2 years ago , just for the heck of it, i ordered a $69 strat copy with one humbucker. free shipping also. my plan was to do a full on setup and if that wasn't enough repair whatever was substandard. the guitar got to me in a week. the fit and finish was perfect. i did a normal setup and it played and sounded (through my 5150) great. it is my goto guitar. it still plays and sounds great :) loads of money are no guarantee of a decent guitar. cheap prices are no guarantee of a crap guitar.
I did the same. Bought a p90 strat off rondo music, intending to mod it. I played it for 2 years because it was so good. Now, I have my daughter painting a masterpiece on the body. I did a full fret job, replaced the bridge (for cosmetic purposes), replaced the nut, and carved the headstock into an angel wing. It's nearly complete, and I can't wait. I'll have about $350 into it, with locking tuners, custom electronics, and split hot rails
Agreed! New: -Tuners -Pots -Strings -Lube the nut to see if it can be salvaged All new parts would have to be gold. If that includes the pickups, then so be it. Or put these covers on the new pickups.
I do have a soft spot for a cheap and cheerful mystery meat guitar! You never quite know what you’re a going to get. At least with something like this it can always look cool hanging on the wall or in the background of a video. Love the cheeky bit of Reef at 13:15 too 🎸
I love flying V guitars. I think they feel more comfortable than other shapes. You definitely have to play it with the lower wing in between your legs in classical position though. A foot stool on your left leg helps a lot. I sometimes use my right foot on its side as a stool for my left. I don't recommend that for long sessions.
Hey Andy, I modded a ebay guitar. For parts I ended up at. Tuners, nut, input jack, pots, knobs. You can change the capacitor/pickups at your disgression. Also i Polished the frets and oiled the board. Gotta tell you impressed, and that V could be a ripper.
It's beautiful 🙂🙂 I need to get one of these... Of course it will take LOTS of work to be a usable/giggable instrument but it doesn't scare me, I've done that for years...
Here's the specs on the Epiphone modern figured Sgs....all high end and have been since 2020 so why would I consider the one your reviewing......The SG Modern Figured from Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson Collection has a classic SG profile made from Mahogany with a AAA Flame Maple Veneer top and Trans Black Fade finish. Powered by ProBucker humbuckers with coil-splitting, phase switching, and CTS electronics. Featuring an Ebony fingerboard and world class Grover Locking Rotomatic tuners with Tulip Buttons with an 18:1 ratio.Mahogany body Rich, warm, focused sound; added sustain Mahogany neck Great sustain, strength, and warm tone Ebony fretboard Dark color, tight grain; premium fretboard wood Epiphone ProBucker pickups Based on Gibson BurstBuckers & vintage PAF pickupsBody: Material: Mahogany Top: AAA Flame Maple (3/4") Neck: Neck wood: Mahogany Profile: Asymetrical Slim Taper with Contoured Heel Fingerboard: Ebony with Pearl "Trapezoid" Inlays Scale length: 24.724" Number of frets: 24 Hardware: Brige: LockTone ABR Tailpiece: Stopbar Knobs: Clear Top Hats with Ridge Tuners: Grover Locking Rotomatic tuners with Tulip Buttons with an 18:1 ratio Electronics: Neck pickup: ProBucker-2 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch Bridge pickup: ProBucker-3 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, CTS electronics
@@Myfingersstinklikefish I am an old man. During my life I have been very well off, dead broke, very well off and dead broke again more than a few times in my life. Here is wisdom, don't get cocky about money. You may have it now but one day you might have to sell all your toys just to survive. You welcome.
CTS Pots, Switchcraft switch and output jack. Fret polishing. Replace the machine heads. And a setup. But I don't particularly go on price by deciding if I love guitar at all. I go by how it feels in my hand and if it makes me want to play it when I pick it up. Harley Benton ( US Shop ) is doing that for me on Gibson type guitars right now. My last Epiphone was a bust. It's fun rolling the dice on a sub $200-$250 guitar and finding one you truly want to keep.
In high school we had a band room in a rural county. It was the first time I saw a flying V guitar been played, It was in a gloss black, one flying v Gibson, It sounded awesome during lunch back then just at lunch time. It won my heart and thank you. Its a Gibson with a classic design you'll love it too.
A cool looking guitar for the money (like the more-or-less Pelham blue) and as to changes, I would start with new tuners and see if the pots would benefit from an upgrade. Then the thing that all new guitars benefit from - a good set-up. This would include sorting out the problematic nut, (might just need some judicious filing and lubrication, but replacement if it's unsalvegable) and a fret dress. I'd probably leave the pickups alone for a while, until you find out if you can get the sound you want,
@@chancemiller9340 "Styrofoam" is a brand name for extruded polystyrene. The plastic he's complaining about is expanded polystyrene. They're very closely related, obviously, but the colloquial use of the term "styrofoam" in the US to refer to expanded polystyrene is not just use of a specific brand name to refer to the generic product, but is actually referring to the wrong product. It'd be like using "Kleenex" to refer to the tissue paper in your Christmas gifts.
If it were my guitar, one thing I'd want is nice feeling pots and toggle switches. Obviously, function is more important, but good tactile feedback is important too.
Had an experience with an eBay Chender strat as well. It was actually labelled as a Fender. The body and neck/frets and finish were excellent. The rest was rubbish. Replaced all the components with Wilkinson hardware and Fender pups over some time. It's a great guitar now, definitely my favourite out of my cheapos.
Welcome almost to the dark side! Good honest review. Thanks for sharing with us. My usual mods are upgrade nut, tuners and give the fretboard a go over while I’m at it. I’d be going a pearl style scratch plate, maybe white or vintage cream… I’d leave the rest pretty much… maybe a better bridge (gotoh, etc) The Beauty with these is it doesn’t matter…. Meant to be ebony according to the sold out listing… I’d be keen to know if in fact it is….
Get a Babicz full contact bridge & Lambertones humbuckers. Obviously you will need to replace all of the wiring and pots, so I’m sure you know what to do there. Maybe you could do a push-push switch to split the humbuckers and add a treble bleed circuit as well. It needs a bone or graph tech nut & maybe get it Plek’d. Obviously the frets will need dressing of some sort & get some quality locking tuners.
I like it! Change the tuners and nut, restring it and go from there. The pickups sounded pretty acceptable, no weird hums and clicks like you’d expect on a no name pickup. Maybe some push pull coil split pots!
My default on cheap stuff is use the computer of phone speakers. If it sounds okay then good. I actually rewound and switched to real headphones. Those pickups definitely do a 'thing' that is very cool. I'm impressed.
Seymour Duncan pearly Gates pickups and a CTS pots switch craft 3 way switch pure tone jack and graphtech nut. Hipshot open back tuners with the plates.
Bones are great, especially the neck, pickups sound good, the rest can be upgraded or buffed if you wish and you'll still end with a great guitar, if it inspires you to play it. It's OK to be over-enthusiastic, no shame in that. Enjoyment is the point.
