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heads on fire « Finally, a big, angular guitar that's good! »
Published on 12/08/11 at 11:00Made in Korea
Korina body
Mahogany set-in neck
Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets
24-3/4" scale
Alnico Classic humbuckers
2 volume, 1 tone control
3-way pickup selector switch
LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for more sustain and easier string changing
Gold hardware
UTILIZATION
First of all, I'll state that I do NOT like guitars with overly large, angular bodies, as a general rule. I say this so that you, the reader, understand how cool this guitar is. Epiphone has done a fantastic job with this guitar - the Korina Explorer looks very well-made, with great fit and finish. The playability is similar to any of the higher end Gibsons - it feels that nice. And the tone is out of this world.
SOUNDS
This guitar was made with tone in mind. The Korina wood has been highly sought after for a great guitar tonewood, and this model certainly delivers tone in spades. I don't know why I keep being surprised by Epiphone's pickup quality - each of the newer models that I've tried have all had superior sound quality to other budget guitars. I'm speculating, but I think Epiphone probably gets their pickup-winding specifications directly from Gibson, and makes them just as Gibson does, as these Alnico Classics in this Explorer sound great. This guitar is a classic rocker's dream, and it is also incredible for southern rock and metal as well.
OVERALL OPINION
The look of the finish drew me in, the playability got me excited, and the tone won me over. This big guitar can come to my house any day, and if it wants to, it can stay indefinitely. I'd just have to get over the excessively large guitar case. As much as I never thought I'd say this, but this Explorer is a surefire winner - a great guitar.
Korina body
Mahogany set-in neck
Rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets
24-3/4" scale
Alnico Classic humbuckers
2 volume, 1 tone control
3-way pickup selector switch
LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for more sustain and easier string changing
Gold hardware
UTILIZATION
First of all, I'll state that I do NOT like guitars with overly large, angular bodies, as a general rule. I say this so that you, the reader, understand how cool this guitar is. Epiphone has done a fantastic job with this guitar - the Korina Explorer looks very well-made, with great fit and finish. The playability is similar to any of the higher end Gibsons - it feels that nice. And the tone is out of this world.
SOUNDS
This guitar was made with tone in mind. The Korina wood has been highly sought after for a great guitar tonewood, and this model certainly delivers tone in spades. I don't know why I keep being surprised by Epiphone's pickup quality - each of the newer models that I've tried have all had superior sound quality to other budget guitars. I'm speculating, but I think Epiphone probably gets their pickup-winding specifications directly from Gibson, and makes them just as Gibson does, as these Alnico Classics in this Explorer sound great. This guitar is a classic rocker's dream, and it is also incredible for southern rock and metal as well.
OVERALL OPINION
The look of the finish drew me in, the playability got me excited, and the tone won me over. This big guitar can come to my house any day, and if it wants to, it can stay indefinitely. I'd just have to get over the excessively large guitar case. As much as I never thought I'd say this, but this Explorer is a surefire winner - a great guitar.