File:Jimi Hendrix's Flying V Gibson Guitar.jpg

Jimi Hendrix's custom made Gibson Flying V guitar, which he called "Flying Angel" Currently in the Hard Rock Cafe Museum, London, England.

Serial number 849476 manufactured specially for Jimi in 1969, this guitar probably left the factory in 1970. Jimi was playing this specific V during the Isle of Wight concert. All hardware is gold. The vibrato is a typical flatmount base (no difference left or right) with a special string anchor bit and lever (made with 3 different holes for longitudinal adjustment. This was the first time Gibson inlayed a pearl logo in a Flying V. This feature was subsequently used on the 89/90 V90's, the Golden Eagle, the Hendrix signature in 91 and the Centennial in 94. The split diamond inlay was requested specially by Jimi (it was a new design at the time) made to represent native indians arrow heads. This inlay has been used since on the 89/90 V90's, the Golden Eagle, the Hendrix signature in 91 and the Centennial in 94. The tuners strangely enough are quite odd : they are Kluson built "Gibson Deluxe" double line tuners but single line tulip buttons which is unusual since during that period and up to 1971 at least, the perloid buttons had 2 rings.

[Gibson Flying V custom built for Jimi Hendrix]

JIMI HENDRIX
JIMI HENDRIX EXPANDED THE VOCABULARY
  OF THE ELECTRIC ROCK GUITAR MORE
THAN ANYONE BEFORE OR SINCE. HENDRIX
 WAS A MASTER AT COAXING ALL MANNER
   OF UNFORESEEN SONICS FROM HIS
 INSTRUMENT, OF TEN WITH INNOVATIVE
   AMPLIFICATION EXPERIMENTS THAT
  PRODUCED ASTRAL-QUALIRTY FEEDBACK
AND ROARING DISTORTION. THIS FLYING V
  WAS CUSTOM BUILT FOR JIMI. ALSO ON
DISPLAY IS A BELT WORN BY JIMI HENDRIX
 AND A PAIR OF ROSE-TINTED SUNGLASSES
  WORN BY NOEL REDDING WHILE A MEMBER
    OF THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE.