Closeup of the LoBue Custom V. Note the Gibson wide-travel tune-o-matic.
Photo by Chuck Pulin
The basic principles and the craftsmanship of LoBue obviously impressed Paul and once they got the advance money from Casablanca he opted for another LoBue. "At that point, he made me a short-wing Flying V. I really liked the V Albert King used, the one with the binding on it. I told Charlie to make the upper wing shorter than the bottom one. We took the template of the body and I drew where I wanted the wing to be and he made it." (Vintage Guitar March 1997) "The [Doublecut] guitar that Charlie made me got stolen, and then he made me a beautiful V guitar with one wing that was shorter than the other and a beautiful ebony fingerboard and a lot of abalone". (Guitar Player 1978) "So when I asked Charlie [LoBue] to make me a Flying V, he showed me a drawing/blueprint for it, and I said make the upper wing shorter. I showed him how I wanted it cut, and he thought I was nuts." (Metal Edge presents KISS Alive 1996)
According to the site detailing LoBue’s career as a luthier, the LoBue Custom V had a mahogany body and neck with an ebony fingerboard (and a bone nut). The bridge was a Gibson wide-travel tune-o-matic (affectionally known as a Harmonica although it was never referred to as such by Gibson), and it had Sperzel tulip-style tuners. The guitar had two chrome-cover humbuckers, most probably wound by DiMarzio, a slightly asymmetrical array of the 4 knobs, and a curious placement of the toggle switch. The first known picture of the LoBue Custom V comes from the show at the Coventry in Queens on December 21. When the band made their professional debut at the Academy of Music on New Years Eve 1973 the LoBue Custom V was Paul’s guitar of choice.
As the band moved towards the big time the LoBue Custom V was Paul's clear number one and it carried the touring load for the first half of 1974. It was there for all the big events: The Casablanca launch party on February 18; the taping of ABC's In Concert on February 21; and the more or less infamous appearance on the Mike Douglas Show taped on April 29. The pictures below are some of the better ones available that show the guitar from various angles.
Unfortunately this guitar would also get stolen, this one when KISS decamped to Los Angeles to record Hotter Than Hell. "We went to Village Recorders [sic], and the first day we set up, Paul's guitar was stolen". (Kenny Kerner, Behind the Mask p. 222-223) Apparently somebody just walked into the studio and claimed he was there to pick up some guitars for KISS. The last known picture of the LoBue Custom V comes from 1974-07-25 in London, Ontario, Canada (see below). Recordings for Hotter Than Hell began on August 16 after which the LoBue V was never seen again.
