Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner has partnered with Gibson for the new Flying V Custom artist signature model.
The Flying V has long been Faulkner’s axe of choice when he’s onstage, and the new signature model features numerous personal touches — the striking Pelham Blue finish being the most obvious.
The signature guitar also touts a one-piece mahogany body with a full-face pickguard, multi-ply binding, a mahogany neck with a custom Richie Faulkner profile, and an ebony fretboard with a mother-of-pearl falcon inlay at the 12th fret. Schematically, the guitar features a minimal electronics setup, with only a pickup selector switch and a single volume control.
“This guitar has become a good friend of mine over the past couple of years and is the latest evolution of my main guitar with Priest for the past 12 years,” Faulkner said in a press release. “It’s something that has evolved as I have both on stage and in the studio, in looks and in sound. Whenever I see that double pick guard and Pelham blue, I know that that is my guitar. With the Floyd Rose [vibrato], signature EMG pickups and striking appearance I know that armed with my faithful Flying V, I will be able to deliver every night. Beautiful yet deadly, elegant yet sonically powerful, it is the number one guitar in my arsenal.”
The luthiers at the Gibson Custom Shop are only making 100 of the guitars, which are available worldwide through authorized Gibson dealers via Gibson’s website. The axe retails for $6,999.00, and Faulkner — who survived a rare aortic aneurysm while performing onstage in 2021 — will be sharing proceeds with the John Ritter Foundation and the American Heart Association.
As Judas Priest finish work on a new album, Faulkner has been playing shows with his new band Elegant Weapons. Read our recent interview with the guitarist to find out all about the new supergroup, his recovery from heart surgery, and Judas Priest’s upcoming plans.
Below you can watch an episode of Gibson TV’s “Riff Lords” featuring Faulkner and see pics of the new Flying V Custom signature model.
