Gibson Explorer

In March 1990, the spring and final semester of my senior year at University of Maryland, I had spring break, and nowhere to go.  Out of curiosity and boredom, I went to Chuck Levin’s music store in Wheaton, THE go-to place for guitars in the Northern Virginia/Suburban Maryland/Washington Metropolitan area.  There I saw, and immediately fell in love with, an ebony (aka “black”) Gibson Explorer ’76 reissue (as shown above). 

I loved the headstock, the color, and the white pickguard.  Of course, like 99% of Gibsons, it had a rosewood fretboard (I can’t stand maple – thank God Fender makes Strats with rosewood fretboards!). I just had to have it.  Sure enough, two months later, I had the guitar.  Oddly, despite being a big Metallica fan, James Hetfield’s choice wasn’t much of an influence.  Back then he was playing contemporary models without a pickguard.  For me, the contrast of the pickguard, i.e. the reissue model, was what drew me to it.

However, Hetfield did influence my decision, in 1992, to replace the stock “Dirty Fingers” open coil pickups with EMG-81 active pickups, for a warmer, thicker, though somewhat less raspier sound.  It takes a 9 volt battery, which only rarely needs to be replaced.  More recently, around 2004, I replaced the white pickguard with a mirror pickguard, so now it’s truly unique. 

Origins.  In the late 50s, Gibson found that its Les Paul models were not selling well – ironic considering how valuable original ’58-60 Les Pauls are nowadays, with even the reissue models being damn expensive, and Lenny Kravitz complaining about the cost of vintage models.  Gibson’s reaction was to introduce 3 new models: the SG, the Explorer, and the Flying V; by now the consensus is the Moderne was never actually released.  The SG and Flying V survived, while the Explorer died off fairly early.  It’s not hard to imagine how this outlandishly styled guitar was too far ahead of its time for 1958.  The first handful of guitars had a bizarre split headstock (which Dean now uses for its guitars, see Dimebag Darrell) and very soon the “banana” shaped one took over.  The original models were also in Korina wood.  By 1976, the public was ready for the Explorer, and Gibson reissued it.  Later, they reissued the reissue, so to speak, adding ebony (black), cherry, and white to the mix, though the original Korina (natural) finish is currently offered. 

Players. 

Eric Clapton briefly played an Explorer, in the early 70s, although he cut off the end to be more rounded – it did not improve the looks, though he apparently felt it was easier to play that way.  I’ve never had a problem playing it in its original shape.  This was a brief transition phase between his Gibson era, when he played an  ES335 and an SG (famously painted by The Fool) with Cream, and a Les Paul with The Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and his solo era when he eventually settled upon the Fender Stratocaster he’s so often associated with. 

In the mid-70s, Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd often played an Explorer, as well as a Firebird.  He can be seen playing the Explorer in the “Freebird” movie.  His unique Explorer Affectation is to draw the guitar strap over the front of the guitar, whereas everyone else – myself included – keeps it behind the guitar.

Rickey Medlocke, of Blackfoot – and now back with Lynyrd Skynyrd (he was originally with the band before they became famous) is also an Explorer enthusiast. 

Since the late 70s, Matthias Jabs of the Scorpions, taking over (by force?) from prior guitarist Uli Roth, also plays an Explorer, with stripes on the body.  He still plays them, though now he prefers a custom-made 90% model (scaled down to 90% the size of a regular Explorer). 

The Edge, the guitarist for U2, has been seen playing Explorers more recently.  He’s about the least impressive guitarist to pick it up.  I really hate his jingle-jangle guitar sound, which could easily be replicated on a Telecaster or just a cheap guitar. 

Gary Moore is most often associated with the Les Paul, including Peter Green’s with the reversed neck pickup.  But at the 2003 Monsters of Rock show, half his set is played on a white ’76 Explorer reissue.

The new Australian band, Airbourne, is pretty much an AC/DC tribute band, for all intents and purposes.  Joel O’Keefe and David Roads both play Explorers.

In terms of being both closely associated with the guitar, and being prominent in his use of it and his overall publicity, James Hetfield of Metallica is probably the top Explorer player.  He started out playing Flying V’s in Metallica’s early days, switching to a standard (non-reissue) Explorer on the Ride The Lightning tour (including the August 1985 Donington show).  He replaced the Gibson pickups with EMG-81s, and ended up having ESP make him a series of Explorers in various colors and varieties.  I still see him playing Explorer-style guitars, though he’s taken a recent preference for Les Paul variants.  Despite his long-time preference for Explorers, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play the reissue model.

Whether it has the original PAF humbuckers, the Dirty Fingers humbuckers, or EMGs, the styling and pickups combine to make this guitar stunning in appearance and sound, perfect for rock and metal.