Gibson’s Tom Petty Flying V: Five Finishes, 250 Guitars

A Flying V through the heart: Gibson has brought the Heartbreakers’ famous emblem off the sleeve and into a five-finish guitar collection. Announced on October 20, 2026, the Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary marks five decades of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with 250 guitars worldwide: 50 in each of five finishes.

Pick your colour, keep the gold

The collection covers Gainesville Gold, Graphite Metallic, Heartbreaker Red, Pearl White Metallic and Pelham Blue. These are five colour versions of the same commemorative model, rather than five different pickup or bridge configurations.

Each pairs a mahogany body and neck with a SlimTaper profile, a rosewood fingerboard, a 12-inch radius and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The scale length is 24.75 inches. Grover Rotomatic tuners, a Graph Tech nut and a Gibson hardshell case complete the practical specification.

What is under the pickguard?

Two 70s Tribute humbuckers feed individual volume controls and a master tone control with an Orange Drop capacitor. A three-way selector handles pickup selection. The handwired circuit sits alongside a gold-plated Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece; the gold hardware contrasts with a white pickguard across all five finishes.

The anniversary details are more specific than a colour change: the truss-rod cover carries the Heartbreaker 50th emblem, and the back of the headstock bears a reproduction of Petty’s signature.

A tribute to the band’s imagery

The design takes its cue from the Heartbreakers’ winged-guitar artwork on their 1976 debut. The familiar silhouette is the point: this anniversary collection puts that band emblem centre stage.

Gibson launched the collection through its Garage locations and website. Check the finish and market before ordering: the UK Gainesville Gold page showed sold out on October 21.

Want to dig deeper into Tom Petty’s guitars and gear? Read our full guide.

Which finish best suits the Heartbreakers’ Flying V emblem?