The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar model by
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
guitars, released in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "
futuristic
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
" body design, much like its siblings: the
Flying V
The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...
, which was released the same year, and the
Moderne, which was designed in 1957 but not released until 1982. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design that, years later,
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
marketed under the name
Futura.
The Explorer's initial run was unsuccessful, and the model was discontinued in 1963. In 1976, Gibson began reissuing the Explorer after competitor
Hamer Guitars had success selling similar designs. The Explorer became especially popular among the
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and
heavy metal musicians of the 1970s and 1980s.
First Explorers
Gibson displayed a prototype guitar at the 1957
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
which was dubbed the Futura. It featured the body shape which would later be known as an Explorer, but with no controls and a "V"-shaped headstock.
Gibson produced very few Explorers during the 1958 run of the original
korina wood model. Because production records have been lost and shipping records are unclear, it is not known exactly how many were made, but the original run total has been estimated to be no more than 50.
After the first few guitars, the Explorer had a long drooping
headstock
A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the pegs or mechanism that holds the strings at the ...
with the tuners placed in a straight line on one side (referred sometimes as "banana" and "hockey-stick"). This headstock design was incorporated by
Grover Jackson
Grover Jackson is an American luthier best known for designing and making various guitar models at Jackson Guitars, such as Jackson Rhoads and Jackson Soloist during the 1980s.
Biography
Jackson has been making guitars since 1973. In 1978, h ...
, founder of
Jackson Guitars
Jackson is a manufacturer of electric guitars and electric bass guitars that bears the name of its founder, Grover Jackson. The company was acquired by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 2002, which manufactures Jackson-branded guitar ...
and other electric guitar makers such as
Kramer 20 years later, giving rise to the "pointy-headstock era" of guitars. However, the very earliest Explorers made between 1957 and spring 1958 featured an unusual "split"-shaped head with the tuners placed in a standard 3+3 arrangement, carried over from the Explorer prototype (better known as the
Futura).
The 1958–1959 korina Explorer is one of the most valuable production-model guitars on the market, ranked at #4 on the 2011 Top 25 published by ''
Vintage Guitar
A vintage guitar is an older guitar usually sought after and maintained by avid collectors or musicians. The term may indicate either that an instrument is merely old, or that is sought after for its tonal quality, cosmetic appearance, or hist ...
'', worth between $250,000 and $300,000. Only 22 were shipped in its first two years, 19 in 1958 and 3 in 1959; an unknown (small) number of leftover bodies were completed with nickel 1960s hardware and sold in 1963. 38 examples were known to exist .
Explorer variations
![Explorer 50th](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Explorer_50th.jpg)
There have been several variants produced by Gibson. These include several smaller-bodied, more "user-friendly" versions such as the X-Plorer Studio; the
Matthias Jabs
Matthias Jabs (born 25 October 1955) is a German guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead guitarist in the hard rock band Scorpions. He has played on all but the first five Scorpions studio albums starting with '' Lovedri ...
-designed Explorer 90 (named so because it was 90% the body size of a regular Explorer), and the Explorer Pro, introduced in 2007.
In 1976 Gibson released a "Limited Edition" Explorer in
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
with gold hardware.
In 1979 Gibson introduced the E2 model (also known as the Explorer II), featuring a 5-piece walnut/maple laminated construction and a contoured body. This model was discontinued after 1983, but was partially returned as the "Thunderhorse", a signature model for comedian/musician
Brendon Small
Brendon Small (born February 15, 1975) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, animator, writer, director, producer, and musician known for co-creating the animated series ''Home Movies'' (1999–2004, with Loren Bouchard) and '' Metalocalypse'' ...
, which was heavily based on the E2.
