Gibson Flying V Prototype, 1957

Gibson created this 1957 Flying V prototype in response to resellers who thought the company’s designs were throwbacks to an outdated era. After experimenting with different shapes, they settled on a guitar design that included a triangular body with a triangular cutout at its bottom end. The resulting V-shaped guitar had two tailfins like a 1957 Chevrolet car and was an immediate attention-getter. But even though it fascinated the public, the guitar design proved too radical, and less than 100 were sold in the first few years of its release. A decade later, the Flying V increased in popularity as it was played by high-profile musicians such as Bluesman Albert King, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, and Dave Davies of the Kinks.