How to Make a Flying V Guitar
Gibson created the Flying V guitar in the 1950s. It never gained the popularity of the Gibson Les Paul or the E 335 popularized by B.B. King. Nonetheless, the Flying V has always been respected by guitar aficionados because of its unique shape. It sounds similar to a Les Paul because of its solid body and humbucker pickups. The great St. Louis blue guitarist Albert King has done more than anyone else to popularize the Flying V. He used it throughout his career and his guitar tone has become synonymous with the Flying V.
Things You'll Need
- Wood
- Gibson Flying V guitar template
- Gibson humbucking pickups
- Power drill and drill bits
- Oscillating sander
- Plunge router
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Various grits of sandpaper
- Wood primer
- Acrylic spray paint
- Blue painter's tape
- Double adhesive tape
Instructions
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1
Secure the guitar template to the wood with double adhesive tape.Trace around the guitar body shapes with a marker. Trace the front and back of the guitar. Trace the template for the pickguard on the material.
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2
Drill the holes for the pickups, the volume and tone controls and the bridge. Use the guitar template as a guide. The depth depends on the hardware that is being installed. Match the drill bit with the screws that come with the pickups. Drill out the cavities with a power drill and then, finish clearing them with a ball bearing guided router.
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3
Use the router to cut the body and neck shapes from the wood. Roughly follow the trace line. Once the body is cut out it will be sanded down to fine tune the shape.
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4
Make the guitar neck. Secure the guitar neck black with double adhesive tape on the wood for the guitar neck. Trace around the black with a marker and then use the router to cut the neck and drill the holes for the guitar tuners. Sand the edges. Measure the length of the neck and install a premade fretboard. The fretboard is glued to the neck.
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5
Trace the pickguard template on the pickguard blank. Cut out the pickguard with a hacksaw and bevel the edges with a file. Sand the beveled edges with sand paper.
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6
Sand the body with an oscillating sander. Finish the sanding the body with sandpaper. Begin with 80 grit and finish with fifty grit. Dust all the sand from the body.
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7
Prime and paint the guitar body. Cover the all the cavities with blue painter's tape to protect them. Apply a primer coat the wood. Allow it to dry and lightly sand it to remove any bumps. Paint the guitar with acrylic spray paint. Apply one coat and after it thoroughly dries, apply a second coat. Protect the paint finish with a coat of lacquer. The guitar neck can be either painted the same color or stained to maintain a wood finish.
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8
Install the electronics. Begin by installing the bridge and then, the pickups and controls. Place the neck pickup in the its cavity and thread the wires into the control cavity. The wires are color coded. Solder the wires to the appropriate places on the volume, tone and switch controls. Repeat with the bridge pickup. Once the pickups are connected, secure the pickups in place with screws and and screw the control panel in place.
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9
Install the guitar tuners to the tuning head and assemble the guitar neck to the body. The neck is attached to the body with four Phillips head screws.
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Tips & Warnings
Aligning and adjusting a guitar neck properly is difficult. If you are inexperienced seek advice and help at the local guitar store or from knowledgeable friend.
Soldering is an easy procedure but it requires experience as well. If the wires are not soldered properly they may not work or they could short out.
