Gibson Explorer II

Mine was made in 1981, features a tobacco-burst maple-top and maple neck + body, original gibson dirty finger humbuckers, gibson tuners and the fine-tune-tailpice.
It really looks like this one has seen A LOT of stages before , but it continues to beat anything i've seen so far.
a real workhorse.

I've played newer Explorers before and most of them felt somewhat "lifeless" compared to this one. It really has a nice attack and responds very well to your playing-dynamics and your way of picking. Good sustain. The pickups may be down to personal taste, but i like them. they have a medium-high output, and don't sound as shrill as most high-output ceramics i've heard. When used with sh*tloads of gain, they have a tendency to sound a bit more compressed, than "modern" pickups, but they remain very clear and you can still hear the individual notes in chords.
You can get (surprisingly!) very nice clean tones out of the middle and neck position. i have no problems with unwanted feedback at higher gain- or volumelevels.

I rrrreally love the neck. it's quite big, but the fretboard still feels flat and not too round. Exactly as i like it. the frets are pretty worn down (hey its 28 years old), but still intonate good and string bending is smooth.

this thing is 28 years old and still standing strong. there was a minor electronics problem once, but since i fixed that it never let me down and i guess it will continue to rock, when i'm long dead. It's a bit heavy, but nothing a good strap couldn't handle.

bought it used, never dealt with gibsons support.

This is my favorite guitar at the moment, and i've played quite a lot of usa gibsons before. Its got a lot of mojo and feeling to it. if i lost it, i think nothing could replace it.
The whole guitar feels solid and comfortable, reacts very nice to your playing and the old hardware still works as if i bought it yesterday.

I ordered this guitar from the Gibson catalog in Sept 1979. It is a 5 layer Walnut/Maple laminate or it was available in Maple/Walnut. There was a matching V-2 Flying V that was the same construction. The guitar is specially beveled in a way that normal Explorers are not, showing off the laminate construction, also making the guitar more comfortable. It listed for $1400 and I paid $860 brand new. I was told at the time that these were special order only and one per dealer only and one year only. I am pretty sure these all natural finish guitars were in fact only available in 1979, but not sure about that. I only know that later E2's did not look like mine and had colored finishes and no laminate or contours.

The guitar came with gold hardware and what was at the time, the new "tunomatic" tailpiece. The guitar came with two series seven dirty fingers, which at the time were simply the hottest, cleanest, sweatest pickups I had ever heard.

22 Frets, Ebony fingerboard with pearl inlay dots. The neck is also Walnut/maple laminate with a nornal Explorer headstock and Schaller tuning heads.

I personally believe this is the best rock and roll guitar ever made. It's easy to play, sounds great and delivers hard driving rich tones. If you are a person who has tone in your hands, you will love this guitar. It matched up great with my JCM 2205 post phase inverter master volume amp and my memoryman delux analog delay/chorus/vibrato. Other than not being a Les Paul, this guitar really does it all. Want a cleaner sound, simply don't hit the strings as hard. Wanna drive it hard, there is no other guitar that can put out that kind of power and tone. There is really nothing I dislike about this guitar.

The setup from the factory sucked. The bridge and tailpeice were way too high, the pickups were way too low and the neck had a slight bow in it. Also the intonation was way off. AT this time, it was not unusual to get a guitar from the factory not set up. The dealer I bought it from had a guy who set up all the guitars before they displayed them for sale. Had I been willing to wait, he would have set it up for me. Never had any trouble with the guitar as it approaches 30 years old. It still looks and sounds great.

This guitar has a few little dings, but it was on the road with me for years. It has gone from -30 F to room temperature and back, on the same days and never got any checking. This guitar has never let me down. I would not hesitate to use this as my only guitar and many nights even though I had my other guitars, only played the E2 because it's so comfortable and easy to play.

Lifetime warranty, never needed warranty repair.

This really is one of the most awesome guitars ever made. It's unique looks as well as it's unique contouring that makes it such a joy to play along with the most powerful pickups I have ever heard on a gibson. But not just loud, super good tone and power. Someone said it "screams 80's", that is a good description.

