Hi, The Red Gibson V that Michael got off of Rudolph was Medallion #56. He had it stripped back to wood, then later had it painted Black, he also purchased another Black V around 1976, this one had a larger headstock and closed humbuckers (featured in the 1977 Lights Out video) he then had the now Black #56 repainted White (the iconic V) he also had another Red V which, along with White, was used during the Obsession tour. On leaving UFO he smashed #56 and had it repaired which time it bacame the Black & White Scorpions/MSG V, it ended up broken again, so he purchased a 79 V with Block inlays as a cover while #56 was being repaired, evidence of the 2nd lot of repairs can be seen on the headstock on the Rock Will Never Die album cover. The Block Inlay V met its end on the Built To Destroy album cover.
@@DunsysGuitarWorld No problem. Michael had another Black and White V in the same vein as #56, during the early MSG years, I'm not 100% certain, but this may have been the Red V I mentioned that appeared as backup on the Obsession tour in 1978. Also I have no idea where the Black V with the large headstock and closed humbuckers ended up, though at a guess I'd say it was more than likely traded or swapped for the aforementioned Red. or on the other hand quite possibly, knowing UFO's aphazard reputation, left in a hotel room somewhere. Eg. Back in 2016 I asked former UFO Bass player, Pete Way "What happened to his Iconic Natural grain 1976 Bicentennial Thunderbird Bass?" His reply was "I honestly don't know, one day I had it, and then I didn't!"
He had 3 with him in '00 (ish) when I saw him. One with blocks one with dots and the other I'm not sure. Had the honor of playing #1 & #3 as he had them labeled at the time. Nice to see him playing Gibson Vs again.
@@DunsysGuitarWorld great video buddy. Blessings to you and your family from Hogganfield Loch Glasgow originally from Saltcoats on Ayrshire coast I've been a Schenker fan from Obsession LP onwards my favourite guitarist. What you've missed is that Gibson won a massive law suit with Dean Guitars who can no longer make the Flying V or other shapes of Gibson I think they are in deep trouble financially now since the court case so Michael probably released from his Dean contract and hence back to Gibson. You sound East coast hope you're a Hibby same as me lol. Kind regards buddy. 🎸✝️🏴
Great to see Michael with a Gibson Flying V, particularly the all white one. Hopefully he recreates his UFO tone and melodic soloing rather than shredding. Gibson should endorse him and create MS versions of the V. He is the most memorable and iconic player of this guitar model over a long period of time.
It would be nice if Gibson made a special Michael Schenker model because I believe as a player and a writer Michael has done more to put the Flying V on the map as an instrument than any other player one can think of….He is just SO synonymous with it…Gibson should rush to pay Michael that honour because no other guitarist deserves that honour as much as he does.
On Friday evening I was at the Wolverhampton (KK's Steel Mill) show. It was a tremendous gig and so good to see Michael playing the white Gibson Flying V, which he used for the entire set.
The new leadership at Gibson is smart. I'd say they realize Michael is a legend and having him in their artist signature lineup makes great business sense. If Gibson releases a signature model, especially black and white, I'm buying it.
I wonder if the black and white thing would cause some type of trademark problem. Hopefully we'll see what happens, because I'm down for the black and white one also!
I'll always remember Michael playing the Gibson Flying V and hope he goes back to his signature black & white model. He can tailor the sound of that guitar like no other. You know it's him when you hear the sound coming out of it. He's the master and the very best ever!
As a Gibson Flying V nut for 30+ years (and full-time player), I can't help wondering why on earth the marketing chumps at Gibson didn't get on with the idea of a Michael Schenker signature V decades ago! There are signature Gibson Vs galore now and frankly some of the players who have them are nothing special. I really don't get it! Did they not approve of his, errr...lifestyle choices perhaps?
It’s because even guitar companies don’t know who he is. Schenker is practically unknown except for UFO/MSG fans, and that is a very limited pool as well, mostly old guys over 60.
There's more to the story than this but all this is fairly accurate. I'm building a website or maybe a video. There are lots of stories and details about the guitars and repairs. Someday, hopefully soon I can make the website.
If my memory serves me correct ,I remember seeing a factory Schenker painted Epiphone V at True Tone Music in Santa Monica CA. way over 20 yrs ago ....If Gibson is in the picture again , They should make his V with the Blunt rounded headstock like the 76 ,77ish era V's ....that would be cool !
It’s crazy how you could get them from folks like Greco, Burny and Aria in Japan back in the day. I think maybe Edwards (by ESP) still do one, or did in the last decade or so.
Yes the Epiphone was a "guitar of the month" but it had the pointed headstock of a 1960s Flying V. There was no official endorsement or mention of Michael Schenker but it was clearly inspired by his guitars.
In the Hamer Guitars book it says that the 1st black and white paint job was done to his V by Hamer I have and ‘84 Tokai Schenker model I love, the the Greco Schenker ones are pretty spot on 70s Vs
Yup, it was Curtis Meissner at Hamer in the mid to late 1970’s who Michael had repair at least two of his Gibson Vees and they were the shop that did the now famous black/white ying/yang paint scheme that we all saw Michael with on the first solo album….
Yes I noticed he was playing Gibson V's on his latest tours, he is touring the states next so will probably pick up a few whilst there. His original V's were sold and some stolen, they had Black Velvet pick up's in some of them.
For those who dont know the story, Michael lost EVERYTHING in his divorce, he lost his Mercedes, all his guitars, everything. He simply signed a deal wtih Dean because he couldnt even afford to buy guitars to go play gigs to survive (keep in mind these guitars cost $2500 a piece). So I hope he is not under contract with Dean and can leave them and go back to Gibson. I also hope his brother will do a signature Flying V line with Gibson as well as Matheas Jabs doing a Explorer line with them.
I remember hearing about that God love him. Poor Michael…Very dark time for him…I didn’t realize he took up the Dean deal because he’d lost his Gibsons through the divorce though….The Dean guitars were very physically robust instruments whereas the Gibsons were more perishable and Michael could very destructive on them….I remember in interviews in the early 1980s Michael saying that his main Gibson Flying V had ‘been in a thousand pieces’….It may have been rebuilt by ‘ Ron Diggins’ possibly….in the early 1980s I acquired two Gibson Flying Vs but I’ve always meticulously taken care of mine, and they weren’t road worn like Michael’s….I seem to remember the Dean Vs were more physically robust on the road than the Gibson Vs…I recall his Brother Rudy did a deal with Dean guitars around the same time as Michael in 2004….But later Michael said he felt he as an artist had been exploited and written out of history by his elder brother and there was a horrible bust up sadly 😔…Michael’s son Tyson I think has tended to play GIBSON Vs actually….Another possible reason Michael has gone back to Gibsons could be because his beloved sister BARBARA sadly passed away recently and Michael might be commemorating her by going back to the Gibsons. But is only a theoretical possibility.
@@walterevans2118 From rumors Ive heard, Michael was a coke fiend at the time and wasnt properly supporting his wife and sons due to his habit, so I dont exactly feel sorry for the fact that he lost everything. But obviously he's learned his lessons and got his life back on track. He also mentioned in interviews that he found out his management and/or record companies were ripping him off. So either for drugs or bad management, he was very poor at that time. As Im sure you know, both Rudolph and Mathias had their Vs/Explorers custom made by Dommenget who is a german luthier. Dommenget did some really great paint schemes on those guitars, so I am hoping if they get a Gibson deal that the paint jobs will be equally as good. It should also be pointed out that Gibson made the Explorer 90 for Mathias back in the late 80s which has 9/10ths of the size of the original Explorer body. I guess this was before the name of artists was used on signature lines of guitars. I didnt hear about Barbara's passing, sad to hear. She always struck me as someone who just wanted to have fun and didnt care about becoming a famous rock star like her brothers.
