Arbor Traditional Flying V

looks amazingly like the real thing (gibson) slightly different headstock. high output humbuckers

Very happy with sound. Compares with kiss or triumph. Just like the Gibson, this guitar is gutsy and puts out lots of distortion, but not a fat sound. No problems with feedback or noise. It does, however, give great harmonic distortion that you can control.

The action is fast & neck is narrow....just the way I like it. I moved the bridge pickup all the way up.

I've dropped this guitar several times before I got some straplocks. Didn't even have to retune it.

There's no way I'd buy a Gibson V, so this one does me just fine.

I think 1988 like said,i bought it at a pawn shop a few miles away from my home town in deep south texas. I don't know where it was made.?.? It has 2 humbuckers that are okay with considering how old this thing is. 2 volume and 1 tone. They are no name passive pickups as well as the guitar. mine is a blue sunburst finnish the problem is the strap button came off when i was jamming with it and the headstock flew right off! I was devistated untill i got sum gorrilla glue and glued that sucker right back on it. NIce fix. Tremolo with locking Nut , but i installed locking tuners cause the stock ones suck.. Neck through construction very nice sustain and tone honstly i was surprised when i tryed it out at the pawn shop! But it needs better hardware and it'll be reliable. No case

I have been playing guitars for 7-8 years now ive come accross about 5 guitars and this one is one of the best surprisingly. Most of my are worth are $500 ,and it keeps upwith them. I play death metal, speed solos and ,chunky rythem guitar parts. I would rate this as a intermediate guitar. This guitar is very loud unplugged and is even louder plugged w/stock pickups. At hight volumes the sound breaks up, so I in stalled a Seymour Duncan Invader pickup and its perfect for this guitar. I dislike the poor hardware like the tuners and pickup selector.

The action was probably changed on mine cause i bought it used at a local pawn shop. Its action is very fast for a no namer brand that is pretty damn good!

Yes if you dont drop it.! :)

N/A

MFG. Date, Approximately 1988.
22 Frets.
3 way toggle: 2 Vol. 1 Tone.
2 Passive Humbuckers. Unknown make and model.
Body and neck: Red Mahogany.
Fret board: Rose wood.
Vibrato bridge identical to std. Strat.
Tuners: Unknown... Cheap
Neck: Slightly thinner than Std. Start.
Cheap case.


I changed the stock tuners to "Grovers"
Changed the the trebble "Lead" pick up to "Seymour Ducan, Screamin' Demon" pick up.
The original pickup was not bad but, lost note defininition at high vol. high distortion levels.
Original tuners sucked!!! Never stayed in tune!
After a neck adjustment and these small modifications, this 2nd rate begginers guitar was transformed into a monster! This Bitch ROCKS!!!
The paint job reminds me of the joker card. It's half red and half black, split all the way from the body to the neck stock.
Weight: Not very heavy but very solid and very fast action.
Price: Free!!! Someone who bought it while in his teens to learn guitar and gave up, gave it to me.
It smelled like a damp musty basement and was very dirty and oxidized.
After a bit of cleaning, recondishining and a couple of minor modifications, I was very impressed with it's performance.
I also have a Std. Strat and B.C. Rich Warlock "Platinum" in my electric collection.
I've been playing over 30 years and have had many guitars and played many more, and without a doubt, this is one of the meanest lead guitars I've ever played. My friends can't believe this guitar that no one has ever even heard of, could sound and play like this. I'd put it up against any other guitar under the $2000 range without hesitation!

Music style most used for: Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Original sound before modifications: Not bad for a no name brand.
After: Unbelievable!!! Screams, cries, howls, and moans like a bitch in heat!!! I love it!
Used with a string of effects: Boss - Metal Zone, Boss - Pitch shifter/delay, Ibanez - 7 band EQ. Main. Others optional.
Amp: Fender "Ultimte Chorus" 2-12 plus EV acoustic reflex 2-15 cabinet.

Factory settings for neck: Not good.
Pickups: Decent.
Construction: Very good.
Hardware: Could be a lot better.
All lacking areas are very easily fixed.

Over 10 years old and I expect it to last a life time...
Except fot the original hardware. Pick your own and make it great!
Paint job: Very decent.
Vol. and tone controls: Very decent.
Toggle switch: Wears out after years of abusive playing.
Strap buttons: Made for right or left handed playing. Deep anchors, holds very well. Strap locks recomended.
Very dependable.
Have used it as primary guitar many times. Never had a problem.