What can i say about this guitar? I grew up idolizing Metallica and playing a squier stratocaster, when my pop took his then 12 year old son to guitar center to check stuff out, I saw the guitar hanging near the cieling and they got it down for me, it had been WELL used before me, but everything my 12 year old hands played on it just sounded killer.

my pop went back to the store later and bought it with his bonus money from work. good times, i could never ever in a million years sell it.

Natural maple finish, with a flamed maple neck, ebony fretboard, pearl dot inlays and gold hardware and a black pickgaurd, I've never seen another like it! i think it's a 1982.

The Explorer has one job and one job only. To destroy anything that listens to it. With a cranked amp it sounds like a freight train, HUGE, THICK and angry.

clean it mellows out, very very warm even in the bridge position. Not gonna get fender sounds out of this one!

I've been the owner of this guitar for about 11 years now and I've gigged with it, jammed with it in my garage, outdoor shows in the dirt, and inside my bedroom, it's still going strong.

Of course it is 24 years old now, the gold has worn off the bridge and the input jack is loose, it needs a nice truss rod adjustment and cleaning and spends most of its time in it's case for sentimental reasons.

good lord is there another guitar half as much a tank as this? Solid maple front AND back with mohagany inbetween, it weighs more than most bass guitars, its HUGE.

Well the company Gibson is today isn't the same company that made this guitar, so no comment.

if you can find one of these originals from over 20 years ago pick one up, you'll never get another like it.

1981 kalamazoo E2, H,H pick up config...dirty fingers...I just wax potted them so they would stop squealing at me. Black sparkle finish, gold hardware.ebony finger board...sparkly Ebay score!
not unlike a continuim transfunctioner, its power is exceeded only by its mystery.

I really like this guitar, it is huge and just has major mojo. Plays great..just wax potted the pickups (feeding back like a bitch)..fixed the problem. Sounds great.

I wish it was a natural top but hey, I aint bitching! Nice playing instrument! low action..supprisingly quiet..(after potting the pups).

Um ....one word SOLID...stand in its way and be crushed by its magnitude. wimps need not apply..it will twist your spine and make you cry for mommy..I heard Magnus Von Magneson tore his groin lifting one of these.. a bad groin is no laughing matter my friend!
frigging huge..it destroys all that enter its three foot circle of death. Yellow caution tape is not optional, safety first!

Orvile wont answer my calls...says i make fun of his guitars to much...

I love it no matter if it forces me to play Dokken music...It is the most 80's thing i have ever seen.. My mullet mysteriously grew back..and I'm ok with it.there is mojo in every decade and this thing has it. If lost or stolen..........come again.....Hope he brought a fork lift!.... I'd find the prick a block away with a hernia! Overall i love this thing...I'll probably keep it forever...i think its part of the family! For the price i think I stole it...couldnt be happier.

Bought this one in 1984 in Ottawa. Three pick-up switch, three layer black, white, black pickguard, with Dirty Fingers in neck and bridge. I got the neck pick-up tapped for single coil, series, & parallel, using tone roll-off & DPDT micro switch. Tun-o-matic bridge with Gibson fine tune tail-piece. Sides and back of body are beveled a la Strat. Ugly metallic green finish with sparkles. This guitar was shipped to a friends music store in early 1980 where it hung unnoticed & unloved until early 1984 when I ended up buying it for a song. There are two small bruises at the neck to headstock joint where it hung on the standard rack for four years. I am the only owner of this bruiser and that will not change anytime soon. This baby sports a huge wide neck with relatively flat radius and huge low profile frets. Came standard with an enormous case which in the last twent years has been slowly falling apart under its own weight. Let me tell you this baby is LOUD and is capable of driving just about any amp.