What I did to my SX V many year sago: Set of Guyker locking tuners New pickups. In that case a set of '80's Japanese humbuckers I'd picked up may year previously. Took the SX logo off the truss rod cover. Good to go
Nice, i recently got a cream SG, three pickups, vibrola and gold hardware (63 re-issue LP Custom), unfortunately it had a hairline crack at the headstock (it had bounced in the case), took three months to get it from China so i ain't sending it back lol, i managed to glue the crack and so far it's fine, seller has been ok and has offered a part refund. Apart from the damage/repair it's a lovely thing and plays well, going to upgrade the bridge pickup as it's a bit weak. I would buy another Chibson.
This thing reminds me of a chat i had with a Chinese manufacturer. He told me, 2 or 3 years ago, that they could make me anything i wanted for standard price as long as the production didn’t have to change and anything, really anything, for a little more. In that factory they produced a lot of fakes, but i could have my logo on the head stock or even no logo at all. The crazy thing he would have let me made for 200/250€ were insane. The most insane i think that was a double neck half rick 12 strings and half epiphone casino with a fun headstock, they said that could have been done for 500€. Utterly insane
Hi Andy, I think it's a nice moding platform and I would make the following changes - original Kluson Tuners - Graphtec Nut - complete fretjob - chrome Hardware incl. Speed Dome Knobs - complete new electric - and a pair of white Tonerider Pickups - maybe some chrome Pickup Frames 🤔 Then the V should be really great 🤘😃
If the pickups work properly, there is really no reason to replace them other than looks. A humbucker is a humbucker for the most part, the tonal differences are minimal, output however will be different.
I have a 1987 BC Rich Iron Bird Mk1 and it has a splitter switch on it (from the factory) for the Coils. It goes into overdrive when I switvh it on and sounds like a beast. So if its possible you could try putting one in as a mode.
Definitely fix the nut and setup issues. If you end up changing the pickups and electrics, it might be fun to try Railhammer pickups and a bass rolloff pot.
I have always loved the search for "diamonds-in-the-rough!" All my guitars are modified by respected affordable professionals. I am excited to see the next episode. Sincerely... Sam at 70 loves his guitars!
Yup, that's a modder, born and bred. Definitely add a coil split (push-pull knobs), and converting one knob to a bass-cut knob (like G&L PTB) would be excellent.
So I picked up a Chinese guitar out of curiosity, it was I think $190 shipped to my door, after adjusting the bridge, it plays better than my real version, but the pickups and wiring are completely junk, one basically doesn't work. But there is no way I could like assemble the body and neck and everything together for a lesser price from a kit or anything. Frets were very not bad. A little scratchy and fretboard dry. Very loud and resonant. Another 100 bucks into it and it'll be great.
I will rank these mods according to my own preference, and I sincerely hope the necessary parts will be available to you. Please note that the matching letters do not indicate that I intend for them to be used together (e.g. 2B with 3B). 1. New Nut 2A. Cheap, but Good, Pickups: I recommend Tonerider, perhaps a Birmingham Bridge for the neck and an Octane for the bridge if you want to go heavy without getting dark (€54 each with gold covers). 2B. Great, but Less Cheap, Pickups: I recommend a Wilde Pickups L-500R for the neck and a L-500XL for the bridge (heavy but surprisingly bright and dynamic) or a Railhammer Humcutter Nuevo 90 Neck for the neck and Nuevo 90 Bridge or Heavy 90 for the bridge (depending on how heavy you want to go) for more of a P90/humbucker hybrid vibe (I think the black covers are beautiful.). 3A. G&L-style PTB Controls: This uses a reverse-log (i.e. "C") taper 1MΩ pot with a .0022uF capacitor for bass as the third knob, which is in parallel with a 500kΩ pot with a .022uF capacitor for treble as the second knob, and a 250kΩ pot with a 200pF treble-bleed capacitor for master volume as the first knob. 3B. Reverend Kyle Shutt Signature PTB Controls: For your guitar, this would require a concentric 500kΩ/500kΩ pot for each pickup's volume a 270pF treble-bleed capacitor for each, then the selector's output would go into the same treble pot and capacitor and the same bass pot described in 3A with a .001uF bass capacitor instead of the bass capacitor mentioned in 3A. 4. Free Way Model 3X3-05 Six-position Toggle Selector: I recommend Scheme No. 039 from page one of the model 3X3-05's "B" PDF, leaving out the coil-splitting push/pull pot (For some reason, they did not include this wiring scheme for the selector switch in the "A" PDF which excludes push/pull pots.); this allows for series and reverse-polarity switching via a second column of positions for the selector switch. 5. Seymour Duncan Triple Shot Mounting Rings: These mounting rings have two slide switches each such that all four wiring modes of a humbucker can be selected. I prefer the "reverse" wiring such that the switches point to the active coil when splitting coils. 6. Locking Tuners: These are a necessity for me, thanks to spastic cerebral palsy. Regarding mod 3, I feel that all guitars should have bass knobs; they are extremely useful (particularly when wiring pairs of pickups in series), and the treble pot could be push/pull if you want (e.g. bypassing the controls in 3A or sending the bridge pickup straight to the output in 3A or 3B). Mods 4 and 5 combine to provide 72 tonal options which are each much more versatile with the help of mod 3. If the Wilde Pickups mentioned in mod 2B interest you, then check out this excellent demonstration of the R and XL set in an old SG: ruclips.net/video/nqW-wnJwyio/видео.html The switching options demonstrated in that video are as follows: 1. Bridge Series 2. Bridge Split 3. Bridge Parallel 4. Bridge Back to Series 5. Neck Series 6. Neck Split 7. Neck Parallel 8. Neck Back to Series 9. Both Pickups Split 10. Both Pickups Parallel 11. Both Pickups Split 12. Both Pickups Series 13. Both Pickups Series, Neck Out of Phase 14. Both Pickups Split, Neck Out of Phase 15. Bridge Pickup Series EDIT: I would be glad to make you an A4 PDF wiring diagram with DIYLC if you tell me which of the above wiring mods you want along with whatever pickups you want (not necessarily ones I mentioned). I would need you to post a public email address, as RUclips's CAPTCHA on your "About" page seems to be bugged.
WD music kluson style tuners if you want the same look, Gotoh if you just want good tuners. Tusq nut, GFS pickups, CTS switch and pots. Switchcraft has been hit or miss lately
Great Video but I am not a fan of gold or brass as the gold will tarnish down the road ,,i avoid guitars with gold ,,,so I would upgrade to chrome all hardware and pick ups and def put locking tuners but i would buy Klusons locking tuners
Hi mate, congrats on your new Flying V.😀 I just want to say I really enjoyed watching this episode because I love seeing somebody get a "steal" on the online market (eBay, Reverb, DH Gate, Alie Express🤭, etc.). I understand the feeling when you get something that you really like at the low price and not to mention almost as close as the "Original". The reason I said it is that I myself have purchased a "Chibson Les Paul 1959 vintage Lemon Burst" for just $230. I first went to the store to see how the $5,000+ original look and feel. (You really need to bust a bank or sell your kidney to have it.)😂 Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to see an ad floating somewhere, and it looks exactly as the 5K one for just a fraction of the price. When it arrived I was so shock at the beauty, It's 98% as close as the original. (Top notch fretwork, Klusson tuners, "Gibson" Logo on the headstock with some cheap plastic nut, but I expect that.🤭…not to mention I'm expecting the pick-up to be crap, but it turned out to be amazing as well. ) The funny thing is I brought it to the local Luthier for full set-up (intonation/low action, etc.) To my surprise, he was not able to distinguish that it's a knock off and thought it was an original. He even said, "you're lucky bro, this is a rare 1959 LP." I felt so guilty that I have to admit to him that it was just a copy, and he really laughed that he got duped. Just shows how scary good the fake are, I mean the copies nowadays.😆 But I assure him I won't be using it in gigs, It's only for bedroom shredding. It only shows the fact that if the guitar is cheap, doesn't mean it's crap. In fact, the big brands are just waaaay to overpriced. Anyway just sharing, was just inspired because I know how you feel to score something like that.🎸 Cheers!👌💯
I didn't had great experiences with the 5000+ originals. You would expect a 5000+ guitar to not be worse than a 150 copy, but thinking about those sharp and dead frets and the intonation, this one looks better than an original. The no name is a plus at this point, and you don't risk having it seized at the customs. Anyway, i think Wilkinson are the real deal about LPs.
