“I played my first Flying V ironically as a joke… It was considered a very ‘metal’ guitar, and I could not shred”: L7’s Donita Sparks on why she opted to play a Flying V – despite it being a “shredder guitar”

Donita Sparks of music group L7 performs onstage at The Art Of Elysium Presents WE ARE HEAR'S HEAVEN 2020 at Hollywood Palladium on January 04, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

L7's Donita Sparks has become inextricably linked to the Flying V – a guitar that, admittedly, might not be the first guitar music fans associate with grunge-tinged art punk. However, Sparks claims her choice was deliberate, albeit one that began as a bit of a joke with a not-so-subtle hint of defying expectations.

“I do remember my first Flying V,” she tells Guitar World. “I played it ironically as a joke because nobody had a Flying V at that time who was doing art punk, or at least punk, right? It was considered a very ‘metal’ guitar, and it was kind of ironic, like I could not shred. I've never been a shredder, and yes, it's kind of a shredder guitar.”