@@monkeyrater Michael never wanted to be a ‘Rock Star’ at all even if Rudy did. You’ve got that wrong. Michael was always the PURE musician who just enjoyed creating music without caring about fame or money…He faced problems like alcohol because of stage fright but I never heard he was into Coke at all….Michael walked away from fame in the USA in UFO in the late 1970s because it frightened him….And he turned down offers to join Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple which could have made him a lot more money and fame but he preferred to be true to his own musical creative vision with less fame and money….Barbara was a wonderfully funny, surreal humoured person on social media. She would put up all these models of vehicles and animals and they would all be the WRONG SCALE in relation to each other and she and I would be making these really daft surreal comments about them…lol…We’ll all miss her. The world is just a dimmer place without Michael’s little sister Barbara 😔
@@walterevans2118 Just to be clear, Im aware that Michael had issues with stage fright and had a drinking problem since a teenager. But to say he never wanted to be a 'rock star' is slightly overstating it. He definitely did not want to be a bedroom guitarist his whole life and was actively looking for a big name group to join as a 16 year old. When UFO finally achieved mainstream success he just bailed entirely because he did not want to be in a mainstream band like Journey, Def Leppard, Loverboy, etc. He did have a healthy ego about his guitar playing.
I just saw MSG live and he was using a Gibson and on the banners behind him he had his Dean V guitars "changed" (headstock shape) with tape.I was thinking exactly the same thing. Dean is gone. And I think the Dean guitars are removed from the website as well.
Very interesting Dunsy. I always thought that there was a Gibson Michael Schenker Flying V. One of these days I’m going to have to pick up one of some sort. Thanks again as always.
I’ve read stories of a Japanese limited release at some point, but never seen a photo confirming it. Strangely though there are lots of versions made in Japan (none officially) of MSV’s by companies like Greco, Burny, Aria Pro II and Edwards.
2:21 Natural Thing! Great video, Dunsy! IIRC, when he was in UFO, Michael had a spare V which had block inlays which he said he used on the ‘Strangers’ tour, as his #1 was being repaired. I don’t like the Dean’s tone tbh, so a return to Gibson would be a good thing imho :) As for a Gibson tribute, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Yeah, I think you’re 100% right - the white V in 78 has block inlays and a bound neck - I need to clean my specs! I think that maybe ended up with the b&w paint job too, as he’s using both a dot neck and a block inlay neck guitar later in MSG. No at the same time though 😄🤘
His "thicker" & darker tone these days comes more from his current amp & speaker choice, compared to his past equipment, imo. He now uses Marshall DSL heads and (I think) Vintage 30 speakers ... whereas he USED to use 1987 & JMP 50w heads with Greenbacks in the UFO & early MSG days. To me, the DSLs are too bass-heavy in their tone ... where a 1987 (50w "Plexi") and JMP have more top end & upper-mid "honk" ... I.e. the stuff that really DOES cut through a mix. Surprising how little influence the actual guitar style has over the final tone ... when you're using gain/overdrive (humbucker-single coil differences aside)
@@johncarter21 if so it must’ve been a one off. Schenker always mentions 2205s in interviews and you can see them in every live video that shows his amps…
It all makes sense to me. I think the deal is done! I think we'll get a Schenker Gibson custom shop and also an Epiphone! Hey Dunsy love the Channel🎸🎶🎵
I wouldn't be surprised if Michael returned to Gibson. They have a lot of investment capital behind them and are aggressively courting endorsers. There are a number of less than famous players that have signature Gibsons. I remember when Michael endorsed Aria in the 80s. He's also used many pickups, from Duncans, DiMarzios, Schallers, and stock pups. I hear the pups on the Schenker Dean V are terrific.
Dean is basically done as a company, not because their guitars weren't good but because the last CEO, basically run the company to the ground after taking over from his father who passed away couple of years ago. Among other things, he embezzled company money to buy himself a new Lambo, angered the estate of Dimebag Darrell who then retrieved the licence rights to the Dimebag models, pissed off most big name endorsed artists and then the Gibson lawsuit gave them the rest. They fired him now, but the company is in shambles. Interesting bit: Miyako from Lovebites ( all-female Japanese metal band), who was the Nr. 1 Japanese Dean endorsed artist and is famous for playing a Dean Flying V, has recently also switched to Gibson guitars, but she still uses her Dean USA Custom shop models on stage.
This makes sense. One thing that was not clear, was in those gigs where he played the Gibson, did he also use a Dean? That's not clear in the video. This however would make sense. Here are some of the reasons I think why that could be true. 1. Gibson is on a roll with making artist models, and also has the ability to produce the low-end versions through the Kramer and Epiphone brands, which broadens market appeal and number of sales. 2. Michael is a legendary guitarist, that DID play Gibson in the past (not sure he any deals with them or not), so in Gibson's new marketing strategy, this makes perfect sense. 3. Although I don't follow the struggle with Dean guitars, I do seem to at least be aware that they were having some potential issues. Maybe Gibson approached Michael with a deal too good to turn down, especially while Dean may be busy fighting other battles. Michael always said he was not one to worry much about money.....but if it falls in your lap....it does make things easier. Just my .02, and we'll see how this plays out....in the meantime....looking forward to seeing if Michaels tour brings him through my town again! Crazy good show!
It may be that Dean are no longer able to sell the “V” shape due to copyright issues ? I asked Vintage guitars who make some great guitars if they would ever make a “V” and they said no due to Gibson issues with copyright
That's exactly what it is, Dean cannot make the "Vintage" V shape anymore. Why would Schenker stay with a company that can't legally make his personal guitars and the signature models that he makes a little money off of. I would call that a breach of contract on Dean's end.
Actually as far as a black/white Gibson "Schenker " V , there was a run in the 80s and an Epiphone run in 2000s, and an official Gibson Rudolf Schenker V .
Dean Guitars lost a copyright infringement lawsuit to Gibson over trademarked guitar model shapes...Like the Explorer, ES, SG, and the Flying V shapes...Dean is no longer allowed to make, advertise, or sell any guitars that infringe on any of those Gibson Trademarked shapes.
Such B.S. because Dean started making those in the late 70s and so it took over 45 years to sue for copyright infringement ? Get real Gibson, your guitars are crap compared to most others !
Maybe it is also worth noting that Michael was using a black Gibson V already in July 2023 when he was seen in a studio with Slash in Germany (where GnR toured at this time).
Of course I'd buy one! Been waiting 40 years! I'll have to sell my Rudolph Schenker one though. My favourite guitarist still, and we are all waiting for Rick Beato to finally cover him...
From the evidence it looks like Michael has moved back to Gibson and yes somewhere down the line i reckon there will be a signature model probably when he does his first 2024 gigs he will come out whith the classic black and white V then not long after Gibson will come out whith s signature model hopefully closely after a Epiphone model. Could be tempted whith Epi model but don't fancy 2nd mortgageing my house for a Gibson one.
My wife wouldn’t notice another MSV in the house - I could just say it’s my Aria one! She would definitely notice if we ended up living in my car though to finance the purchase! 😂
In 2006 I went into a Virgin Records store in a mall in Downtown San Diego and they had a couple guitars in there. That black and white Dean was on the wall I tried it out. I'm not a V style fan but to me that's the best looking one. I couldn't believe too that the price was only like $280
I actually really like some of the custom graphics on the Deans - the 50th Anniversary one is pretty neat. But I guess it’s the historic original b&w one that we all want to see.
