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My son wants me to help him build a flying "V" electric guitar, I have no idea what type or brand of electronics to purchase for the build, any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Hi Greg does he want a traditional V or something with more options? I can suggest many types of pickups, parts, etc...
Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

What Evan said. What kind of music does you son want to play?

Well, come on guys, if he wants a V he'll not be playing Sergovia, right?

99% of Vs are for rock.

You'll probly be looking at high output Humbuckers (twin coil) pickups. there are a HUGE range to choose from. I'd suggest to find out who his fave guitarist is, then find out what thay use. most fan sites will have this sort of info.

in the 80s I was a big fan of Steve Vai so I put a pair of Dimarzio PAF pros into a strat. Good pups, but I'd probably put in something diferent today.

Bear in mind also that most of the output tone comes from the amp & effects.

I'm building a Les Paul for a friend's son and I'm putting in pick-ups from www.guitarfetish.com 90% of the quality, 30% of the price of the big name pups.

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well, quite, but V's can range from classic rock (say, some PAFs) to hard rock (maybe a Jazz/JB combo?) to dropped-tuning metal of one stripe or other, all of which affects the pickup choice. Humbuckers, certainly, but beyond that its a big world. I don't use effects much, so the tone is mostly the interaction between amp and pickups, with the construction and wood slightly colouring the overall image.

Also, does he want a classic style V, Gibson-esque, or one of the more metal type productions from the likes of ESP, Jackson, etc. GFS stuff is darn good for the cash, buteven he's got a lot of choices available....

Thanks so far guys, I guess I need to get a bit more detailed than I thought. He seems to enjoy classic rock, old time stuff, does that help? I don't want to spend a fortune on electronics, but I do want the guitar to sound as nice as reasonably possible. He is also wavering a bit now towards a Gibson GS style guitar, any differences in the pickup etc. for that style guitar? Another can of worms I bet!

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars