Gibson has once again partnered with Adam Jones to release the latest electric guitar in the pair’s long line of signature instruments: the Gibson Custom Shop Adam Jones Flying V Collector’s Edition.
As was the case with Jones’ long-awaited Silverburst Les Paul Custom signature guitar, the arrival of this particular six-string has been a long time coming. Fans first laid eyes on the mystery V way back in January 2022, when the Tool maestro took one to stage during what was then the band’s first show in almost two years.
Speculation went into overdrive a few months later, when Jones gave guitar aficionados a closer look at his prized Custom Shop Reverse Silverburst, which it turns out had been designed with help from Kirk Hammett, Richie Faulkner and Jim Root.
At the time, Jones’ personal model was confirmed to be one of only three prototypes, but now Gibson Custom Shop has brought back the template for a highly limited run of Collector’s Edition instruments.
As “highly limited” and “Collector’s Edition” both imply, this isn’t a release for the casual Jones fan, and is instead an ultra-exclusive Flying V with a price tag reflective of the fact only 50 units will be made.
Indeed, Gibson’s Collector’s Edition precedent was set by the first Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul offering, which weighed in at $50k. Here, it’s not quite at that level, but it’s still a considerable investment: this Adam Jones Flying V is available for $20k.
For that price you’re practically buying the exact Flying V owned and played by Jones himself, with the model itself catering to the prog maestro’s exacting specs. For example, his affection for super-heavy guitars is well-known, and as such this model offers a suitably bulky, carefully selected non-weight relieved mahogany body.
That is joined by a three-piece plain maple top that has been decked out in Reverse Antique Silverburst, as well as a three-piece maple neck that in turn is joined by a bound 22-fret ebony fingerboard and mother of pearl custom block inlays.
The neck also accommodates arguably the most eye-catching appointment of the axe, the Futura-style headstock, which is lifted from early Explorer models from the late 1950s.
Moving back to the body, a reverse-mounted Custombucker neck pickup lines up next to a custom-wound Seymour Duncan DDJ bridge unit, both of which are answerable to specific volume and tone parameters and a three-way pickup switch.
Diving further into the electronics, the bridge volume utilizes a DiMarzio 500k volume pot, while the rest of the parameters make use of CTS pots with Orange Drop capacitors.
Elsewhere, the Through Body-designed instrument features a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and Schaller M6 with Large Button tuners, all of which flash a lightly aged chrome plating. For extra visual prestige, the entire package has been aged by the Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab.
All of the above specs have, according to Gibson, resulted in “an out-of-this-world limited-edition Flying V”.
As mentioned, only 50 will be made, and each will set you back $19,999 – a price that includes a hardcase and an adjustable leather strap developed by Jones.
Head over to Gibson to find out more.
For those looking for a more affordable Adam Jones signature guitar, Epiphone's recent run of Art Collection Les Pauls – which we suggested could be the best Epiphone Les Paul ever made – has you covered.
