# Check this out! 1985 epiphone randy rhoads?



## Funkapottomous (May 25, 2013)

That's right. 

All I can find online is a post on the gibson forums from the guy who runs an epiphone wiki claiming only about 1,000 of these were made before jackson threatened legal action.

Even he doesnt have a picture of a stock one on his wiki page. I've contacted epi to see what the specs are but this thing plays amazing and I essentially got it for free. (Traded a traded guitar that I traded a free guitar for!) The pawn shop had it priced at $190 and that's all guitar center was going to give me for my used 8 string so I jumped on this. I couldn't help myself. 



Anybody know anything I don't about it?


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## Funkapottomous (May 25, 2013)

Sevenstring.org - Funkapottomous's Album: epiphone RR?

Don't know why my images didn't post but here's the url to the album on my profile.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 25, 2013)

Flying V - The Unofficial Epiphone Wiki


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## Funkapottomous (May 25, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Flying V - The Unofficial Epiphone Wiki



Yeah, like I said, I've seen that, and his isn't stock. Trying to figure out the specs as far as pickups and the wood they used for the body is a no go there.

Thanks anyway though.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 25, 2013)

Can you pull out the pickups and check under them?

And the "only 1000 made" number you're referring to may be for the Demon V.


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## Funkapottomous (May 25, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Can you pull out the pickups and check under them?
> 
> And the "only 1000 made" number you're referring to may be for the Demon V.



Yeah I've pulled them out but they have some sort of gold/brass hardware screwed into the bottom of them and I wasnt sure about removing it. Couldn't find any identifying marks on them.

Amazingly enough, it still had the cheap sticker they used for the serial numbers back then so I ran the serial number through guitar dater project and it said it was korean made in 1985, production number 6804. I don't know if that means it was #6804 of this model or #6804 off their production line that year though. 

I might pull the pickups again in the next few days and see about removing that brass plate looking thing under them.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 25, 2013)

Can we get some pics of the top and underside of the pickups?


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## Funkapottomous (May 25, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Can we get some pics of the top and underside of the pickups?



When I get a chance, yeah. I'm sitting at work right now, if I have time to take it apart again I'll take some more pictures, otherwise I probably won't get to it until Wednesday when my weekend starts.

I did email the wiki and send them some pics so maybe he'll have some more info than what's on there.


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## Funkapottomous (May 26, 2013)

Got a few more pictures up, one of the pickups (front, I haven't gutted it again. I'm shooting for wednesday when I have more than just a few hours to get it apart and back together. I'm gonna take some better pictures of it then as well. Use some kind of backdrop to make it look fancy.)

Also trying to see if I can get the BB code to work now. 



























It has surprisingly little cosmetic damage for a 28 year old guitar bought in a pawn shop for ~$200.


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## ShadyDavey (May 26, 2013)

Brilliant find! o.0


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## Dawn of the Shred (May 26, 2013)

Is it real? Very cool guitar.


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## Funkapottomous (May 26, 2013)

arkansasmatt said:


> Is it real? Very cool guitar.





From what I've found online, it's real. I just don't know the specifics or what it's really worth.

I've only seen a few forum posts on the gibson forums and one guy got one (believe it or not!) in a pawn shop for a hundred bucks back in the '90s.
Epi Randy Rhoades V guitar need info - Gibson Guitar Board

Here's another post from the guy who runs the epi wiki back in 2011:
Epiphone Jupiter? Or so I think.... - Gibson Guitar Board


RTH said:


> That is a 1985 Flying-V. Made for (maybe) one year and then discontinued under threat of lawsuit by Jackson, IIRC. I've been searching high and low for proof of this model's existence. Thank you very much for bringing it here!
> 
> I have one favor to ask of you if you dont mind. Could you take a full body shot of it that I could use for my Epiphonewiki? Its the only V that I dont have a pic for, and my specs are little off as well because of a lack of info on this particular guitar. So if you read the entry, pay no mind to some of the specs listed for this model. They are wrong, but will be corrected later today...thanks to you!



So like I said, the specs on his website have got the EMGs listed, and I KNOW those weren't stock.


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## BucketheadRules (May 26, 2013)

That's really, really cool.


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## Andromalia (May 26, 2013)

Holy mother of lawsuits !
Is that a primitive Kahler ?


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## Force (May 26, 2013)

Finally, a Gibson that looks good!


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## Funkapottomous (May 26, 2013)

Andromalia said:


> Holy mother of lawsuits !
> Is that a primitive Kahler ?


Yep.

I think it's a kahler flyer?


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## Totenkampf (May 28, 2013)

Thats some bullsh!t right there, they reposted the dang ad on CL so when i went to go research this guitar i find this thread. Needless to say I had little hope of purchasing the guitar when I called the idiots.

Yeah that looks like the Kahler Flyer that one of my old Carvins had on it before I swapped it out with a Pro 2300. Much improved.


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## Philligan (May 28, 2013)

This is so cool, awesome score man


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## Funkapottomous (May 29, 2013)

Totenkampf said:


> Thats some bullsh!t right there, they reposted the dang ad on CL so when i went to go research this guitar i find this thread. Needless to say I had little hope of purchasing the guitar when I called the idiots.
> 
> Yeah that looks like the Kahler Flyer that one of my old Carvins had on it before I swapped it out with a Pro 2300. Much improved.


