Gibson 1971 Flying V Medallion: Rare 70s Reissue
Classic early '70s collectible Flying V reissued
5,0 / 5,0 | 
The 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is the latest release from the Gibson Custom Shop. It recreates the now-rare and collectable limited run from the early 1970s, complete with numbered medallions!
Contents – Gibson 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue
1971 Flying V Medallion
Back in the early 1970s, Gibson celebrated the 1972 Olympic Games by relasing the 1971 Flying V Medallion ahead of the event. It originally had a run of only 350 guitars, each with a numbered medallion embedded on the front of it. They then did similar low runs up until 1974, and now these original guitars are highly sought after by collectors.
Custom Shop Reissued
Now in 2026, the Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is being released in a Medallion Cherry nitrocellulose finish, complete with a numbered medallion on the front. Recreating this highly coveted vintage model.
Schenker & Hammett
Players including Michael Schenker and Kirk Hammett are known to be fans of the originals, so this release is going to be big news for some rock/metal players who would like to emulate these two players.
This Custom Shop recreation follows the same two-piece mahogany body with a 1.375-inch thickness, paired with a long tenon three-piece mahogany Authentic 1971 profile neck. It also has 22 medium-jumbo frets fitted to the 12-inch radius rosewood fretboard.
T-Top Reissue Humbuckers
It comes with a pair of Gibson 1968 T-Top Reissue humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets and the standard two volume and master tone control setup with a three-way pickup selector switch.
The wiring includes CTS potentiometers as standard, so it should be responsive if you use your controls on any setting other than 10!
Hardware
As it is a Custom Shop model, it comes equipped with the Historic Reissue wired ABR-1 bridge and matching stopbar tailpiece. Along with a set of Kluson Deluxe double-ring tuners and a set of the ’70s-era appropriate black witch hat knobs with silver reflectors.
Medallion
You will either love or hate the 1.5-inch gold medallion stuck on the front of the guitar, and each one is numbered, so once again this is a limited run. Collectors will relish the thought of picking up a low serial number, no doubt.
Verdict
It is an interesting period of Gibson’s history recreated, and if you like Flying V guitars, then one to check out. Plus, it is far cheaper than the recent Michael Schenker and Kirk Hammett (a later model from 1979, though he also owns number 56 of the medallion models) signature models, which are also Seventies-era models.
I’m more a fan of the 1959-era models personally, but I do still have a soft spot for Seventies Flying Vs as they are just so rock/metal!
Price & Availability
The Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is available to order now at Thomann, priced at $4699/£4222/€4899. The price includes a Custom Shop plush-lined Gibson hard case.
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