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An epic new Flying V designed for modern technical players

Born from countless hours at the workbench, the DES Series grew out of Master Luthier Jim DeCola and the skilled craftspeople in Gibson craftories working side by side with Gibson Artist Ambassador and Board member Cesar Gueikian. Countless feature combinations were explored and refined, ultimately converging on looks, feel, and sound destined to become instant classics. The result is the DES Series, a visually striking series of limited-run instruments defined by bold inlays, fresh finishes, and feature sets inspired by a mantra Cesar champions at Gibson: ”Do Epic Sh#t!” Created to spark inspiration and forge a lasting connection between player and instrument, the new DES models allow musicians to feel a measure of the same pride and craftsmanship that goes into every guitar built at Gibson. In keeping with the DES spirit, a portion of every Gibson.com and Gibson Garage purchase supports Gibson Gives, the Gibson 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.

The Flying V™ DES began with a real instrument that Cesar envisioned and built at the Gibson craftory in Nashville, Tennessee. It starts with a Flying V 80s mahogany body, capped with a multi-ply bound AAA figured maple top. The mahogany neck features a fast-playing SlimTaper™ profile. It has a bound ebony fretboard with a 10”-16” compound radius that delivers low action, easy chording, and smooth bends without fretting out. The fretboard is equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets and adorned with mother-of-pearl Super Split Block inlays similar to those found on the Gibson Supreme models and vintage Super 400 archtop.

The Flying V DES has a Gibson open book headstock with five-ply binding around the perimeter and a Custom split-diamond mother-of-pearl inlay. A Graph Tech® nut paired with locking Grover® tuners with keystone buttons ensures rock-solid tuning stability. The other ends of the strings pass over an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and anchor to an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece. All the hardware is black nickel, which perfectly fits the Flying V DES aesthetic.

A set of the all-new Gibson ELEV8 humbucker™ pickups powers the Flying V DES. For the first time, Gibson is using powerful Alnico 8 magnets in the construction of these new pickups, along with custom-gauge wire for a powerful, focused tone with tight low end that is ideal for high-gain and modern musical styles. They deliver powerful tones with an intensity that doesn’t sacrifice articulation, clarity, and dynamic control. The ELEV8 pickups in the Flying V DES are left uncovered and have zebra bobbins. The Flying V DES uses a traditional Flying V 80s control layout with individual volume controls for each pickup, a master tone control, and a three-way pickup selector toggle switch.

Finished in a stunning Ghost Burst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer that highlights the figured maple top and complements the black nickel hardware and zebra pickup coils, the Flying V DES comes packed in a Gibson hardshell case for safe storage and transport. Take your playing to epic heights and do something epic for a worthy charity, and order your Flying V DES today. Handcrafted in very limited numbers, no more than 150 DES guitars will be produced in total, so act fast and get your favorite today while they’re still available.

Highlights

  • Mahogany body
  • AAA figured maple top
  • Mahogany neck with a SlimTaper profile
  • Compound radius bound ebony fretboard
  • Super Split Block fretboard and Custom split diamond headstock inlays
  • Black nickel hardware
  • New ELEV8 humbucker pickups with Alnico 8 magnets
  • Hardshell case

Guitar Specifications

Body Specs

Back Mahogany

Binding Multi-ply white top and headstock, single-ply white fretboard

Body Finish Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer

Body Material Mahogany

Body Shape Flying V

Body Styles Solidbody

Top AAA figured maple

Weight Relief None

Neck Specs

Fingerboard Material Ebony

Fingerboard Radius Compound, 10 in. to 16 in. | 254 mm to 406.4 mm

Fret Count 22

Frets Medium Jumbo

Inlays Mother-of-pearl Super Split Block

Joint Glued-in, set neck

Neck Material Mahogany

Nut Material GraphTech

Nut Width 43.05mm / 1.7in

Profile SlimTaper

Scale Length 628.65mm / 24.75in

Electronics Specs

Bridge Pickup ELEV8 Plus

Controls 2 volume, 1 tone

Neck Pickup ELEV8

Output Jack 1/4"

Pickup Selector 3-way toggle

Hardware Specs

Bridge Nashville Tune-O-Matic

Control Covers Black

Control Knobs Black Speed

finish Mixed

Mounting Rings Black

Pickguard None

Pickup Covers None

Plastic Parts Black

Strap Buttons 2

Switch Tip Black

Tailpiece Stop Bar

Truss Rod Cover 2-ply black/white

Tuner Plating Black nickel

Tuning Machines Locking Grover Rotomatic with Keystone buttons

Misc Specs

Case Hardshell case

Model: DSVDES26GBBN1

Headstock Les Paul/SG Custom

Headstock Inlay Mother-of-pearl Custom split-diamond

Strings Gauge 10-46

Gibson Flying V DES, Ghost Burst, Exclusive

Gibson Flying V DES, Ghost Burst, Exclusive

Price
Regular price £3,099
Price incl. VAT. Free Shipping.
Details
Mahogany body, AAA figured maple top, mahogany neck with a SlimTape...
Finish
Ghost Burst • Exclusive

Free & Fast Shipping

Orders placed before 1:00 PM Monday - Friday will be processed the same day. Orders placed after this cutoff will ship the next business day. All orders over £50 receive free ground shipping. During sale and promotion periods delivery might take a little longer than expected.

Lifetime Warranty

Shop and play with confidence knowing that your instrument is protected by our limited lifetime warranty. Learn more about warranties and exclusions here .

