Hello.

That is a awfully large guitar case.

Pretty heavy.

There we go.

For an extremely large guitar.

Can we pull it out?

Yeah.

It's a 1979 Karl Sandoval custom-built flying V.

All right.

Well, it's signed by Karl Sandoval.

It says 1979 on the back of it.

I'm here at the pawn shop today

to sell my Karl Sandoval flying V guitar.

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years

and I have like 22 guitars.

And this is one I bought at an online auction.

And this one, the diamonds aren't really

my style for my band right now.

So I'm looking to get $4,500 for it today.

It looks really, really cool.

Karl Sandoval-- he was a really big innovator

with guitars in the '70s.

The cool thing he did though was,

he made guitars that are a lot-- that were

thicker than the Gibsons, so they

could have a bridge like this--

Right, right.

--put into it.

The tremolo.

The tremolo bar right there.

I mean, because--

It's thicker.

Like the late '70s, I mean, these

guys are bending those things--

Right?

You know, they're getting on stage, waaahhh!

So you needed a bigger body to handle this kind of tremolo

in there.

And that's what made everyone want his guitars.

Heavy metal music abuses a guitar.

And you needed sort of like the heavy duty

guitar that could handle it.

And he came up with the perfect guitar for that.

You know, Gibson came out with a Flying V,

I think was like 1958.

But they only made a few of them, weren't real successful.

The V style got popular again in the late '60s.

And all of a sudden it just popped, and everybody

wanted a flying V.

Jimi Hendrix actually had a flying V.

Yeah.

Karl Sandoval, he filled a hole in the market

that existed at the time.

Still really, really popular guitars.

This stuff is definitely in demand,

brings really good money.

He didn't make a whole lot of these in the '70s.

I know he's still making guitars.

I've seen this guitar that's polka-dotted.

I've never seen it with like the diamond shapes on it.

Was this ever repainted or anything like that?

No.

I think it was custom built for a guy right

around the same time he built Randy

Rhodes' polka dot flying V.

All right, yeah.

Because he made one for Randy Rhodes from Quiet Riot.

How much do you want for it?

$4,500.

OK, I tell you what--

I'm going to call somebody up who will know more

about this guitar than I would.

I'll be right back. OK?

All right. Thank you.

[cash register sound]

This is Karl Sandoval.

No way!

Look at that paint job.

Unbelievable.

I can tell what kind of paint that I used

back then just by the patina.

Then check it out.

Originally-- I mean, this thing has been played on stage

a lot, because you could just tell, it's not

faded where the guy's arm was.

Definitely.

Could you hold that one second?

Sure.

I'm blind.

OK.

This body, it's made out of alder.

It's a flying V. It's incorporating

Gibson and Fender.

OK, we've got the Fender bridge, six inline tuners,

and toggle switch.

So it's definitely yours and it's definitely one of a kind?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

The reason why I'd say one of a kind--

diamonds.

I don't recall ever building another guitar that

had the diamond pattern on it.

But I'm just glad to see it.

All right, so the big question is, who'd you make it for?

Well this was made for--

Tell me like some massive rock star.

Well, actually, it was made for a guy

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And where he ended up going, I really don't know.

He was a rock star in his own mind.

Yes.

Would you like to know what I would charge for one of these

if I built it right now?

How much that--

yeah, sure.

You're looking at about seven grand--

OK.

--for a guitar like this.

Thanks, man.

I really appreciate it.

Very welcome.

Call me anytime.

It's a pleasure.

- Good talking to you. - Thanks, man.

Have fun.

Beautiful guitar.

Good luck.

OK, well, I brought in the legend himself who verified it.

Yeah.

Once again, what do you want for this thing?

45, I think, is fair.

And I'd like to stay right on that just

because it's the one of a kind and it's one of the first ones

he did.

Help out a starving musician?

All music--

[laughter]

Right?

You know, I built this pawn shop on starving musicians.

I tell you what, we'll--

$3,700.

Awesome.

- We got a deal, Ben. - Thanks, man.

OK.

Now you just gotta teach me how to use it.

No.

[laughter]

Cruise right around the corner, I'll write you up,

and I'll get you paid.

Thank you.

All right.

No problem.

I got the guitar.

I just need to get my hair back.

Then I'll be a rock star.

[laughter]