V-Shape Guitar Kit Review — Build Your Own V-Body Guitar
The V-shape is one of the most distinctive guitar body designs to ever grace a stage to ever grace a stage. With its iconic V-shaped body, combined with the arrow-shaped headstock, it’s a guitar shape that strongly divides opinion, yet remains popular with modern guitarists.
In the following article, we’re going to explore the history of the V-shape, discuss some advantages and disadvantages you may not be aware of (there is one pretty major one in particular), list some of the more famous guitarists to have played the V-shape and introduce you to the range of ‘V’ style guitar kits on offer at guitarkitworld.com.
View all available V-style guitar kits: V-shaped body DIY guitar kits
So if you have been interested in the ‘V-shape’ body shape, and wanted to know a little more before potentially owning one yourself, stay tuned, this article is for you.
The History of the V-shape: The Modernist Series
The the original manufacturer V-shape and angular-body share a very similar backstory, thanks largely to the success of the original manufacturer in the late 50s.
While, in part due to the popularity of the single-cutaway set-neck released in 1952, the original manufacturer had established itself as a major player in the electric guitar market during the early 50s.
By the late 50s however things had started to change and the original manufacturer was dominating market share, thanks largely to the success of the S-style and its modern stylings.
All things considered, the Strat (with its range of vibrant color options and carefully considered contours that provided greater comfort for guitarists) had begun to make the single-cutaway set-neck appear a little dated.
While nowadays guitarists appreciate the vintage appeal of the single-cutaway set-neck, just 6 short years after its release, the single-cutaway set-neck was beginning to look like a tired design in comparison to the more modern S-style.
To counter the original manufacturer’s dominance, the original manufacturer, in 1958, launched the modernist series, consisting of the the original manufacturer Moderne, the the original manufacturer angular-body and of course the the original manufacturer V-shape.
Interestingly, the original manufacturer applied for a patent covering the design of all three guitars in 1957. At the time it was far more common to apply patents for the engineering aspect of the instrument only, but perhaps Ted McCarty (president of the original manufacturer at the time) had a hunch about the popularity of the designs.
In any case, the patent failed to stop several 'copy cat' guitars and as recently as 2016 the original manufacturer lost a trademark case in the EU (A MAJOR MANUFACTURER LOSES V-SHAPE TRADEMARK CASE IN EU COURT) and is currently pursuing legal action to protect its trademark in the US.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In a practical sense, the V-shape had one sizable advantage over competing models, upper fret access. Thanks to the absence of horns at the front of the guitar, and dual humbuckers capable of higher gain than the Strat the V-shape was well suited to lead guitar, hence guitarists such as Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne) played them almost exclusively.
However, the V-shape also has a couple of distinct disadvantages that anyone considering buying one should certainly be aware of.
Firstly, the shape of the guitar is very difficult to play in a seated position, due to the rear-facing horns it is best played in a classical guitar position with the guitar sitting on the left leg for right-handed guitarists.
This may be one of the reasons Randy Rhoads was not deterred by the shape of the V-shape, as he was a classically trained guitarist.
Aside from the difficulty of playing seated, the unusual shape of the V-shape also has other practical limitations, especially with regard to sitting the guitar on a stand or acquiring a hard case.
Who Played on V-shaped Guitars
Despite the polarizing design and pros and cons with regard to comfort, the V-style guitar has been copied by number of manufacturers, including ESP, Jackson and Dean and has been played by any number of established artists, including:
- Randy Rhoads - Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot
- James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett - Metallica
- Michael Schenker - UFO
- Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top
- Jimi Hendrix
- Tom Petty
- Albert King
- Lenny Kravitz
- Dave Mustaine - Megadeth
- Zakk Wylde - Ozzy Osbourne
- KK Downing - Judas Priest
- Marc Bolan - T Rex
Summary: V-shaped DIY Guitar Kits
Love them or hate them, the V-shaped has certainly stood the test of time, and due to their ongoing popularity, this iconic body shape is still being made by a number of manufacturers to this day.
If you have ever toyed around with the idea of building your own V-shaped guitar check out our V-style DIY guitar kits.
V-shaped guitar kits will afford you to customize your order based on a number of options including bolt-on or set neck, choice of body, neck and fretboard timbers, inlay options and more.
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