I hope they do a official vee with the rounded headstock, I find it more appealing. I have the Edwards white vee with the rounded headstock and block inlays, but it came badged as an ESP! I also have a Tokai model with the same head, both play fantastic and have been far superior to all the Gibson vee's that have passed through my hands over the last 45 years. I've been trying everywhere to find any info on this situation, hopefully the man himself will fill us in. Great vid
I like the look of the Edwards MSV’s - they’re the only ones I’ve seen with the block inlays. I’ve owned an MSV650 from the early 80’s which was pretty cool - but I think the 1980 Aria Pro II I have now is a better playing guitar. Doesn’t have the brass nut though, which the Greco had. Do Edwards do theirs with the brass nut?
@@DunsysGuitarWorld The one I have is bone, I used to have the Aria myself, was a great sounding and good playing guitar. Did you ever have a Hondo 2 LP?
@@DunsysGuitarWorld Just a follow up, the block inlays are smaller than the Gibson version, they look good but I would prefer the larger inlays personally
I'm building a website about his Gibson V history - lots of great details that have never been revealed before. Other projects are in the way, but I hope to get it done this year.
I just noticed he was using Gibsons again the other day. ❤. I would love to see him come out with an official V from Gibson, Kramer and Epiphone to give us consumers some choices. It would be the icing on the cake if they made the black and white model like all the Japanese companies did back in the day. I've even thought about buying a cheaper used Gibson and having it painted black and white. ❤ Regards. Tim..
Since Dean can no longer by law make the classic shaped V´s it would be logical that he would go to Gibson who is really the only one that can build those anymore at least in the USA which the court ruling was about. Personally i love my classic shaped Dean V´s and think they are suprerior to the Gibsons certainly in looks and think its a real pity that Dean cant make them anymore and i think Dean as a company are also having problems. I dont think i will ever buy anymore Gibsons though.
@@johnanonomous238 Its certainly a possibility if he doesnt need more V´s or care about being sponsored and having a signature guitar availible on the market.
I think its more likely than not that hes left Dean. I remember in December 2022 fans asking about his anniversary Dean Flying V being unavailable to purchase and wondering where it was. Then realising that the lawsuit with Gibson meant Dean couldn't sell Flying Vs. Dean's current product page still has removed Schenker, his page exists, but its empty and you can't find it via their artists page. The recent evidence shows Schenker definitely is not using Dean's anymore, but I'm not sure whether he has a Gibson brand deal. But... Kirk Hammett and Cesar had a post on Instagram where Kirk has *the* Black and White flying V Schenker is known for. I wouldn't be surprised if Kirk got one of his idols an opportunity with Gibson, and that seemed like a big hint of such thing happening. Maybe Schenker was sent to go play some 70s models, provide feedback and then Gibson develop his "actual" model. He has to play something, and it appears he has had to remove Dean from as much of his brand as possible.
Growing up, Michael Shanker, was always my favorite guitarist! I see your Scottish by your accent. I’m an American but anyway, I love the show outlander they got the Scottish actor Sam Heughan
If my memory serves me correctly Michael said that he preferred the Volume and Tone controls of the Stratocaster which appeared on his B/W Flying V. So far he doesn't appear to have modified the Gibson Vs that he's now playing.
that was one thing he changed on the Dean Vs - they always had them in a line like the 50s Vs, and Michael's models always had them in the triangular 1967 arrangement.
Wasn’t there a court case between Gibson Guitars and Dean Guitars about using the Flying V design ? …With Gibson suing Dean ? …Possibly that is one reason Michael could be going back to Gibson ? ….Gibson of course originally designed the V as far back as 1957 …And the Explorer in 1958
I think it's pretty simple. Dean lost the lawsuit against Gibson so they had to stop producing the V. And since Schenker only plays Vs, this deal simply doesn't work any longer. And as there were quite a few Schenker signature models this means he earns a lot less money since the verdict as they can't be produced and sold any longer. And since Gibson seems to be on mission to sign up new artists to the company I guess they just took advantage of the situation and signed probably the most iconic Flying V player ever. Since he seemed very happy with his Deans (there are pictures from the studio from this year where next to those two Gibsons he is playing at the moment he still had his 2004 Dean around) I guess he wouldn't have left Dean if they hadn't lost the lawsuit.
As others have mentioned on here, Gibson won their lawsuit against Dean, and no more Dean Flying Vs. We`d be surprised if there wasn`t an official announcement sometime soon, and may also be connected to the supposed Schenker/Slash collaboration, although there is still little substance to back this up atm. But from a Gibson marketing perspective, hooking up arguably the world`s most famous Les Paul player with the most most iconic Flying V player, then it`s a win win for Gibson.
I hope he is with Gibson. I’d love to see a signature V with all the Schenckeresque trimmings. I’m going to suggest that’ll be a limited run of a hundred at 2 grand (or just over) each.
Well. it certainly looks like it. Ironic with the timing of the whole Gibson lawsuit thing . The Deans were & are far better by any measure and standard compared to the Gibsons, custom shops excluded . When you're endorsed, you have to be exclusive , so he's gotta decide. He's off the Dean web site , not good news. And an official Gibson Schenker V will be too costly for most fans, although they won't care and will make it anyway , lol. Perhaps Michael fell info default paying for all his Dean Vs. I'm sure they weren't all FREE ! And we know Michael gets pissy when upset or things not his way. Truth. There's been no news about anything Schenker for months so ...
Interesting,i always thought his look with flying v was iconic! Had the poster on bedroom wall out of guitar heroes mag😁 Gibson would build/sell anything nowadays with an artist connection and sell them for a fortune! It seems to be the way they're heading!🤔 In my opinion 😃
It looks like Dean guitars are on a shoogly peg! This is from Guitar World in July this year: A legal complaint seemingly suggests the very existence of Dean's parent company - which also owns Luna Guitars - is in the balance. A court filing has cast serious doubts over the future of Dean Guitars and its parent company Armadillo Enterprises, which has been described as being “in the throes of death”.
I think you have nailed it. Michael no longer getting what Dean had in contract so he has bought, begged or borrowed a couple of Gibson’s and used gaff tape to take away dean headstock/logo. I noticed Gibson have started a music label and Slash being one of the 1st acts signed. Maybe a deal could be done with Gibson with label but unfortunately I doubt there is the same demand as say Dave Mustaine or Kirk V’s. But surely Gibson would be able to market Schenker better. Fingers crossed it benefits him.
But what we want to know is what is the small round metal disc seen on both the Dean and Gibsons just below the pick, on one video the tech walks out and sticks it to the guitar ??
Absolutely! No idea what it is - doesn’t seem to have any kind of function. Maybe a lucky charm or something? I thought it was a coin, but difficult to tell when you’re zoomed in.
Would be great if Gibson officially "sponsored" The Schenk (as we called him at school in the 70's) and created signature models. I doubt I'd afford a Gibson but if perhaps an Epiphone came along well... I did have an Ibanez V in the early 80'd that I've always regretted parting with!😢
I’m with you on that, as I expect a Gibson version would be well above my Wife Approved Guitar Limit. An Epiphone though, I think could be sneaked into my collection 😎👌
I think Dean is no longer allowed to make that style V after a BS lawsuit .They have a bunch of other legal issues too and their guitars don't seem to be widely available anymore. I would expect him to move to Gibson. I would expect a signature MS V selling for around 3500 to 4000 US. To pricey for me but maybe I'd they release a nice Epi model.
I was shocked and delighted to see Michael playing Gibson, I prefer the style in which he plays Gibson. It seems that Gibson and Dean went to court and Dean lost, is that related? I too would like to know the answers to all three questions.from japan.
