About Me
In the mid 50s, Ted McCarty, Gibson's new president, set out to further set Gibson apart from Fender. He wanted to create new designs that did not conform to the basic guitar shape. He wanted something new, something different. Together with a local artist, McCarty worked on guitars that were made up of straight lines, and three new guitars were born- the Moderne, the Flying V and the Explorer.The Moderne was the only one that never quite made it into production. The Flying V and the Explorer (whose body was intended to look like a lightning bolt) were introduced in 1958. The body of the guitars were made out of Korina, a light colored and lightweight wood that looked very exotic. However, sales of the two guitars were bad, as their shapes were just too weird for guitarists at that time. Not more than 200 units of each guitar were sold, and production ceased around 1959-1960.The Flying V however found a new lease of life when it was used by, among others, Lonnie Mack, blues master Albert King and Dave Davies of the Kinks. The Explorer was popularized by Rick Derringer. By 1970, these two guitars had become classics. More and more companies, especially Japanese ones, were copying the Flying V, and eventually Gibson began reproducing the two models, as well as the forgotten Moderne.Today, the original Flying Vs and Explorers have become priceless vintage guitars. The search for the original Moderne, which has earned the name "the Holy Grail of electric guitars", still continues. One thing for sure, these three guitars have changed the traditional image of guitars, and laid down the foundations for more innovative and imaginative designs for the future.(Source)
