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tjon901 « Epiphones Korina Explorer with a black finish »
Published on 06/15/11 at 16:51This guitar is kind of strange. The whole point of Epiphone doing a Korina guitar is to have the cool natural yellowish finish. Because when Epiphone does a Korina guitar it isnt really made of Korina it is just a mahogany guitar with Korina veneers. So this guitar made of mahogany with Korina veneers but with black paint on them. You lose the whole point of having the Korina veneers. In the late 50s Gibson made some radical guitars to show they were a modern guitar company. The Explorer is one of these. The first 50s models were made from Korina wood these are the classic yellow looking Gibsons you have seen. This Epiphone model has veneers that are made from the Korina wood so it would have a yellowish look if it wasnt for the paint. They have 22 frets on a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. Two humbucking pickups which are a Epiphones own alnico humbuckers. Two volume and one master tone control with a 3 way toggle switch pickup selector. There is gold hardware on this guitar.
UTILIZATION
Early 50s Gibsons had huge necks. Today people refer to them as the "baseball" bat necks. In the 60s Gibson switched to slimmer neck design. This Epiphone Explorer today has that 60s design. The 60s Gibson neck profile is one of their most popular and it is what they use on most of the Epiphone guitars. They use this profile on the Epiphones because kids might be playing them and kids will like the smaller profile better. The upper frets are easy to reach because of the Explorers design. The radical shape actually gives the guitar a perfect balance for playing while standing up. The neck will come to rest at a perfect angle due to the large body acting as a counter weight.
SOUNDS
Gibsons are known for their warm humbucking tones and the Epiphone Explorer is no different. No matter how cold it is outside the Explorer always sounds warm. The Explorer is made from a huge piece of solid mahogany and you can really hear it. The pickups on the Epiphone Explorer have gold covers and this matches well with the korina wood. The Epiphone Explorer sounds like what every Gibson should sound like. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to change the pickups to Seymour Duncans or EMG's for a more heavier sound.
OVERALL OPINION
The Explorer design was ahead of its time in the 50s but in the 70s it was just right for the music and players of the time. People may look for the Gibson tone in just Les Pauls but the Explorer can deliver it too. This Epiphone sounds better than some Gibsons with Gibson starting to chamber its Les Pauls the Explorer shape may be the way to go if you are looking for a really solid piece of wood to get tone from. Even with the pointless Korina veneers under the black finish the black finish and gold hardware give the guitar a classy look.
UTILIZATION
Early 50s Gibsons had huge necks. Today people refer to them as the "baseball" bat necks. In the 60s Gibson switched to slimmer neck design. This Epiphone Explorer today has that 60s design. The 60s Gibson neck profile is one of their most popular and it is what they use on most of the Epiphone guitars. They use this profile on the Epiphones because kids might be playing them and kids will like the smaller profile better. The upper frets are easy to reach because of the Explorers design. The radical shape actually gives the guitar a perfect balance for playing while standing up. The neck will come to rest at a perfect angle due to the large body acting as a counter weight.
SOUNDS
Gibsons are known for their warm humbucking tones and the Epiphone Explorer is no different. No matter how cold it is outside the Explorer always sounds warm. The Explorer is made from a huge piece of solid mahogany and you can really hear it. The pickups on the Epiphone Explorer have gold covers and this matches well with the korina wood. The Epiphone Explorer sounds like what every Gibson should sound like. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to change the pickups to Seymour Duncans or EMG's for a more heavier sound.
OVERALL OPINION
The Explorer design was ahead of its time in the 50s but in the 70s it was just right for the music and players of the time. People may look for the Gibson tone in just Les Pauls but the Explorer can deliver it too. This Epiphone sounds better than some Gibsons with Gibson starting to chamber its Les Pauls the Explorer shape may be the way to go if you are looking for a really solid piece of wood to get tone from. Even with the pointless Korina veneers under the black finish the black finish and gold hardware give the guitar a classy look.