Home › History › The Gibson Explorer: A Short History. I highly recommend everything Tony’s written. Ed Mitchell Clearly I owe a debt of gratitude to Phil Jones, who shared with me his knowledge of the “Korina guitars”. I also need to specifically thank Dave’s photographer, Tim Mullally, who worked with me to grab images of the key features of the guitar. Election Day Information Blackout Shows U.S. Media Is No Friend of the People. Phil has been a tremendous source of information and has proven to be a great editor as well (my bad spelling is always a problem.). It’s worth remembering that Gibson were clutching at straws in ‘58. The very first explorer guitar used by James Hetfield has Dirty Fingers Pickups. Dave’s merch store for Dojo Guitar Repair is here: The Explorer âintroduced almost exactly 60 years agoâwas Gibson's most radical guitar design of the '50s. Yupâ February 29. The Explorerâs construction is very simple, with a solid body, set mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard. Solid mahogany body and one-piece mahogany neck with a nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a scale length of 24 3/4 inches and wonderful medium-to-thick profile. At that point it still had its factory Gibson pickups. I actually went in to buy, I think I was going to buy a Les Paul, but I just fell in love with this guitar. Unlike The Edge, who didn’t like the sound of his Explorer’s bass strings and concentrated his picking on the treble strings, Allen Collins work is a textbook example of the model’s fat tone and awesome sustain…. In 1958, Gibson produced two new designs: the eccentrically shaped Explorer and Flying V. These "modernistic" guitars did not sell initially. This is the sister video to our video to “The Flying V: A Short History”. in the US. It has the famous shape used by many rock and metal guitarists. Im sure this question has been asked a millions times, but here it is anyway! Hydrogel Biosensor: Implantable Nanotech to be Used in COVID Vaccines? Aug 21, 2019 - Explore Paul Martin's board "Explorers" on Pinterest. It's a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at eBay.com. Each instrument celebrates Gibsonâs legacy through accuracy, authenticity and attention to detail. Hetfield also pounded on a near identical white ‘84 backup Explorer, the “More Beer” sticker guitar. The Maxwells: Mossad’s First Family of Spies, No, The Georgia Vote-Counting Video Was Not ‘Debunked.’ Not Even Close. 1 Finish Options . I need to thank Dave Onorato who shared his knowledge of the guitars and specifically shared pics and history on his Max Baranet guitar. (Classic Rock) 18 December 2016. Eric was apparently gutted…. He sent me endless pictures of that amazing guitar and he quite literally made this video possible as images, particularly detailed images of original Explorers, are almost more rare than the guitars themselves. Papa Het playing his Gibson Explorer. He’s since used a bunch of Japanese brand ESP’s Explorer-like MX, JH-2 and Snakebyte model “tributes” but is best known for his white 1984 Gibson Explorer, the one with the “So What” sticker that would eventually by retrofitted with his favourite EMG 81⁄60 humbucker set. Although the model didn’t come in Junior, Special, Standard and Custom versions like the Les Paul, it did share the latter guitar’s gold hardware. During the first two years of production (â58 & â59) Gibson managed to sell less than 50 of the âKorina Explorersâ. The Gibson Explorer started as an experiment, was received as a joke, yet is now considered, along with the Flying V, as one of the ultimate metal planks. Beautiful photography and amazing customer service. Conan The Barbarian would have loved smacking someone around the head with it and Metallica’s James Hetfield symbolically did the same thing when he fell for the Explorer’s brutal looks and sound in the 80s. The Moderne was just too weird. I often find myself, hat in hand, asking a favor for images or music and they are always great collaborators. Another modified Explorer owner was Eric Clapton who thought his misshaped ‘58 Korina model was a prototype. In the 1950s, Gibson also produced the Tune-o-matic bridge system and its version of the humbucking pickup, the PAF ("Patent Applied For"), first released in 1957 and still sought after for its sound. By then, the public were a bit more receptive to radical designs. The Les Paul range was not pulling in the big bucks and they needed something to put arch-rival Fender’s gas at a peep at a time when the California brand was killing it with the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass. Of course, it was thrash metal beast James Hetfield who put the Explorer back in business in the 80s. No longer the thing that should not be, then. The Edge cut a lot of early U2 material on a ‘76 Limited Edition model. You will receive a verification email shortly. The channel is on its way to hitting 100,000 subscribers this morning and none of this would be worth doing if we didn’t all spend time thinking about guitars and guitar playing. All rights reserved. It was a natural, Korina-looking finish, with a white pick guard. Original. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Even more remarkable, the Explorerâs radical design remains as strikingly original as ever. Fellow Explorer heads include Neil Young, Gary Moore, Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, Trivium’s Matt Heafy, early Leppard guitarist Pete Willis and Matthias Jabs of The Scorpions. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! 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