blogger.com, 18 December 2020.

-----, Eric Clapton '64 Gibson SG The Fool, blogger.com, 4 July 2021.

-----, Jimi Hendrix psychedelic Gibson '67 flying V, blogger.com, 25 September 2021.

-----, Jimi Hendrix Flying V 1967 copy, blogger.com, 30 March 2026.

-----, Cherry Red Flying V '58 copy, blogger.com, 23 July 2026.

Oxman, J. Craig, Clapton's Fool: History's Greatest Guitar?, Vintage Guitar, December 2011, 62–66.

Page, Jimmy, Jimmy Page: The Anthology, Genesis Publications, London, 2020, 400p.

Pattingale, Graham and Bob Elliott, Cream - The Gig List, 1967, From the Blues to Wheels of Fire [website], n.d.

Raul, The tragic end to Jimmy Page's 1958 Fender "Dragon" Telecaster guitar, Feelnumb.com [website], 10 January 2011.

RB, classicGear - Gibson Flying V, Guitarist, #463, September 2020, 130.

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Exhibition 2012, featuring the restored original Hendrix 1967 Flying V, YouTube, duration: 2.12 minutes.

-----, Play It Loud, 6 June 2020, YouTube, duration: 2.12 minutes. Exhibition featuring the restored original Hendrix 1967 Flying V.

Roman, Ed, Eric Clapton's Fool Guitar [webpage], Roman Guitars, Las Vegas.

Rosen, Steven, Legendary guitar: The saga of Eric Clapton's famous Fool SG, Lifestyle, Gibson Guitars, 16 April 2008.

The Fool Gibson SG Guitar, Facebook, accessed 8 January 2023.

The Tone Bender Timeline History [webpage], page 4, 2009.

Worst Guitar, The greatest guitar Jimi Hendrix played - the Gibson Flying V, Worst Guitar, 29 March 2020, YouTube, duration: 9.42 minutes.

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Last updated: 25 July 2026

Michael Organ, Australia

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Cherry Red Gibson Flying V '58 copy

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