Play it loud. Wear it proud. Celebrate 50 years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
NASHVILLE, TN – For 50 years, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have stood among America’s most influential rock ’n’ roll bands, earning acclaim for unforgettable live performances, timeless recordings, and a catalog of songs that continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. Today, Gibson honors that extraordinary legacy with a limited-edition 50th Anniversary Tom Petty Flying V™ guitar inspired by the iconic Heartbreakers logo featured on the band’s self-titled 1976 debut album. Known collectively as the “Flying Five,” the collection comprises five distinctive gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, with only 50 guitars produced in each color worldwide. The Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary guitars and apparel are available worldwide now at Gibson Garage locations and at www.gibson.com.
Offered in Gainesville Gold, Graphite Metallic, Heartbreaker Red, Pearl White Metallic, and Pelham Blue, the Tom Petty Flying V is limited to 250 guitars worldwide. A new assortment of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-inspired apparel, accessories, and collectibles launches alongside the guitars, giving musicians and fans new ways to celebrate the band’s music, style, and enduring independent spirit. The Gibson launch joins a landmark season of albums, special events, and anniversary celebrations from the band and the Tom Petty estate.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, Tom Petty’s legacy as a songwriter, performer, and storyteller remains as powerful as ever. Across five decades, the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has embodied freedom, resilience, independence, and uncompromising American rock ’n’ roll, proving that authentic artistry, unforgettable songwriting, and masterful musicianship never go out of style.
The anniversary celebration also includes the Nov. 6 release of Origins 1971–1978, a box set from the Tom Petty Estate tracing Petty’s early recording career through the formation and early years of the Heartbreakers. The collection pairs rare, live, and previously unreleased recordings with the band’s first two albums.
“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,” says Adria Petty. “The collection honors Tom and the Heartbreakers’ history while giving musicians and fans a new way to carry that spirit forward.”
“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have meant so much to so many, with timeless songs that continue to inspire us today,” adds Beth Heidt, Chief Marketing Officer at Gibson. “It is a profound honor to celebrate 50 years of that music through these instruments and this collection. Every Flying V and every piece of the apparel collection carries that incredible spirit forward, connecting with the fans who have loved them all along and the next generation ready to make these songs their own.”
Above (L-R): The limited-edition Tom Petty Flying V™ arrives in Heartbreaker Red, Gainesville Gold, Pelham Blue, Graphite Metallic, and Pearl White Metallic; with only 250 guitars available worldwide.
Built with a resonant mahogany Flying V body and matching mahogany neck, the Tom Petty Flying V 50th Anniversary pairs the unmistakable silhouette of Gibson’s radical classic with details rooted in Heartbreakers history. Its fast-playing SlimTaper™ neck and rosewood fretboard—with a 12-inch radius, 22 medium jumbo frets, and acrylic dot inlays—support effortless chording, expressive bends, and long nights onstage. A mother-of-pearl Gibson logo crowns the headstock, while Grover® Rotomatic® tuners and a Graph Tech® nut provide dependable tuning stability. A Heartbreaker 50th truss rod cover and a reproduction of Tom Petty’s signature on the back of the headstock make every instrument an unmistakable commemorative piece. Each guitar ships in a Gibson hardshell case.
The five gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes give the “Flying Five” distinct personalities: Gainesville Gold brings celebratory warmth; Graphite Metallic adds a sleek, stage-ready edge; Heartbreaker Red delivers bold rock ’n’ roll impact; Pearl White Metallic offers luminous contrast; and Pelham Blue channels vintage Gibson cool. Beneath the finish, a pair of 70s Tribute humbucker™ pickups moves from clear, articulate cleans to muscular, arena-ready drive. Hand-wired electronics include individual volume controls, a master tone control with an Orange Drop® capacitor, and a three-way pickup selector. Gold-plated hardware—including an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece—joins Gold Top Hat knobs, a three-ply white pickguard, and a cream toggle switch cap for a look that is both celebratory and unmistakably Gibson. With only 50 guitars produced in each color, every finish is equally rare.
Read more about the Gibson Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 50th Anniversary Collection on the Gibson Gazette HERE.
Launching alongside the guitars is the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 50th Anniversary Lifestyle Collection, a richly detailed assortment that draws from the band’s visual history, Tom Petty’s unmistakable personal style, and the lived-in character of vintage tour merchandise. Created in collaboration with the Tom Petty Estate and Gibson, the collection spans American-made graphic tees, statement jackets, accessories, and collectibles designed to feel discovered, worn, and treasured rather than newly minted. Gibson sent a team to the Tom Petty Clubhouse in Van Nuys, California, where they unearthed countless artifacts spanning the rich history of the Heartbreakers.
Above: Limited to 75 jackets worldwide, the exclusive black leather jacket by imogene + willie x Gibson and Schott N.Y.C. reimagines the jacket Tom Petty wore on the cover of the Heartbreakers’ 1976 debut album. Crafted from steerhide with “one star” epaulets, an attached belt, coin pouch and bi-swing vents, it features a striped satin lining inspired by Petty’s black-and-white blazer from the 1978 UK single “Listen to Her Heart.”
At the request of the Tom Petty Estate, Gibson partnered with longtime collaborators imogene+willie (i+w), the renowned Nashville-based premium heritage lifestyle and apparel brand. The collection features four 7 oz. “vintage midweight” tees—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 hand and faded attitude of a favorite band tee. A handful of styles will also be available at tompetty.com and https://imogeneandwillie.com/.
Outerwear ranges from the patch-covered green “Tom Petty Patch” Military Shirt Jacket and black “Backstage” work jacket to an exclusive black leather jacket developed with imogene+willie x Gibson and Schott N.Y.C., based on the jacket Tom wore on the cover of the band’s 1976 debut album. Limited to just 75 jackets worldwide, this highly collectible piece features a striking striped satin lining that nods to his iconic black-and-white blazer, which he donned on the cover of the UK single for his 1978 hit “Listen to Her Heart,” while steerhide construction, “one star” epaulets, an attached belt, coin pouch, and bi-swing vents deliver authentic motorcycle-jacket character. The assortment also includes the “Last All Night” Zippo®, “The Band” Bandana, AXE HEAVEN® Tom Petty Flying V Mini Guitar, Tom Petty Cat Unstructured Snapback, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Guitar Strap, Pick Tin, and Sticker Set.
Above: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 50th Anniversary Lifestyle Collection (L-R): “Tom Petty Patch” Military Shirt Jacket, “Dogs with Wings,” “Tom Petty,” and the “DIY Band” t-shirt.
Together, the “Flying Five” and accompanying apparel, accessories, and collectibles give fans something they can play, wear, collect, and call their own. Uniting Gibson craftsmanship with the sound, style, and independent spirit of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the collection invites a new generation to turn up the volume and carry the music forward. After 50 years, the songs have lost none of their power. They remain alive, immediate, and unmistakably American.
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