A lot of people wil advocate Explorers for their heavy driven shredding sound but I have had no problem adapting this axe to many styles of playing and find that it is a particularly good for blues. As I mentioned above I tapped the neck pick-up and in conjunction with a DPDT switch and the tone pot I have series, single coil, and parallel settings. When I first got it the microphonic feed-back was unbearable even at low levels. A quick dip in a pan full of heated parafin wax cured this and it is totally quiet as a result. I have no complaints about the sound as this bad boy is a sonic machine in may ways.

The action was solid when I bought it and was presumably factory. The only problem is with a slight flaw on the treble side of the neck in which the nut had to be staggered about 2 mm towards the treble side of the neck in order to compensate. This was definitely done at the factory and no doubt contributed to the guitar hanging in the store for 4 years. I have since become accustomed to playing it and have no problem with it.
Every thing else on this guitar was A-1 Gibson quality

This guitar is a tank. The gold plated hardware still has its shine, and I assure you this is not a poser guitar as it has seen tons of action over the last 24 years. Unlike some of the other reviewers on this site I have dropped mine and both times it bounced back quite nicely without any breaking along the headstock. (must be dumb luck.)
The finish itself has stood the test of time quite well and has suffered the standard dings and scratches. If anything the lustre has diminished a little but like I said, the finish is an butt ugly green anyhow. If I had to do any gig without a back up it would definitely with this axe.

I have never needed to contact Gibson for support on this product.

I have been playing for 27 years and have owned a variety of instruments over that period. The two that I have hung onto fiercely though are my cherished EXP2 and my 1974 Fender Strat. If it were stolen I might embark on a quest of vengeance until I found the thief and put him to rest. Most of all I love the sounds and tones this beast produces. Even when it's not plugged in it sounds great. I chose this one over a Les Paul re-issue because it was much cheaper and also seemed to have a bit more low-end growl.

I bought this bad boy right of the showroom floor in September of 1982. It's a 22 fret heavy weight beast...the Harley Davidson of guitars I call it. It has all the standard features of the E/2 Tune-o-matic bridge, brass plated hardware, two vol and one tone control. Dark sunburst. Hardcore Budweiser belt buckle scratches from 1982-83.

I bought my E/2 brand new in 1982. Except for the weight and the look in some venues, this guitar has always been an absolute 10. I work with young people a lot and when a kid straps on my E/2 I tell him that he's he's about to put on the Harley Davidson of all guitars. They weight and construction contribute to the incredible sustain.

After 16 years I took it in to have it set up and have the intonation checked. They guy told me the intonantion was perfect. Once the strings are stretch she holds a tune forever. The action is PERFECT. I've played tons of guitars and I can honestly say none have action as good as this guitar.

Again this thing is a MONSTER. It must weigh about 12-15 pounds. I bought an elastic strap to help deal with the wieght. Whenever I take time off and then start playing heavy again it's like going to the gym again. My shoulder gets sore at first then finally adjusts. I dropped this guitar the first year I owned it. The strap slipped off and if it weren't for my girlfriend's toe it may have been damaged but it came through without a scratch. I STRONGLY encourage straplocks. The front finish had stood up for the 22 years I've played it. The back took a beating in the early years.

Never had to deal with the factory. Never had to have it repaired. Pots still work great. Action and intonation great. Frets starting to show some where but no buzzez or nicks.

I bought my E/2 brand new in 1982. Except for the weight and the look in some venues, this guitar has always been an absolute 10. I've been playing for over 25 years...and from Judas Priest to Pat Benetar to U2 to the Newsboys and even Relient K, this monster has proven itself everytime. I tell folks that I'll never sell it and when I'm too old to play...I'm makin' it into a coffee table.

