Good Thing I'm Fond of Spam

Because I spent the grocery money on this little number:

It's a 1985 Gibson Flying V, which I picked up from J.B. Hart Music in Grand Junction, last week. I saw it there, week before last, but it was already sold. A guy had put a deposit on it.

I told Jan Hart that if he ever came across another Flying V or an Explorer, that he could sell this cheaply, to give me a call. The next day, just after we had returned to Denver, Jan called and told me that the guy who had bought the V came in to pick it up, and then decided that he would rather have a bass. So, Jan let him apply the money toward the bass, and called me.

Coincidentally, I had to return to Grand Junction on Monday, to inspect the CDOT lab, there, so I pulled some cash out of the bank and took it with me.

It didn't look like much, but the guitar played nicely and sounded like ... well, like a Flying V! These things growl, down low, and just have a real snarl, all over the fretboard.

 As I said, it was a bit of a Frankenstein, when I first saw it. The neck has been repaired. Then the whole guitar was rattle-canned red, over the original red paint!

 The Kahler tremelo (so 1980s) has been removed, and its cavity filled with a wood block.

 I ... I just don't know what this is all about...

 I removed the spray paint from the headstock and the neck. I left the original paint in place, where it still existed.

 Then, I resprayed the headstock in black, to match the original paint. I also replaced the weird, mismatched tuners, with some locking Sperzel tuners I had in my parts stash.

 The neck is factory paint, the body is still in Krylon, though I did sand it smooth to remove the runs, drips and orange peel.

I don't know why this one spot was down to bare wood. I may strip the entire back of the neck, eventually. I really do prefer the feel of the bare wood.

So, for about 30% of the normal cost of an Asian-made Epiphone V, I have a made in Nashville (June 5, 1985) Gibson. Yeah, it's been repaired, and the paint is weird, but I would rather have this on stage than a mint-conditon example. If something dings it; so what?

I played it for about an hour and a half, yesterday, after I got it put back together and restrung it. It's a beast! Expect to see it onstage, with Skull Full Of Blues, the next time we play.


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