Best Gibson Explorer or Explorer style guitar you've ever played?

buller

buller

Member
I'm a Les Paul guy but have had a growing interest in Explorers. Any big, heavy, thick sounding Gibson style guitar is where I feel at home tonally and feel-wise. Don't know too much about the different Explorer models and copies but am curious which ones people have had the best experiences with.
 
buller said:
I'm a Les Paul guy but have had a growing interest in Explorers. Any big, heavy, thick sounding Gibson style guitar is where I feel at home tonally and feel-wise. Don't know too much about the different Explorer models and copies but am curious which ones people have had the best experiences with.
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I had a white Explorer with Floyd Rose that I regret selling. I put a Wagner Ironman pickup in there and it sounded great.
 
I own a ’16 or so Explorer and I like it. Bought an 80s Explorer a few months ago but the 1st one and the replacement were built/finished badly so I took my money back.
 
Of the current production Explorer style guitars I'm aware of, the ESP E-II EX NT is probably the one I'd buy if it was within budget. Gibson USA should really do another 84 reissue with ebony board. Can't imagine they wouldn't sell a ton of them
 
My October. It’s my number one favorite between it and my Sykes…just depends on when you ask me….
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If you want the fattest/beefiest Explorer, look for Mahogany bodied ones with Rosewood boards. They're thick sounding and stock pickups work for rock and heavy metal. If you want to play tight thrash or death metal, you'll need some aggressive pickups for it. The Korina ones, while people say they're warm always feel like they have a weirder mid presence to me. My main Explorer right now is a custom Mahogany body/neck and Ebony board with Het Sets in it. It will melt faces.
 
I had a black one. Couldn't see the damn thing. That big wing torque'd my back too.
 
I had a Gothic Explorer for a bit back in the day. Don't remember what wood but I thought it had 498 pickups?

Im such a Hetfield fan and always wanted one but I think im a Les Paul and SG guy. Maybe I'll give another one a whirl.
 
romanianreaper said:
I had a Gothic Explorer for a bit back in the day. Don't remember what wood but I thought it had 498 pickups?

Im such a Hetfield fan and always wanted one but I think im a Les Paul and SG guy. Maybe I'll give another one a whirl.
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Just worked on a buddies Gothic Explorer, the bridge measured right around where a 498 should. He was curious because he's hated 498's in every Gibson he's owned, but loved whatever was in the Gothic Explorer. Weird. Gothics rip ridiculously hard.
 
I have an 05 Gibson with a Motor City Solution in the bridge. Could possibly be my number one.
 
My first US made guitar was a black Gibson Explorer with Dirty Fingers pickups in it and a Kahler trem. I played a bunch of outdoor, summer gigs with that guitar. Poor thing started turning green and much of the hardware started rusting! Good times. Swapped it for a Robin Medley a year or two after graduating high school. I remember it being a lot of fun, but it's been so long I can't possibly say more than that - plus, I didn't know anything at the time!

I now have a couple of Explorer bodied parts guitars with strat scale length and bolt-on necks. I really love them, and the neck suits my preferences better.
 
Been chugging on this beast. Its a '79 Dean Z. I upgraded the factory pickups with SD Dave Mustaine live wire pickups. Love this thing.
 

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I’ve got 3 of them. One of the 84 style limited releases from mid 2000s with a Floyd, a new 80s Explorer and a 2008 Faded cherry. All have the 500T/496R, but the 2008 faded cherry sounds and feels the best out of all of them. May not be the prettiest guitar I own, but it’s definetly the last guitar I would sell. Definitely my favorite body style followed by Les Paul’s and Super Strats.
 
I am a fan of fretboard binding, so I really like the current “70s model” Explorers and Vs. I have one of each and dig them. I put Duncan 59s in both and they are great guitars!
 
vultures said:
Just worked on a buddies Gothic Explorer, the bridge measured right around where a 498 should. He was curious because he's hated 498's in every Gibson he's owned, but loved whatever was in the Gothic Explorer. Weird. Gothics rip ridiculously hard.
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Ask him if he wants to get rid of it….
 
I have a really nice gibson from 2017 that I got from Japan and it is very nice. What is funny is that with stock pups, I found it too thick sounding. Threw an aldrich in bridge and a dimarzo paf something in neck and now it has too much bite. Gibson probably selected those pups properly and I am going to swap them back in. I like explorers, great feel to them.
 
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