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tjon901 « Heavy Metal Explorer »
Published on 06/02/11 at 21:29A few years ago Gibson started putting out "Gothic" versions of some of their guitars. Over time they changed the models slightly. Some had ugly skull inlays and some didnt. Some had passive Gibson pickups and some had EMG. New models have Gibsons new active pickups called Gibson GEM pickups. This Explorer is one of the models made in the middle of the lifespan that game with EMG pickups. Gibson should have just stuck this with model. Gibson first started selling Explorers in 1958 and their design was way too radical for the time so they were discontinued a year later. In 1976 Gibson started the first reissue of the original 1958 design and now today Gibson is selling reissues of the reissues. Gibson has been producing the '76 reissue Explorer since 1990. This is the Gothic model of the Explorer. It has a thin black finish that allows you to feel the grain of the wood under it. It has an ebony fretboard with no inlays and a black pickguard. The neck is mahogany and it is a set neck. The body is mahogany also and has a pair of EMG picksups in it. It is the classic 81/85 combination. The rest of the guitar is just like a normal Explorer except everything is black.
UTILIZATION
The neck profile is the same as on every other Explorer. 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. The Explorer today has that 60s design. The 60s Gibson neck profile is one of their most popular. 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. The satin finish feels a lot smoother than the gloss finish on normal Explorers. Because this guitar has active pickups you will have to remember to change the battery for them whenever they run out. If you gig with this guitar you should always carry a spare set with you.
SOUNDS
With the EMG pickups this guitar is a metal machine. The 81 in the bridge gives great high end bite and will retain clarity even with the lowest tunings. The Explorers huge body means there is a ton of wood and more wood equals more tone. The 85 in the neck is super smooth and great for solos. I like the 85 in the bridge also if your guitar is kind of bright. An 85 in the bridge and smooth out a bright guitar. Because EMG's have quick connect connections you do not have to solder them so you can easily switch EMG's around to experiment with the tone and see what you like the best. Also with EMG's you can do the 18v mod to them to get a more natural or organic sound out of them. This greatly improves the clean sound also because stock EMG's give a generally cold or sterile sounding clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
The Gibson Explorer is large and in charge and the Gothic version is made for metal. Gibson no longer makes the Gothic Explorer. The closest guitar they make now is a 7 string Explorer that comes with EMG's. The closest 6 string they make is the crazy Epiphone Futura which is a modified Explorer shape. That guitar comes with EMG's also. If you are looking for a metal Gibson Explorer it does not get much more metal than this.
UTILIZATION
The neck profile is the same as on every other Explorer. 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. The Explorer today has that 60s design. The 60s Gibson neck profile is one of their most popular. 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. The satin finish feels a lot smoother than the gloss finish on normal Explorers. Because this guitar has active pickups you will have to remember to change the battery for them whenever they run out. If you gig with this guitar you should always carry a spare set with you.
SOUNDS
With the EMG pickups this guitar is a metal machine. The 81 in the bridge gives great high end bite and will retain clarity even with the lowest tunings. The Explorers huge body means there is a ton of wood and more wood equals more tone. The 85 in the neck is super smooth and great for solos. I like the 85 in the bridge also if your guitar is kind of bright. An 85 in the bridge and smooth out a bright guitar. Because EMG's have quick connect connections you do not have to solder them so you can easily switch EMG's around to experiment with the tone and see what you like the best. Also with EMG's you can do the 18v mod to them to get a more natural or organic sound out of them. This greatly improves the clean sound also because stock EMG's give a generally cold or sterile sounding clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
The Gibson Explorer is large and in charge and the Gothic version is made for metal. Gibson no longer makes the Gothic Explorer. The closest guitar they make now is a 7 string Explorer that comes with EMG's. The closest 6 string they make is the crazy Epiphone Futura which is a modified Explorer shape. That guitar comes with EMG's also. If you are looking for a metal Gibson Explorer it does not get much more metal than this.