Since this is considered one of the "Holy Grails" of vintage guitars, very few authentic original 1958/1959 Flying Vs are traded today, and it is difficult to correctly value this instrument. However, a clean Flying V will probably bring between $250,000 and $350,000. Each instrument should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and we suggest having several appraisals performed before buying or selling.
The Flying V model was introduced in 1958 and had an original retail price of $247.50 plus $75 for the case. A modernistic concept guitar (along with the Explorer and Moderne) from Gibson, this model had very limited manufacture (98 instruments were produced during 1958-59, no records are available for 1962-63). Original Flying V cases have sold for as much as $10,000! The 1962-1963 period of manufacture was mostly a clean-up of earlier bodies and related parts that were never finished during the first production run, and values seem to be less than the 1958 models. Notable differences between the first production Flying Vs and the parts clean up models include two patent number pickups, nickel hardware, and a black case.
Price History