Epiphone | 1958 Korina Flying V & Explorer
Get recreations of the models that launched the Golden Era of electric guitar design into the Space Age!
Epiphone has announced the launch of a new Limited Edition run of instruments recreating two of the most recognizable and valuable vintage guitars ever produced! Made in partnership with the Gibson Custom Shop, the new Limited Edition 1958 Korina Flying V and 1958 Korina Explorer bring the authentic details of each original model to today’s guitarists!
Blasting off into the electric guitar stratosphere!
Although Gibson's first solidbody electric guitar—the Les Paul Standard—has come to represent the pinnacle achievement of design in the instrument category today, by 1957, sales of the company’s flagship solidbody guitar were not as high as Gibson President Ted McCarty had hoped. So, ahead of the NAMM show that same year, he put together a team of employees at Gibson to design the what would come to be known as the “Modernistic” series, with an aim to shake things up at the show, by coming up with guitar shapes that were different from anything else on the market.
Far ahead of their time, the resulting futuristic designs—which included the Flying V and Explorer—achieved McCarty’s goal, shocking the guitar world with Modernistic series’ sharply-angled shapes and supremely resonant Korina bodies.
While the Flying V was adopted by a few players from the start, like bluesman Albert King, the Modernistic series models produced from 1958-’59 were seen largely as novelties, with only an estimated 98 Flying Vs having shipped, overall, while just a mere 22 Explorers are known to have been produced—making the surviving instruments from both models’ initial production run even rarer (and more valuable) finds on the vintage market than even the fabled Burst Les Paul Standards from the same years!
Limited Edition 1958 Korina Flying V
Recreating what is arguably one of the most distinctive and beloved guitar shapes ever produced, the Epiphone Limited Edition 1958 Flying V features a Korina body and neck with a long neck tenon and 1958 Flying V neck profile. Equipped with an Indian laurel fretboard and gold hardware, it also features Gibson Burstbucker 2 and Burstbucker 3 pickups wired to individual volume controls and a master tone control with CTS potentiometers and a Mallory capacitor. An Epiphone x Gibson Custom logo is proudly displayed on the back of the headstock, and a hardshell case is also included.
Limited Edition 1958 Korina Explorer
Named after the first American satellite launched into orbit, the space-age design of the original Explorers proved to be decades ahead of their time. Like the ultra-rare original Gibson models from 1958, the Epiphone Limited Edition 1958 Explorer features a Korina body and neck, with a long tenon and 1958 Explorer neck profile. It’s equipped with an Indian laurel fretboard and gold hardware, with Gibson Burstbucker 2 and Burstbucker 3 pickups wired to individual volume controls and a master tone control, outfitted with CTS potentiometers and a Mallory capacitors, as well as an Epiphone x Gibson Custom logo on the back of the headstock. A hardshell case is also included.
Capture the mystique of these recreations today by pre-ordering yours at Chicago Music Exchange!
SHOP EPIPHONE
Related Posts
Fender | Limited Edition Vintera II Road Worn
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Leo Fender’s guitar and bass designs sent shockwaves through the musical landscape, giving players in emerging musical genres the tools needed to shape a new world of sound! The new Limited Edition Vintera II Road Worn Series pays homage to the look and feel of those original instruments, bringing their designs to a new generation of movers and shakers. Now available on our showroom floor and on our website, each guitar and bass captures the magic of a well-loved musical companion, thanks to period-correct specifications and subtly aged finishes.
Read more
Staff Picks
Staff Picks is where each of our experts share their FAVORITE GEAR! It's always changing, always updating with the latest and greatest. Enjoy CME Staff Picks!
Read more
EarthQuaker Devices | 2025 One-of-A-Kind Series
Make your pedalboard pop with the 2025 EarthQuaker Devices One-of-a-Kind Pedals, available exclusively at Chicago Music Exchange! For the fourth year in a row, CME is teaming up with the legendary Akron-based pedal builders to deliver a limited run of truly one-of-a-kind stompboxes. Each pedal showcases EarthQuaker’s most beloved circuits—like the Avalanche Run, Hoof, and Plumes—reimagined with fresh graphics, bold colors, and unique finishes. Built by hand in Ohio, EarthQuaker Devices pedals are known for their innovative tones, player-friendly controls, and eye-catching aesthetics. Every pedal in this collection is one-of-one, making it as unique as your sound. Shop CME Exclusive EarthQuaker Devices One-of-a-Kind collection now and grab the pedal that will set your board apart in 2025.
Read more