Gibson Explorer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gibson Explorer | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1958, discontinued, then re-issued since 1975. |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24.75" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Originally ('58-'63) korina, reissues mahogany or korina |
| Neck | Originally ('58-'63) korina, reissues mahogany or korina |
| Fretboard | Rosewood or Ebony (Classic White only) |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Tune-o-matic |
| Pickup(s) | 2 Humbuckers |
| Colors available | |
| Ebony, Cherry, Classic White, Natural | |
The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of electric guitar. The Explorer made its debut in 1958 under the name Futura, before being redesigned and renamed that same year. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V.
The Explorer's initial run was unsuccessful, and the model was discontinued in 1959. 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, whose larger-than-life stage presentation was complemented by its radical appearance. Explorers were favored by artists in other rock genres as well, including Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Eric Clapton (who played an Explorer with a modified body), and The Edge of U2.
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[edit] Highly valued
Gibson produced very few Explorers during the 1958 run of the original Korina wood model. Because production records are unclear, it is not known exactly how many were made, but the original run total has been estimated at less than 50. [1] The extreme rarity of this guitar has increased its value significantly and made original Explorers with verifiable provenance highly prized among collectors, with values well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. [2]
[edit] Explorer variations
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 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.[3] Gibson also produced a range of Explorer models between 1981 and 1984 with high-output "Dirty Fingers" pickups 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.[4] In 1984 and 1985, Gibson produced the Explorer III, with three single-coil P-90 pickups, 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.
[edit] Other makers
The Hamer Guitar 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 X-plorer, although more lightweight. The Kelly was sleeker and lighter, basically the same shape, but with beveled edges. The most famous user of this line is Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame. Also Greg Bennet designed a guitar based on the X-plorer, they called it the rockwell.
High-end guitar company Alembic Inc produced a few custom made bass guitars for the late John Entwistle of the Who. These basses had the body shape of the Explorer. After his death, Alembic released a limited number of the bass guitars based on John's custom basses. Warwick also produces the Stryker basses, based on the custom Explorer-style basses.
Ibanez introduced the Destroyer model in the 1970s, with a mahogany body which closely resembled the original Gibson 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 no longer resembled the Gibson "hockey stick" shape.
Other companies that have produced Explorer-esque guitars include ESP, Dean Guitars, Jackson, Yamaha, Aria Pro, Tokai, Kramer, and Peavey.
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. [5]
[edit] Video game controller
In 2007, the Xbox 360 video game Guitar Hero II was released with an X-plorer guitar controller shaped like the Explorer, as well as being one of the featured playable guitars in the game. Nyko had also released a similar 3rd-party guitar controller with an Explorer-esque design called the FrontMan, which is compatible with both Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II on the PlayStation 2. The Macintosh and PC versions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (along with some Xbox 360 bundles) include a controller marketed as a Gibson X-plorer, as well as being one of the featured playable guitars in the game.
[edit] Notable Explorer players
[edit] References
- Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars By George Gruhn
- The Ultimate Guitar Book By Tony Bacon
- Guitar World Magazine-October 2005
