Dillion DFV58K

Unlike the Epiphone 58 Korina V, whose body is made of a bunch of korina 2x4's covered with a thin veneer, this Dillion is made of two (unmatched) pieces of solid (NOT laminated) Korina. The neck is maple and kind of flamey at that. The spliced-on headstock is also smaller than on the epiphone, and the neck position strap button came in the right place--behind the neck heel, not on the bass-side shoulder.

In many respects, this guitar is a lot more like an old Ibanez Rocket Roll Sr. than like a gibson 58-style.

The only cheesey feature lies in the low-quality, sloppy-loose Kluson-style pegs. I've ordered a better set as replacemnts.

The original ceramic pickups were fine: very hot and crunchy, but capable of some "sing", too. I replaced them w/ a pair of GFS Loudmouth pickups that I could tap. With the light Korina body and maple neck, this pickup/body/neck combination gives a lot of crunch, but can sound chimey or have a great sustain or kerrang!, depending on how I set the amp's gain [am using a Roland Cube 60, set on the "rectifier" mode, gain somewhere around 8 or 9, presence at 7 or 8].

Minor beefs here, though since this axe blows comparable Epis, Deans, and even most Gibsons out of the water, this model is worth a look for V freaks.

There are some finish runs on the side of the peghead and at the neck heel.

The korina isn't perfectly match or angled for the grain to follow the lines of the body, but it's SOLID korina, not a laminate, so who cares?

The are some knots and filled dings in the Korina, but I guess costs had to be cut somewhere.

The truss rod is completely relaxed and there might still be a very slight convex bow. This isn't that unusual, and I can work around it, though since I tune my guitars DGCFAD, there is less tension on the neck to flatten it out.

Nonetheless, this baby plays like a dream. The frets are mounted and dressed PERFECTLY, as good as any guitar I've ever owned.

Everything else (seams, joints, etc.) line up fine.

Seems solid enough, but its roadworthiness remains to be seen.

Never dealt with the distributor.

I bought this V after acquiring a Dillion 6/12 doublneck that was so close in quality and build to a '79 gibson ED1275 I used to own that I figured I'd have to try another of their products. I'm an old v-freak, so this model seemed like a natural. OH YASS! Since 1977 I've had 4 Gibson V's, 3 or 4 Deans (originals and reissues), 4 Ibanez (and Greco) Rocket Rolls, 2 Carvin ultra v's, and a couple other cheapos. This Dillion is among the best of'em. If lost, I'd surely get busy trying to find a replacement.

This is Dillion's Korina V that is modeled after Gibson's 58 Korina. Aside from the headstock logo, it could very well pass for one at first glance. I believe that this one was made in 2003. It has the same features as the Gibson model--two humbuckers that are designed to emulate PAF's (I think), two volume knobs and one tone control, 22 frets with dot inlays on a rosewood fingerboard. Mine came with a strap that had the Dillion logo, a polishing rag, a warranty card, and a case.

When I first got it, the wiring configuration was set up so that if the toggle switch was in the middle position, you had to turn down both volume knobs in order to cut off the signal (I believe this is called a non-master volume configuration). Also, if you selected one pickup and shut off the volume, you could still hear a bit of the other pickup bleeding through. As I said in my review of the black Touring Edition V, some people may like this, but I'm not one of them--to me it makes the guitar sound muddy. After I rewired it into a master volume configuration (so that one voulume knob would shut off the signal in the middle position), it almost sounded as if I had upgraded the pickups--the difference was that noticable. The crunch factor increased dramatically, there was a lot more clarity/definition, and no more signal bleed. The other guys in my band noticed the difference and gave it a resounding thumbs up.

I saw one flaw on this--the plate where the strings come through the body didn't quite line up with the holes that that were drilled. I could still thread the strings though without any problem so it wasn't too big of a deal. The action was nice and low, and the neck felt very smooth. No finish flaws that I could see.

I feel the urge to baby this. Having said that, it feels very solid and stays in tune very well.
I bring both this and my Touring Edition V to gigs becasue you never know when you might need one as a backup for the other.

Dillion always answered my emails promplty and courteously, no matter how trivial/anal my questions might have been. No complaints here.

As I stated in my Touring Edition V review, Dillions are arguably the best guitars out there dollar for dollar. I keep this one as well as the Touring Edition under lock and key at all times when I'm not playing with them. I will probably use one of these for drop tunings and the other for standard. These two models could very well be the start of a larger collection of Dillion V's.

No idea what year this was made. It is Korean. It is one big chunk of wood, I can tell you that.

