Gibson Celebrates 50 Years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers With Five Limited-Edition Flying V Guitars
The “Flying Five” arrive in five finishes, backed by a new apparel and collectibles line built with the Tom Petty Estate, as the anniversary season builds toward a November box set.
For fifty years, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have stood among the most influential bands in American rock and roll, earning their reputation through unforgettable live shows, durable recordings, and a catalog that still pulls in new listeners around the world. Now Gibson is marking the anniversary with a limited-edition 50th Anniversary Tom Petty Flying V, a guitar inspired by the Heartbreakers logo that appeared on the band’s self-titled 1976 debut album.
The guitars are known collectively as the “Flying Five.” The collection comes in five gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, with only 50 guitars made in each color. That puts the total run at 250 instruments worldwide. The guitars and a companion line of apparel are available now at Gibson Garage locations and at Gibson.com.
The Five Finishes
Because each finish is capped at the same 50 guitars, no color is rarer than any other. Collectors who want a full set will have to move quickly, and buyers choosing a single guitar can go purely on taste.
Built Around the Heartbreakers Story
The Flying V has a long association with Petty’s stage imagery. Adria Petty, Tom’s daughter, said the Heartbreakers logo has been part of the band’s identity since the first album, and that seeing Gibson reinterpret it on the Flying V felt overdue.
“The Heartbreakers logo has been part of the band’s identity since the first album, so seeing Gibson reinterpret it through the Flying V 50th anniversary edition feels overdue as they have been part of the story since the beginning. The V was an essential part of the imagery onstage for my dad as well as the band rose to fame in the 1970’s. The collection honors Tom and the Heartbreakers’ history while giving musicians and fans a new way to carry that spirit forward.” Adria Petty
Gibson’s chief marketing officer, Beth Heidt, framed the project as a tribute to the fans as much as the band. In her words, every Flying V and every piece of the apparel collection carries the band’s spirit forward, connecting with listeners who have loved the music all along and with a new generation ready to make the songs their own.
What’s Under the Finish
This is a playable instrument as well as a commemorative one. The body and neck are both resonant mahogany, and the neck has Gibson’s fast-playing SlimTaper profile with a rosewood fretboard. Details like the board’s 12-inch radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, and acrylic dot inlays are aimed at easy chording, expressive bends, and long nights onstage.
| Body and neck | Mahogany Flying V body with matching mahogany neck, SlimTaper profile |
| Fretboard | Rosewood, 12-inch radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, acrylic dot inlays |
| Headstock | Mother-of-pearl Gibson logo, Heartbreaker 50th truss rod cover, reproduction of Tom Petty’s signature on the back |
| Tuning | Grover Rotomatic tuners and a Graph Tech nut |
| Pickups | A pair of 70s Tribute humbuckers, voiced from clear, articulate cleans to muscular, arena-ready drive |
| Electronics | Hand-wired, with individual volume controls, a master tone control with an Orange Drop capacitor, and a three-way selector |
| Hardware | Gold-plated, including an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece, Gold Top Hat knobs, three-ply white pickguard, cream toggle switch cap |
| Case | Gibson hardshell case included |
The signature reproduction on the headstock and the commemorative truss rod cover are the touches that mark each guitar as an anniversary piece, and not just a standard Flying V in a new color.
A Lifestyle Collection Made With the Estate
Alongside the guitars, Gibson has launched the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 50th Anniversary Lifestyle Collection, created in collaboration with the Tom Petty Estate. The line draws on the band’s visual history, Petty’s personal style, and the lived-in look of vintage tour merchandise. The goal, according to the announcement, is to make each piece feel discovered, worn, and treasured rather than newly minted.
To get there, Gibson sent a team to the Tom Petty Clubhouse in Van Nuys, California, where they dug through artifacts that span the history of the Heartbreakers. At the request of the Estate, Gibson then partnered with longtime collaborators imogene+willie, the Nashville-based heritage apparel brand, to produce the clothing.
The Apparel
The collection includes four 7 oz. “vintage midweight” t-shirts: the “Tom Petty,” “Dogs with Wings,” “DIY Band,” and “Heartbreaker” designs. Each is patterned, cut, sewn, and screen-printed in the USA from American-made cotton, then garment-washed and preshrunk for the soft feel and faded attitude of a favorite band tee. A handful of styles will also be sold at tompetty.com and imogeneandwillie.com.
Outerwear ranges from the patch-covered green “Tom Petty Patch” Military Shirt Jacket to a black “Backstage” work jacket. The headline piece is a black leather jacket developed with imogene+willie x Gibson and Schott N.Y.C., based on the jacket Petty wore on the cover of the band’s 1976 debut album.
- The leather jacket is limited to just 75 pieces worldwide.
- It is made from steerhide, with “one star” epaulets, an attached belt, a coin pouch, and bi-swing vents for authentic motorcycle-jacket character.
- Its striped satin lining nods to the black-and-white blazer Petty wore on the cover of the UK single for his 1978 hit “Listen to Her Heart.”
Accessories and Collectibles
Rounding out the assortment are the “Last All Night” Zippo lighter, “The Band” bandana, an AXE HEAVEN Tom Petty Flying V mini guitar, a Tom Petty Cat unstructured snapback hat, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitar strap, a pick tin, and a sticker set. Together with the guitars, they give fans something to play, wear, collect, and call their own.
Part of a Bigger Anniversary Season
The Gibson launch joins a larger run of albums, events, and celebrations from the band and the Tom Petty Estate. The next major milestone arrives on November 6 with the release of Origins 1971–1978, a box set from the Estate that traces Petty’s early recording career through the formation and first years of the Heartbreakers. The collection pairs rare, live, and previously unreleased recordings with the band’s first two albums.
That timing makes the Flying V a fitting companion piece. The box set looks at where the band came from, and the guitar celebrates the logo and look that grew out of those first records. Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and the anniversary materials describe a legacy built on freedom, resilience, independence, and uncompromising American rock and roll.
Where to Get It
The Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary guitars and the apparel line are on sale now worldwide at Gibson Garage locations and on Gibson.com. With only 250 guitars and 75 leather jackets in existence, the limited pieces are likely to be the first to go. More details are on the Gibson Gazette, and select apparel styles can also be found at tompetty.com and imogeneandwillie.com.
After 50 years, the songs have lost none of their power, and this collection gives fans a few new ways to carry them around.
Sources: Gibson, Tom Petty, imogene + willie
