Gibson Flying V project...

DannyP

That looks really nice, mate. Well done!

speshul91

Looking good man

BloodEagle

Looks awesome - I'd lave the pickup rings off if I were you

Rocker

Leave it as it is my friend, you did a great job. Sort out the wiring issue and you have a guitar for life. Enjoy...

ThePrettyDamned

Oof, bit sexy.

speshul91

I'd say Deffo leave the rings off man

DrBob

For choice I'd have been tempted to go either single pickup for a stripped back V'I'or go all out for a triple pickup V, errr 'V' I suppose if you're hijacking the Firebird model numbers ! ;-)

JudasVigilante

That's one nice mod on an oh so rockin' flying V. Nice job.

Bucket

Guess what, it's finished now! By which I mean it's got three fully functioning pots (well, they're all good quality but I suspect they're not wired up right because something's a bit wrong - I can use the guitar though), and THE PICKUP RINGS ARE ON!

Final piece of the visual jigsaw is in place, not least since I changed the toggle switch and the knobs too. I think it looks fucking fantastic.

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Gibson Flying V/20150316_215335_zpseqqfhmox.jpg

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Gibson Flying V/20150316_215808_zpsdwbtoioc.jpg

I noticed recently that it's even starting to get relic'd - all natural, no belt sanders. It's just a very thin finish and I've played it a lot in the last five years. You can see the finish going on the back and on the neck.

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Gibson Flying V/20150316_215632_zpst5em9mvr.jpg

Still so happy. Firebird pickups are killer and you need them in your guitars. ALL of them. Best I can describe the sound is that it's kind of like a supercharged Tele. Fat but wiry and twangy as well. And it feels SO good. It's a very special guitar, this.

Andyjr1515

That looks really good @bucket

stickyfiddle

This is brilliant. I still prefer without the rings, but it's looking really good either way. I need something with fb pickups...Gah!

OilCityPickups

Congratulations Conner, I think you have come up with about the most innovative and best looking use for a pair of my Firebird Winterizers so far!

I can confirm .... after having it round the workshop ... that that guitar is a stunning player ... and a brilliant looker. Actually the pickup surrounds really work well (I was wrong).

Now my only regret is not getting a pic of you playing my big, semi acoustic WITH THE BIGSBY at mine ;-) 

ICBM

If the pickups are still out of phase you need to swap the hot and ground wires on one of them (not the shield wire, that remains grounded - just the two coloured insulated ones).

Or learn to love the Peter Green/Gary Moore/Kirk Hammett sound… since you have other guitars which do the normal two-humbucker thing.

It looks fantastic too, such an upgrade over the original. Trademark it quick before someone at Gibson spots it and copies you .

OilCityPickups

ICBM said:

If the pickups are still out of phase you need to swap the hot and ground wires on one of them (not the shield wire, that remains grounded - just the two coloured insulated ones).

Or learn to love the Peter Green/Gary Moore/Kirk Hammett sound… since you have other guitars which do the normal two-humbucker thing.

It looks fantastic too, such an upgrade over the original. Trademark it quick before someone at Gibson spots it and copies you .

Conner dropped it round to me and I sorted the phase issue for him, and replaced a duff pot ... gave me a chance to have a play ... and Gibson could do far worse than copy the idea: the lighter, resonant V body goes so well with the tonality of Firebird pickups. 

Oh, would anyone be interested in full humbucker sized Firebird pickups ... to get all of the sound without the fitting issues? Cos I know a man who could do that ;-)

BloodEagle

Looks cool - good job

Bucket

ICBM said:

If the pickups are still out of phase you need to swap the hot and ground wires on one of them (not the shield wire, that remains grounded - just the two coloured insulated ones).

Or learn to love the Peter Green/Gary Moore/Kirk Hammett sound… since you have other guitars which do the normal two-humbucker thing.

It looks fantastic too, such an upgrade over the original. Trademark it quick before someone at Gibson spots it and copies you .

It's not out of phase, it all sounds fine - better than fine. Incredible.

The pots are playing up though - the new tone works (not that I ever use it) but the neck volume is playing up - it does have some effect but not much. When it's rolled all the way off it sounds like it's on about 8! It's also a bit weird that these two new pots are low-friction Bourns ones and the bridge volume is a normal CTS - might get two new CTS ones and swap those in, and put the Bourns ones in my Jackson or something. Good pots but the wiring needs looking at, and it's weird having two different feels

The strings are top-wrapped as well, which I'd never tried before. Not a huge difference but it seems a little slinkier than before...

And @TheGuitarWeasel I'm glad you like the guitar as well! Full-size Firebird pickups would be an ace idea. And I think it's for the best that there's no photo evidence of me using one of the Dread Contraptions...

SteveRobinson

Bucket said:

the neck volume is playing up - it does have some effect but not much. When it's rolled all the way off it sounds like it's on about 8! 

You must have wired it wrong. If it's connected as it should be, turning the pot to zero will shunt the signal to earth so it will be silent.

Why not put the low friction pots on the volumes and the CTS on the tone? 

speshul91

that's looking great man, making me really want to get my hands on a white plate for my v now though

Bucket

SteveRobinson said:

Bucket said:

the neck volume is playing up - it does have some effect but not much. When it's rolled all the way off it sounds like it's on about 8! 

You must have wired it wrong. If it's connected as it should be, turning the pot to zero will shunt the signal to earth so it will be silent.

I don't doubt it, I know there should be nothing wrong with the pots!

ICBM

SteveRobinson said:

Bucket said:

the neck volume is playing up - it does have some effect but not much. When it's rolled all the way off it sounds like it's on about 8! 

You must have wired it wrong. If it's connected as it should be, turning the pot to zero will shunt the signal to earth so it will be silent.

Chances are the ground terminal has separated from the trackboard slightly and isn't making contact - this sometimes happens when you bend the tab back to solder it to the casing - really you should bend just the top part of it over at a right angle using a pair of pliers, not simply push the whole thing back.

You can fix it by squeezing the rivet hard onto the trackboard with a pair of narrow-nose pliers. I see this problem quite a lot, usually with modern CTS pots which aren't made as well as they used to be… although if this one is a Bourns they may be prone to it as well.