@@giacomoneri1782 Wow!, thanks for that confirmation mate👍, so the $5,000 plus expensive ones still has (sharp, dead frets?😮) , I thought when you buy a 5K there's something magical about it?, some owners say the expensive LP's goes out of tune which I have not experienced from my Chibsons... what you said made me feel even better, especially when you have something that looks very expensive, but it's actually cheap and most of all it plays well.🤭 As for the logo, I always say to the seller to erase it if possible, but they still send it by just covering the logo with black erasable paint. And it arrived with no problem, and I will not be using it for any gigs, it's only for bedroom shredding. Also, you are exactly right. I bought a Wilkinsons Alnico 5 PAF (Vintage) for my 1959 and a Wilkinson Tune-O-matic bridge for the Sunburst. They now sound and look like the $5,000 on I tested on the store. Really appreciate you chiming in. It just confirmed my gut feel that not all very expensive guitars are high quality, some you are just paying for the "brand"/logo. Cheers!🔥
Fret level, crown and polish (after making sure that the truss rod works). New potentiometers, new bone nut and, if the budget allows, new machine heads. Live with the pickups for now. Change later if the guitar still feels good 👍
The "new gear smell" is sometimes not pleasant. I got a Marshall DSL40 combo, came in the sealed factory box, and a little more than a month later it still smells a bit chemical-y. But it sounds fantastic so ...
10:30 that brown box is cool. Whilst we don’t have power issues where i am it’s good to know that this product exists. That interview you did at NAMM with her was awesome
The brown box was designed to replicate Eddie Van Halen's use of a variac to drop the voltage to his amps because he thought it sounded better. Not for use as a power conditioner.
@@PeterMoore350 It's been around for like ten years. It was marketed as a way to sag your tube/transformer amp. EVH always claimed that the variac was an integral component of his *brown* sound. It's not really going to do anything to an amp that says it can accept a range of voltages. That said, I'm sure it also works as a power conditioner, which is particularly relevant for transformer-based power supplies. But you could then just get a power conditioner for less that would support more than just the amp. To be clear, I think it's a cool product, but if you're just interested in power conditioning, there are probably better choices.
I bought an eBay Hetfield Snakebyte factory clone for $260 USD from China. Took a month or so to arrive. It came with locking tuners, 2 barely noticeable dings (bad luck), 1 tone/1 volume knob, active EMG 81/85s, ebony? fretboard (I forget). Gloss finish. The pickup output is loud, but very good. The guitar sounds great playing acoustically. I don't notice scratchy frets. Neck is thick. Everything looks beautiful and sounds beautiful (even unplugged). I prefer it over my Dean Evo Special Select Les Paul. I ordered another eBay guitar that resembles a 1975 Vintage Telecaster for $205 (negotiated from 270). Unbranded, it looks flawless, but I'm waiting on it. Also from China. The maker said they have done woodworking and built guitars for over 20 years. I guess I believe them. Just use the price filter and put 200-400 USD. You will find some golden gems. They even have acrylic guitars for under 400. It's unreal. Now I'll tell you which mods in another comment. Cheers.
@JimVincent well I put a battery in there and it works. Has emg logos on em. Not sure tbh. Sam Ash's guitar tech said he doesn't see why they wouldn't be. Lol
Also, fake pick-ups? God forbid. 😂 I'm suspicious to this day. But the fact that I'm playing METAL for the most part and using an always on Overdrive pedal means that what I'm hearing is no longer affected by the pickup. MAYBE if it was the Hetset. With their newer tech. But yeah. Look up "Glenn Fricker pickups" if you need a good reference to why your comment technically is irrelevant. ❤️
Apart from the obvious nut, strings and tuners swap, I'd have to change the pick guard to one that looks correct because that one is awful. The problem is that it would probably leave some screw holes. The truss rod cover is also incorrect. I have a Flying V and I love it.
Not a fan of gold hardware, so that would go. Not a fan of string through body, so those would go. Other than that I'd do what you already mentioned, tuners, nut, and a little fret work. I bought a LP for $124 "on sale" that also had no headstock photo. It did have the logo when it arrived. It was under a gaudy metal like sticker saying something else. Plays great though. Another Buckethead LP I grabbed for less than a $100 with a cracked headstock also had "the logo". I fixed the headstock, but I swear if I shook it hard enough all the frets would fall off. It just feels way cheaper than the first one. So I assume they came from two very different factories. Both have great action, and are for learning to repair and mod, so they will certainly fit the bill.
I'm sure you're already done with it by now, but honestly everything below the neck seems fine with the exception of the dings in the finish, the only changes I would make Below the neck would be aesthetic,
If I were you I'd put 1. Irongear pickups in it (rolling mills, overwound for bridge) 2. Get decent tuners, take your pick but Harley Benton makes seriously decent ones without having to go full Gotoh. Then, get a pre-slotted graph tech nut and that guitar is good to gooooooo (straight into safe-keeping)
Awesome video! I think it looks great and is going to be a great mod platform. As a guitar technician I may be cheating here, but my 2 cents on the mods are as follows : new nut and tuners as you mentioned. Check for high frets and address as needed. Once those are done the guitar will be at its optimal playing potential. I would change the wiring harness and the switch. Keep the pickups for now and see how they sound after the electronics change. If the bridge intonates and plays properly I would leave it, but if it doesn't then change it out for better hardware...and maybe straplocks as well : ) Awesome video! Best of luck with the upgrades.
New tuners, but do you do locking or? New pickups, but classic burst busters or some more modern? Maybe New pots but as long as it's giving the right output who knows. Have fun!
Where can I find a Flying V that’s this color for more like a 1000 “bucks”? Almost all I ever see are korina and ebony. Looking around on Reverb, they’re all black, korina or puke green.
I have an ESP V-50 I was so excited to get it… then the realities of the shape hit. I find the shape just so uncomfortable to try and play around. Sadly now it’s more of an ornamental thing of beauty than I player which is a shame.
Drop in some Duncans or DiMarzio's, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and selector, locking tuners, and do a proper set up. The scratchy frets will actually play in if you don't want to have them polished [or pay someone to polish them]. I bet after that it's actually a REALLY cool guitar. Get a truss rod cover with your name on it. enjoy!
