Lonnie Mack’s Historic 1958 Gibson Flying V Heads to Heritage Auction

One of the most recognizable guitars in early blues-rock is heading to auction. Lonnie Mack’s 1958 Gibson Flying V, known as “Number 7,” will headline Heritage Auctions’ October 15 Vintage Guitars and Musical Instruments Signature Auction. The guitar will be offered with Mack’s 1962 Magnatone Custom 440 amplifier, the combination that helped produce his signature sound.

Mack said the guitar earned its nickname because it was the seventh Flying V off Gibson’s assembly line when the company introduced the radical new design in 1958. It became his primary instrument for nearly his entire career and was so closely associated with him that journalists rarely wrote about or photographed Mack without including it. Rolling Stone later included “Number 7” on its 2019 list of “20 Iconic Guitars.”

Mack’s modifications became part of the guitar’s story. He had a guitar shop add a Bigsby tremolo arm, which required a steel support bar between the Flying V’s two wings. Mack used the device so extensively that guitarists began referring to tremolo arms as “whammy bars,” a nickname tied to his instrumental hit “Wham!” and his debut album, The Wham of That Memphis Man. More than 60 years later, “whammy bar” remains one of the most common names for the device.

Mack was one of the early players to embrace the Flying V at a time when the model was far from a commercial success. Heritage says fewer than 100 were sold during the first two years of production. The unusual arrow-shaped design eventually gained a following through players including Mack, Albert King and Dave Davies of the Kinks.

“Lonnie Mack’s ‘Number 7’ is far more than a rare 1958 Gibson Flying V — it is one of the defining instruments of early blues-rock guitar,” Piscopo says. “Lonnie recognized the potential of Gibson’s radical new design before almost anyone else, then made it entirely his own. Offered with his Magnatone Custom 440 amplifier, this is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire the equipment behind a groundbreaking and unmistakable sound.”

The guitar remains much as Mack left it. Heritage Auctions Managing Director of Music Dave Hinson said “Number 7” has not been altered since Mack’s death. The lot includes its original tuners, an additional period-correct set and the updated tuners Mack used later in its life. Mack’s distinctive tooled leather stage strap is included as well.

Hinson said even a 1958 Flying V without celebrity provenance could be worth $600,000 to $700,000, underscoring how significant Mack’s instrument is before its history is even taken into account.

The auction will also feature another major Gibson from the same era: a highly preserved 1959 Les Paul Standard Sunburst, serial No. 9 0640. Heritage says the guitar is all original and came from the collection of noted Japanese vintage Gibson collector Ichiro Kato. Its serial number has been documented in the Burst Serial Registry and in several major reference works devoted to vintage Les Pauls.

Another Gibson in the sale is a circa 1970-71 black Les Paul Custom formerly owned by Tom Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Its provenance includes a 2007 bill of sale and letter of authenticity from Jeffery Fogerty, along with Fogerty-related records and a copy of Bad Moon Rising featuring photographs of him with the guitar.

Several notable Fenders are also included. One Telecaster carries skull artwork on the front and a portrait of a half-skeletonized Keith Richards smoking a cigarette on the back, painted and signed by the late artist Paul Karslake. There is also a 1952 Fender Blackguard nicknamed “The Halloween Tele” because its body is dated “Eddie 10-31-52,” along with another 1952 Telecaster in Butterscotch Blond.

A limited-edition Fender Custom Shop recreation of the hand-painted Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix played at the Monterey International Pop Festival will also cross the block. The guitar is serial No. 209 of 210 and remains in excellent, unplayed condition.

More than 200 lots will be offered in Heritage’s October 15 Vintage Guitars and Musical Instruments auction. But “Number 7” stands apart from the rest. It was not simply a rare 1958 Flying V that happened to belong to a famous musician. It was the guitar Mack shaped around his playing style, carried through most of his career and used to create a sound that helped influence generations of rock and blues guitarists.