WHEN GIBSON UNVEILED the Flying V and Explorer in its Modernist Series in 1958, their radical designs quickly proved the very definition of “ahead of their time.” Gibson president Ted McCarty and his team concocted the sharp angles and space-age looks to conquer the rock and roll revolution, but not too many notable artists were bold enough to embrace the daring styles, and relatively few were sold before the models were deleted from the catalog after 1960.
Today, most see these Modernist designs as having been aimed at musical styles that were yet to be born. After the Flying V’s 1967 reissue (and further iterations that followed in the ’70s), and the Explorer’s 1976 re-introduction after rock-leaning competitors began adopting the shape, these models quickly secured their iconic status in heavy rock and metal and have remained hotly in demand ever since.
Rarely, however, have they been available in