I've ordered 3 'off the shelf' Chibsons and 2 custom made to my specs. They are an UNREAL value. Every one of them I've ordered has been set up reasonably well and only needing minor adjustment. I've swapped the pickups on all of them, some with SD pickups, some with Guitar Madness pickups from ebay that are like $35 a set and very good. Tuners I tend to swap out with locking Guykers for $35ish a set.
I feel like these Chinese luthiers have been watching the videos too and adjusting their quality to make us happy. I’ve not bought a chibson yet but I won’t count it out.
I hope the pickups are not microphonic but its a shame about the wide neck as I have short stubby fingers. it looks great and plays great for a chinese made guitar on ebay
first thing would be to level crown and polish those frets and fix up the nut. Pots would be next. It would look better with nickel covered pickups. But a black pick guard would put it over the top!! 🤘🤘🤘
Ha! I was gonna buy this exact Flying V I now see it is out of stock 😂 Personally, it probably needs a good fret level, crown and polish. Probably needs a bone nut cut for it. New strings (the Chinese strings are not great). Make it play great before swapping out pickups. I know everyone is gonna suggest new pickups and pots but personally I like the trashy sound of the Chinese microphonic pickups. Yeah you could put Lollars in it, and it would sound amazing, but there is an late 1940s early 1950s “we don’t quite have this figured out yet” vibe to the trashy Chinese pickups that have a garage rock charm of their own, especially coupled with Fuzz and some tone knob adjustments.
Higher output pickups would be something I would look into simply because flying v's tend to have a lot of bite. I think about Albert King first and foremost. Otherwise_ give it a good setup and make the changes to your tuners and nut you were talking about and give it a go. You might even try a couple different pickups with different specs and make a video showing the differences in tone?? Then you could have that angle on more content as well. I have a kit Les Paul from stew Mac I put together but I put actual Gibson pick-ups and electronics on it and it really sounds identical to the real deal. One of my first project guitars back in the day. Anyhow, all the best
Nice color, but I don’t think getting it and modding it is worth it. You’ll spend enough modding it to negate the cheapness of it. Tuners and electronic mods, even without new pickups, will make it not worth it. But I like the look of that guitar from this distance.
They didn’t sound that bad, and a cheap pot could easily get too hot when they soldered it causing the guitar to sound dark. I’d put some good strings on it and replace the pots and see how it sounded then. I’ve replaced pots before and it was like taking a blanket off the speaker.
Love your video, only thing is I think we moved on from that "cheap guitars are supposed to be shit" topic. I mean you can get a V-Modell from Harley Benton for around 200€ nowadays, it sounds decent (at least usable) and you can expect a clean finish without any marks plus on top of that a great return policy if something really is wrong. Thanks for the video, enjoyed it a lot :)
You probably SHOULD have been affiliated with the seller, as they're all gone now. If it were mine I'd add rubber tape and change the pickups for Entwistles- probably a Darkstar in the bridge and a HV58 at the neck. I first bought Entwistle pickups because they were affordable , but carried on buying them because they are some of the best humbuckers I've ever heard at any price. i.e the HV58s leave SD 59s sounding flat and lifeless by comparison.
NIce! It looks absolutely amazing (writing before you plugged it in though :D), I got a cheap Harley Benton Victory Plus (black V with gold hardware) and replaced the cheap passive pickups with a gold EMG 57/66 set and a graph tech nut and it turned out incredible. Oh and I ordered some Gibson flying V ribbed rubbers off ebay.. and put on golden locking tuners and better looking knobs.. and.. wait how much money did I put into this cheap project again?
Be interested to hear some Lollar P-90s on that thing, keep the warm tone. Also think the plastic would fit better than that much gold XD Really enjoy the videos where you get excited about the potential of some seeming POS
It's cool that you are getting such joy from a guitar that is not that good straight out of the box. I'd upgrade the pots if the ones in it don't turn well. The pickups...they sound okay to me, at least on my phone. Swap the tuners. Basically just change things that are supposed to turn that don't turn well. Personally I'd be referring to it as a "Flying F#$%" but, I'm warped. I'd even want to put a name plate in it with that name....but, NOT in a censored manor.
I've played a few Vs, I never was a fan of them. Make it the best guitar it could be in a stock configuration first, then go nuts and put everything you can afford, and a kitchen sink on it.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
2 years ago , just for the heck of it, i ordered a $69 strat copy with one humbucker. free shipping also. my plan was to do a full on setup and if that wasn't enough repair whatever was substandard. the guitar got to me in a week. the fit and finish was perfect. i did a normal setup and it played and sounded (through my 5150) great. it is my goto guitar. it still plays and sounds great :) loads of money are no guarantee of a decent guitar. cheap prices are no guarantee of a crap guitar.
I did the same. Bought a p90 strat off rondo music, intending to mod it. I played it for 2 years because it was so good. Now, I have my daughter painting a masterpiece on the body. I did a full fret job, replaced the bridge (for cosmetic purposes), replaced the nut, and carved the headstock into an angel wing.
It's nearly complete, and I can't wait. I'll have about $350 into it, with locking tuners, custom electronics, and split hot rails
i've never really been a fan of gold hardware but it looks great with that blue, enjoy!
I feel the same way
Agreed!
New:
-Tuners
-Pots
-Strings
-Lube the nut to see if it can be salvaged
All new parts would have to be gold. If that includes the pickups, then so be it. Or put these covers on the new pickups.
I do have a soft spot for a cheap and cheerful mystery meat guitar! You never quite know what you’re a going to get. At least with something like this it can always look cool hanging on the wall or in the background of a video.
Love the cheeky bit of Reef at 13:15 too 🎸
I love flying V guitars. I think they feel more comfortable than other shapes. You definitely have to play it with the lower wing in between your legs in classical position though. A foot stool on your left leg helps a lot. I sometimes use my right foot on its side as a stool for my left. I don't recommend that for long sessions.
Hey Andy, I modded a ebay guitar. For parts I ended up at. Tuners, nut, input jack, pots, knobs. You can change the capacitor/pickups at your disgression. Also i Polished the frets and oiled the board. Gotta tell you impressed, and that V could be a ripper.
Where's Andertons part 2? :) still waiting here!
Same here.
I’m Bryan and so is my wife
@@PeterMoore350 no, I'M Brian of Nazareth 😂
Hello bwyan and bwian too..
Who's Bryan?
It's beautiful 🙂🙂 I need to get one of these...
Of course it will take LOTS of work to be a usable/giggable instrument but it doesn't scare me, I've done that for years...
Here's the specs on the Epiphone modern figured Sgs....all high end and have been since 2020 so why would I consider the one your reviewing......The SG Modern Figured from Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson Collection has a classic SG profile made from Mahogany with a AAA Flame Maple Veneer top and Trans Black Fade finish. Powered by ProBucker humbuckers with coil-splitting, phase switching, and CTS electronics. Featuring an Ebony fingerboard and world class Grover Locking Rotomatic tuners with Tulip Buttons with an 18:1 ratio.Mahogany body Rich, warm, focused sound; added sustain
Mahogany neck Great sustain, strength, and warm tone
Ebony fretboard Dark color, tight grain; premium fretboard wood
Epiphone ProBucker pickups Based on Gibson BurstBuckers & vintage PAF pickupsBody:
Material: Mahogany
Top: AAA Flame Maple (3/4")
Neck:
Neck wood: Mahogany
Profile: Asymetrical Slim Taper with Contoured Heel
Fingerboard: Ebony with Pearl "Trapezoid" Inlays
Scale length: 24.724"
Number of frets: 24
Hardware:
Brige: LockTone ABR
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Knobs: Clear Top Hats with Ridge
Tuners: Grover Locking Rotomatic tuners with Tulip Buttons with an 18:1 ratio
Electronics:
Neck pickup: ProBucker-2 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch
Bridge pickup: ProBucker-3 humbucker w/coil-splitting and phase switch
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, CTS electronics
I don't think he was reviewing it just for you.