Case Included

Your instrument ships with a factory-supplied hard- or soft-shell case for safe storage and transportation. Please refer to the product specifications for details.

Setup Included

Our craftory-trained technicians perform a final thorough inspection and detailed setup moments before your instrument is packed and shipped to you.

Three Months Free

Three Free Months of the Gibson App

For a limited time only, receive a three-month subscription to the Gibson App for free with the purchase of this product. Click here to learn more about the Gibson App.

View full details

An epic new Flying V designed for modern technical players

Born from countless hours at the workbench, the DES Series grew out of Master Luthier Jim DeCola and the skilled craftspeople in Gibson craftories working side by side with Gibson Artist Ambassador and Board member Cesar Gueikian. Countless feature combinations were explored and refined, ultimately converging on looks, feel, and sound destined to become instant classics. The result is the DES Series, a visually striking series of limited-run instruments defined by bold inlays, fresh finishes, and feature sets inspired by a mantra Cesar champions at Gibson: ”Do Epic Sh#t!” Created to spark inspiration and forge a lasting connection between player and instrument, the new DES models allow musicians to feel a measure of the same pride and craftsmanship that goes into every guitar built at Gibson. In keeping with the DES spirit, a portion of every Gibson.com and Gibson Garage purchase supports Gibson Gives, the Gibson 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.

The Flying V™ DES began with a real instrument that Cesar envisioned and built at the Gibson craftory in Nashville, Tennessee. It starts with a Flying V 80s mahogany body, capped with a multi-ply bound AAA figured maple top. The mahogany neck features a fast-playing SlimTaper™ profile. It has a bound ebony fretboard with a 10”-16” compound radius that delivers low action, easy chording, and smooth bends without fretting out. The fretboard is equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets and adorned with mother-of-pearl Super Split Block inlays similar to those found on the Gibson Supreme models and vintage Super 400 archtop.

The Flying V DES has a Gibson open book headstock with five-ply binding around the perimeter and a Custom split-diamond mother-of-pearl inlay. A Graph Tech® nut paired with locking Grover® tuners with keystone buttons ensures rock-solid tuning stability. The other ends of the strings pass over an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and anchor to an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece. All the hardware is black nickel, which perfectly fits the Flying V DES aesthetic.

A set of the all-new Gibson ELEV8 humbucker™ pickups powers the Flying V DES. For the first time, Gibson is using powerful Alnico 8 magnets in the construction of these new pickups, along with custom-gauge wire for a powerful, focused tone with tight low end that is ideal for high-gain and modern musical styles. They deliver powerful tones with an intensity that doesn’t sacrifice articulation, clarity, and dynamic control. The ELEV8 pickups in the Flying V DES are left uncovered and have zebra bobbins. The Flying V DES uses a traditional Flying V 80s control layout with individual volume controls for each pickup, a master tone control, and a three-way pickup selector toggle switch.

Finished in a stunning Ghost Burst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer that highlights the figured maple top and complements the black nickel hardware and zebra pickup coils, the Flying V DES comes packed in a Gibson hardshell case for safe storage and transport. Take your playing to epic heights and do something epic for a worthy charity, and order your Flying V DES today. Handcrafted in very limited numbers, no more than 150 DES guitars will be produced in total, so act fast and get your favorite today while they’re still available.

Highlights

  • Mahogany body
  • AAA figured maple top
  • Mahogany neck with a SlimTaper profile
  • Compound radius bound ebony fretboard
  • Super Split Block fretboard and Custom split diamond headstock inlays
  • Black nickel hardware
  • New ELEV8 humbucker pickups with Alnico 8 magnets
  • Hardshell case

Guitar Specifications

Body Specs

Back Mahogany

Binding Multi-ply white top and headstock, single-ply white fretboard

Body Finish Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer

Body Material Mahogany

Body Shape Flying V

Body Styles Solidbody

Top AAA figured maple

Weight Relief None

Neck Specs

Fingerboard Material Ebony

Fingerboard Radius Compound, 10 in. to 16 in. | 254 mm to 406.4 mm

Fret Count 22

Frets Medium Jumbo

Inlays Mother-of-pearl Super Split Block

Joint Glued-in, set neck

Neck Material Mahogany

Nut Material GraphTech

Nut Width 43.05mm / 1.7in

Profile SlimTaper

Scale Length 628.65mm / 24.75in

Electronics Specs

Bridge Pickup ELEV8 Plus

Controls 2 volume, 1 tone

Neck Pickup ELEV8

Output Jack 1/4"

Pickup Selector 3-way toggle

Hardware Specs

Bridge Nashville Tune-O-Matic

Control Covers Black

Control Knobs Black Speed

finish Mixed

Mounting Rings Black

Pickguard None

Pickup Covers None

Plastic Parts Black

Strap Buttons 2

Switch Tip Black

Tailpiece Stop Bar

Truss Rod Cover 2-ply black/white

Tuner Plating Black nickel

Tuning Machines Locking Grover Rotomatic with Keystone buttons

Misc Specs

Case Hardshell case

Model: DSVDES26GBBN1

Headstock Les Paul/SG Custom

Headstock Inlay Mother-of-pearl Custom split-diamond

Strings Gauge 10-46

Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 1 reviews.

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Reviews

Amazing and truly next level

"Amazing and truly next level on every aspect. One of my favorites! Thank you Gibson!"

— Ronald B. (5/5)

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