I have one from 1980, with the Gibson headstock shape - I think they moved to the pointy Aria headstock shape in 83 or 84 on the XX-MS signatures? Michael was featured in an ad, but I don't remember seeing any stage pics of him using them (especially as they had a trem).
I remember seeing them in a magazine. I wanted one but I was only 9 years old at the time. Instead I was given a Hohner EVH (white with black stripes) which I still have. Schenker was the only reason I wanted to play guitar.@@DunsysGuitarWorld
Schenker is my #2 all time favourite guitarist (#1 is Blackmore) but I've never liked the look of Dean guitars, he just looks "right" playing a Gibson. The Dean headstock is one of the ugliest things in music. He may be switching back to Gibson due to Dean losing the court case to them and Dean can no longer make V's. I've also heard that Dean may not survive or will have to make serious cut backs at least (Maybe Gibson will buy them out and reintroduce the V!!) :). The Dean sig is probably a small but consistent income stream for him and as Dean can no longer make it he may have decided that the best way of maintaining a sig model is to have Gibson do it. Kurt Hammett is a huge Schenker fan (pity it doesn't make him a better guitarist! :) ), maybe his V sig is similar to what a Schenker one would be so the prices may be similar (i.e. Silly money). He does have an Epiphone version for around £1300 which is still high but more manageable.
Yeah, from what you read Dean do appear to be in a fair bit of financial trouble. I guess if Gibson do release an MSV the chances are that they could end up like the Kirk ones and are anything but cheap. An Epiphone “inspired by G” might be the better price point for a general market.
@gibsonguitars, get Michael and do a sig with him! you have got people who were inspired by Schenker their signature guitars! Kirk, Richie, Mustaine just to name a few. Now get the Lord what he deserves!
I think the recent Dean V "Black - White - Gold" is the most beautiful of all the others ...!!!! (..... and you forgot the new 20,000 $ "Adam Jones - Flying V with the Reverse Silverburst and the Fork Headstock")
I think that’s the 50th anniversary one? Yeah, I do really like the look of that one. Even with the rounded headstock and if it was hand delivered by the Artist, I very much doubt my wife would sanction a $20,000 guitar purchase, lol 😂
Dunsy turns detective! 09:09 Having presented the evidence, I was half expecting you’d say, “I rest my (Flying V) case”! The jury’s out but if Gibson does a Michael Schenker tribute V (I think they will) there’ll probably also be an (overpriced) Epiphone ‘Inspired by Gibson’ to follow …
I’m like Petrocelli, but at least my house is finished 😆. Yeah, if there is (are) going to be official Gibson/Epiphone V’s they will be anything but budget priced, imho. I had a look online the other day and you can still pick up the Greco MSV’s (650 and 850), for around £1K. I doubt they would be able to do an Epiphone for that in 2024.
This is all well & good, but Gibson were idiots for not giving him a Sig., say 30 yrs ago....or at least before Dean did. He was THE ambassador for the Flying V, even before KK Downing. He inspired so many great guitar players, and many play V's because of him. So what's Gibson do....? A Grace Potter Sig. V ...?!?!
I hope Michael stays with Gibson. Although Dean make good guitars, I was never a fan of the split V headstock. His contract must have expired with Dean guitars. Or maybe he didn’t want to deal with the Gibson vs Dean mess and decided to play his own original vintage Gibson Flying V’s. Or, or did his brother Rudolph start to copy his little brother Michael again. 😆 🤘🏼😝🤘🏼🎸👍
I think you may find Dean have lost a lawsuit against Gibson with regards to the Flying V. The court found Dean guilty of infringing on Gibson's Flying V
Gibson is still using the longer '67 style headstock on these new 70's reissues and not the shorter '75-'80 style it should have... I think they did this on purpose.
Cool if it happens but be ready shell out at least $4k- $5K for MS custom Gibson V . If he signs a limit amount on the back of the headstock numbered like 50-100 they will be $7k-$8k
If they are actually his possessions I expect he gets to keep them if he wants, but Gibson would not want him to be seen onstage/in photos with them if he's an endorser. But Michael was fairly ascetic with guitars for years and just had one or two so who knows.
I am sure the reason he jumped from team Dean has to be because of the trademark/shape lawsuit. If Gibson does a signature series, I am sure it will be outrageously priced.
Hi, The Red Gibson V that Michael got off of Rudolph was Medallion #56. He had it stripped back to wood, then later had it painted Black, he also purchased another Black V around 1976, this one had a larger headstock and closed humbuckers (featured in the 1977 Lights Out video) he then had the now Black #56 repainted White (the iconic V) he also had another Red V which, along with White, was used during the Obsession tour. On leaving UFO he smashed #56 and had it repaired which time it bacame the Black & White Scorpions/MSG V, it ended up broken again, so he purchased a 79 V with Block inlays as a cover while #56 was being repaired, evidence of the 2nd lot of repairs can be seen on the headstock on the Rock Will Never Die album cover. The Block Inlay V met its end on the Built To Destroy album cover.
Fantastic - thanks for the detailed info. I'll pin this at the top of the comments. Much appreciated.
@@DunsysGuitarWorld No problem. Michael had another Black and White V in the same vein as #56, during the early MSG years, I'm not 100% certain, but this may have been the Red V I mentioned that appeared as backup on the Obsession tour in 1978. Also I have no idea where the Black V with the large headstock and closed humbuckers ended up, though at a guess I'd say it was more than likely traded or swapped for the aforementioned Red. or on the other hand quite possibly, knowing UFO's aphazard reputation, left in a hotel room somewhere. Eg. Back in 2016 I asked former UFO Bass player, Pete Way "What happened to his Iconic Natural grain 1976 Bicentennial Thunderbird Bass?" His reply was "I honestly don't know, one day I had it, and then I didn't!"
Michael had another block inlay v that he used in the late 80s.
He had 3 with him in '00 (ish) when I saw him. One with blocks one with dots and the other I'm not sure. Had the honor of playing #1 & #3 as he had them labeled at the time. Nice to see him playing Gibson Vs again.
@@DunsysGuitarWorld great video buddy. Blessings to you and your family from Hogganfield Loch Glasgow originally from Saltcoats on Ayrshire coast I've been a Schenker fan from Obsession LP onwards my favourite guitarist.
What you've missed is that Gibson won a massive law suit with Dean Guitars who can no longer make the Flying V or other shapes of Gibson I think they are in deep trouble financially now since the court case so Michael probably released from his Dean contract and hence back to Gibson.
You sound East coast hope you're a Hibby same as me lol.
Kind regards buddy. 🎸✝️🏴
Great to see Michael with a Gibson Flying V, particularly the all white one. Hopefully he recreates his UFO tone and melodic soloing rather than shredding. Gibson should endorse him and create MS versions of the V. He is the most memorable and iconic player of this guitar model over a long period of time.
Schenker doesn't shred.
It would be nice if Gibson made a special Michael Schenker model because I believe as a player and a writer Michael has done more to put the Flying V on the map as an instrument than any other player one can think of….He is just SO synonymous with it…Gibson should rush to pay Michael that honour because no other guitarist deserves that honour as much as he does.
@JD-vj4go you're right pal!! He's so much more than that!!!!
@@JD-vj4go 100% - super melodic player who takes care of every note
Shenker doesnt have to shred...he can make a melodic statement in a handful of notes.Thats why he is superior to EVH and Randy Rhodes who are overatwd
On Friday evening I was at the Wolverhampton (KK's Steel Mill) show. It was a tremendous gig and so good to see Michael playing the white Gibson Flying V, which he used for the entire set.
