Gibson Turns the Heartbreakers’ Winged Logo Into a 250-Guitar Flying V Run
The Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary spans five finishes, 70s Tribute humbuckers and just 50 examples of each color.
Credit: Gibson (via source)
Gibson has marked the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with a limited Tom Petty Flying V inspired by the winged-heart logo on the band’s 1976 debut album. The “Flying Five” is offered in Gainesville Gold, Graphite Metallic, Heartbreaker Red, Pearl White Metallic and Pelham Blue, with only 50 guitars in each finish and 250 worldwide.
The guitar uses a mahogany Flying V body and mahogany SlimTaper neck, with a 12-inch-radius rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets and acrylic dot inlays. Grover Rotomatic tuners and a Graph Tech nut handle tuning duties, while the Heartbreaker 50th truss-rod cover and a reproduction of Petty’s signature on the rear of the headstock carry the commemorative details without crowding the front of the instrument.
A pair of 70s Tribute humbuckers feeds hand-wired individual volume controls, a master tone control with an Orange Drop capacitor and a three-way selector. The gold-plated hardware includes an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece; every guitar ships in a Gibson hardshell case. Gibson lists the Graphite Metallic version at $2,799 and says the collection is available now.
This release ties an instantly recognizable Gibson silhouette to a visual symbol that has represented the Heartbreakers from their first album onward. Its tightly capped production, five historically themed finishes and conventional, stage-ready electronics make it both a collector piece and a usable tribute instrument rather than a display-only anniversary object.
Credit: Gibson (via source)
Why it matters
The model connects the Heartbreakers’ 1976 visual identity with a genuinely limited, fully playable Gibson release, while its five-finish structure makes the 250-guitar run unusually specific.
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