MusicRadar Verdict
Despite a couple of minor issues, this is a stunner of a guitar that sounds superb, looks incredible, and pays worthy homage to one of the favourite axes of perhaps the greatest guitarist ever.
Pros
- +
Top quality electronics and hardware
- +
Fabulous tones and good playability
- +
Looks that evoke one of the most famous guitars of all time
Cons
- -
Our test guitar came with buzzy action and dull frets
- -
Top-end access not as good as you’d expect
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Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: What is it?
This Chinese-built replica of Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 Gibson Flying V is a tribute to the guitar that he bought that year and likely used on All Along The Watchtower, plus other game-changing tracks.
After acquiring it, Hendrix gave the guitar the mandatory psychedelic paint job of that summer of love – think Clapton’s ‘Fool’ SG, George Harrison’s ‘Rocky’ Strat, etc. Originally tobacco sunburst, Jimi painted the body dark brown then decorated the front using modeller’s paint.
He played his new guitar on several tours between 1967 and 1969 when he received his black, custom-ordered V with Trini Lopez-style fretboard inlays. Jimi passed the guitar to Eire Apparent axeman Mick Cox who, when he sold it, removed Jimi’s artwork and painted it black.
In the 1990s as editor of Guitarist magazine, I got to know Prefab Sprout guitarist Dave Brewis. Dave had discovered the V in a Newcastle-Upon-Tyne guitar shop, realised what he had, and carefully reinstated Hendrix’s paint job. I went to Dave’s home in the North of England where he showed me how he’d verified it due to unique patterns in the pearloid dot markers, especially the double parallel lines at the 12th fret. Great detective work!
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Specs
Launch price: $1499/£1499/€1699
Made: Qingdao, China
Type: Six-string solidbody electric guitar
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany, rounded C
Fingerboard: Indian Laurel
Scale length: 628.65mm (24.75 inches)
Nut/width: GraphTech/43mm
Frets: 22, medium-jumbo
Hardware: Double-ring Kluson style tuners, Epiphone LockTone Tune-o-Matic bridge, short Maestro vibrato bridge
String spacing at bridge: 51.5mm
Electrics: Two Gibson Custombuckers, two volume controls, one tone, CTS pots, Mallory capacitor, Switchcraft three-way pickup selector
Weight: 6.5lbs/2.94kg
Left-handed options: Yes (same finish and price)
Finishes: Ebony, with ‘Love Drops’ design
Case: Epiphone shaped, plush-lined hard case
Contact: Epiphone
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Put together using a solid mahogany body with a one-piece mahogany set neck, the guitar features an Indian laurel, rather than rosewood fingerboard. Most players would be hard pushed to distinguish between the two, as it’s dark toned and interestingly grained. As with many new guitars it would benefit from a little lemon oil as it’s a touch dry. I’d also give the frets a polish, as they are a little dull, too.
The black polyester finish is beautifully applied, and the decoration (probably a transfer), looks just like the original. It also extends here and there down the sides, including ‘Love Drops’ written in what would originally been Jimi’s own hand, on the body’s lower leg.
The Inspired By Gibson range Epiphone doesn’t stint on hardware. So, I’m met with Kluson-style ‘double ring’ tuners, twin Gibson Custombucker pickups, a short Maestro Vibrola vibrato bridge and LockTone bridge. Hendrix put a second strap button on the tip of the lower leg, since he played the guitar upside down. Another resides on the neck heel.
Electronics include two CTS volume pots and a single tone control, Mallory capacitor and Switchcraft three-way selector. These and the pickups are mounted in a white-black-white pickguard that apes the Flying V outline, and looks mega-cool. A pointy headstock with white truss rod cover completes the picture on a guitar that looks a million bucks and is sure to turn heads.
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★☆
Although pentatonic shape one at the 17th fret is doable, the bulky heel prevents the thumb from going higher, so the guitar feels rather like a Les Paul at the top
With its neck joining the body at around the 17th fret and no bulky horns you’d expect top-fret access to be total. But the neck’s heel protrudes further than on the original, meaning that, although pentatonic shape one at the 17th fret is doable, the bulky heel prevents the thumb from going higher, so the guitar feels rather like a Les Paul at the top. Dave Brewis pointed out the same thing on the first Gibson reissues. It’s not a huge issue, and Jimi rarely went to the dusty end anyway, but worth noting if you venture north often.
The neck’s medium C profile sits well in the palm, and although the action was too low, leading to fret buzz and slight choking on the top strings, a quick turn of the bridge’s thumb screws had it sorted in seconds, to reveal a great-feeling neck on which bends and vibrato are easy, and speed is unhindered.
On a strap the V balances well, with no neck heaviness or other surprises. And boy, does it look cool.
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★★
In the middle, a position that Jimi loved, it’s a funkier tone…
Using a Mesa Boogie MKI reissue with Echoplex delay, Providence Anadime chorus for a bit of wobble, and the fuzz side of a Hudson Broadcast, it was interesting to see how the Epiphone fared. Custombuckers are medium-output PAF-alike pickups and, played clean –– which Hendrix did as much as he used overdrive and fuzz –– reveals a set of tones that’s authentic and inspiring.
The neck pickup is warm, flutey and natural sounding, while flipping across to the bridge humbucker the output gets wirier and gutsier. In the middle, a position that Jimi loved, it’s a funkier tone, and working with the three controls means you can go from fat to thin and all points in between with the twist of a knob.
Stepping on the fuzz we go from The Wind Cries Mary to Purple Haze in a whisker, while using the Boogie’s own drive is redolent of Jimi’s live work, where his big Marshalls gave a more natural overdrive sound.
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Verdict
Epiphone is on a roll at the moment, and its Inspired By Gibson range takes things up a notch further. Top-grade electronics and hardware, great materials and build provide professional playability and sounds at an affordable price. The Love Drops V fulfils all of these criteria, and looks incredible into the bargain.
MusicRadar verdict: Despite a couple of minor issues, this is a stunner of a guitar that sounds superb, looks incredible, and pays worthy homage to one of the favourite axes of perhaps the greatest guitarist ever.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Build quality | Neatly finished, though ours had a slightly dry fingerboard | ★★★★½ |
| Playability | Comfortable, but the upper fret access is restricted | ★★★★☆ |
| Sounds | Fantastic sounding with premium US Gibson electronics | ★★★★★ |
| Overall | Overall, it's an authentic recreation that looks great and has the tones to match | ★★★★½ |
Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Jimi Hendrix 'Love Drops' Flying V: Also try
$429/£339
Sticking with the symmetrical V shape, this altogether more modern take on the V-shaped format offers a lot of bang for your buck. There's a compound-radius (12"-16") fingerboard, Jackson-licensed Floyd Rose vibrato and high-output Jackson humbuckers. Get it in a choice of four finishes.
$1,599
The Gibson USA 70s Flying V offers a US-made, real-deal version of the symmetrical V. It comes with a fixed Tune-o-Matic bridge, 70s Tribute humbuckers wired to CTS pots, and a set of Grover Rotomatics take care of the tuning. Available in Classic White, Antique Natural, Olive Drab and Ebony.
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