ATHENS, Ga. — A Gibson Flying V with over 20 years of service in the punk scene was smashed just one day before it was due to retire, officials close to the matter confirmed
“The entire Gibson family is mourning the loss of one of our brothers today in a totally tragic and unnecessary incident,” announced Gibson Publicist, Kate Marino. “The Flying V had an impeccable record of service and had been through the grunge, pop-punk, nu-metal, and indie revival scenes, always working hard and ensuring that the community heard some wicked riffs. While losing one of our own is always difficult, the fact that this Flying V had nearly completed its tour of service when this happened makes this an even more bitter pill to swallow.”
The guitar in question belonged to Kevin Pollard, lead guitarist for an Atlanta-based punk group, The Asthmatics. While Pollard could not be reached for comment, his bandmates spoke on his behalf.
“Kevin ordered a new guitar with a bonus he got from work, so I guess that’s what prompted the smashing incident,” reported bassist Andy Miller. “He got a notification just before the show that the new one had arrived and I know he had always wanted to do something like that, so here we are. It wasn’t really in the best condition anymore and sounded like shit, but it still feels like it was excessive. He could have donated it or sold it to a thrift store. I’m sure someone else could have used it.”
Adding to the scope of the tragedy, was Pollard’s Marshall amp, which had been a longtime companion of the guitar.
“There are no words. To know that I have to wake up every morning and realize that the guitar I’ve spent the last five years with is no longer there is something I still can’t process,” stated the amp. “It was so excited about its upcoming retirement and said it looked forward to spending time sitting in the garage or being given to a younger relative that couldn’t really afford a new guitar. For it to end this way and now, it just deserved so much better than this.”
In response to the tragedy, Gibson has changed their Facebook photo to the guitar in question with a black ribbon over it.