The new leadership at Gibson is smart. I'd say they realize Michael is a legend and having him in their artist signature lineup makes great business sense. If Gibson releases a signature model, especially black and white, I'm buying it.
I wonder if the black and white thing would cause some type of trademark problem. Hopefully we'll see what happens, because I'm down for the black and white one also!
I'll always remember Michael playing the Gibson Flying V and hope he goes back to his signature black & white model. He can tailor the sound of that guitar like no other. You know it's him when you hear the sound coming out of it. He's the master and the very best ever!
I’d love to see Michael go back to Gibson. If anyone Deserves a signature Flying V he is the top player for me!!!
Michael is Lord Flying V
The sound of UFO was amazing
As a Gibson Flying V nut for 30+ years (and full-time player), I can't help wondering why on earth the marketing chumps at Gibson didn't get on with the idea of a Michael Schenker signature V decades ago! There are signature Gibson Vs galore now and frankly some of the players who have them are nothing special. I really don't get it! Did they not approve of his, errr...lifestyle choices perhaps?
It’s because even guitar companies don’t know who he is. Schenker is practically unknown except for UFO/MSG fans, and that is a very limited pool as well, mostly old guys over 60.
There's more to the story than this but all this is fairly accurate. I'm building a website or maybe a video. There are lots of stories and details about the guitars and repairs. Someday, hopefully soon I can make the website.
I believe that Michael said in an interview that Gibson came out with a Michael Schenker flying V in Japan without his permission??
@@jeffreybrady927 Oh, that would make sense. 👍
I was asking myself that same question! I'm surprised they haven't approached him yet!
If my memory serves me correct ,I remember seeing a factory Schenker painted Epiphone V at True Tone Music in Santa Monica CA. way over 20 yrs ago ....If Gibson is in the picture again , They should make his V with the Blunt rounded headstock like the 76 ,77ish era V's ....that would be cool !
It’s crazy how you could get them from folks like Greco, Burny and Aria in Japan back in the day. I think maybe Edwards (by ESP) still do one, or did in the last decade or so.
Yes the Epiphone was a "guitar of the month" but it had the pointed headstock of a 1960s Flying V. There was no official endorsement or mention of Michael Schenker but it was clearly inspired by his guitars.
In the Hamer Guitars book it says that the 1st black and white paint job was done to his V by Hamer
I have and ‘84 Tokai Schenker model I love, the the Greco Schenker ones are pretty spot on 70s Vs
Yup, it was Curtis Meissner at Hamer in the mid to late 1970’s who Michael had repair at least two of his Gibson Vees and they were the shop that did the now famous black/white ying/yang paint scheme that we all saw Michael with on the first solo album….
Yes I noticed he was playing Gibson V's on his latest tours, he is touring the states next so will probably pick up a few whilst there. His original V's were sold and some stolen, they had Black Velvet pick up's in some of them.
Be interesting to see what he ends up using on stage in the US, for sure.
For those who dont know the story, Michael lost EVERYTHING in his divorce, he lost his Mercedes, all his guitars, everything. He simply signed a deal wtih Dean because he couldnt even afford to buy guitars to go play gigs to survive (keep in mind these guitars cost $2500 a piece). So I hope he is not under contract with Dean and can leave them and go back to Gibson. I also hope his brother will do a signature Flying V line with Gibson as well as Matheas Jabs doing a Explorer line with them.
Yeah, pretty sure I read that his ex wife sold his 2 V’s to someone, way back. Must have been devastating for him to lose those.
I remember hearing about that God love him. Poor Michael…Very dark time for him…I didn’t realize he took up the Dean deal because he’d lost his Gibsons through the divorce though….The Dean guitars were very physically robust instruments whereas the Gibsons were more perishable and Michael could very destructive on them….I remember in interviews in the early 1980s Michael saying that his main Gibson Flying V had ‘been in a thousand pieces’….It may have been rebuilt by ‘ Ron Diggins’ possibly….in the early 1980s I acquired two Gibson Flying Vs but I’ve always meticulously taken care of mine, and they weren’t road worn like Michael’s….I seem to remember the Dean Vs were more physically robust on the road than the Gibson Vs…I recall his Brother Rudy did a deal with Dean guitars around the same time as Michael in 2004….But later Michael said he felt he as an artist had been exploited and written out of history by his elder brother and there was a horrible bust up sadly 😔…Michael’s son Tyson I think has tended to play GIBSON Vs actually….Another possible reason Michael has gone back to Gibsons could be because his beloved sister BARBARA sadly passed away recently and Michael might be commemorating her by going back to the Gibsons. But is only a theoretical possibility.
@@walterevans2118 From rumors Ive heard, Michael was a coke fiend at the time and wasnt properly supporting his wife and sons due to his habit, so I dont exactly feel sorry for the fact that he lost everything. But obviously he's learned his lessons and got his life back on track. He also mentioned in interviews that he found out his management and/or record companies were ripping him off. So either for drugs or bad management, he was very poor at that time.
As Im sure you know, both Rudolph and Mathias had their Vs/Explorers custom made by Dommenget who is a german luthier. Dommenget did some really great paint schemes on those guitars, so I am hoping if they get a Gibson deal that the paint jobs will be equally as good. It should also be pointed out that Gibson made the Explorer 90 for Mathias back in the late 80s which has 9/10ths of the size of the original Explorer body. I guess this was before the name of artists was used on signature lines of guitars. I didnt hear about Barbara's passing, sad to hear. She always struck me as someone who just wanted to have fun and didnt care about becoming a famous rock star like her brothers.
@@monkeyrater Michael never wanted to be a ‘Rock Star’ at all even if Rudy did. You’ve got that wrong. Michael was always the PURE musician who just enjoyed creating music without caring about fame or money…He faced problems like alcohol because of stage fright but I never heard he was into Coke at all….Michael walked away from fame in the USA in UFO in the late 1970s because it frightened him….And he turned down offers to join Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple which could have made him a lot more money and fame but he preferred to be true to his own musical creative vision with less fame and money….Barbara was a wonderfully funny, surreal humoured person on social media. She would put up all these models of vehicles and animals and they would all be the WRONG SCALE in relation to each other and she and I would be making these really daft surreal comments about them…lol…We’ll all miss her. The world is just a dimmer place without Michael’s little sister Barbara 😔
@@walterevans2118 Just to be clear, Im aware that Michael had issues with stage fright and had a drinking problem since a teenager. But to say he never wanted to be a 'rock star' is slightly overstating it. He definitely did not want to be a bedroom guitarist his whole life and was actively looking for a big name group to join as a 16 year old. When UFO finally achieved mainstream success he just bailed entirely because he did not want to be in a mainstream band like Journey, Def Leppard, Loverboy, etc. He did have a healthy ego about his guitar playing.
I like his old 70s rounded headstock V with the block fretboard inlays. Great player.
I just saw MSG live and he was using a Gibson and on the banners behind him he had his Dean V guitars "changed" (headstock shape) with tape.I was thinking exactly the same thing. Dean is gone. And I think the Dean guitars are removed from the website as well.
I gotta say… it’s cool seeing him play a Gibson V again!
Michael Schenker - Champion and Legend
Hi Dunsy i hope Gibson is awakening. The Gibson Michel Schenker Flying V Custom guitar is long overdue!
That would be a dream come true! He is why I built and play a V, to this day 🤘🏼
Very interesting Dunsy. I always thought that there was a Gibson Michael Schenker Flying V. One of these days I’m going to have to pick up one of some sort. Thanks again as always.
I’ve read stories of a Japanese limited release at some point, but never seen a photo confirming it. Strangely though there are lots of versions made in Japan (none officially) of MSV’s by companies like Greco, Burny, Aria Pro II and Edwards.
