Green Flying V - Overhaul complete

New hardware - tuners, tremolo etc

The EMG Alexi Laiho set went in.

I think it's as good as I will get it right now.

Tuning is Open C:  C G C g c e

but 1/2 step lowered to B F# B f# b d#.

D'Addario EXL 140 strings.

Epiphone Robb Flynn Love / Death Baritone - Machine Flying Head!

I had to undergo surgery recently and while I always hope for the best I still like to be prepared for the worst...
So one more guitar before I go (to the hospital).

"Love and Death" - that sums it all up quite neatly I reckoned, so I jumped at the chance to aquire the Robb Flynn signature baritone.

Either way it would work out - I might have something to look forward to after surgery or my beloved ones would have to do the unpacking if I couldn't do it myself anymore.

The Love / Death guitar - epitaph or welcome home gift? Boy, am I glad it was the latter!

Scale length is 750 mm (29.5 inches).

Tuning is open C : C G C g c e

Epiphone ZV Custom - Zakk Wylde Signature SG

Concerning guitar construction I have one favourite design and that's the SG shape.

My very first electric guitar was a Les Paul - type (still have that one) but in terms of playability I immediately fell in love with my second guitar, which was of course an Epiphone SG.

The number of SG-type guitars I own has grown quite a bit over the years and I have to say that I think of the Zakk Wylde Signature as the final keystone of my collection - at least for now...

And what a misshappen keystone it is!
First of all the instrument is huge and since I lack the impressive physique of Zakk Wylde, I almost disappear behind it.

The split tail design seems to make some people feel sick - like staring at a M.C. Escher drawing for too long - is it a Flying V or an SG? Just so malformed it looks outright wrong.

Still - I love that monster.

The controls are way off but at least the output jack is positioned quite conveniently.

The toggle switch has gone where no man has gone before - placed on the upper wing, one has to reach far back to change pickups.

It comes with EMG Hz pickups, an important fact to keep in mind when looking at the back of the guitar:

Lovely neck by the way but a closeup of the body shows my biggest personal gripe with the instrument:

The control cavity is extremely small and narrow. It's fine for the passive EMG Hz pickups but there is no way to fit the controls of active EMG's in there.
Which is funny because Mr. Wylde and EMG actually have a signature pickup set on offer that would go with his guitar quite nicely, I think.
Since I am unwilling to rout out a bigger hole I will have to look into the problem further, maybe i could manage to cram the old soldered system into it...

Now - after all those hard facts I feel inclined to offer my personal OPINION as well:

As it is, the instrument plays well and sounds great.
Some design choices make it impractical to use, at least for me, others might be happy to have all controls positioned far away from the strings so they won't interfere while playing.

One might find the shape of the guitar appalling - I think it looks superb, even though I look ridiculous when strapped on to it.

The only remaining question is - do I tinker with the pickups and control setup or should I keep it in stock condition?

Finally Flying

Equipped with a licensed Flyod Rose system and an EMG ALX - F Alexi Laiho Signature Set.

Standard tuning D'Addario ECG23 chromes (.010 / .014 / .020w / .028 / 0.38 / .048)

"Oh Achilles, let Thy arrows fly!"

No name Flying V, looks like someone built it him/herself.

Since the basics are quite good, this will be the next overhaul.
Got my plans with this one , you'll see it when it's done.