I took this from the Dillion website (which is a bit on the amatuer side, but never mind). For the money you are getting:

Solid korina body
Vintage style headstock with Dillion logo
Vintage style black pick guard and gold vintage gears
Rosewood finger board with hand polished frets
2 vintage sounding open humbuckers
String through body bridge
Gold hardware
2 volume, 1 tone, 3-way toggle

Everything works as it is supposed to and the guitar is essentially a carbon copy of a 59' Gibson Flying V Korina. It has a heavily varnished finish and is very nicely sanded and curved. The tuners are mother of pearly/semi transparent numbers. The neck is about medium thin and is great for shredding but still has that "classic feel".

My style is all over the place - I bought this because I always play Fenders etc and I needed humbucking capabilities. I used it with a Boss HM2, Boss DF2 and my Peavey amp distortion.

It is not noisy at all (bucking those hums) and sounds better than any Flying V I have ever played. I have never played a proper Custom Gibson but I did play a standard one from the 70's that was an utter piece of crap.

DON'T BELIEVE THE NONSENSE ABOUT VINTAGE GEAR!!!!! The reason people don't make "Vintage gear" is because it is generally crap and redundant because people *make better stuff these days* and pickups always sound best new - the magnets in them demagnetise over time and 30-40 year old guitars don't have "vintage tone" - that is poppycock. They have "less tone" because they have less magnetic intensity converting into the signal.


My Dillion - I would never part with it. It has a bright, easy clean tone that is ripe for customising. I personally play through a compressor to bring out the higher strings and take the hum off the lower ones. I play with the tone rolled off slightly and can crank it up for solos if I need more brightness.

I love this guitar and the way it "yields" to me. It does not push back or crap oout and bust strings (none brokes yet anyway).

I am giving this a 10 because I saved up for a year and a bit to get my strat, and since getting this guitar I rarely play it. I just want this on all the time!

When I recieved this guitar brand new it was like a light coming on. The intonation was superb and every chord sounded true and tonefful. The action was medium so I had it lowered and put 11's on it, expecting a buit of rattle - noe was forthcoming. I think the hand finished frets have something to do with that.

Where the scratch plate meets the neck on the "switches" side was a touch off, but only after looking at it for 10 minutes did I really notice. So I am giving a nine here.

This is my favourite guitar and I like it more than my custom shop Strat for its bad ass looks and sound - I really can't recommend it enough. I am giving it a nine here because of the scratchplate.

This guitar could be put out of tune when I first got it - due to the fact it had guage 8 strings on it (I kid not). Once I had put 11's on it it stayed in tune like a rock. It will lauugh when you ask it to play live, and then beat you out the door. It feels quality all over - and I hope it will last a lifetime of thrashing and punishment. I put a huge (and I mean the size of a nickel) ding in it on stage when thrashing with the lower fin too close to the ground, and it smiled and kept on rocking. If you can smash the ass of the guitar off the ground and stay in tune/keep making a noise then there is definitely high points for reliability there. I would gig with backup as I play with two guitars live anyway - if it was my only guitar then I would trust it.

Mine is under warranty (I think) but I don't need to claim on it - I have done a fair amount of damage to it, and would rather fix it myself. I don't want anyone messing with it. I contacted them regarding a replacement pot knob (they are weird ones) and they sent me three free of charge. So nearly full marks there (they didn't answer my question about where you get the wood!)

I have been playing for 10 years and I own my custom strat, a tele and some cheapos. If it were stolen I would cry for days then jump on a Harley and never rest until the thief was murdered in cold blood. I would buy one of these again, but I don't know if it would match up to my original. I love everything about it, all its imperfections. If you are looking for a V and can't afford a Gibson then get one of these. Epiphones are toys for children - this is a man's guitar. I have tried to be as honest as possible - this guitar was a total find and feels like a part of me (a part I am occasionally cruel to!)

This is a discontinued model of the Gibson '58 reissue Flying Vee. This guitar has a Korina body, maple neck, 2 exposed humbuckers, 2 vol., 1 tone and gold hardware. It also came with a hardshell case. The tuners are vintage style. The guitar sounds awesome and weighs next to nothing.

I was looking for a Vee and this one just happened be at my local music store. It suites my styles of rock and blues. With both pickups, one gets that gibson sound, which I'm very much into.

The guitar was in tume right out of the case. No defects or visible flaws. The manufacture took time to do this guitar right, even the color and weight.

This instrument is going to get a lot of playing. It appears to be able to handle it. Solid construction. As everyone knows, the gold may fade within time, but I'll have to see. I keep all of my guitars in cases or gig bags, which keeps them new looking and sounding great. As everyone should know, never gig without a back up.

Do not know.

I have been playing for 35 plus years. I own Gibsons, PRS, Fenders and Epiphones. This Vee will hang with the best of them. It has been discontinued because of Gibson, but if you can get one, do so. The price is great w/ the case. I have been looking for a Vee for a while. I compared to various other Flying Vee types (Epiphone, Jay Turser and Gibson). This guitar will withstand the playing.