Greco and Tokai released a Schenker V
2:21 Natural Thing!
Great video, Dunsy! IIRC, when he was in UFO, Michael had a spare V which had block inlays which he said he used on the ‘Strangers’ tour, as his #1 was being repaired.
I don’t like the Dean’s tone tbh, so a return to Gibson would be a good thing imho :)
As for a Gibson tribute, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Yeah, I think you’re 100% right - the white V in 78 has block inlays and a bound neck - I need to clean my specs! I think that maybe ended up with the b&w paint job too, as he’s using both a dot neck and a block inlay neck guitar later in MSG. No at the same time though 😄🤘
His "thicker" & darker tone these days comes more from his current amp & speaker choice, compared to his past equipment, imo.
He now uses Marshall DSL heads and (I think) Vintage 30 speakers ... whereas he USED to use 1987 & JMP 50w heads with Greenbacks in the UFO & early MSG days.
To me, the DSLs are too bass-heavy in their tone ... where a 1987 (50w "Plexi") and JMP have more top end & upper-mid "honk" ... I.e. the stuff that really DOES cut through a mix.
Surprising how little influence the actual guitar style has over the final tone ... when you're using gain/overdrive (humbucker-single coil differences aside)
Incorrect. He’s been using Marshall 2205 heads and BX cabs with Greenbacks since the mid-90s. Only the guitars and picks have changed.
@michaelm298 was using a DSL head last time I saw him in Glasgow.
@@johncarter21 if so it must’ve been a one off. Schenker always mentions 2205s in interviews and you can see them in every live video that shows his amps…
It all makes sense to me. I think the deal is done! I think we'll get a Schenker Gibson custom shop and also an Epiphone! Hey Dunsy love the Channel🎸🎶🎵
Thanks Sir, I appreciate you checking it out!
Great video mate! Schenker certainly is a character, eh... the fact he's still playing live - better than ever - is quite something!
I wouldn't be surprised if Michael returned to Gibson. They have a lot of investment capital behind them and are aggressively courting endorsers. There are a number of less than famous players that have signature Gibsons. I remember when Michael endorsed Aria in the 80s. He's also used many pickups, from Duncans, DiMarzios, Schallers, and stock pups. I hear the pups on the Schenker Dean V are terrific.
Dean is basically done as a company, not because their guitars weren't good but because the last CEO, basically run the company to the ground after taking over from his father who passed away couple of years ago.
Among other things, he embezzled company money to buy himself a new Lambo, angered the estate of Dimebag Darrell who then retrieved the licence rights to the Dimebag models, pissed off most big name endorsed artists and then the Gibson lawsuit gave them the rest.
They fired him now, but the company is in shambles.
Interesting bit: Miyako from Lovebites ( all-female Japanese metal band), who was the Nr. 1 Japanese Dean endorsed artist and is famous for playing a Dean Flying V, has recently also switched to Gibson guitars, but she still uses her Dean USA Custom shop models on stage.
Seen him playing the flying v in Belfast two weeks ago, hope he is back to it cause his sound is so much better in my opinion
The guitar he uses doesn't matter, he gets his sound with either. Which guitar? Who cares as long as he keeps playing!
We need a Michael Schenker Signature Flying V!
This makes sense. One thing that was not clear, was in those gigs where he played the Gibson, did he also use a Dean? That's not clear in the video. This however would make sense. Here are some of the reasons I think why that could be true.
1. Gibson is on a roll with making artist models, and also has the ability to produce the low-end versions through the Kramer and Epiphone brands, which broadens market appeal and number of sales.
2. Michael is a legendary guitarist, that DID play Gibson in the past (not sure he any deals with them or not), so in Gibson's new marketing strategy, this makes perfect sense.
3. Although I don't follow the struggle with Dean guitars, I do seem to at least be aware that they were having some potential issues. Maybe Gibson approached Michael with a deal too good to turn down, especially while Dean may be busy fighting other battles. Michael always said he was not one to worry much about money.....but if it falls in your lap....it does make things easier.
Just my .02, and we'll see how this plays out....in the meantime....looking forward to seeing if Michaels tour brings him through my town again! Crazy good show!
Michael is King!
It may be that Dean are no longer able to sell the “V” shape due to copyright issues ?
I asked Vintage guitars who make some great guitars if they would ever make a “V” and they said no due to Gibson issues with copyright
That's exactly what it is, Dean cannot make the "Vintage" V shape anymore. Why would Schenker stay with a company that can't legally make his personal guitars and the signature models that he makes a little money off of. I would call that a breach of contract on Dean's end.
Micheal used the white Gibson V last weekend in Barcelona.
hey my friend havent been around your channel is doing great congrats !
Actually as far as a black/white Gibson "Schenker " V , there was a run in the 80s and an Epiphone run in 2000s, and an official Gibson Rudolf Schenker V .
Great video 💯👍
Dean Guitars lost a copyright infringement lawsuit to Gibson over trademarked guitar model shapes...Like the Explorer, ES, SG, and the Flying V shapes...Dean is no longer allowed to make, advertise, or sell any guitars that infringe on any of those Gibson Trademarked shapes.
Such B.S. because Dean started making those in the late 70s and so it took over 45 years to sue for copyright infringement ? Get real Gibson, your guitars are crap compared to most others !
@@TruthMan1234 I agree with you...I own 7 Flying V's, and my 67 Gibson Flying V plays the worst out of all of them.
@@TruthMan1234 I have an lawsuit Ibanez RR Senior and a Dean Schenker retro V and they are way better than any Gibson I've played.
Maybe it is also worth noting that Michael was using a black Gibson V already in July 2023 when he was seen in a studio with Slash in Germany (where GnR toured at this time).
Awesome Video! I love Schenker!!!!
Of course I'd buy one! Been waiting 40 years! I'll have to sell my Rudolph Schenker one though. My favourite guitarist still, and we are all waiting for Rick Beato to finally cover him...
From the evidence it looks like Michael has moved back to Gibson and yes somewhere down the line i reckon there will be a signature model probably when he does his first 2024 gigs he will come out whith the classic black and white V then not long after Gibson will come out whith s signature model hopefully closely after a Epiphone model. Could be tempted whith Epi model but don't fancy 2nd mortgageing my house for a Gibson one.
My wife wouldn’t notice another MSV in the house - I could just say it’s my Aria one! She would definitely notice if we ended up living in my car though to finance the purchase! 😂
In 2006 I went into a Virgin Records store in a mall in Downtown San Diego and they had a couple guitars in there. That black and white Dean was on the wall I tried it out. I'm not a V style fan but to me that's the best looking one. I couldn't believe too that the price was only like $280
I actually really like some of the custom graphics on the Deans - the 50th Anniversary one is pretty neat. But I guess it’s the historic original b&w one that we all want to see.
I hope they do a official vee with the rounded headstock, I find it more appealing.
I have the Edwards white vee with the rounded headstock and block inlays, but it came badged as an ESP!
I also have a Tokai model with the same head, both play fantastic and have been far superior to all the Gibson vee's that have passed through my hands over the last 45 years.
I've been trying everywhere to find any info on this situation, hopefully the man himself will fill us in.
Great vid
I like the look of the Edwards MSV’s - they’re the only ones I’ve seen with the block inlays. I’ve owned an MSV650 from the early 80’s which was pretty cool - but I think the 1980 Aria Pro II I have now is a better playing guitar. Doesn’t have the brass nut though, which the Greco had. Do Edwards do theirs with the brass nut?
