MICHAEL SCHENKER 1971 Flying V Collector's Edition Guitar Unveiled By GIBSON

Gibson Custom has announced the release of the Michael Schenker 1971 Flying V Collector's Edition, a meticulously crafted recreation of one of the most influential guitars in hard rock and heavy metal history.

Known for his work with UFO, SCORPIONS and the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, Schenker helped define the sound and tone of a generation.

Inspired by Michael Schenker's iconic 1971 Medallion Flying V, originally in Cherry Red, later in black, and ultimately transformed into the unforgettable black-and-white design that became his signature, this limited-edition model captures every detail of the instrument used to record the first three UFO albums. This limited run of 50 guitars, each hand-signed by Schenker himself, is available worldwide at authorized Gibson Custom dealers, Gibson Garage locations, and on www.gibson.com.

Few guitars have left a mark on hard rock and heavy metal like Michael Schenker's iconic 1971 Flying V. Now part of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett's renowned guitar collection, Gibson Custom created the Schenker 1971 Flying V Collector's Edition based on precise 3D scans of the original instrument. This Collector's Edition features a mahogany body with a partially painted white pickguard, a three-piece mahogany neck with a slim artist profile and volute, and a one-piece rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and cellulose dot inlays. The Flying V headstock continues the signature split-color motif and is fitted with Schaller M6 tuners and a Corian nut. A pair of uncovered T-Top humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets delivers the unmistakable clarity and bite of the era, each wired to its own volume control with a shared tone knob using 500k CTS potentiometers, along with a Switchcraft three-way toggle and ¼ inch output jack, rounds out the electronics.

Limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, each guitar is hand-signed by Michael Schenker on the back of the headstock and comes housed in a custom replica flight case adorned with MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP graphics. Also included is a commemorative mahogany display block featuring a #56 Medallion, and a Certificate Of Authenticity presented in a matching black-and-white folio. This is a rare opportunity to own a replica of what many consider the most influential Flying V ever made — crafted in honor of one of rock's most iconic guitarists.

The chance for Kirk to purchase Michael Schenker's iconic 1971 Flying V came in 2020 when he was e-mailed by its then-owner, Wolf Hoffmann, from the German heavy metal band ACCEPT. For Kirk, it was a "huge" moment. "Wolf Hoffmann got it from Michael Schenker's tour manager, who had been sitting on it for like, 20 years," Kirk explains. "But it's the original 'Medallion' V that Michael Schenker played on UFO albums 'Phenomenon', 'Force It' and 'No Heavy Petting'. It's crazy because you can still see some of the red finish, if you look at certain spots on the guitar."

Something else that validated the guitar for Kirk was its arrival in a flightcase stenciled with the former London telephone number of Peter Mensch, one of the founders of METALLICA's management company Q Prime. After he left UFO in 1978, Michael Schenker stayed at Mensch's house for a year or so.

"Michael knows I have the guitar and he said 100 percent, that's the guitar he played on those three UFO albums," says Kirk. "For me, that's amazing; I spent years — it feels like years! — listening to UFO guitar solos, trying to figure them out. I spent so much time listening to that particular guitar. It's one of those full-circle things.

"The Schenker Flying V is almost like a religious relic for me. It represents so much of my youth and all the travails I went through in just trying to learn how to play guitar and be a great improviser and soloist like Michael Schenker. I spent so much time as a teenager just staring at this guitar on the back of UFO's 'Force It' album. There's a picture of Michael Schenker playing this very guitar — it's red, you can see the medallion — and I used to stare at the guitar and go, 'I need to get a Flying V.' Little did I know that, decades later, I would have the very Flying V that I was staring at.

"I seem to be able to attract guitars I spent so much attention on over the years, and somehow or another, they've made their way towards me. Maybe it was a manifestation. There isn't really an explanation that's valid as to why these things happen. Every time something happens, there's a reason for it happening. I haven't gotten to that reason yet. I'm just celebrating the fact that it happened, and I'm fucking really, really happy and grateful and humbled by it."