 Ha!

sorry broseph, she's mine now. And I'm gonna touch her. With my fingers.

Anyway, I got an email back from the Guy at epiphone (Garret) who was _a TON of help! _(no, not really)

He basically just confirmed that it was what i thought it was, because apparently back in the '80s, epiphone's idea of "specs" was "Get that kinda weird guy my sister made me hire to look at that guitar for two seconds and then write up some specs on it." 
The pickups are stock and they're Epiphone Open-coil humbuckers, or sometimes referred to as "the 'Open HB' pickup."

Woah there, Garret! Slow the heck down, why don't ya? I ain't no scientist.


So yeah, it's an '85 Epiphone Flying V. 
(the specs don't even list the trem as a kahler! They just say tremolo bridge. yikes.)

Taking better snazzier pictures tomorrow after I wake up. Damn night shifts.


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## Funkapottomous (May 29, 2013)

Philligan said:


> This is so cool, awesome score man


 Thanks, Dude.


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## BillNephew (May 29, 2013)

How well does that Kahler Flyer stay in tune? I have one on my Carvin V220T that is a tank. I actually like it more than the Floyds I've played on.


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## Funkapottomous (May 29, 2013)

BillNephew said:


> How well does that Kahler Flyer stay in tune? I have one on my Carvin V220T that is a tank. I actually like it more than the Floyds I've played on.



No problems yet but I've been taking it easy on the trem because even though the bar I'm using is off a kahler the fit is not perfect. Played with it once or twice then put it up.


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## Jarmake (May 29, 2013)

Whoah, that epiphone looks actually very very nice. Wouldn't mind owning one, even if I don't get along with V-style guitars too good..


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## BigBaldIan (May 29, 2013)

Andromalia said:


> Holy mother of lawsuits !
> Is that a primitive Kahler ?



Definitely looks like a Flyer to me, also the irony of a Gibson owned company producing a blatant copy shortly after the late 70's legal shenanigans is ironic in the extreme.

Anyhow as a piece of 80's guitar history all I can say is, excellent find.


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## Totenkampf (May 29, 2013)

BillNephew said:


> How well does that Kahler Flyer stay in tune? I have one on my Carvin V220T that is a tank. I actually like it more than the Floyds I've played on.


 
yeah my Carvin with one is a 1989 V220T, the kahler pro is solid and yeah i like it much more than OFR types now except for the Ibanez Edge Pro. All my new builds are going to get the newer model that has the locking fixed bridge option (i forget the model number and am too lazy to google it right now)


If you ever get sick of this geet bro, hit me up before you CL it. I am kinda collecting rhoads vees.


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## Funkapottomous (May 29, 2013)

Totenkampf said:


> If you ever get sick of this geet bro, hit me up before you CL it. I am kinda collecting rhoads vees.



Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen.


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## Funkapottomous (May 29, 2013)

Alrighty guys, this is my last little bump. (for now)

I got another email back from the guy at Epiphone and I was kind of disappointed.

They don't keep track of how many are made unless it's an "Extremely Limited run" (I wonder if getting threatened with a lawsuit is considered an extremely limited run?) and they also don't have any record of the 1985 MSRP!

Maybe this guitar _doesn't _ exist!

Here are the latest pictures, I didn't bother taking off the pickups because he confirmed that they were just regular old Epiphone humbuckers.























































Now some of the damage on the old girl....

















This is what LOOKS like a very shallow cosmetic scratch. Hope I'm right. There's another on the back of the headstock as well. They aren't connected, which I guess is a good sign!





woah!





And one final pic. Thanks for checking it out!


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## MikeSweeney (May 30, 2013)

http://www.epiphonewiki.com/images/2/2f/1140v.jpg


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## Daf57 (May 30, 2013)

Wow - super sharp find, man! Congrats!


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## Agent_Lynch (Aug 2, 2014)

Hey, I just stumbled upon this thread and thought I'd share info about my 1985 Epiphone Flying-V. 

I got the guitar for Christmas in 1985 and it still had the price tag on it for $650. (way to go Santa!) I believe it was a sale price and I recall my dad saying it was the last one they had in stock.

I've had the guitar ever since and the only modification was to add a locking guitar strap and re-solder the volume wiring after the volume knob came loose trying to learn Cathedral by Van Halen. Ah, the 80's!

I'm curious how much it'd go for nowadays since it was a limited production?


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## BucketheadRules (Aug 2, 2014)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Flying V - The Unofficial Epiphone Wiki



This has reminded me that I want a Jeff Waters V:






It has also introduced a burning, oh-so-burning desire for a Popa Chubby V, which I didn't even know existed until just now:


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## McBrain (Aug 3, 2014)

Are these bad boys 24.75" or 25.5"?


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## Garfish (Aug 3, 2014)

BucketheadRules said:


> It has also introduced a burning, oh-so-burning desire for a Popa Chubby V, which I didn't even know existed until just now:



Oh looooooord o'dooom. I want this so bad


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## skeels (Aug 3, 2014)

Had a black one of these in the early 90's. Nice find!


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## fortisursus (Aug 3, 2014)

Huh, never knew Gibson ever sold something this pointy haha. Nice grab!


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