@@DunsysGuitarWorld The one I have is bone, I used to have the Aria myself, was a great sounding and good playing guitar.
Did you ever have a Hondo 2 LP?
@@DunsysGuitarWorld Just a follow up, the block inlays are smaller than the Gibson version, they look good but I would prefer the larger inlays personally
I'm building a website about his Gibson V history - lots of great details that have never been revealed before. Other projects are in the way, but I hope to get it done this year.
@@briankehew579 I look forward to that mate!
Good luck
I just noticed he was using Gibsons again the other day. ❤. I would love to see him come out with an official V from Gibson, Kramer and Epiphone to give us consumers some choices. It would be the icing on the cake if they made the black and white model like all the Japanese companies did back in the day. I've even thought about buying a cheaper used Gibson and having it painted black and white. ❤
Regards.
Tim..
Since Dean can no longer by law make the classic shaped V´s it would be logical that he would go to Gibson who is really the only one that can build those anymore at least in the USA which the court ruling was about. Personally i love my classic shaped Dean V´s and think they are suprerior to the Gibsons certainly in looks and think its a real pity that Dean cant make them anymore and i think Dean as a company are also having problems. I dont think i will ever buy anymore Gibsons though.
He has so many,why not just keep using the Dean V's?
@@johnanonomous238 Its certainly a possibility if he doesnt need more V´s or care about being sponsored and having a signature guitar availible on the market.
I don’t surprise me. Given that information and dean slowly but surely rebranding themselves in the “ extreme “ guitar market.
I think its more likely than not that hes left Dean.
I remember in December 2022 fans asking about his anniversary Dean Flying V being unavailable to purchase and wondering where it was. Then realising that the lawsuit with Gibson meant Dean couldn't sell Flying Vs. Dean's current product page still has removed Schenker, his page exists, but its empty and you can't find it via their artists page.
The recent evidence shows Schenker definitely is not using Dean's anymore, but I'm not sure whether he has a Gibson brand deal.
But... Kirk Hammett and Cesar had a post on Instagram where Kirk has *the* Black and White flying V Schenker is known for. I wouldn't be surprised if Kirk got one of his idols an opportunity with Gibson, and that seemed like a big hint of such thing happening.
Maybe Schenker was sent to go play some 70s models, provide feedback and then Gibson develop his "actual" model. He has to play something, and it appears he has had to remove Dean from as much of his brand as possible.
Growing up, Michael Shanker, was always my favorite guitarist! I see your Scottish by your accent. I’m an American but anyway, I love the show outlander they got the Scottish actor Sam Heughan
Being honest Dunsy I hadn't noticed this 😂it'll be class of Gibson could do this, prob be pricey but cool all the sane. Great info mate 🤘
Michael the one and only Mad Axeman. One of the best guitar players in rock history.
If Gibson make a Michael Schenker V, it will be an instant classic and worth a lot of money! Such a legendaty guitarist
A Epiphone Schenker V would sell.
Dean have been banned from making Vs anymore.
The clip you used saying it was 77 was actually 75.
🎸🥃🤘
If my memory serves me correctly Michael said that he preferred the Volume and Tone controls of the Stratocaster which appeared on his B/W Flying V. So far he doesn't appear to have modified the Gibson Vs that he's now playing.
that was one thing he changed on the Dean Vs - they always had them in a line like the 50s Vs, and Michael's models always had them in the triangular 1967 arrangement.
Given that Dean can't make the style of Flying V that Michael uses any more, I'm not surprised he's using Gibson again.
a B&W V epiphone would be a hot seller
Dean isn’t allowed to make Vs anymore because of Gibson suing them. I’m very angry about that.
I've seen videos lately with him playing a white Gibson V with a white binding on the neck and also a black Gibson V.
Yeah, seem to be stock 70’s V that Gibson reissued.
Wasn’t there a court case between Gibson Guitars and Dean Guitars about using the Flying V design ? …With Gibson suing Dean ? …Possibly that is one reason Michael could be going back to Gibson ? ….Gibson of course originally designed the V as far back as 1957 …And the Explorer in 1958
I think it's pretty simple. Dean lost the lawsuit against Gibson so they had to stop producing the V. And since Schenker only plays Vs, this deal simply doesn't work any longer.
And as there were quite a few Schenker signature models this means he earns a lot less money since the verdict as they can't be produced and sold any longer.
And since Gibson seems to be on mission to sign up new artists to the company I guess they just took advantage of the situation and signed probably the most iconic Flying V player ever.
Since he seemed very happy with his Deans (there are pictures from the studio from this year where next to those two Gibsons he is playing at the moment he still had his 2004 Dean around) I guess he wouldn't have left Dean if they hadn't lost the lawsuit.
Sounds logical ....Yes
Bought a t-shirt from the Sheffield show and most definitely has a Gibson and not a Dean V on the front.
As others have mentioned on here, Gibson won their lawsuit against Dean, and no more Dean Flying Vs. We`d be surprised if there wasn`t an official announcement sometime soon, and may also be connected to the supposed Schenker/Slash collaboration, although there is still little substance to back this up atm. But from a Gibson marketing perspective, hooking up arguably the world`s most famous Les Paul player with the most most iconic Flying V player, then it`s a win win for Gibson.
I hope he is with Gibson. I’d love to see a signature V with all the Schenckeresque trimmings. I’m going to suggest that’ll be a limited run of a hundred at 2 grand (or just over) each.
Might get the case for that! We better get saving, that’s for sure - we could share one between us though? Six months of the year each 🍺😆👌
more like $4000 -$5000. just basic new V's are $1800
Well. it certainly looks like it. Ironic with the timing of the whole Gibson lawsuit thing . The Deans were & are far better by any measure and standard compared to the Gibsons, custom shops excluded . When you're endorsed, you have to be exclusive , so he's gotta decide. He's off the Dean web site , not good news. And an official Gibson Schenker V will be too costly for most fans, although they won't care and will make it anyway , lol. Perhaps Michael fell info default paying for all his Dean Vs. I'm sure they weren't all FREE ! And we know Michael gets pissy when upset or things not his way. Truth. There's been no news about anything Schenker for months so ...
Interesting,i always thought his look with flying v was iconic! Had the poster on bedroom wall out of guitar heroes mag😁 Gibson would build/sell anything nowadays with an artist connection and sell them for a fortune! It seems to be the way they're heading!🤔 In my opinion 😃
It looks like Dean guitars are on a shoogly peg! This is from Guitar World in July this year:
A legal complaint seemingly suggests the very existence of Dean's parent company - which also owns Luna Guitars - is in the balance. A court filing has cast serious doubts over the future of Dean Guitars and its parent company Armadillo Enterprises, which has been described as being “in the throes of death”.
I think you have nailed it. Michael no longer getting what Dean had in contract so he has bought, begged or borrowed a couple of Gibson’s and used gaff tape to take away dean headstock/logo.
I noticed Gibson have started a music label and Slash being one of the 1st acts signed. Maybe a deal could be done with Gibson with label but unfortunately I doubt there is the same demand as say Dave Mustaine or Kirk V’s.
But surely Gibson would be able to market Schenker better. Fingers crossed it benefits him.
But what we want to know is what is the small round metal disc seen on both the Dean and Gibsons just below the pick, on one video the tech walks out and sticks it to the guitar ??
Absolutely! No idea what it is - doesn’t seem to have any kind of function. Maybe a lucky charm or something? I thought it was a coin, but difficult to tell when you’re zoomed in.
pick holder maybe ?
It’s a metal disk he calls it the howler that he uses for effect can’t remember what song it is though.
@@Robert-w7p1b Exactly . He uses it like a pick to do a string slide and chirp. NBD, dudes used to use a coin same way.
