I 
 
I think I hadn't listened to this one since the mid-late 80's. I've been listening to Judas Priest relatively regularly, but mostly 70's stuff - Sad Wings and such. 
 
But for the last couple of weeks, I've been wanting to listen to Electric Eye and the whole Screaming For Vengeance album - which I though was my favorite. While I was digging, I figured - let's dig out the twin and listen to Defenders - there's a few songs I liked if i remember correctly...
 
I had forgotten how much I loved that album! Screaming was great - and I love/prefer the way the drums sounded on it - but Defenders was frickin' monumental. That album is the Bible of 80's pre-Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax heavy metal. 
 
Then I remembered how we used to take Priest for granted. They were one of those older bands, they had a big label behind them - it was semi-normal that their albums sounded like a ton of brick. And they were old - guys in their 20s had been listening to them forever. We wanted our own bunch of bands.
 
But at that point, that's what we dug. Those big guitars, like the stuff on Defenders of the Faith or Scorpions' Love at First Sting. When all you had was a 3 inch speaker in an amp made of plastic, Scorpions and JP sounded like Cowboys From Hell or Ministry or whatever...
 
Anyway - what an amazing heavy metal album. I still love Sad Wings a heck of a lot, but Defenders is certainly one of my favorite 80s record all around. 

As for the cover art, well, feel free to discuss... LOL 

Under the right "influences" that artwork looks, well, ok, probably about the same.
 
(Good stuff though!  Hmm...  I may just have to listen to that album now!)

I'm doing so myself - and I agree. Great record. There's that melancholy which seems to prevail even in the harder rocking songs. 
 
Now why do I want a Flying V and a SG?

This was mine.  Korina, just like my custom being built.  Nice and light!  Sold it a few years back - no need for it since they suck if you're not playing live.  The white parts near the bottom are just glare from the flash.
 

Awww man, just as I was getting ready to buy them ;) - No longer available... I've been warming up to SG these days. Including the ESP variation, which they call Viper IIRC. Nice guitars. But back on topic...

Who the heck buys those things by the way, seriously? If you grew up a Judas Priest fan like me, there's just no way in heck you ended up successful enough to afford even just one of these - that's w/o the signature. You're probably still expected in detention after class... 
 
Who buys signature road worn guitars? 
 
Black and red - matches our palette, though... 

My answer to the SG was to get a Les Paul Double-cut (which also has been sold, but all of my customs use this shape). I definitely did not take pictures that did the guitar justice - it looked much better in real life.  It especially pales next to my custom (called the Raspberry Twist due to the color and the Variax guts buried inside).
 
 
 

 
 

craigb
This was mine.  Korina, just like my custom being built.  Nice and light!  Sold it a few years back - no need for it since they suck if you're not playing live.  The white parts near the bottom are just glare from the flash.
 

Drool... :P
 
That being said, I've played a V, and, as you said, they're not all that comfortable - unless you're standing up.
 
One of the first guys to score the equivalent of a record deal in our little town had a V. They had a 7" out - man, what a riot! He bought his clothes from the same place Dave Murray did... Lycra pants and all. lol

If I remember correctly, his V was one out of 250. I remember playing that Flying V for hours on their patio - that Symptom of The Universe riff, which was pretty much all I knew.
 
The V was one of the very few non-Fender instruments in the house. The guy was a local star - a bit like our own version of your pal Craig Goldie I guess. His father was THE guitar guy 300 miles around. He fixed all our guitars, and had genuine 50's strats, a pedal steel, hollow bodies and all. They even had the cable, so we'd go there on weekends and watch Good Rockin Tonite hoping that they'd play ONE Mötley Crüe video or even just Brian Adams - his guitar player had a nice vibrato
 
 

craigb
My answer to the SG was to get a Les Paul Double-cut (which also has been sold, but all of my customs use this shape). I definitely did not take pictures that did the guitar justice - it looked much better in real life.  It especially pales next to my custom (called the Raspberry Twist due to the color and the Variax guts buried inside).
 
 

I know how hard it is to really capture them and I think I can guess how nice.

Soooooooooo -  you mean you can afford the Variax AND the operation to put its guts in another guitar?

You know, one of my biggest heroes ever had his first Les Paul reworked because he wanted the double cutaway. Apparently, that's the same LP, as customized according to Ace's wish:
 

 
 
 

 
I'd still prefer to get a genuine SG.

I used to be able to afford a lot.  At least before the banks took all my money (still waiting on one lawsuit for illegal seizure).  All told I lost about $820k, $651k from B of A alone.  Back then, spending $3,000 on a guitar didn't seem extravagant...