@@alanserjeant4947 that's great because I can afford epiphones and Gibsons and wouldn't buy that cheap guitar
@@Myfingersstinklikefish I am an old man. During my life I have been very well off, dead broke, very well off and dead broke again more than a few times in my life. Here is wisdom, don't get cocky about money. You may have it now but one day you might have to sell all your toys just to survive. You welcome.
12:07 That point coming down the body of the pickguard to the input jack is also not straight. it actually rounds so that would need to be replaced.
Touching cotton makes my skin absolutely crawl as well, I didn’t know there were more of us out there so thanks for that 😅
CTS Pots, Switchcraft switch and output jack. Fret polishing. Replace the machine heads. And a setup.
But I don't particularly go on price by deciding if I love guitar at all. I go by how it feels in my hand and if it makes me want to play it when I pick it up. Harley Benton ( US Shop ) is doing that for me on Gibson type guitars right now. My last Epiphone was a bust. It's fun rolling the dice on a sub $200-$250 guitar and finding one you truly want to keep.
In high school we had a band room in a rural county. It was the first time I saw a flying V guitar been played, It was in a gloss black, one flying v Gibson,
It sounded awesome during lunch back then just at lunch time. It won my heart and thank you. Its a Gibson with a classic design you'll love it too.
A cool looking guitar for the money (like the more-or-less Pelham blue) and as to changes, I would start with new tuners and see if the pots would benefit from an upgrade. Then the thing that all new guitars benefit from - a good set-up. This would include sorting out the problematic nut, (might just need some judicious filing and lubrication, but replacement if it's unsalvegable) and a fret dress. I'd probably leave the pickups alone for a while, until you find out if you can get the sound you want,
It must be rough going through life being afraid of Styrofoam.
And not even knowing the word for it! 😂
Many people experience tactile defensiveness with regard to certain textures.
@@chancemiller9340 "Styrofoam" is a brand name for extruded polystyrene. The plastic he's complaining about is expanded polystyrene. They're very closely related, obviously, but the colloquial use of the term "styrofoam" in the US to refer to expanded polystyrene is not just use of a specific brand name to refer to the generic product, but is actually referring to the wrong product. It'd be like using "Kleenex" to refer to the tissue paper in your Christmas gifts.
@@RobstafarianI've always just said sensory issues but that works too
10:51 sounded like you started to play And Justice For All by metallica
If it were my guitar, one thing I'd want is nice feeling pots and toggle switches. Obviously, function is more important, but good tactile feedback is important too.
Had an experience with an eBay Chender strat as well. It was actually labelled as a Fender. The body and neck/frets and finish were excellent. The rest was rubbish. Replaced all the components with Wilkinson hardware and Fender pups over some time. It's a great guitar now, definitely my favourite out of my cheapos.
the sound of opening the package gave me goosebumbs.
These youtube recordings of styrofoam and sandpapering and such are so much worse than in person. Nails on chalkboard bad. Fast forward everytime.
Welcome almost to the dark side! Good honest review. Thanks for sharing with us. My usual mods are upgrade nut, tuners and give the fretboard a go over while I’m at it. I’d be going a pearl style scratch plate, maybe white or vintage cream… I’d leave the rest pretty much… maybe a better bridge (gotoh, etc)
The Beauty with these is it doesn’t matter….
Meant to be ebony according to the sold out listing… I’d be keen to know if in fact it is….
Get a Babicz full contact bridge & Lambertones humbuckers. Obviously you will need to replace all of the wiring and pots, so I’m sure you know what to do there. Maybe you could do a push-push switch to split the humbuckers and add a treble bleed circuit as well. It needs a bone or graph tech nut & maybe get it Plek’d. Obviously the frets will need dressing of some sort & get some quality locking tuners.
I like it! Change the tuners and nut, restring it and go from there. The pickups sounded pretty acceptable, no weird hums and clicks like you’d expect on a no name pickup. Maybe some push pull coil split pots!
11:15 i love how self deprecating you are. You’re just a beautiful person and we all love your videos
My default on cheap stuff is use the computer of phone speakers. If it sounds okay then good.
I actually rewound and switched to real headphones.
Those pickups definitely do a 'thing' that is very cool.
I'm impressed.
Seymour Duncan pearly Gates pickups and a CTS pots switch craft 3 way switch pure tone jack and graphtech nut. Hipshot open back tuners with the plates.
Bones are great, especially the neck, pickups sound good, the rest can be upgraded or buffed if you wish and you'll still end with a great guitar, if it inspires you to play it. It's OK to be over-enthusiastic, no shame in that. Enjoyment is the point.
What I did to my SX V many year sago:
Set of Guyker locking tuners
New pickups. In that case a set of '80's Japanese humbuckers I'd picked up may year previously.
Took the SX logo off the truss rod cover.
Good to go
Yes i changed strings right away. Its been playing fine since. I feel bad paying only a few hundred bucks for a guitar that just needs a few changes.
Nice, i recently got a cream SG, three pickups, vibrola and gold hardware (63 re-issue LP Custom), unfortunately it had a hairline crack at the headstock (it had bounced in the case), took three months to get it from China so i ain't sending it back lol, i managed to glue the crack and so far it's fine, seller has been ok and has offered a part refund. Apart from the damage/repair it's a lovely thing and plays well, going to upgrade the bridge pickup as it's a bit weak. I would buy another Chibson.
This thing reminds me of a chat i had with a Chinese manufacturer. He told me, 2 or 3 years ago, that they could make me anything i wanted for standard price as long as the production didn’t have to change and anything, really anything, for a little more. In that factory they produced a lot of fakes, but i could have my logo on the head stock or even no logo at all. The crazy thing he would have let me made for 200/250€ were insane. The most insane i think that was a double neck half rick 12 strings and half epiphone casino with a fun headstock, they said that could have been done for 500€. Utterly insane
Hi Andy,
I think it's a nice moding platform and I would make the following changes
- original Kluson Tuners
- Graphtec Nut
- complete fretjob
- chrome Hardware incl. Speed Dome Knobs
- complete new electric
- and a pair of white Tonerider Pickups
- maybe some chrome Pickup Frames 🤔
Then the V should be really great 🤘😃
Thank you!!!
If the pickups work properly, there is really no reason to replace them other than looks. A humbucker is a humbucker for the most part, the tonal differences are minimal, output however will be different.
I have a 1987 BC Rich Iron Bird Mk1 and it has a splitter switch on it (from the factory) for the Coils. It goes into overdrive when I switvh it on and sounds like a beast. So if its possible you could try putting one in as a mode.
Definitely fix the nut and setup issues. If you end up changing the pickups and electrics, it might be fun to try Railhammer pickups and a bass rolloff pot.
