{"id":23942,"date":"2025-09-24T12:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T12:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/?p=23942"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:57:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T14:57:12","slug":"the-love-history-between-mustaine-and-the-flying-v","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/2025\/09\/24\/the-love-history-between-mustaine-and-the-flying-v\/","title":{"rendered":"The Love History Between Mustaine and the Flying V"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Dara Christine, Setptember 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most guitarists, the Flying V is love at first sight. Its razor-sharp lines scream rebellion, its presence commands attention, and its history bleeds rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. But not for Dave Mustaine. When the V first crossed his path back in the early Metallica days, he shrugged it off. Too weird. Too awkward. Too unplayable. Hardly the weapon of choice for a hungry shredder on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yet, fate had other plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the V, Mustaine\u2019s journey ran through humble territory: an $80 Gibson SG copy, then a Les Paul copy, and soon after an Ibanez Destroyer\u2014a knockoff Explorer that already hinted at his taste for radical shapes. But when he picked up that first Flying V, the connection wasn\u2019t instant. Its alien geometry threw him off. \u201cI didn\u2019t think much of it because of the weird shape,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was very playable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>But the more he pushed, the more the V revealed its secrets. In the studio, Mustaine discovered he could lock the guitar between his legs, freeing his hands to truly float\u2014no longer fighting the neck, but commanding it. That single revelation flipped the script. Suddenly, the Flying V wasn\u2019t a gimmick\u2014it was a game changer. Onstage, its balance, its stance, its sheer attitude made perfect sense. And soon, that \u201cweird shape\u201d became an extension of Mustaine himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"720\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23945 lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1.webp 750w, https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1-300x288.webp 300w, https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1-680x653.webp 680w, https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1-200x192.webp 200w, https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Dave_Mustaine_Flying_V_EXP_Mobile_Homepagecopy-1-20x19.webp 20w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, the obsession only grew. What started as resistance turned into devotion, until the Flying V became his lifelong partner in crime. Its jagged silhouette wasn\u2019t just iconic\u2014it became synonymous with Megadeth\u2019s ferocious sound and image. Mustaine and the V weren\u2019t just player and guitar. They were a statement, a weapon, a symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That love story eventually culminated in 2021, when the long-whispered Gibson partnership finally materialized. The Dave Mustaine Collection launched with a fleet of metal machines: the Flying V EXP in Metallic Silver, the Kramer Flying V Vanguard in Natural, and the jaw-dropping Flying V 30th Anniversary Rust in Peace Edition. Epiphone soon followed with the Flying V Prophecy and the Flying V Custom, cementing Mustaine as one of the true poster boys of the V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decades on, Dave Mustaine and the Flying V are inseparable\u2014a pairing as inevitable as distortion and volume. What began as skepticism has become obsession. The Flying V isn\u2019t just part of Mustaine\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is his history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Gear Box: Mustaine\u2019s Flying V Arsenal<br><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flying V EXP (Gibson, Metallic Silver)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notes: Designed for precision and brutal clarity on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Body: Mahogany<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neck: 24.75\u201d scale, slim taper<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pickups: Active humbuckers (Dave\u2019s signature preference)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hardware: Locking tuners, fixed bridge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flying V Vanguard (Kramer, Natural)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notes: Stripped-down, no-nonsense attitude\u2014classic thrash aesthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Body: Mahogany<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neck: Slim maple neck with ebony fingerboard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pickups: High-output humbuckers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flying V 30th Anniversary Rust in Peace Edition (Gibson Custom Shop)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notes: Collectors\u2019 dream, tied to Megadeth\u2019s most celebrated album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Body: Mahogany with flamed maple top<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neck: 24 frets, custom profile<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pickups: Burstbucker set<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finish: Custom \u201cRust in Peace\u201d graphics<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flying V Prophecy (Epiphone)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notes: Affordable but pro-level, designed for modern shredders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Body: Mahogany with flame maple veneer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neck: 24-fret ebony fingerboard, 25.5\u201d scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pickups: Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flying V Custom (Epiphone)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notes: Classic look with Mustaine\u2019s modern punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Body: Mahogany<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neck: Bound ebony fretboard with block inlays<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pickups: Custom humbuckers tuned to Mustaine\u2019s specs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jlvid_container\"><iframe title=\"Dave Mustaine Flying V\u2122 EXP\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gyg0h70WfjA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> By Dara Christine @darachriss<br><br>Photo Credit : Gibson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Dara Christine, Setptember 2025 For most guitarists, the Flying V is love at first sight. Its razor-sharp lines scream rebellion, its presence commands attention, and its history bleeds rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. But not for Dave Mustaine. When the V first crossed his path back in the early Metallica days, he shrugged it off. Too [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[80,79,84,82,83,81],"class_list":["post-23942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gear","tag-dave-mustaine","tag-flying-v","tag-gibson","tag-megadeth","tag-metallica","tag-mustaine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23942"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23967,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23942\/revisions\/23967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}