From 1979 to 1983 Gibson produced the "Explorer II", not to be confused with the later E/2 Explorers. The distinction is that the Explorer-II/E-II has a straight edge body with cream binding. These E-II's are made with a mahogany back and figured/flamed maple tops in "burst" colors, namely "cherry-burst" and "Tobacco burst". They did not come in clear or solid colored finishes. Also, they have the TP6 tail-piece, gold hardware, and "velvet brick" or "dirty fingers" pickups, cream color body binding, with a black pickguard and 3 knobs in a row. The necks have ebony fretboards. Those items together distinguish an Explorer II from the later E/2.
For the E/2 Explorer, Gibson optioned them with various different parts. The biggest difference was the curved/contoured body. Some came with "dirty fingers" pickups where some are cream and black-colored (Zebra) or all black. Most had the standard stop-bar tailpiece, but some E/2's did come with a TP6 tailpiece. The E/2 was also offered in burst colors and clear finishes, whereas the E-II did not come in clear finishes.
Gibson also produced a range of Explorer models between 1981 and 1984 with high-output "dirty fingers" pickups, maple neck and body, and a bound figured maple top available in natural, cherry sunburst, or vintage (tobacco) sunburst finishes. These were alternately named E/2, Explorer CMT, or The Explorer. They could be equipped from the factory with either a standard
tune-o-matic bridge/stopbar tailpiece or a
Kahler tremolo
The Kahler Tremolo System is an electric guitar bridge with a cam operated vibrato arm system. The original flat mount and stud mount models were invented and patented by Dave Storey and licensed to Gary Kahler. Gary Kahler shifted his busines ...
.
From 1984 to 1987 the standard Explorer's body wood varied between mahogany and alder. The neck wood would vary between maple and mahogany and the fretboard wood varied between Indian rosewood and ebony. Other additions to this model included rear-loaded pickup cavities, no pickguard, and control knobs arranged in a triangle pattern (rather than a straight line as on the original model).
In 1984 and 1985 Gibson produced the Explorer III, with three single-coil
P-90
The P-90 (sometimes written P90) is a single coil electric guitar pickup produced by Gibson since 1946. Gibson is still producing P-90s, and there are outside companies that manufacture replacement versions. Compared to other single coil desi ...
pickups and an alder body, as well as the Designer Series Explorer (and Flying V), which had factory-painted graphics in geometric and "Artist Original" designs.
In 1998 Gibson introduced an Explorer in its "Gothic" line, which featured Gibson's guitars (including the Explorer, Flying V,
SG, and
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype ...
) in matte black finishes.
Several variants are also produced by
Epiphone
Epiphone is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over his f ...
Gibson's lower-cost, non-US manufacturer. These include a model produced in korina wood and Epiphone's own "Goth" model, available with a stop-tail or
Floyd Rose
The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, or simply Floyd Rose, is a type of locking vibrato arm for a guitar. Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1976, the first of its kind, and it is now manufactured by a company of the same name. The Floyd R ...
locking tremolo bridge. Epiphone also produced an Explorer Bass in ebony black and velvet natural finishes with two humbucking pickups and a 34"-scale 22-fret dark rosewood fingerboard. The Explorer Bass employs a set-neck design rather than the bolted-neck construction used in the Epiphone version of the
Gibson Thunderbird
The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone.
Background and introduction
The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduct ...
. (Gibson produced some 32"-scale Explorer basses in the 1980s, including one model that featured a futuristic piezo pickup in place of the traditional pickups found on the other models)
In 2001 Gibson produced limited editions of
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
's modified 1958 Explorer, the Explorer Clapton Cut, featuring a shortened bass bout that allows more comfortable arm positioning and the Explorer Split Headstock, a faithful recreation of the original 1958 korina Explorer with the "forked" headstock found only on the very earliest examples..
In 2003 Gibson Guitars produced limited editions of
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
guitarist
Allen Collins
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. (July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990) was an American guitarist. He was one of the founding members and guitarists of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with frontman and origina ...