I have always loved the search for "diamonds-in-the-rough!" All my guitars are modified by respected affordable professionals. I am excited to see the next episode. Sincerely... Sam at 70 loves his guitars!
Yup, that's a modder, born and bred.
Definitely add a coil split (push-pull knobs), and converting one knob to a bass-cut knob (like G&L PTB) would be excellent.
So I picked up a Chinese guitar out of curiosity, it was I think $190 shipped to my door, after adjusting the bridge, it plays better than my real version, but the pickups and wiring are completely junk, one basically doesn't work. But there is no way I could like assemble the body and neck and everything together for a lesser price from a kit or anything. Frets were very not bad. A little scratchy and fretboard dry. Very loud and resonant. Another 100 bucks into it and it'll be great.
my 150 Euro Chinese Hb ST-62 is also very very good after my setup, some tweaks luthier, etc. I enjoy it a lot.
I will rank these mods according to my own preference, and I sincerely hope the necessary parts will be available to you. Please note that the matching letters do not indicate that I intend for them to be used together (e.g. 2B with 3B).
1. New Nut
2A. Cheap, but Good, Pickups: I recommend Tonerider, perhaps a Birmingham Bridge for the neck and an Octane for the bridge if you want to go heavy without getting dark (€54 each with gold covers).
2B. Great, but Less Cheap, Pickups: I recommend a Wilde Pickups L-500R for the neck and a L-500XL for the bridge (heavy but surprisingly bright and dynamic) or a Railhammer Humcutter Nuevo 90 Neck for the neck and Nuevo 90 Bridge or Heavy 90 for the bridge (depending on how heavy you want to go) for more of a P90/humbucker hybrid vibe (I think the black covers are beautiful.).
3A. G&L-style PTB Controls: This uses a reverse-log (i.e. "C") taper 1MΩ pot with a .0022uF capacitor for bass as the third knob, which is in parallel with a 500kΩ pot with a .022uF capacitor for treble as the second knob, and a 250kΩ pot with a 200pF treble-bleed capacitor for master volume as the first knob.
3B. Reverend Kyle Shutt Signature PTB Controls: For your guitar, this would require a concentric 500kΩ/500kΩ pot for each pickup's volume a 270pF treble-bleed capacitor for each, then the selector's output would go into the same treble pot and capacitor and the same bass pot described in 3A with a .001uF bass capacitor instead of the bass capacitor mentioned in 3A.
4. Free Way Model 3X3-05 Six-position Toggle Selector: I recommend Scheme No. 039 from page one of the model 3X3-05's "B" PDF, leaving out the coil-splitting push/pull pot (For some reason, they did not include this wiring scheme for the selector switch in the "A" PDF which excludes push/pull pots.); this allows for series and reverse-polarity switching via a second column of positions for the selector switch.
5. Seymour Duncan Triple Shot Mounting Rings: These mounting rings have two slide switches each such that all four wiring modes of a humbucker can be selected. I prefer the "reverse" wiring such that the switches point to the active coil when splitting coils.
6. Locking Tuners: These are a necessity for me, thanks to spastic cerebral palsy.
Regarding mod 3, I feel that all guitars should have bass knobs; they are extremely useful (particularly when wiring pairs of pickups in series), and the treble pot could be push/pull if you want (e.g. bypassing the controls in 3A or sending the bridge pickup straight to the output in 3A or 3B). Mods 4 and 5 combine to provide 72 tonal options which are each much more versatile with the help of mod 3. If the Wilde Pickups mentioned in mod 2B interest you, then check out this excellent demonstration of the R and XL set in an old SG:
ruclips.net/video/nqW-wnJwyio/видео.html
The switching options demonstrated in that video are as follows:
1. Bridge Series
2. Bridge Split
3. Bridge Parallel
4. Bridge Back to Series
5. Neck Series
6. Neck Split
7. Neck Parallel
8. Neck Back to Series
9. Both Pickups Split
10. Both Pickups Parallel
11. Both Pickups Split
12. Both Pickups Series
13. Both Pickups Series, Neck Out of Phase
14. Both Pickups Split, Neck Out of Phase
15. Bridge Pickup Series
EDIT: I would be glad to make you an A4 PDF wiring diagram with DIYLC if you tell me which of the above wiring mods you want along with whatever pickups you want (not necessarily ones I mentioned). I would need you to post a public email address, as RUclips's CAPTCHA on your "About" page seems to be bugged.
Graphtec XL nut, Hipshot Locking Tuners, EMG Het Set Active Pickups, CTS Pots. :)
If you don't want to potentially need to make a battery pocket, passive EMGs might be a little cheaper but still a huge upgrade.
Let's put $600 worth of upgrades on a $150 guitar. :)
WD music kluson style tuners if you want the same look, Gotoh if you just want good tuners. Tusq nut, GFS pickups, CTS switch and pots. Switchcraft has been hit or miss lately
Great Video but I am not a fan of gold or brass as the gold will tarnish down the road ,,i avoid guitars with gold ,,,so I would upgrade to chrome all hardware and pick ups and def put locking tuners but i would buy Klusons locking tuners
Hi mate, congrats on your new Flying V.😀 I just want to say I really enjoyed watching this episode because I love seeing somebody get a "steal" on the online market (eBay, Reverb, DH Gate, Alie Express🤭, etc.). I understand the feeling when you get something that you really like at the low price and not to mention almost as close as the "Original".
The reason I said it is that I myself have purchased a "Chibson Les Paul 1959 vintage Lemon Burst" for just $230. I first went to the store to see how the $5,000+ original look and feel. (You really need to bust a bank or sell your kidney to have it.)😂 Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to see an ad floating somewhere, and it looks exactly as the 5K one for just a fraction of the price. When it arrived I was so shock at the beauty, It's 98% as close as the original. (Top notch fretwork, Klusson tuners, "Gibson" Logo on the headstock with some cheap plastic nut, but I expect that.🤭…not to mention I'm expecting the pick-up to be crap, but it turned out to be amazing as well. ) The funny thing is I brought it to the local Luthier for full set-up (intonation/low action, etc.) To my surprise, he was not able to distinguish that it's a knock off and thought it was an original. He even said, "you're lucky bro, this is a rare 1959 LP." I felt so guilty that I have to admit to him that it was just a copy, and he really laughed that he got duped. Just shows how scary good the fake are, I mean the copies nowadays.😆 But I assure him I won't be using it in gigs, It's only for bedroom shredding. It only shows the fact that if the guitar is cheap, doesn't mean it's crap. In fact, the big brands are just waaaay to overpriced.
Anyway just sharing, was just inspired because I know how you feel to score something like that.🎸 Cheers!👌💯
I didn't had great experiences with the 5000+ originals.
You would expect a 5000+ guitar to not be worse than a 150 copy, but thinking about those sharp and dead frets and the intonation, this one looks better than an original.
The no name is a plus at this point, and you don't risk having it seized at the customs.
Anyway, i think Wilkinson are the real deal about LPs.
