Gibson Bill Kelliher 'Golden Axe' Explorer

For product description refer to the previous review.

The handle is a handle 60, slightly modified. It is not quite like that of an explosion 76.
It is a little more rounded.

The guitar is very very beautiful. The finishes are impeccable.

UTILIZATION

This exploration is a very good guitar. Easy to play.
It is not very heavy, you can play standing up and jumping all over the place without paying a little backache after repeated 2-3h.

A vacuum it sounds. Good projection. It is said that his start!
After a small adjustment to my taste, one branch ...

then its very clean very well, slap it's round, you can get jazzy! Split microphones: one arrives almost enclanchant the bright amp to have a fenderien slamming! (?) So very good surprise with these pickups ... remains to be seen what happens in saturation.

Hop Hop Hop a little riff mastodon ... and it sends biiiim! it's still pretty fat! Palm mute is excellent, it has small noise are we like!
In saturated fat, the splitting of microphones does not feel very well.

However the knobs are quite progressive, you can go from a clean has a good od just playing volume knob. This is what I do when I plug in Deliverance.

SOUNDS

This is a guitar that seems to be very at ease in metal and seems to be produced for that!
Indeed, it provides rich tones and fat, which can be used according to the amp more or less accurate.
It is even more comfortable in lower tuning. I also think that this is his chosen field.

I said earlier that it seemed to be made for the metal ... well not that!
I could use it in a ox friends, we played blues, rock and heavy 80's.
The fact that the microphones are splitables allows moderate saturation cover a very wide range of musical styles.
What was my stisfaction can swing a purple haze in splittant the neck pickup and go solo just by putting me on the bridge pickup!

Or even play my old bluesman playing the riff of cocaine.

The biggest surprise was to get me started on apache the shadows with an explosion of metal to cut! Huge! I loved it.
What they are good these pickups!

I play mainly on Fryette amps (eg VHT) clx pittbull or ultra lead, with these two monsters signing the mastodon remains very precise and sharp, ideal for the death or other festivities
When I want to play blueser or mastodon, a less fatter sound, I plug in the deliverance 60 and it's perfect!

OVERALL OPINION

I have this guitar since November 2013, I use it regularly when I have to play quite a variety of stuff, because of the versatility of the pickups. In fact their behavior is very good in all circumstances.

I had a lot of guitar but very little explored. I had a 76 and I still have a custom RAN made, based on a 76 with a handle ESP. I do not have many points of comparison. But the handle is better than a 76. Then it is much more versatile than the 76 or explo my RAN she can do that and only the metooool!

This is a very very nice guitar! Very well finished. The pickups are tops!
A good kip who knows how many things. Very enjoyable to play.
The quality / price is right ... even if you can find less expensive exploration in very good condition. Then just mount a more versatile than the original 76 pickups micro kit.

Anyway I think we pay limited edition.

Yes I do it again this choice without hesitation.

MSDS:
Mahogany body
Nitrocellulose Lacquer Nail Body
Table Binding
Mahogany set neck
Varnish round Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Solid Rosewood binding with key
Handle Kelliher Slim Profile
Number of Frets 22
Type Medium Jumbo frets
Trapez Inlays Acrylic
Scale 24.75 "
12 radius "
PLEK nut-cut Corian ™
Micro Channel humbucker LACE ™ Nitro Hemi ® high output
Bridge humbucker coil LACE ™ Nitro Hemi ® high output
Pickup Selector Switch 3 positions
Master Volume with push / pull to split the bridge pickup
Master Tone with push / pull to split the neck pickup
Grover ™ Mini
Bridge ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic
Stopbar tailpiece
Gold Hardware
Delivered in case

UTILIZATION

the neck is thin enough (a bit more than an explosion after re '76)
ergonomics is comfortable (do not sting the nose) but a fairly substantial weight probably due to the mahogany
access to acute is achievable without too much contortions but it all depends on what the height was on "scraper"
for a "good sound", it reveals its full potential saturation

SOUNDS

it suited the style of music I play. granted drop "D", it develops good bass sounds and biting treble.
splitables allow the microphones to "calm" the beast if necessary (blues / jazz / use ...) but his chosen field is clearly the Rock (if not metal). mastodon, you know?
I use it with a diezel VH4 amp and cabinet OUR mounted Celestion V30.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a short week (1-2h / d) and repeat (4h/samaine). I will probably bring some details later in my opinion if necessary.
I already have a gift several exploration LTD EX 50, a Gibson '76 re issue and ESP mx 250.
The feature I like is that the position selector is located at the potares volume / tone, and the "push / pull" spliter for mics ... and the gold finishing burst, its inlay and binding that give it a retro look.
the price / quality ratio is seen to exellent finishing and sound