's Gibson Explorer. The guitar is made of
African limba wood and features an aged finish,
Maestro vibrola, and classic
humbucking
Mains hum, electric hum, cycle hum, or power line hum is a sound associated with alternating current which is twice the frequency of the mains electricity. The fundamental frequency of this sound is usually double that of fundamental 50/60 Hz, '' ...
pickups
In 2008 Gibson released two new versions of the guitar, the first of which was the "50-Year Commemorative Explorer". This version features a solid mahogany body with AA-grade maple top, and the body style is the so-called "new retro Explorer", which has rounded edges. The second is called the "Reverse Explorer" due to its inverted body style. The reverse model features a carbon fibre-like
pickguard
A pickguard (also known more correctly as scratchplate) is a piece of plastic or other (often laminated) material that is placed on the body of a guitar, mandolin or similar plucked string instrument. The main purpose of the pickguard is to pro ...
and inlays as well as a McCarty-era inspired headstock. Only a limited run of 1000 of each model were built for the Guitar of the Month feature. In the same year, Gibson also released the Robot Explorer, an Explorer version of the
Gibson Robot Guitar
The Gibson Robot Guitar (a.k.a. GOR) is a limited-edition self-tuning Gibson guitar, typically a Les Paul. The first run of limited edition Robot Guitars was exclusively made up of Les Paul bodies. Five different Gibson models were available (200 ...
together with a similar version of the Flying V featuring custom red metallic
nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
finish, ebony fingerboard with white lining and trapezoid inlays, and lacking a pickguard. Production of this guitar was discontinued in 2008.
In 2009 the company released two new versions of the guitar, the first of which is the Tribal Explorer. It features a
Kahler-style tremolo and tribal designs and lacks a pickguard. The final new 2009 model is the Holy Explorer, designed as a counterpart to the Holy V, with numerous notches cut through the body of the guitar.
After creating
Matt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi Heafy (born January 26, 1986) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Trivium. He was also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason ...
of
Trivium
The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but t ...
a white seven-string Explorer, Gibson released a statement that they would make a regular production version. It has many classic characteristics such as a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, 24.75 scale length and a 12" radius while acquiring some more metal-oriented hardware and styling with the addition of active
EMG pickups (81-7 bridge & 707 neck), and no fretmarkers on the fretboard.
Although thought to be a staple in the Gibson lineup, the Explorer was discontinued and brought back multiple times in the late 2000s, along with the Flying V. In 2014 a limited edition 120th Anniversary model, with a special 12th-fret inlay and neck binding, was made available. In 2016 the Explorer was brought back into the standard lineup.
Other makers
Hamer Guitars created a tribute to the Explorer in 1974 called the Hamer "Standard". This model typically differed from the original Explorer in that it had no pickguard and a mahogany body with a highly figured maple top in a cherry sunburst finish, though custom finishes were also available. Gaining popularity with the hard rock musicians of the day, including
Rick Nielsen
Richard Alan Nielsen (born December 22, 1948) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and leader of the rock band Cheap Trick. He is well-known for his numerous custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, incl ...
, Hamer's success led the way for other copies and was partly responsible for prompting Gibson's own decision to reissue the Explorer.
Jackson Guitars
Jackson is a manufacturer of electric guitars and electric bass guitars that bears the name of its founder, Grover Jackson. The company was acquired by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 2002, which manufactures Jackson-branded guitar ...
(now a subsidiary of
Fender) was sued by Gibson for their line of
Kelly
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
guitars, which are very similar to the Explorer. The Kelly was sleeker and lighter, with basically the same shape but with beveled edges.
High-end guitar company
Alembic Inc
Alembic is an American manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps. Founded in 1969, the company began manufacturing pre-amps before building complete instruments.
History
The company was founded by Owsley Stanley as a wor ...
produced the Exploiter bass guitars for the late
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...
of
the Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
. These basses had the body shape of the Explorer with either a cone- or V-shaped headstock. The Exploiter is different in that the edges are rounded over and the lower bout cuts more deeply into the body than an Explorer. After Entwistle's death, Alembic released the "Spyder" based on John's custom basses, with production limited to 50 guitars.
