The Explorer shapes fans thread

[zw470]

Why’d you change the pickups?

I had the Het Set in my Schecter for a few years and really liked how they sounded, but once I got my Strat and put an 81 in the bridge it reminded me how much more I like the stereotypical "EMG 81" sound, even though the Het Set is probably better overall.

 

[gnoll]

I think the 81 got it right. Don't fuck with what's already perfect.

 

[rikwebb]

Here's my Epiphone 84 Explorer i got as a birthday present from my wife a few years ago

 

[kerryymm]

I love Explorer shapes, I find them really comfortable to play on a strap. My favourite is the Kelly, I've had four of them over the years. Only have photos of three of them though - and not great photos, at that...

KE3, Crimson Swirl. I replaced the SDs with an EMG 81/60 set:

US made, can't remember the model number. Again, I put an 81/60 set in it:

And the last one I had - Custom Shop, strings through body and painted 81/60 set. There's a long and annoying story attached to this guitar: short version is that the girl on it is my girlfriend who was killed in a car accident in 2010, and for a variety of reasons I don't have the guitar any more.

 

[LongBlackTie]

Huge explorer fan, very comfortable guitars. Got an Agile ghost (explorer) a number of years ago and it’s a decent guitar, but it doesn’t hang with my Gibson les Paul’s. Therefore need to upgrade to a higher quality explorer (Need…). Actively looking for a new one

Short list
Gibson
Jackson - Brandon Ellis sig has great specs
Schecter - sustainer is a plus, balsac sig has cool finish but no sustainer
Burny
ESP
Solar

Any others I should consider?

 

[Metaloaf]

Huge explorer fan, very comfortable guitars. Got an Agile ghost (explorer) a number of years ago and it’s a decent guitar, but it doesn’t hang with my Gibson les Paul’s. Therefore need to upgrade to a higher quality explorer (Need…). Actively looking for a new one

Short list
Gibson
Jackson - Brandon Ellis sig has great specs
Schecter - sustainer is a plus, balsac sig has cool finish but no sustainer
Burny
ESP
Solar

Any others I should consider?

Balaguer Typhon

 

[SubsonicDoom99]

I do have a question for Explorer enthusaists: Does anyone feel like Explorers in general tend to be darker and bassier than most other guitars? I've owned a couple of E-shapes and they just don't stay because I feel like they have no bite.

Honestly, yeah I think that can be true and I've experienced that but only with specific models. For instance, the Epiphone Korina Explorer I played was fairly bright, but the early 90s Gibson Explorer I have is quite bassy and dark sounding. I also have two 1980s Explorers that are both on the darker side too. In the one I have an old Super Distortion pickup that seems to brighten it up just enough, and I have a JB in another and a L500XL in the third. Really had to experiment with different pickups to get those guitars to sound lively and bright enough for my needs. But they all play amazingly, I love the weight and the feel of the neck on each of them. So they stick around, but yeah those Gibsons were way too dark/bassy with their stock pickups in them unfortunately.

 

[TedEH]

I gatta assume it's the pickups more than the shape of the guitar. My 4 explorer-ish shapes are all fairly rounded sounding to my ears, but also have very standard pickups in them -> JB, EMG81, Blaze, etc. In other words, they don't sound any darker than other guitars that I've had the same pickups in.

Actually, my darkest sounding guitars is a plain super-strat kind of shape. And by dark, I mostly mean it's kinda dull, and I'd like to change those pickups some day.

 

[mmr007]

 

[Jake]

Back to back LTD DJ-600s, what are the odds!

 

[mmr007]

Back to back LTD DJ-600s, what are the odds!
View attachment 127496

Back to back has me most intrigued. 3 in a row and there is a bonafide conspiracy afoot

 

[pondman]

 

[Hollowway]

I love Explorer shapes, I find them really comfortable to play on a strap. My favourite is the Kelly, I've had four of them over the years. Only have photos of three of them though - and not great photos, at that...

KE3, Crimson Swirl. I replaced the SDs with an EMG 81/60 set:
View attachment 127205

US made, can't remember the model number. Again, I put an 81/60 set in it:
View attachment 127206

And the last one I had - Custom Shop, strings through body and painted 81/60 set. There's a long and annoying story attached to this guitar: short version is that the girl on it is my girlfriend who was killed in a car accident in 2010, and for a variety of reasons I don't have the guitar any more.
View attachment 127207

View attachment 127204

Sorry to hear about that, but that is a pretty cool design. Kellys are probably my favorite design shape of all guitars. AND, it's the only shape I prefer a non-reversed inline HS. Which, I see you do, too!

Bonus points for pics of you actually playing your guitars. Unless I get this time machine fired up, y'all ain't gonna see a stage shot of me anytime soon.

 

[Nightside]

Explorers or death. Best shape ever.

View attachment 127171

Left to right:
-Epiphone 58 explorer I bought from a guy at school when I was 13. Stock everything, sounds terrible.
-Excalibur, my personal Frankenstein 7-string HSH Explorer with all Gotoh hardware and a 10-way switch. Duncan JB/Jazz and a DiMarzio Blaze single. Super heavy Ash body and maple set neck, way brighter than a normal Explorer, more like a typical shred guitar but with lots of body and huge resonance.
-Jackson Brandon Ellis Kelly, stock PATB1, tuners and trem arm switched, since upgraded with some FU-Tone titanium bits. Excellent lead guitar tone, super fast neck.

I also love Vs and Stars, none of the latter as of yet though.

View attachment 127172

Fuck dude! That crackle Kelly is awesome as AF! Looks so sweet with a reverse headstock. And Kellys just look so right as a single hum shredder.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Ngl even with the stuff I talked about earlier I reqlly miss my old Epi Explorer

 

[ShredmasterD]

Explorer will be next acquisition so hopefully can post a pic soon.

 

[kerryymm]

Sorry to hear about that, but that is a pretty cool design. Kellys are probably my favorite design shape of all guitars. AND, it's the only shape I prefer a non-reversed inline HS. Which, I see you do, too!

Bonus points for pics of you actually playing your guitars. Unless I get this time machine fired up, y'all ain't gonna see a stage shot of me anytime soon.

Yeah man, definitely agree - I saw a guy playing a reverse headstock Kelly once (supporting Marty Friedman, actually), and it looked totally wrong. I literally prefer reverse headstocks on any other guitar!

 

[JimF]

I like the reverse headstock on a Kelly pretty much because of how visually jarring it is.

 

[Pietjepieter]

I love explores, always whant a 8 string explorer.

also love this solar

Also really like red layer explorers:

 

[SonicBlur]

Here are my contributions. The black is a Japanese LTD Explorer and the white is a Leo Jaymz kit I recently completed. That LTD is my ride or die. The white one is almost there, I need to play with a few minor adjustments and swap the pickups to something better and it'll actually rip pretty hard.

Metallica fan boy mode set to MAX!