Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut
in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design,
much like its siblings: the Flying V, which was released the same
year, and the Moderne, which was designed in 1957 but not released
until 1982. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype
design that, years later, Gibson marketed under the name Futura.
The Explorer's initial run was unsuccessful, and the model was
discontinued in 1963. In 1976, Gibson began reissuing the Explorer
after other guitar companies had success selling similar designs. The
Explorer became especially popular among the hard rock and heavy metal
musicians of the 1970s and 1980s.
1 First Explorers
2 Explorer variations
3 Other makers
4 See also
6 External links
Gibson produced very few Explorers during the 1958 run of the original
Korina wood model. Because production records have been lost and
shipping records are unclear, it is not known exactly how many were
made, but the original run total has been estimated at less than
After the first few guitars, the Explorer had a long drooping
headstock with the tuners placed in a straight line on one side
(referred sometimes as "banana" and "hockey-stick"). This headstock
design was incorporated by Grover Jackson, founder of Jackson Guitars
and other electric guitar makers such as Kramer 20 years later, giving
rise to the "pointy-headstock era" of guitars. However, the very
earliest Explorers made between 1957 and spring 1958 featured an
unusual "split"-shaped head with the tuners placed in a standard 3+3
arrangement, carried over from the Explorer prototype (better known as
the Futura).
The 1958-59 korina Explorer is one of the most valuable
production-model guitars on the market, ranked at #4 on the 2011 Top
25 published by Vintage Guitar, worth between $250,000 and $310,000.
Only 22 were shipped in its first two years, 19 in 1958 and 3 in 1959;
an unknown (small) number of leftover bodies were completed with
nickel 1960s hardware and sold in 1963. 38 examples are presently
known to exist.
50-Year Commemorative Explorer (DSX50) with rounded edges
There have been several variants produced by Gibson. These include
several smaller-bodied, more "user friendly" versions such as the
X-Plorer Studio; the
Matthias Jabs designed Explorer 90 (named so
because it was 90% the body size of a regular Explorer), and the
Explorer Pro, introduced in 2007.
In 1976, Gibson released a "Limited Edition" Explorer, in mahogany,
with gold hardware.
In 1979, Gibson introduced the E2 model (also known as the Explorer
II), featuring a 5 piece walnut/maple laminated construction and a
contoured body. This model was discontinued after 1983, but was
partially returned as the "Thunderhorse", a signature model for
comedian/musician Brendon Small, which was heavily based on the E2.
From 1979 to 1983 Gibson produced the "Explorer II", not to be
confused with the later E/2.
The Explorer II's are not the contoured body "E/2" Explorers. The
distinction is that the Explorer-II/E-II has a straight edge body with
cream binding. These E-II's are made with a mahogany back and
figured/flamed maple tops in "burst" colors, namely "cherry-burst" and
"Tobacco burst". They did not come in clear or solid colored finishes.
Also, they have the TP6 tail-piece, gold hardware, and "velvet brick"
or "dirty fingers" pickups, cream color body binding, with a black
pickguard and 3 knobs in a row. The necks have ebony fretboards. Those
items together distinguish an Explorer II from the later E/2.
For the E/2 Explorer, Gibson optioned them with various and different
parts. Biggest difference is the curved/contoured body for the E/2.
Some came with "dirty fingers" pickups where some are (Zebra) cream
and black colored or all black. Most had the standard stop-bar
tailpiece, but some E/2's did come with a TP6 tailpiece, to add to the
confusion and fun. The E/2 was also offered in burst colors and clear
finishes, whereas the E-II did not come in clear finishes.
Gibson also produced a range of Explorer models between 1981 and 1984
with high-output "Dirty Fingers" pickups, maple neck and body, and a
bound figured maple top available in natural, cherry sunburst, or
vintage (tobacco) sunburst finishes: these were alternately named E/2,
Explorer CMT, or The Explorer. These Explorers could be equipped
from the factory with either a standard tune-o-matic bridge/stopbar
tailpiece or a Kahler tremolo.
From 1984 to 1987, the standard Explorer's body wood varied between
mahogany and alder. The neck wood would vary between maple and
mahogany and the fretboard wood varied between Indian rosewood and
ebony. Other additions to this model included rear-loaded pickup
cavities, no pickguard, and control knobs arranged in a triangle
pattern (rather than a straight line as on the original model).
In 1984 and 1985, Gibson produced the Explorer III, with three
P-90 pickups and an alder body, as well as the Designer
Series Explorer (and Flying V), which had factory-painted graphics in
geometric and "Artist Original" designs.
In 1998, Gibson introduced an Explorer in its "Gothic" line, which
featured Gibson's guitars (including the Explorer, Flying V, SG, and
Les Paul) in matte black finishes.
Several variants are also produced by Epiphone, Gibson's lower cost,
offshore operation. These include a model produced in Korina Wood and
Epiphone's own "Goth" model, available with a stop-tail or Floyd Rose
locking tremolo bridge.