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
also produces the "Stryker" basses, based on the custom Explorer-style basses.
Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars, commonly referred to simply as Dean, is an American importer and maker of stringed instruments and musical products with its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
Its products include solid-body electric guitars, bass guitars, and acous ...
produced a John Entwistle Spyder Signature Bass in 2013, limited to 25 US models and a low-cost Korean import series.
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...
introduced the
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
model in the 1970s, with a korina-coloured Japanese Sen body that closely resembled the original 1958 Explorer. In about 1981 Ibanez changed the shape of the Destroyer body. Although the new Destroyer II model was still clearly inspired by Gibson's original Explorer design, the body lines were modified, most notably around the treble "horn" and the rear edge, and the headstock was changed to a slight variation of the traditional Ibanez headstock shape, no longer resembling Gibson's "hockey stick" shape.
Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars, commonly referred to simply as Dean, is an American importer and maker of stringed instruments and musical products with its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
Its products include solid-body electric guitars, bass guitars, and acous ...
was ordered to halt sales of the
Dean Z
The Dean Z Guitar is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars starting in 1977 along with its counterparts, the Dean ML, Dean V and Dean Cadillac. It has the recognizable Dean headstock and the V shaped tailpiece. The body shape is similar to t ...
in 2022 after the shape was found to infringe on Gibson's patents.
Other guitars similar to the Explorer include the
ESP EX Greco guitars
Greco ( Japanese: ) is a Japanese guitar brand owned by the Kanda Shokai Corporation , a musical instrument wholesaler mostly known for being part of Fender Japan. Instruments manufactured with the name "Greco" are electric and acoustic guitar ...
' Explorer,
Aria Pro II,
Kramer's Condor,
Peavey's Rotor series,
Rondo Music's Douglas Halo and Agile Ghost,
Gordon-Smith's Explorer,
Chapman's Ghost Fret, and the
Cort Cort is the surname of several people:
* Cornelis Cort (1536–1578), Dutch engraver
* Henry Cort (1740–1800), English ironmaster
* Frans de Cort (1834–1878), Flemish writer
* Hendrik Frans de Cort (1742-1810), Flemish landscape painter
* John ...
Effector (an Explorer version with built-in effects, but no pickup toggle switch).
Gibson owns for the mark EXPLORER in connection with guitars. Gibson also owns for the Explorer's headstock design, and for the Explorer's body shape design. However, the enforceability of the latter two design trademarks is uncertain in light of Gibson's unsuccessful lawsuit against
PRS Guitars
Paul Reed Smith Guitars, also known as PRS Guitars, is an American guitar and amplifier manufacturer located in Stevensville, Maryland. The company was founded in 1985 in Annapolis, Maryland by Paul Reed Smith.
Products manufactured by PRS inclu ...
for allegedly infringing Gibson's Les Paul shape. In 2005 the
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* Eastern District of Kentucky
* Western District of ...
ordered summary judgment against Gibson in that action, on the grounds that there was no evidence to support a finding of likelihood of confusion.
[ cert. denied, .]
See also
*
Dean ML
The Dean ML is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars in 1977 along with its counterparts, the Dean V, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z. It has an unusual design, with a V-shaped headstock and V-shaped tailpiece. It was popularized by the guitarist Di ...
*
Dean Z
The Dean Z Guitar is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars starting in 1977 along with its counterparts, the Dean ML, Dean V and Dean Cadillac. It has the recognizable Dean headstock and the V shaped tailpiece. The body shape is similar to t ...
*
Gibson Brands
Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was for ...
*
Gibson Firebird
The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson beginning in 1963.
History
The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's solid-body instruments, such as the Telecas ...
*
List of Gibson players
This is an alphabetized list of musicians who have made notable use of Gibson Guitar models in live performances or studio recordings. Because of the great popularity of these models, musicians are listed here only if their use of these ins ...
References
*
*
*
External links
*
{{Gibson Guitar Corporation
Explorer
Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians.
Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
1958 musical instruments