O'VADKA FLYING V 1993 with Stratocaster sound and feel. Only one. Incredible sound. Museum specimen guitar.

O’VADKA “FLYING V STRATOCASTER”A MUSEUM SPECIMEN GUITAR.

Provenance Statement for Sales Listings*

NOTE: This specimen guitar is being sold from the exhibit collection of the International Guitar Museum which now houses the well-known and respected Richard Davis Collection which remains one of the world’s largest and most respected private assemblages of vintage and custom guitars (900+ guitars featuring 225+ unique brands from 12+ countries alongside a curated collection of 200+ custom and vintage electric guitar amplifiers) assembled over 26+ years of purposeful, scholarly collecting. This is not inventory that passed through a dealer's hands. It is a documented piece from a single, serious collection, selected, authenticated, and preserved by one curator.

THIS GUITAR

There is exactly one of these in the world. Not “limited edition.” Not “low production run.” One. This guitar was commissioned IN to a single player’s specifications and built by hand, start to finish, by master luthier Dan O’Vadka — a builder who has been crafting instruments to order since 1991, one at a time, three to six months per guitar. When it left his bench, the mold was broken. It will never be made again.

The concept alone makes it a conversation piece: the iconic silhouette of a Gibson Flying V merged with the playability and feel of a Fender Stratocaster. But this is no novelty build. It is a serious, professional-grade instrument that does things no Gibson and no Fender can do — and it has just been fully renovated by Master Luthier Kevin Smith of Tonesmith Guitars. It is ready to play, ready to record, and ready to anchor a serious collection.

Why This Guitar Is Genuinely Rare

Boutique one-off commissions almost never reach the open market. They are built for one player, kept for decades, and passed quietly between collectors. When one surfaces — in excellent condition, freshly serviced, all original, with its original case — it represents an opportunity that simply does not repeat. You are not buying a serial number out of a production run of thousands. You are buying the only example that exists.

The Build: Tonewood Done Right

•Body: High-grade mahogany, fully hollow — the source of this guitar’s remarkable sustain, depth, and resonance. Crowned with a stunning book-matched “crotch” maple top with figuring you have to see in person to believe.

•Binding:  Unique “checkered” around body and headstock.

•Neck: Three-piece maple with a Strat-style profile — instantly familiar, fast, and comfortable.

•Fretboard: Rosewood, 22 frets in tall-medium wire, expertly dressed.

•Hardware: Gotoh tuners, premium pots and switching throughout.

•Case: Original, oversized fitted case included.

The Electronics: A Tone Laboratory in One Instrument

This is where the guitar separates itself from anything else you will ever plug in.

The magnetic pickups are a handwound Porter “Smooth-Classic” humbucker set in open nickel covers with Nigerian satinwood inserts — Porter’s most celebrated pairing. The AlNiCo 2 “Smooth” in the neck delivers clean, articulate blues and jazz voicings with just the right low end; the AlNiCo 5 “Classic” in the bridge produces a commanding lead tone that covers everything from classic rock to modern styles. The middle position blends the two into a snappy, balanced voice.

Then it goes further. A recessed Fishman piezo-equipped vibrato bridge with onboard Fishman pre-amp adds a genuine acoustic voice — blendable with the magnetic pickups via its own dedicated volume control. Active electronics throughout. The result is a literal wall of sound from a single instrument.

The control layout (left to right from the bottom of the guitar):

1.       Master tone

2.      Volume for the Fishman acoustic bridge pickup

3.      Coil-split toggle for the bridge humbucker — true single-coil or full humbucking on demand

4.      Three-way pickup selector

5.      In-phase / out-of-phase toggle — the classic “Brian May trick,” available when both pickups are engaged

6.      Master volume for neck and bridge pickups

In practical terms: this guitar moves from a fat Les Paul growl to glassy Strat sparkle to a blended electric-acoustic shimmer — and everywhere in between — without ever changing instruments. Players who try it understand immediately why O’Vadka calls his work “the art of building a fine, unique instrument.”

The Builder

Dan O’Vadka has been building and servicing instruments since 1991 — classical, acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, each one made to order for serious musicians and professionals. His own words capture the philosophy embodied in this guitar: every commission presents new challenges of design and material that “change craftsmanship into the art of building a fine, unique instrument.” He strives for rich quality, evenness and flexibility of tone, tonal reserve, superior projection, and ample volume — with structure, detail, and finish that are uncompromising. This guitar is that philosophy made real.

Condition

Excellent. All original. Recently and completely renovated by Master Luthier Kevin Smith of Tonesmith Guitars — professionally set up and ready to perform at the level it was built for. Original oversized case included.

The Bottom Line

One-of-a-kind commission build. Master-luthier craftsmanship. A pickup and switching architecture you will not find on any production instrument at any price. Excellent condition, freshly renovated, all original, with original case. For the collector, it is a singular acquisition. For the player, it is the ultimate tone machine. For both — it is an opportunity that will not come around again, because there is no “again.” There is only this one.

*WHY PROVENCE MATTERS NOWThe market has spoken decisively about what documented provenance is worth. At Christie's landmark Jim Irsay sale in March 2026, instruments with documented collection history realized $94.5 million — 136% above estimate — confirming what serious collectors already knew: in today's market, a guitar's story, chain of custody, and the collection it comes from are inseparable from its value. Single-owner pieces from major curated collections command meaningful premiums over otherwise comparable instruments — and that gap is widening.Institutional-grade documentation. Every instrument sold from the collection is accompanied by a formal Certificate of Authenticity and a transferable title registered with the International Musical Instrument Registry (IMIR), Luxembourg — providing clear chain of custody and documentation of a standard normally reserved for museum deaccessions.When you acquire from the INTERNATIONAL GUITAR MUSEUM, you acquire the provenance with the instrument. That value transfers with the title — and it does not expire.

Provenance: From the collection of the International Guitar Museum (IGM), Durham, North Carolina. This instrument is documented and registered with the International Musical Instrument Registry (IMIR), Luxembourg.