Support? Who the hell is Arbor???

Over 30 years of playing.
A name I never heard of.
Maybe would have paid $50 to $75 before setting up right.
The only thing left to do at this point is install "Floyd Rose" tremelo system with nut lock, and it would be just about perfect.
The way it is set up now, If I didn't have it and was looking to buy,
I don't what I would pay because it's a no name but, the way it plays and sounds would make it hard not to try to make it mine!

Manufactured in the late '80s (I think), In Korea. 22 frets. Solid body, no top. 2 volume, single tone. Pickups-- 2 paasive humbuckers, most likely Arbors or WDs or Allparts but they sound really fat and pretty hot, but then again they are not Duncans or EMGs. Body wood I am assuming is Mohogany or poplar (no real way of telling if its plywood without Screwing up the guitar.)and the wood is shaped in a real authentic "Flying V" fashion. Bridge style is string thru body fender which is pretty neat. Tuners--who knows? Neck has the contour of a baseball bat, rosewood board, dot inlays I dont know what kind of neck, Jumbo frets. 24 3/4" scale. came with old beat to shit case. For what I paid it was not in bad shape at all

My own musical style varies greatly, but usually I play a fusion of Thrash/classic rock & classic metal/jazz/classical musics and It definitely fits my needs for a full,hot, thick and crunchy sound. Unplugged, this guitar is really loud, louder than any of the guitars I currently own. This is really the first time I have felt the neck vibrating in my hand when I play a chord. Electrically though,I am using it with a DOD Metal X set for a clean boost and a boost in the lows thru a Marshall VS-100R and Crate 412 cabinet rated at 80w. This guitar is very noisy but, because the bridge pickup is so hot and heavy I dont want to mess with the pickups because they sound really hot and heavy thru my rig. I usually play on OD2 with the gain maxed out, Bass:10, Mid: 8, High: 6. ITs noisy pretty much on any high gain settings and probably is not shielded properly because every time that I take my hands of the strings the pickups buzz alot. The neck pickup with clean settings like bass--12 oclock, Mids--1:30, Highs--3 oclock really sound full and rich with fusion and jazz chords. The sound is not really as varied as many people would like because there are no coil taps or anything like that and the character of the pickups dont change too much when you back off the volumes the tone doesnt change too drastically, and that is something that is a major bummer. It is this total lack of options that makes me rate it a seven and not a 9 1/2. But hey for what I paid and how well it does heaviness and warmth its great!

I didnt buy this guitar new, I bought it used but I can imagine that anyone who has this guitar has kept it in similar condition because of the fact it is some unknown brand that isnt too desirable (generally). The action was about a mile of the fretboard, as a result of the neck shifting. This was easily fixedThe pickups were adjusted perfectly. There were lots of cosmetic flaws on this guitar (pickup toggle was missing its cover, Bridge was oxidised, etc) but that was all due to its age and a result of the playing that it has been used for. The coolest cosmetic thing about this guitar is that the previously white finish has yellowed and turned into a really cool creme color with age and that I think is really cool.

This guitar weighs alot and feels very substantial, and has already withstood years of live playing. The hardware has lasted a long time so I dont see why it shouldnt and the tuners seem to work really well. The finish hs not worn at all and does not scratch easily. Pickup selector was clean still. I Replaced the strap buttons with a dimarzio cliplock strap because those are my favorites and they seem to work well with the guitar. I could definitely depend on it and I would use it on a gig without a backup.

n/a used without warranty, plus I do guitar repair for a living.

I have been playing eleven years and I own a ton of other gear--Jacksons (KV-1 and PS-6T),a Fender US Plus Stratocaster, a Hondo Formula Rhoads V, and a couple of classical guitars. No nagging things that are bothering me because for what it is, I enjoy it quite a bit; I wanted an inexpensive set neck flying v (gibson Style). If it were stolen or lost I prolly would try and find another one or save for the real thing. I hate the neck its too fat and sometimes its difficult to keep it in tune, but those are minor complaints. The biggest complaint is that the playability is less than great. However, I love the sound and the way it feels so substantial and how you can feel chords ringing in your hands. I compared it to everything else in that price range and this blew everything away because it was setin construction and after playing on neck thru for a year I cant go back to bolt on for soloing and harmonized leads. These guitars are great buys for the money if you just want a flying Vee set neck guitar! But in the grand scheme of things I have also played tons better and tons worse.