EPIPHONE JIMI HENDRIX LOVE DROPS FLYING V

Prepare to kiss the sky with Epiphone's latest 'Inspired By...' model

- Stuart Williams

Think of Jimi Hendrix’s guitars and there are two models that are likely to spring to mind. The first would be the upsidedown double-cut made by a brand starting with ‘F’ which, let’s be honest, is and always will be the go-to for aping the bulk of Jimi’s recorded tones. But then there’s the alternative: a Gibson Flying V.

Jimi was sort of late to the party with Gibson’s futuristic model, which first launched in 1958 as part of Ted McCarty’s masterplan to renew the perception of Gibson as the forward-thinking, innovative guitar brand. But it would be another decade or so before the late-’50s idea of how the future might look would converge with the man who showed us exactly how the future of the electric guitar would sound. Jimi got his Flying V in 1967, which was a then-new model. Gibson gave the V a push, with a revamped mahogany body (vs the original korina-bodied models), a smaller headstock and tweaked control layout. Jimi’s original started life with a sunburst finish before he sprayed it black and handpainted the ‘Love Drops’ design himself. That brings us neatly to the guitar we have on test here – the Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom Jimi Hendrix Love Drops Flying V. But, that only takes us part-way through the story (see the boxout over the page for more of that!).

As we’ve seen in recent years from signature models for the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Adam Jones, Noel Gallagher and Dave Grohl to name a few, Epiphone is taking things more seriously than ever when it comes to the guitars you see in shops. These aren’t just the ‘one you get if you can’t afford the Gibson’ models. So, in keeping with this ethos, this guitar falls into the Inspired By… collection. That means greater detail, upgraded electronics and (hopefully) an all-round better guitar brought even closer to the Gibson blueprint.