Gibson Sammy Hagar Signature Explorer

Everyone should know how the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar is. He cant drive 55. He has been a Gibson player for a long time now. Gibson has given him his I believe 2nd signature guitar. This time it is an Explorer. 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. Many people say the '76 reissues are better than the original Explorers put out in 1976 You can probably guess what color it is. Its red, how creative. This guitar is pretty much a standard Explorer with a few mods. The most important difference between this Explorer and the Standard model is the pickups. This guitar comes with a unique but nice combination of Gibson pickups. It has a 57 classic in the neck position and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge. This guitar has the Sammy Hagar red paintjob and a creme pickguard. The neck and body have creme binding. The neck profile is a thin 60s style neck which is nice.

UTILIZATION

This guitar plays really well. Naturally the Explorer is a good playing guitar and with the slim profile neck on this one the playability is really nice. 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 binding on the neck is nice to smooth out the feel of the edge of the fretboard. Binding helps prevent sharp fret edges and overall I think it makes a guitar look more finished.

SOUNDS

The combination of a 57 in the neck and a Burstbucker in the bridge works well. With the Classic 57 PAF style pickups this guitar is a blues and rock machine. The 57's have just the right amount of sag in the tone so you can really work the dynamics like you would with a set of real vintage pickups. The neck pickup is super smooth and when you throw in some tone knob you can get that sour tone like you have a parked wah on. The Burstbucker 3 is the model that is in the bridge and it is the hottest Burstbucker variant. The 3 is good in the bridge. The 3 has great bite and clarity. It might even be too bright for some people depending on what kind of amp they are using.

OVERALL OPINION

I am not a huge fan of signature guitars overall. They usually have un-needed options like crazy paintjobs and signatures everywhere. Sometimes they come with a combination of hardware that no one other than the signature artist would use. This guitar comes with a good combination of pickups and the signature guitar logos are pretty subtle. Gibson was nice when they put the logo on the trussrod cover. Trussrod covers can be changed easily. And the Hagar logo on the back is ghosted into the paint so its hard to see plus it is on the back of the guitar. Another thing I do not like about these models is how much more expensive they are than the normal models. This guitar is about 500 dollars more expensive than the standard Explorer for a different shade of red and a set of pickups. Its not like Gibson has to buy pickups from themselves. If you are looking for an Explorer with a good set of pickups and do mind paying an extra 500 bucks instead of swapping them yourself guitar is for you.

Gibson Reissue of the 1958 signing explore Sammy Hagar / Chickenfoot.

In which country was it made? (USA, Japan, Mexico, France ...)?

Guitar made in the USA with his white wig inside box made in Canada.

How many frets, what kind of micro as well as their configuration?

It has 22 frets and is equipped with a micro Burstbucker 3 in the bridge and a classic 57 'in the neck position while finishing zebra.

What type of bridge (Floyd, Wilkinson ...)?

Easel type tune o matic with stop bar chrome zamak and brand.

What are the settings (volume, tone, micro switch ...)?

Two volume, one tone knob and a three-position selector.

What kind of stick?

Mahogany neck glued 60s D-type with rosewood fingerboard.

For the body:

Finish "Red Rocker" and nitro lacquer with cream binding. I believe it is in three parts.

UTILIZATION

The handle is it enjoyable? Access to acute (recent freight) is it easy?

The neck is super nice, access to acute is the finger in the nose.

Ergonomics is it good (in terms of shape, weight ...)?
Ergonomics is correct, it is fun to play both sitting and standing, but I recommend a strap wide enough as it weighs when some weight!

Gets it easy to sound good?

Yes, the guitar is already set but I recommend playing on the volume of bb3 for a better rendering.

SOUNDS

Are they suitable for your style of music?

It suits my style, I wanted a versatile guitar and it won. It really makes little coffee go from blues to metal with no problem thanks to the combination of BB3 and Classic 57.

With what (s) amplifier (s) or effect (s) do you play?

I play with a Laboga Mr Hector plus a chorus pedal Tc Corona and also with a British Tech21 on my sound card.

What kind of sound you get and with what settings ("crystalline", "bold", ....)?

With BB3, the sound is rather fat remains in the minds Gibson, clean mics do not attack the ears with treble and distortion sound is rock and roll.
With the Classic 57 'sound is very bluesy and very warm.

OVERALL OPINION

How long have you been using?

I use it for about 2 months.

What is so special that you like most and least?

Most:
- The shape
- The color "vintage"
- The combination of micro

Cons:
- Finishing the binding is weak (I may be unlucky) but remains correct
- The quality / price ratio

Did you try many other models before buying it?

I tried another model from Gibson and that is the most I've enjoyed both for its visual for his sonoritée and jouabilitée.

How do you rate the quality / price?

The price / quality ratio nine is a bit expensive (like any signatures) but if you can get it in occas' is spot on!

With experience, you do again this choice?

With the experience I would do this choice certainly.