Little-known fact: some time ago, Gibson Japan issued a super limited Michael Schenker V. Michael was very displeased
I had read that there was one pictured in a Gibson advert for Japan? I can just imagine how much they would go for if one came to market!
Went to the Dean website, didn't see Michael's signature model...so...I'm assuming he went back to Gibson! If that happens, might have to get one!
If he does he might start playing a les paul as it's his favourite model,but i doubt it as the v is a kind of trademark.
Would be great if Gibson officially "sponsored" The Schenk (as we called him at school in the 70's) and created signature models. I doubt I'd afford a Gibson but if perhaps an Epiphone came along well... I did have an Ibanez V in the early 80'd that I've always regretted parting with!😢
I’m with you on that, as I expect a Gibson version would be well above my Wife Approved Guitar Limit. An Epiphone though, I think could be sneaked into my collection 😎👌
I think Dean is no longer allowed to make that style V after a BS lawsuit .They have a bunch of other legal issues too and their guitars don't seem to be widely available anymore. I would expect him to move to Gibson.
I would expect a signature MS V selling for around 3500 to 4000 US. To pricey for me but maybe I'd they release a nice Epi model.
Yeah I think an Epiphone version would be my budget on one - Gibson signature models are not known for being on the lower end of the price scale.
I was shocked and delighted to see Michael playing Gibson, I prefer the style in which he plays Gibson. It seems that Gibson and Dean went to court and Dean lost, is that related? I too would like to know the answers to all three questions.from japan.
Dean even left Dean Guitars. He’s been playing Gibson again for about 6 months.
Do you remember the Aria Schenker guitars?
I have one from 1980, with the Gibson headstock shape - I think they moved to the pointy Aria headstock shape in 83 or 84 on the XX-MS signatures? Michael was featured in an ad, but I don't remember seeing any stage pics of him using them (especially as they had a trem).
I remember seeing them in a magazine. I wanted one but I was only 9 years old at the time. Instead I was given a Hohner EVH (white with black stripes) which I still have. Schenker was the only reason I wanted to play guitar.@@DunsysGuitarWorld
Schenker is my #2 all time favourite guitarist (#1 is Blackmore) but I've never liked the look of Dean guitars, he just looks "right" playing a Gibson. The Dean headstock is one of the ugliest things in music.
He may be switching back to Gibson due to Dean losing the court case to them and Dean can no longer make V's. I've also heard that Dean may not survive or will have to make serious cut backs at least (Maybe Gibson will buy them out and reintroduce the V!!) :).
The Dean sig is probably a small but consistent income stream for him and as Dean can no longer make it he may have decided that the best way of maintaining a sig model is to have Gibson do it.
Kurt Hammett is a huge Schenker fan (pity it doesn't make him a better guitarist! :) ), maybe his V sig is similar to what a Schenker one would be so the prices may be similar (i.e. Silly money). He does have an Epiphone version for around £1300 which is still high but more manageable.
Yeah, from what you read Dean do appear to be in a fair bit of financial trouble. I guess if Gibson do release an MSV the chances are that they could end up like the Kirk ones and are anything but cheap. An Epiphone “inspired by G” might be the better price point for a general market.
@gibsonguitars, get Michael and do a sig with him! you have got people who were inspired by Schenker their signature guitars! Kirk, Richie, Mustaine just to name a few. Now get the Lord what he deserves!
👍🏻👍🏻
In short, yes.
I think the recent Dean V "Black - White - Gold" is the most beautiful of all the others ...!!!!
(..... and you forgot the new 20,000 $ "Adam Jones - Flying V with the Reverse Silverburst and the Fork Headstock")
I think that’s the 50th anniversary one? Yeah, I do really like the look of that one. Even with the rounded headstock and if it was hand delivered by the Artist, I very much doubt my wife would sanction a $20,000 guitar purchase, lol 😂
Gibson did make a Rudolf Schenker white and black flying V. I think it was early 2000s
He used the white Gibson all through his set at Rockstock
Went to see him last week and he was back playing a Gibson. All white though
I can only picture Michael with a Gibson.
I hope he stays with Dean they look good on him. I have 2 of his signatures just solid beasts.
Yes, Michael Schenker will have an official Gibson flying V !
........ thats MY opinion.
Dunsy turns detective!
09:09 Having presented the evidence, I was half expecting you’d say, “I rest my (Flying V) case”! The jury’s out but if Gibson does a Michael Schenker tribute V (I think they will) there’ll probably also be an (overpriced) Epiphone ‘Inspired by Gibson’ to follow …
I’m like Petrocelli, but at least my house is finished 😆. Yeah, if there is (are) going to be official Gibson/Epiphone V’s they will be anything but budget priced, imho. I had a look online the other day and you can still pick up the Greco MSV’s (650 and 850), for around £1K. I doubt they would be able to do an Epiphone for that in 2024.
@@DunsysGuitarWorld I wouldn’t be surprised if an Epiphone custom case cost almost half of one of those Grecos!
@@derekclacton ironically enough my Aria MSV arrived in a virtually brand new Epiphone V case!
@@DunsysGuitarWorld Nice! 👍
This is all well & good, but Gibson were idiots for not giving him a Sig., say 30 yrs ago....or at least before Dean did. He was THE ambassador for the Flying V, even before KK Downing. He inspired so many great guitar players, and many play V's because of him. So what's Gibson do....? A Grace Potter Sig. V ...?!?!
thats why the likes of Scott Ian and James Hetfield played them becuase of Schenker
I hope Michael stays with Gibson. Although Dean make good guitars, I was never a fan of the split V headstock. His contract must have expired with Dean guitars. Or maybe he didn’t want to deal with the Gibson vs Dean mess and decided to play his own original vintage Gibson Flying V’s. Or, or did his brother Rudolph start to copy his little brother Michael again. 😆 🤘🏼😝🤘🏼🎸👍
Isn't it more a cream V than white with a white pick guard....I was at the Belfast gig, he was playing well.
They call it "Classic White". I have one and it is great. Built for Rock!
I think you may find Dean have lost a lawsuit against Gibson with regards to the Flying V. The court found Dean guilty of infringing on Gibson's Flying V
Yes, he already has - he is currently playing a yellow and a black Flying V
Do you a link to the 2023 yellow and black Gibson Flying V that you could post here?
Gibson is still using the longer '67 style headstock on these new 70's reissues and not the shorter '75-'80 style it should have... I think they did this on purpose.
Cool if it happens but be ready shell out at least $4k- $5K for MS custom Gibson V . If he signs a limit amount on the back of the headstock numbered like 50-100 they will be $7k-$8k
i met the great man in the cat house glasgow a few years ago and asked why dean now his answer was gibsons break easily
Was that show in 2008? Busy place that night - cracking gig.
I play PRS guitars, but I bought a Dean MS V simply because he’s been my favorite since I was a child. So I’d buy a MS Gibson V.
A Gibson Michael Schenker Flying V would be Gibson's best selling guitar in history.
So what happens to all those Dean Vs made & played for Schenker ? Does he just store them, sell them, burn them ?
If they are actually his possessions I expect he gets to keep them if he wants, but Gibson would not want him to be seen onstage/in photos with them if he's an endorser. But Michael was fairly ascetic with guitars for years and just had one or two so who knows.
Made up to see him with a Gibson! Some say “white”, I say “blonde”…..
If the Gibson Flying V is good enough for Miyako, it,s good enough for Schenker...😇
I am sure the reason he jumped from team Dean has to be because of the trademark/shape lawsuit. If Gibson does a signature series, I am sure it will be outrageously priced.
schenker in the night