Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: headtheball on October 10, 2008, 02:09:30 PM
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Having watched this thing hanging on the wall in my LGS or the thick end of two years, I decided to give it a whirl. That i happened to be wearing a suit for once no doubt aided my cause in having the request granted (although, paradoxically, I'm actually totally broke, as opposed to the times I went in in jeans and a t-shirt and was relatively flush) and I plugged it up to an old Marshall to see if it was worth a damn at all.
To my (quite large) surprise, it turned out to be a bit of a monster. it played beautifully, balanced well and sounded pretty decent.
The question. I'm (in theory) in for a bit of a big windfall soon. Should i buy it, or is it just too fugly to consider. Because, let's face it, it's clearly made of flamed Uglytree.
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It's ugly, and a Gibson.. 2 reasons to keep your money.
But.. It's weird and unique and kinda cool in a demented way..
Hard to call, I probably wouldn't be able to justify it if it costs as much as most Gibsons. If it was cheap enough though I'd definitely have it for cool-factor.
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I'm a bit biased for this answer, but would do it even more in that guitar, toooooooooooo ugly to have one...
Get a Flying V made from a luthier (or a normal...) and ask for Tim wind a pickup in that way... No idea of how doing it and if he would do it... :lol:
"V-II Boomerang pickups were not used on any other Gibson guitar. Looking at the underside of these transducers reveal no clues as to their construction because they are potted with a dark compound. Potting usually quiets a pickup by reducing microphonic effects.
Inside the V-shaped black plastic pickup cover are two separate single coils. These appear to be wired in series and out-of-phase for noise immunity. Each coil is assembled with a clear plastic bobbin containing a bar magnet. Both bobbins are taped to a base plate. This plate appears to be a soft, stamped metal in the shape of the bottom end of a hockey stick. Gibson's S-1 guitar pickups resemble these individual bobbins but are larger. Potting may also have been required to hold the bobbins against the top of the pickup cover because the base plate does not allow for screw attachments.
The bass string side coil sits against the back of the pickup cover and is almost perpendicular to the guitar strings. It's coil length covers the three bass side strings (E, A, D). The other coil is situated against the bottom front-side of the cover and has an exaggerated slant as compared to a Stratocaster bridge pickup. This coil covers the treble side strings (G, B, E). With the end of the bass coil pointing into the treble coil one quarter of the way down it's length at about a thirty degree angle from perpendicular, forms the hockey stick with a knob end. Both coils are wrapped with black tape to the baseplate.
Measuring these pickups indicate a high output level, or as players say, these are "hot" pickups. They ranged from 11k to 13k ohms. Sound characterizations are usually subjective, however these guitars have some of the warmth of a Les Paul and a bit of the bite of a Stratocaster. Because they are hot pickups, they tend to be somewhat muddy which is a characteristic of hot, twin-coil humbuckers. With the configuration and output of these V-II pickups in combination with the laminated woods, the sound produced will be like no other solid-body. If it's a different tone you're after, the Flying V-II may be worth a test flight.
Add these one-of-a-kind pickups with metal mounting rings to a special V-shaped tailpiece, 5-piece laminated construction, sculptured body, fancy engraved truss rod cover, brass nut, Gibson headstock inlay and an ebony fretboard which terminates around the V-shaped neck pickup mounting ring and you have a very special instrument. Gibson was still producing a traditional 1970s type Flying V guitar during the time a V-II was available."
from: http://www.flyingvintage.com/gcmag/V2.html
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Being an 80's guy I can't look at one of those without remembering this song/video
Cruella DeVille - Gyspy Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCoGjucb1Z8)
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Being an 80's guy I can't look at one of those without remembering this song/video
Cruella DeVille - Gyspy Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCoGjucb1Z8)
:lol:
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Could even turn out to be a bit of an investment if you could get it for a reasonable price. Bit of research on eBay suggests they are not that common - what's the shop looking for in terms of ££££?
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Bout a quarter past a grand.
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that's not bad. I quite like those guitars. Could become a hot collectors item in the future too.
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Would agree - that is not too bad a price - get them down closer to the 1K mark and you could have yourself an 'appreciating classic'! There is one for sale on EvilBay in the USA at the moment - guy has it on for $2200 starting bid
http://cgi.ebay.com/1982-Red-Gibson-Flying-V2_W0QQitemZ200261761474QQihZ010QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Now, whether or not he GETS this price is a different matter!
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True. i can't see him hitting that mark, purely because the big money in them seems to be in the Natural, boomerang pickup types.
Mind you, I don't do the "investment" thing. I'll be buying it to play the beejesus out of it, and value it may or may not have being purely coincidental.
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True. i can't see him hitting that mark, purely because the big money in them seems to be in the Natural, boomerang pickup types.
If you're going to buy one, you've gotta have the boomerang pickups (although it would be impossible to replace them if they sound shite).
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What we need is a top notch pickup maker who could do something about that...
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What we need is a top notch pickup maker who could do something about that...
Would anyone know of one?*
*This statement may contain sarcasm.
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V2? $%&#ing wicked mate!
:) 8)
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While on the subject of crazy gibsons.
http://guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=7064&catid=78&manid=119&quantity=1&product=Gibson+Les+Paul+Custom+50th+Anniversary+Korina+Tribute+Guitar+%28HB070C%29%2C+Korina%2C+New%2C+Includes%2E+Custom+Shop+case+%26+certificate+of+authenticity
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Being an 80's guy I can't look at one of those without remembering this song/video
Cruella DeVille - Gyspy Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCoGjucb1Z8)
I bought that back in 1983?
Never seen the video for it till earlier this month
Loved the guitar playing on it at the time
Had something Queen like about it in a strange kinda way
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Tim cant/wont do rewinds or repros of those pickups - you would have to go to Kent Armstrong
The two coils are like a P Bass pickup - wired in series but separate and don't cover the same strings.
What price is it up for?
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While on the subject of crazy gibsons.
argh!
Tell me the name of the man who had the idea and he will suffer :evil:
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I think there's about £1200 on it. Expensive, I know, and certainly a big step for me, but it does feel pretty damned nice.
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While on the subject of crazy gibsons.
http://guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=7064&catid=78&manid=119&quantity=1&product=Gibson+Les+Paul+Custom+50th+Anniversary+Korina+Tribute+Guitar+%28HB070C%29%2C+Korina%2C+New%2C+Includes%2E+Custom+Shop+case+%26+certificate+of+authenticity
Ack! PDT_029