@@giacomoneri1782 Wow!, thanks for that confirmation mate👍, so the $5,000 plus expensive ones still has (sharp, dead frets?😮) , I thought when you buy a 5K there's something magical about it?, some owners say the expensive LP's goes out of tune which I have not experienced from my Chibsons... what you said made me feel even better, especially when you have something that looks very expensive, but it's actually cheap and most of all it plays well.🤭 As for the logo, I always say to the seller to erase it if possible, but they still send it by just covering the logo with black erasable paint. And it arrived with no problem, and I will not be using it for any gigs, it's only for bedroom shredding.
Also, you are exactly right. I bought a Wilkinsons Alnico 5 PAF (Vintage) for my 1959 and a Wilkinson Tune-O-matic bridge for the Sunburst. They now sound and look like the $5,000 on I tested on the store. Really appreciate you chiming in. It just confirmed my gut feel that not all very expensive guitars are high quality, some you are just paying for the "brand"/logo. Cheers!🔥
Fret level, crown and polish (after making sure that the truss rod works). New potentiometers, new bone nut and, if the budget allows, new machine heads. Live with the pickups for now. Change later if the guitar still feels good 👍
The "new gear smell" is sometimes not pleasant. I got a Marshall DSL40 combo, came in the sealed factory box, and a little more than a month later it still smells a bit chemical-y. But it sounds fantastic so ...
It was just the tape on the box. I have no idea why it smells so bad
is there a part 2 to this bad boy yet?? I'm dying to see what you've done with it!
There should be but I ordered parts and they never arrived.
Once I get everything in need, all will be well!
10:30 that brown box is cool. Whilst we don’t have power issues where i am it’s good to know that this product exists.
That interview you did at NAMM with her was awesome
The brown box was designed to replicate Eddie Van Halen's use of a variac to drop the voltage to his amps because he thought it sounded better. Not for use as a power conditioner.
@@wbfaulkawe you sure on that ? The NAMM interview he did seems to have pointed more to a power conditioner.
@@PeterMoore350 It's been around for like ten years. It was marketed as a way to sag your tube/transformer amp. EVH always claimed that the variac was an integral component of his *brown* sound. It's not really going to do anything to an amp that says it can accept a range of voltages. That said, I'm sure it also works as a power conditioner, which is particularly relevant for transformer-based power supplies. But you could then just get a power conditioner for less that would support more than just the amp.
To be clear, I think it's a cool product, but if you're just interested in power conditioning, there are probably better choices.
I bought an eBay Hetfield Snakebyte factory clone for $260 USD from China. Took a month or so to arrive. It came with locking tuners, 2 barely noticeable dings (bad luck), 1 tone/1 volume knob, active EMG 81/85s, ebony? fretboard (I forget). Gloss finish. The pickup output is loud, but very good. The guitar sounds great playing acoustically. I don't notice scratchy frets. Neck is thick. Everything looks beautiful and sounds beautiful (even unplugged). I prefer it over my Dean Evo Special Select Les Paul. I ordered another eBay guitar that resembles a 1975 Vintage Telecaster for $205 (negotiated from 270). Unbranded, it looks flawless, but I'm waiting on it. Also from China. The maker said they have done woodworking and built guitars for over 20 years. I guess I believe them. Just use the price filter and put 200-400 USD. You will find some golden gems. They even have acrylic guitars for under 400. It's unreal. Now I'll tell you which mods in another comment. Cheers.
"Active EMG 81/85s" - fakes
@JimVincent well I put a battery in there and it works. Has emg logos on em. Not sure tbh. Sam Ash's guitar tech said he doesn't see why they wouldn't be. Lol
Also, fake pick-ups? God forbid. 😂 I'm suspicious to this day. But the fact that I'm playing METAL for the most part and using an always on Overdrive pedal means that what I'm hearing is no longer affected by the pickup. MAYBE if it was the Hetset. With their newer tech. But yeah. Look up "Glenn Fricker pickups" if you need a good reference to why your comment technically is irrelevant. ❤️
Apart from the obvious nut, strings and tuners swap, I'd have to change the pick guard to one that looks correct because that one is awful. The problem is that it would probably leave some screw holes.
The truss rod cover is also incorrect.
I have a Flying V and I love it.
the sparkling color and the form combined with the strings position slightly reminds me of those belair-tail styled guitars
8:00 what was the Caddyshack line ? “Looks good on you though” 🤣😂🤣😂
Not a fan of gold hardware, so that would go.
Not a fan of string through body, so those would go.
Other than that I'd do what you already mentioned, tuners, nut, and a little fret work.
I bought a LP for $124 "on sale" that also had no headstock photo. It did have the logo when it arrived. It was under a gaudy metal like sticker saying something else.
Plays great though. Another Buckethead LP I grabbed for less than a $100 with a cracked headstock also had "the logo". I fixed the headstock, but I swear if I shook it hard enough all the frets would fall off. It just feels way cheaper than the first one. So I assume they came from two very different factories. Both have great action, and are for learning to repair and mod, so they will certainly fit the bill.
It needs the necessities as you already said and some what better potentiometers. Pickups are up to personal preferences.
I'm sure you're already done with it by now, but honestly everything below the neck seems fine with the exception of the dings in the finish, the only changes I would make Below the neck would be aesthetic,
Hi Andy - whatever happened to your relic project? Happy to finish it off for you!
Make it as it has a pull an push knob. Also install a unbuildt OD button
If I were you I'd put 1. Irongear pickups in it (rolling mills, overwound for bridge) 2. Get decent tuners, take your pick but Harley Benton makes seriously decent ones without having to go full Gotoh. Then, get a pre-slotted graph tech nut and that guitar is good to gooooooo (straight into safe-keeping)
I just got a les paul custom! After changing electronics and bone nut,tuners and recrowning, it's worth every penny of 277.00 👍🤘
Awesome video! I think it looks great and is going to be a great mod platform. As a guitar technician I may be cheating here, but my 2 cents on the mods are as follows : new nut and tuners as you mentioned. Check for high frets and address as needed. Once those are done the guitar will be at its optimal playing potential. I would change the wiring harness and the switch. Keep the pickups for now and see how they sound after the electronics change. If the bridge intonates and plays properly I would leave it, but if it doesn't then change it out for better hardware...and maybe straplocks as well : ) Awesome video! Best of luck with the upgrades.
Thanks. That is some solid choice right there. I think we made need a three part video series
I'm more interested in the mini vacuum... got an affiliate link?
New tuners, but do you do locking or? New pickups, but classic burst busters or some more modern? Maybe New pots but as long as it's giving the right output who knows. Have fun!
I worked for the Post Office. "Fragile" meant don't throw over 40 feet.
Moving the strap button down further into the vee will reduce neck dive. I speak from experience!
graphtec nut, grover locking tuners, cts pots, and dimarzio 59 paf pickups very expensive mods much more than the guitar is worth but would be insane
Where can I find a Flying V that’s this color for more like a 1000 “bucks”? Almost all I ever see are korina and ebony. Looking around on Reverb, they’re all black, korina or puke green.
I have an ESP V-50 I was so excited to get it… then the realities of the shape hit. I find the shape just so uncomfortable to try and play around. Sadly now it’s more of an ornamental thing of beauty than I player which is a shame.
nice find! New wiring harness, tuners, nut, and a setup should be all it needs to be genuinely good.
