School me on Gibson Explorers

  • Thread starter Thread starter nevusofota
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nevusofota

nevusofota

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What are the good/bad years? What body woods sound the best, etc.? Which models/colors are in demand?

I'm looking to pick one up, mainly to diversify my collection. Will probably be played at home mostly (as I prefer super strats live) so specs like weight are not a factor.

My first reaction is to look into a silverburst, as it's always been my favorite Les Paul finish.
 
They've always been mahogany. I've owned 3, and they do metal like nobody's business. Cant narrow down a year, I've had 90's. 2000's and 2012. All killed.
 
Thanks for the info.

Did they ever make a silverburst in the 80's?
 
Check out the Explorer Pro (90%), I have one, love it.

001.JPG


Here's a visual of the size difference.

Explorer+Pro+vs+Regular.jpg
 
Yeah I had a pro, what N awesome guitar and extremely easy to play
 
Death by Uberschall":1dqe3klz said:
Check out the Explorer Pro (90%), I have one, love it.

001.JPG


Here's a visual of the size difference.

Explorer+Pro+vs+Regular.jpg
Click to expand...
that is sweet :rock:
 
Meatiest sounding, easiest to play guitars out there IMO. I've owned 5 over the last 20 years. All of them sounded great. At some point they started not looking "correct" with the type of music I was playing. Be careful if you have a few beers as well.....all those horns are notorious for finding walls, cabs, etc... All mine were dinged up
 
They pop up from time to time, not sure about the production numbers on them though.
 
Rezamatix":cf7mb11f said:
I have been looking for an explorer pro for ages. Can't find anything.
Click to expand...
2 sold recently on ebay, one for $1050 and another for $1300.
 
THe gothic explorers are known for being really great sounding. The finish itself isn't that great, but I can say mine does sound great. Early gothics got the 496/500 combo and later gothics got EMG's.
 
I have an 81 white with gold hardware (think Matthias Jabs) with a Shaw Dirty Fingers...great guitar.
 
paulyc":qvv47xhp said:
I have an 81 white with gold hardware (think Matthias Jabs) with a Shaw Dirty Fingers...great guitar.
Click to expand...
I'm considering going the "vintage" route since it won't be leaving the house much.
 
Mine is perfect. No chips, dings or scratches. The white has creamed out nicely...only the gold hardware is faded. The frets are kind of small though...I'd like to have bigger ones put in it someday.
 
Death by Uberschall":1b0ilvto said:
Check out the Explorer Pro (90%), I have one, love it.

001.JPG


Here's a visual of the size difference.

Explorer+Pro+vs+Regular.jpg
Click to expand...

That's the explorer Pro. Slimmed down body a bit.
 
nevusofota":2z21olhf said:
What are the good/bad years? What body woods sound the best, etc.? Which models/colors are in demand?

I'm looking to pick one up, mainly to diversify my collection. Will probably be played at home mostly (as I prefer super strats live) so specs like weight are not a factor.

My first reaction is to look into a silverburst, as it's always been my favorite Les Paul finish.
Click to expand...

I had an '82 E-II. THE BEST Explorers imo.
Mahogany body, flame maple top in cherry burst, real ebony fret board, velvet brick pup's in black, TPS fine tune bridge, cream binding, and gold hareware.
Gorgeous look, beautiful tone, easy to play, HEAVY as heck though.
I bought it for $350 in '83, and like a FOOL sold it around '90 for $300, cause nobody wanted Gibson's around then.
Now, that guitar goes for a good bit over $2000 depending on condition.
Mine was in excellent condition.
Wish I NEVER sold it.

My buddy has a sweet Explorer for sale.
It's called a "Golden Axe", and it's in mint condition, with Lace humbuckers.
He say's it sounds sweet. I've never heard Lace humbuckers, but I love the Lace sensors in my Strat.
I attached a picture.
If you're interested email me and I'll get you the contact info.
 
The most comfortable guitar to strap on because of the balance effect that the body shape offers.
 
Umm....the first ones were Korina (White Limba) circa '58 but those are rare and they didn't make many of them because in the '50s people weren't accepting of the shape.

Had a Gibson Mahogany reissue around 2002-ish. Solid guitar. Played great, good upper fret access, comfortable to play sitting (while having a different shape than a typical guitar). Hated the stock pickups (the 498R and 500T), change those IMO.
 
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