Like many guitarists, I was thrilled when I first got my hands on a Flying V. It’s an iconic guitar with a powerful image and a reputation for rock and roll. However, after playing it for a while, I realized something wasn’t quite right. Despite knowing it was a quality instrument, the feel and sound just weren’t inspiring. In fact, I was seriously considering selling it. But before giving up, I decided to troubleshoot each issue one by one, and I’m so glad I did.
The first problem was the action and overall feel. The strings felt too loose, and it wasn’t comfortable to play. To address this, I made a few key adjustments. Firstly, I swapped out the 10-gauge strings for 11s. This immediately added a bit more tension and solidity. Next, I carefully adjusted the neck relief, adding just a touch more curve to the neck. Finally, I raised the action slightly to match my playing style. After ensuring the intonation was spot-on, the guitar felt completely transformed. It now played exactly how I wanted it to – problem one solved!
With the playability sorted, I turned my attention to the sound. Initially, the tone was muddy and overly distorted, lacking clarity. I was on the verge of investing in new pickups, but then I discovered a helpful video about pickup pole pieces. This led me to experiment with adjusting the pickup and pole piece heights. I decided to lower the pickups significantly, almost flush with the pickup rings. Then, I raised some of the pole pieces to fine-tune the balance and output of each string. The result was remarkable. The guitar’s tone became much clearer and more articulate, with less unwanted gain. By keeping the volume at a reasonable level, I was able to achieve a fantastic, nuanced tone. I was aiming for a bluesy, Albert King-esque sound, and with these simple tweaks, I nailed it.
It dawned on me that the factory setup was likely geared towards high-gain metal styles, turning my Flying V into more of a “metal machine” straight out of the box. However, my passion is blues, and with these adjustments, I successfully transformed it into a blues-ready instrument. While it might now be considered too tame or “slow” for metal players, it’s absolutely perfect for my needs.
I’m incredibly happy that I persevered and took the time to understand and adjust my Flying V. It’s now the guitar I always knew it could be, and I’m thrilled I didn’t give up on it. Sometimes, a little bit of tweaking can unlock the true potential of your instrument and save you from making a rash decision.