Did you get around to modding this? I've looked but can't find a part 2 and I need closure on how it turned out! 😂
Drop in some Duncans or DiMarzio's, CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and selector, locking tuners, and do a proper set up. The scratchy frets will actually play in if you don't want to have them polished [or pay someone to polish them]. I bet after that it's actually a REALLY cool guitar. Get a truss rod cover with your name on it. enjoy!
Looks like a pretty good project base, look forward to seeing what it ends up like
Yeah it has everything it needs to be fantastic
Chibson guitars are becoming my favorite. They look amazing and sound even better
You just can’t afford a Gibson 🤪 all jokes aside you’re most likely to be correct.
I've ordered 3 'off the shelf' Chibsons and 2 custom made to my specs. They are an UNREAL value. Every one of them I've ordered has been set up reasonably well and only needing minor adjustment. I've swapped the pickups on all of them, some with SD pickups, some with Guitar Madness pickups from ebay that are like $35 a set and very good. Tuners I tend to swap out with locking Guykers for $35ish a set.
I feel like these Chinese luthiers have been watching the videos too and adjusting their quality to make us happy. I’ve not bought a chibson yet but I won’t count it out.
I hope the pickups are not microphonic but its a shame about the wide neck as I have short stubby fingers. it looks great and plays great for a chinese made guitar on ebay
Did he ever upgrade this? I really love the colour on it
He is still waiting on a certain part of the process to develop...
@TheGuitarGeek I'll be waiting for em because I love the color of it so much that I might even risk it lol
first thing would be to level crown and polish those frets and fix up the nut. Pots would be next. It would look better with nickel covered pickups. But a black pick guard would put it over the top!! 🤘🤘🤘
Put some Grover locking tuners on it, a brass nut, and install Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup. Then sort out the strings and set up.
13:10 Was that 'Naked' by Reef? Man it's been a long time since I heard that!
Yes!!!
I would change the gold to Chrome hardware. Then, fix the issues you mentioned. It's a nice-looking guitar.
Ha! I was gonna buy this exact Flying V I now see it is out of stock 😂
Personally, it probably needs a good fret level, crown and polish. Probably needs a bone nut cut for it. New strings (the Chinese strings are not great).
Make it play great before swapping out pickups.
I know everyone is gonna suggest new pickups and pots but personally I like the trashy sound of the Chinese microphonic pickups. Yeah you could put Lollars in it, and it would sound amazing, but there is an late 1940s early 1950s “we don’t quite have this figured out yet” vibe to the trashy Chinese pickups that have a garage rock charm of their own, especially coupled with Fuzz and some tone knob adjustments.
Mod it beyond reason. If I recognize it in your next video after you've modded it, then you have failed. Lmaoooo great vid!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh if it was not so beautiful, I would!
Time for Andy to do an Iron Gear pickup review.
I probably wouldn't do much other than address the issues. If that plate behind the bridge is bent i'd replace it
Sorry I don't know if it's my screen, and I don't own a V, but is that one huge? Or are they typically that size?
This one DOES seem huge but I have not compared it to a Gibson. It feels typical
@AndyGuitarGeek Thanks Andy. Great video, as usual!
I'd add a Monty's 50's wiring loom and a set of Monty's Overspun PAF Humbuckers.. along with a fret dress, new tuners and nut 🤔
Higher output pickups would be something I would look into simply because flying v's tend to have a lot of bite. I think about Albert King first and foremost. Otherwise_ give it a good setup and make the changes to your tuners and nut you were talking about and give it a go. You might even try a couple different pickups with different specs and make a video showing the differences in tone?? Then you could have that angle on more content as well. I have a kit Les Paul from stew Mac I put together but I put actual Gibson pick-ups and electronics on it and it really sounds identical to the real deal. One of my first project guitars back in the day. Anyhow, all the best
Nice color, but I don’t think getting it and modding it is worth it. You’ll spend enough modding it to negate the cheapness of it. Tuners and electronic mods, even without new pickups, will make it not worth it. But I like the look of that guitar from this distance.
Replace the pots. The pickups are serviceable, if underwound.
They didn’t sound that bad, and a cheap pot could easily get too hot when they soldered it causing the guitar to sound dark. I’d put some good strings on it and replace the pots and see how it sounded then. I’ve replaced pots before and it was like taking a blanket off the speaker.
Ahhh man, i could barely tolerate the sound of that styrofoam!!! Making cringe, and goosebump.... Ahhhh i hate it sooo much too lol
Love your video, only thing is I think we moved on from that "cheap guitars are supposed to be shit" topic. I mean you can get a V-Modell from Harley Benton for around 200€ nowadays, it sounds decent (at least usable) and you can expect a clean finish without any marks plus on top of that a great return policy if something really is wrong.
Thanks for the video, enjoyed it a lot :)
I love G-type guitars with F-type colours! And Vs are always fun! Gold hardware looks pretty good as well. Fretboard looks like it's Richlite, maybe?
I thought it was richlite. I really don’t know!!!
The colours are amazing right?
You probably SHOULD have been affiliated with the seller, as they're all gone now.
If it were mine I'd add rubber tape and change the pickups for Entwistles- probably a Darkstar in the bridge and a HV58 at the neck. I first bought Entwistle pickups because they were affordable , but carried on buying them because they are some of the best humbuckers I've ever heard at any price. i.e the HV58s leave SD 59s sounding flat and lifeless by comparison.
It's nice to see genuine surprise and enjoyment. Great video.
Thank you!
NIce! It looks absolutely amazing (writing before you plugged it in though :D), I got a cheap Harley Benton Victory Plus (black V with gold hardware) and replaced the cheap passive pickups with a gold EMG 57/66 set and a graph tech nut and it turned out incredible. Oh and I ordered some Gibson flying V ribbed rubbers off ebay.. and put on golden locking tuners and better looking knobs.. and.. wait how much money did I put into this cheap project again?
Be interested to hear some Lollar P-90s on that thing, keep the warm tone. Also think the plastic would fit better than that much gold XD
Really enjoy the videos where you get excited about the potential of some seeming POS
Scar got a v very similar that has a epiphone bridge so a look there first!! Love you all and have a blessed day!!!
It's cool that you are getting such joy from a guitar that is not that good straight out of the box.
I'd upgrade the pots if the ones in it don't turn well. The pickups...they sound okay to me, at least on my phone. Swap the tuners. Basically just change things that are supposed to turn that don't turn well.
Personally I'd be referring to it as a "Flying F#$%" but, I'm warped. I'd even want to put a name plate in it with that name....but, NOT in a censored manor.
Yay...new video....Don't forget a fret crown and polish.
Yep! Gotta keep talking about and playing these guitars!
Level/sand the frets, bone nut, locking tuners, new wiring kit, SD Saturday Night Specials :)
Put a set of iron gear Tesla shark pickups in it. It's their version of the signature pickups that Slash uses.
I'd put P90 pickups into it just because, and I would do a psychedelically inclined paint job on the scratch plate
Pretty cool, at the very least, its looks super rad! Definitely be worth havin around for a few rockers every set!
Use a footstool when you play it ... Mod the output jack.
You should definitely change the pickups. Since the guitar sounds very dark maybe some DiMarzios would fit.
I've played a few Vs, I never was a fan of them. Make it the best guitar it could be in a stock configuration first, then go nuts and put everything you can afford, and a kitchen sink on it.