1998 Gibson 1959 Historic Korina Flying V

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Despite the fact that they became Lonnie Mack's (1958) and Albert King's (1959) iconic guitars, the Flying V was just way ahead of its time. Too bad, because today I picture Buddy Holly in my head holding one and it looks pretty badass. It took 15 years for rock musicians to realize this! Oh well... Now the original Korina V's are among the most sought-after guitars ever, fetching $250k and up.

This is the 1959 Historic Korina version of those legendary guitars, made in 1998. VERY rare guitar, produced in such low numbers (Gibson won't detail exactly how many) that they've become almost impossible to find these days. Especially such beautiful examples as this one.

The reason explaining the low production numbers in this run all point out to the Korina (Limba) solid wood used. Korina is a highly endangered wood, and very, very hard to find. Limba changes a lot after it dries, so usually cracks and other kind of imperfections appear after the drying process, requiring huge planks to guarantee enough flawless amount for a guitar body. It's also tremendously hard to work with, a luthier's nightmare in many cases! With all the added difficulty (high, price, availability, etc.) they're just probably not worth the hassle for Gibson anymore, and I honestly doubt we'll see these back into standard production ever again.

This guitar is in the featherweight category: 6lbs 11oz (3040gr)!! The lightest Historic V's I've seen are all around the 7-7.5 lb range, but this one is especially light. A true delight to hang around your neck and carry around the stage for hours.

The resonance is up to what you'd expect from a Korina body: infinite sustain, killer harmonics, and that unmistakeable added sparkle only Korina can deliver. There's just nothing like it.

Look at the beauty of the grain. I've seen many Korina bodies, but not many have such a perfectly aligned grain as this one does. The same goes for the super-dark fretboard, with truly stunning grain... an absolute show-stopper!

The guitar is practically in NOS condition. It's kind of sad to see a stunning, well-sounding instrument as this in such new condition, but that's how things are sometimes. It is of course a very, very collectable instrument, but it's also a tone monster, no doubt about it. This one has no fret wear, no scratches, repairs or anything, except for a minor ding in the back edge (check photos) and a couple of small scuffs made with the case's neck rest. Pretty minor stuff, but they're there. Otherwise, the guitar would be brand-new. 100% original and unmodified, of course.

It comes with the "coffin" brown case with the pink interior. Very cool!

This is a great chance to catch a very tough bird, folks! 

Details :

Year: 1998
Series: Custom Shop Historic Reissue Series
Model:1959 Historic Korina Flying V
Body: Korina
Weight: 6 lbs 11 oz (3040g)
Finish: Nitrocellulose
Color: Antique Natural
Neck: Korina
Neck profile: 59 rounded
Radius: 12" (305mm)
Scale: 24.75" (629mm)
Width at nut: 1.687" (42mm)
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays:Pearloid Dot
Frets: 22
Bridge/Tailpiece: ABR-1 Bridge, Flying V
Machine Heads: Vintage-style Tulip Tuners
Pickups: 2x 57 Classic Humbuckers
Controls: 2 x Volume, 1 x  Master Tone, 3-way switch

Original brown "coffin" case with pink interior, checklist, tags. No COA in 1998.