Epiphone also produced an Explorer Bass in
ebony black and velvet natural finishes with two humbucking pickups
and a 34"-scale 22-fret dark rosewood fingerboard. The Explorer Bass
employs a set-neck design rather than the bolted-neck construction
used in the
Epiphone version of the Gibson Thunderbird. (Gibson
produced some 32"-scale Explorer basses in the 1980s, including one
model that featured a futuristic piezo pickup in place of the
traditional pickups found on the other models)
In 2001 Gibson produced limited editions of Eric Clapton's modified
1958 Explorer, the Explorer Clapton Cut, featuring a shortened bass
bout that allows more comfortable arm positioning and the Explorer
Split Headstock, a faithful recreation of the original 1958 Korina
Explorer with the "forked" headstock found only on the very earliest
In 2003, Gibson Guitars produced limited editions of Lynyrd Skynyrd
guitarist Allen Collins's Gibson Explorer. The guitar is made of
African limba wood
African limba wood and features an aged finished, Maestro vibrola, and
classic humbucking pickups
In 2008 Gibson released two new versions of the guitar, the first of
which was the "50-Year Commemorative Explorer". This version features
a solid mahogany body with AA-grade maple top, and the body style is
the so-called "new retro Explorer", meaning the edges have been
rounded off. The second is called the "Reverse Explorer" due to its
inverted body style. The reverse model features a carbon fibre-like
pickguard and inlays as well as a McCarty-era inspired headstock. Only
a limited run of 1000 of each model were built for the
Guitar of the
Month feature. The same year Gibson released also the Robot Explorer,
an Explorer version of the
Gibson Robot Guitar
Gibson Robot Guitar together with a similar
version of the Flying V featuring custom red metallic nitrocellulose
finish, ebony fingerboard with white lining and trapezoid inlays and
lacking a pickguard. Production of this guitar has been discontinued
supposedly during 2008.
In 2009, the company released two new versions of the guitar, the
first of which was the Tribal Explorer. It features a Kahler-style
tremolo and tribal designs and lacks a pickguard. The final new 2009
model is the Holy Explorer, designed as a counterpart to the Holy V,
and it has numerous notches cut right through the body of the guitar.
Matt Heafy of Trivium a white seven string Explorer,
Gibson released a statement that they will make a production seven
string Explorer. The seven string Explorer maintains many classic
characteristics such as a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, 24.75 scale
length and a 12" radius while acquiring some more metal oriented
hardware and styling with the addition of active EMG pickups (81-7
bridge & 707 neck), and no fretmarkers on the fretboard. It is
still unclear if Gibson will offer different colors besides black, and
alternate fretboard species.
Although a staple in the Gibson lineup, the Explorer has been
discontinued on-and-off again in the late 2000s, along with the Flying
V. In 2014, a limited edition 120th Anniversary model, with a special
12th-fret inlay and neck binding, was made available. In 2016, the
Explorer was brought back into the standard lineup.
Greco Explorer (EX-800)
Hamer Guitars company created a tribute to the Explorer in 1974
called the Hamer "Standard". This model typically differed from the
original Explorer in that it had no pickguard and a mahogany body with
a highly figured maple top in a cherry sunburst finish, though custom
finishes were also available. Gaining popularity with the hard rock
musicians of the day, including Rick Nielsen, Hamer's success led the
way for other copies and was partly responsible for prompting Gibson's
own decision to reissue the Explorer.
The Jackson guitar company (now a subsidiary of Fender) was once sued
by Gibson for their line of Kelly guitars, which are very similar to
the Explorer, although more lightweight. The Kelly was sleeker and
lighter, basically the same shape, but with beveled edges.
High-end guitar company
Alembic Inc produced the Exploiter bass
guitars for the late
John Entwistle of the Who. These basses had the
body shape of the Explorer with either a cone or V shaped headstock.
The Exploiter differs from the Gibson model as the edges are rounded
over and the lower bout cuts more deeply into the body than an
Explorer. After Entwistle's death, Alembic released a limited
production limited to 50 instruments called the "Spyder" based on
John's custom basses. Warwick also produces the Stryker basses, based
on the custom Explorer-style basses.
Dean Guitars produced a
John Entwistle Spyder signature bass in 2013,
limited to 25 U.S. Models and a low cost Korean import series.
Ibanez introduced the Destroyer model in the 1970s, with a Korina
coloured Japanese Sen body that closely resembled the original 1958
Explorer. In about 1981,
Ibanez changed the shape of the Destroyer
body: although the new Destroyer II model was still clearly inspired
by Gibson's original Explorer design, the body lines were modified,
most notably around the treble "horn" and the rear edge, and the
headstock was changed to a slight variation of the traditional Ibanez
headstock shape, no longer resembling Gibson's "hockey stick" shape.
Other Explorer-esque guitars include the ESP EX Dean Guitars' Z,
Greco guitars' Explorer, Aria Pro II, Kramer's Condor, Peavey's Rotor
series, Rondo Music's Douglas Halo and Agile Ghost, Gordon-Smith's
Explorer, Chapman Guitars' Ghost Fret, and the Cort Effector, which is
an Explorer version with built-in effects, but no pickup toggle
Gibson owns U.S. Trademark registration number 2641548, for the mark
EXPLORER in connection with guitars. Gibson also owns U.S. Trademark
registration number 2696053, for the Explorer's headstock design, and
number 2053805, for the Explorer's body shape design. However, the
enforceability of the latter two design trademarks is uncertain, in
light of Gibson's unsuccessful lawsuit against
PRS Guitars for
allegedly infringing Gibson's
Les Paul shape. In 2005, the United
States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ordered summary judgment
against Gibson in that action, on the grounds that there was no
evidence to support a finding of likelihood of confusion.
Main article: List of Gibson players
^ Walter Carter, Gibson's Explorer,
Vintage Guitar vol. 13 no. 5 (Feb.
1999), p. 104-105.
^ Greenwood, Alan; Gil Hembree (April 2011). "25 Most Valuable
Guitars". Vintage Guitar. pp. 38–39.
^ See Alan Greenwood, Gil Hembree, The Official Vintage Guitar
Magazine Price Guide (2006 ed.), p. 85 (Hal Leonard Corp. 2005).
Guitar Corp. v. Paul Reed Smith Guitars, LP, 423 F.3d 539
(6th Cir. 2005),. cert. denied, 126 S. Ct.
Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars By George Gruhn
Guitar Book By Tony Bacon
Guitar World Magazine-October 2005
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