Epiphone Explorer

2000 Korean Explorer
Price $948.75AUD inc. GST
22 frets
Solid top
2 volume 1 tone
H/H, 3 way toggle switching
Gibson ceramic magnet Humbuckers
Korina body, Maple Neck, 1 peice neck/fretboard, (i got it customised)
Satin black finish, easily scratched, but i'm careful
'58 Explorer reissue with stop tailpiece
gibson tuners, Medium/jumbo frets,
came with 2 free spare pickups, i think their EMG-81's

it sounds great for the music i play, heavy metal, with the ceremic magnet pickups it sounds deep, and full, and with the EMG's, it sounds, a lot more powerful.
I run it through an old CMG 100w solid state AC powered amp, but it sounds better though my mate's Marshall Valvestate Full Stack

The action was set too low, i had to raise it to a little over 1.5mm
Everythin was adjusted perfect, no problems with the controls, swiching, pickups, output jack, even the strap holders don't spin.

I've used this guitar at around 7 gigs, without need for any backup
the only backup ive got is a ONYX PIECE OF SHIT, and i wouldn't use it at a gig for $100.

3 year warranty,
i never had to get it repaired so i wouldn't know.
i'll give em a 6 and hope their helpful.

I've been playing for nearly a year, and i've moved onto some pretty damn good music.
I have an onyx strat copy, and a magnum ElectricAcoustic
I compared it with a les paul and a flying v all by epiphone, but they were cheap chinese shit.
I hate where it doesn't have a master volume, as with all gibsons,
for christ's sake maybe they'll hear me and put a fucking master volume on 1 of their designs.

I paied 500 for it.I believe it was made in japan.22 frets,2 volime knobs and 1 tone knob.2 humbuckers with a 3way switch.The body is made of korina,the neck made of mahogany with a rosewood/dot inlays.It has a tune-o-matic bridge,non locking tuners.The neck I believe is"fat" compared to a fender strat neck.Regular frets on a wide neck.It came with a nice plastic hard case.It has a set neck as well.

It's a good garage/rock and roll guitar.I play alot of rock/punky garage(early greenday,foo fighter,nirvana).I wouldn't advise it as a good metal guitar.I use a Marsshall jcm 900 with it,I use both clean and overdrive channels on the amp,the guitar sounds great with it.I use a danelectro daddy-o as a booster for channel b on the amp to pump out the highs I need.The guitar seems to have trouble pumping out high up on the neck.With a nice overdrive sound and a booster to get the highs out it's perfect for rock and roll.It takes time getting use to the body and where the switch is,but it really it a good "over all" sounding good.I don't like how wide the neck is.The tuners are a little big.

Action was low.The low action was good though...because of the wide neck.Pickups are good hard to get feeback from.Has a little bit of a noisy 3-way switch,pickups have just the slightest touch of rust.Finish was perfect no dents no scraps nothing.

I would definately recomend this guitar as "gig worthy without a back-up".Although It's never good to goto a gig with out a back-up no matter what guitar,still.This guitar will last (you get what you pay for).I paied 500$ for it,seems to be great.

It is under warranty for life.Epiphone is a great company,thats why I bought an epiphone explorer.It's basically second best next to gibson!Gibson owns epiphone and I trust gibson.They don't sell crap,so I wouldn't expect them to let their little sister company to sell anything short of greatness.

I've been playing since 5 years.I also own an 2 epiphone les-pauls,1 a standard les-paul,and one a LP100.I also own a fender stratacaster.Marshall jcm 900,danelectro daddy-o(great overdrive).If it were stolen I'd probly buy another one,maybe a used one.It was alot of money so I'd probly take that extra step to make sure it would get stolen in the firts place.I love the look so rock and roll!I hate the extremely curved head-stock.my favorite feature is the tune-o-matic bridge,stretch the strings and go no problem.I just need to break it in more I've only had it 3 months.I choosed it because I always loved the way they looked.

My Explorer is a `98 model, and apparently the last year of the non-Korina models. Unlike the Korina Explorer, this one has black finish and chrome hardware, including a Floyd Rose-licensed "vintage" tremolo instead of the Gibson tune-o-matic bridge. There are 22 frets, two stock humbuckers, one 3-way pickup selector, one volume knob and one tone knob. The body is alder or poplar rather than the Gibson version's mahogany, and the neck appears to be maple with an ebony fretboard. The tremolo and locknut seem to be rather cheap, but unlike most Floyd Rose setups, this one can be adjusted without allen wrenches...big plus! The tuning keys seem more sturdy than most.
Plenty of features for an inexpensive guitar. I'll dock a couple points off because there's only 22 frets and the bridge is obviously a cheapie, but still nicely decked out for the price.

I'm primarily a Jackson player, so I was expecting a big difference. The Explorer has a thicker sound than my Jacksons, especially the low end. The highs aren't as sharp as I like, and the crunch isn't quite enough for me, but I'm reviewing this with the factory strings still on, so I'm sure that makes some difference. I use a Peavey TransTube amp with the midrange at zero, and an ART "kill your neighbors" Xtreme pedal for distortion. The sound of this guitar makes it better suited for heavy, maybe down-tuned rhythm (is "chunge" a word?) playing, but the factory pickups aren't the hottest -- maybe something else would be acceptable for leads.
The sound should get better with some tweaking, but I try to review guitars as they sound right off the showroom floor, not after modifications.

According to Epiphone propaganda, their guitars are assembled in Korea and setup in the USA. Compared to the older Vs and Explorers I've tried before, this was far lighter and more comfortable to play, sitting or standing. But whether it's the difference between bridges, the non-angled headstock or the wood, I haven't been able to get any sustain when playing solos beyond the 12th fret. The action probably needs to be raised a tad, and as I said above, these are the original strings...who knows how many people beat on this thing at the store?
The ebony finish was amazingly free of nicks or scratches of any kind, and the pickups and bridge were in perfect adjustment. The neck is faster than any Gibson or Epi I've tried out before, which made it very easy to move around on.
The only visible flaw was a chip out of the pickup selector switch, but that's easily replaced. The lack of sustain bothers me (minus a few points), but the physical condition of this guitar is as it should be for a new one.

This guitar will be my "third-string" backup, or maybe a rhythm-only axe...a 24-fret Jackson Dinky is my choice for lead duty. The chrome hardware looks cheap, but it seems solid enough for daily play. The tuners and strap buttons are sturdier than many, but the neck strap button is on the back of the guitar, so the strap gets twisted and could possibly work its way loose. The finish seems safe from wearing off, but the body shape puts it at risk from dings and dents, especially the fins. And as I quickly found out, if you bump into ANYTHING while your locknut is loosened for tuning, you better start over.
Overall, a fairly reliable guitar. I'd use it live, but never without a backup.

Never contacted them...yet.

I had no intention of buying an Explorer, but it was a "Manager's Special" and only set me back $220 (rather than the list price of $549 or the "sale" price of $339). I wanted to add something different to my arsenal, so for the price, what better way to try something new? I don't plan to do anything fancy with it, but the price was right and the feel and features work for me.
I wouldn't buy this as a lead axe, but if you already have your dream machine, this makes a good backup.