Epiphone Richie Faulkner Flying V Limited Edition: Über-cool? Judas Priest's lead guitarist gets a cool new Flying V signature model

Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Epiphone Richie Faulkner Flying V Limited Edition · Source: Epiphone/Facebook Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Richie Faulkner Flying-V Custom Outfit · Source: Epiphone

Previous Next

Epiphone has done it again. This time they have announced a limited edition Flying V for Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner. This new guitar looks well specified and if it as good as the recent signatures from Epiphone, it could be a winner.

Flying V

The Richie Faulkner Flying-V Custom is the new signature model built by Epiphone for the lead guitarist of Judas Priest. It has his logo emblazoned on the headstock and at the 12th fret too, just so you know it belongs to a metal god!

Judas Priest

The guitar is loaded with Faulkner’s preferred EMG 66 neck and 57 bridge active pickups and comes fitted with a Floyd Rose Tremolo and has Grover Rotomatic machine heads.

It is an all-mahogany guitar, finished in a lush Ebony Black paint job. And it has a nice, dark ebony fretboard with Pearloid block inlays. Frankly, this thing looks cool as f**k.

I love the whole vibe of the guitar. With that Floyd Rose trem system installed, it could be a lot of fun to play. The neck is your typical 24.75″ scale length and has a slim C profile, potentially making it a comfy guitar for lead work.

Epiphone bargain?

Yes, I know I keep saying this, but I really do love my Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V model. If this new Richie Faulkner Flying-V Custom is anywhere as good as my one, I reckon it will be a winner!

There’s also a custom-designed gig bag included in the price. I had to go and buy a case for my own Flying V, which was expensive, as Flying V gig bags and cases aren’t as easy to source as, say, a Stratocaster or Les Paul case.

Where’s the catch?

It’s difficult to see a downside to this guitar. Okay, it isn’t built in America. But the days in which the best instruments are made in the USA are, in my opinion, long gone. This guitar looks like a bargain and I would certainly take a punt on one.

Begs the question: How come Epiphone can make such amazing guitars and yet Gibson keeps getting it so wrong?

RRP – GBP 849 / USD 999 including gig bag and a hand signed certificate of authenticity

More Information

Video