When Gibson unveiled its new Modern Flying V guitar earlier this year, the instrument quickly became one of the most reviled guitars on the Internet.
The guitar's Star Trek pin-like shape and eyebrow-raising $4,500 price tag brought about plenty of hate from guitarists already dubious of a perceived drop-off in quality, value and guitar innovation by Gibson. Despite all of those criticisms, any buyer would at least bank on the idea that Gibson would properly represent the colors of its guitars.
That doesn't appear to be the case, however.
A YouTube guitar reviewer at The Trogly's Guitar Show channel paid full retail price for one of 33 Modern Flying V's in Gibson's "Ebony Prism" color. While Trogly's defended the overall build quality of the guitar in his review, he admitted he was crestfallen when he first laid eyes on his new purple guitar.
"If I would have know this guitar was purple, I would not have chosen this finish," he said. "I thought Ebony Prism looked the best. I thought this was going to be like the Moonless Night Les Paul Custom."
Trogly conceded that "at certain angles it is black," but how hard could it be for Gibson to represent what the guitar looks like outside of a photo studio?
"I just wished Gibson would have been a little bit more transparent that this guitar is more so purple," Trogly said. "This color really does not float my boat, personally."
The limited-run Modern V isn't meant (at least yet) for the average Gibson customer. With only 99 produced in just three colors, Ebony Prism, Silver Prism and Gold Prism, the Modern V is a collector's guitar.
"I think it's really unique and interesting and will eventually become a collector's item," Trogly said, justifying his investment.
Elsewhere in his video, Trogly explains some of the features of the Modern V. He also shames Gibson for stealing the design concept from the Jackson Roswell Rhoads Guitar.
Ultimately, he says he doesn't plan to keep it because of the finish, saying he might seek out a Silver Prism version.
You can watch his full review below.
Gibson's transparency and quality control issues have been called into question in recent years by guitarists all over the world.
Several high-profile endorsers, like Metallica's James Hetfield and Mastodon's Bill Kelliher, have abandoned Gibson in favor of competitors in recent years.
Kelliher flamed the company in an interview last fall, saying bluntly, "They kept f***ing up my guitars that I was asking for."
Last summer, Gibson unveiled its 2017 Les Paul Standard with a photo that showed an obvious ding in the $4,799 guitar's finish.
And then of course there is the matter of Gibson's looming bankruptcy, brought on by a conscious move towards creating a "music lifestyle" brand around the name, a decision the company's CEO admits was a costly mistake.
Photo: Getty Images