I BOUGHT A GIBSON EXPLORER 2 BACK IN AT THE TIME WHEN NORLIN GIBSON HAD COME OUT WITH THEM, IT WAS THE VERY LAST GIBSON IN THE MUSIC STORE, I STILL HAVE IT AND IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND KICKS SOME SERIOUS ASS. YOU STRAP THIS GUITAR ON AND IT BALANCES BETTER THEN ANY GUITAR I PLAY, MY COUSIN OWNS A GIBSON FIREBIRD BUT THE FEEL AND SOUND IS NO MATCH FOR THIS MACHINE. SOME WOULD SAY WHEN NORLIN WAS TO GIBSON WHAT AMF WAS TO HARLEY, BUT I SWEAR THIS IS A DAMN GOOD AXE, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT GIBSON IS BRINGING BACK THE "DIRTY FINGER" PICKUPS, THIS GUITAR LIKE MOST GIBSONS HAVE A SMALL STORY BEHIND THEM, BUT TRUST ME, THIS IS NOT JUST A FANCY CARVED UP PIECE OF WOOD, THIS IS A WELL BALANCED GREAT SOUNDING AXE!!

THE TREBLE PICKUP AT FIRST WAS NOT WORKING SO THE MUSIC STORE REPLACED IT WITH A DIMARZIO

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR OVER 20 YEARS, I HAD FREINDS WHO OWNED LES PAULS AND STRATS, WE USED TO TRADE OFF FOR A MONTH FOR THE HECK OF IT, I USED TO OWN A 1970 GIBSON SG WITH A FULL FACE PICK GUARD AND TAILPIECE. MUCH LIKE ANGUS YOUNG PLAYS BUT IT WAS STOLEN BY A FRIEND WHO SOLD IT TO BUY DRUGS, SCUMBAG, I NEVER SEEN HIM OR THAT GUITAR AGAIN

I've had my '82 Explorer E2 for a couple years now. I can say unequivicaly that I love it. I don't just mean love it, I mean LOVE IT! (no private parts of my body has touched it, so get yer mind outta the gutter) There are some things that I might end up changing, but over all it's a great playing, sounding, and looking guitar. It still has the original tuners, nut, frets, and tune-o-matic tail piece. I've only changed the bridge pickup to a Seymore Duncan Custom 5 for my own personal taste. I like the more warm smooth tone of that pickup, rather than the almost hollow sound from the original gibson. I've kept the Gibson pickup and might change back to it later though, as I've done with other guitars I've owned. This is the first Explorer that I've owned, but not the first that I've played. The neck on the E2 is a little bit fatter than the other Explorer, but has the same neck width with the same low profile frets. My Les Paul has Dunlop Jumbo frets (which is my prefrence) so I might change to those when a fret job is due. I bought the guitar on ebay from Guitarville in Seattle (www.guitarville.com) and it arrived absolutly perfect. It has gold hardware, a curly maple top with a "rootbeer" glaze finish, and cream binding. The curly maple top isn't bookmatched, it's one solid piece! Really very stunning. I haven't had any problems with the strap buttons, but after reading the other reviews on this page, they'll probably be next on the list. I've always loved the Explorer body style. and this one doesn't disappoint! I bought it for the looks alone (I've always wanted one) but I got a great playing and sounding guitar to boot!

I play in a Christian rock band, so I don't get too much oppourtunity to use my E2 that often. There's not too much heavy rock sounding Christian stuff out there (trying to change that with some originals), but we do play a few No Doubt songs that I get to use it on. The Duncan Custom 5 pickup doesn't do too well with clean sounds so I have to use my Strat. I have recorded with it, and played a few gigs, and it sounds great for the stuff that I do get to use it on. I run it through a Line 6 pod 2.0 and one channel of a Sunn SX4150 4 channel P.A. The P.A. has two 12 inch speaker cabnets, so I place one on either side of the stage for a full smooth warm tone. Some of the other guitars that I play through this setup have sounded a little harsh, but not the E2! Smooth and warm with predictable and controlable feedback. It will sustain with ANY Les Paul! That's probably due to the mass and density of the wood. Like the others said, it is heavy with a capitol "H"! Heavy is a relative term though. It's heavier than a Les Paul, a lot heavier than a Strat, but no so heavy that you won't get used to it being there. After a few hours of playing it, you'll learn to love it. When I put my E2 on, it feels like home. Too esoteric?

I bought my guitar used, so I don't know how it came from the factory. The guys at Guitarville did a great job setting mine up though. It really plays so good that I can only ASSume that it came from the factory with a pretty good setup. One thing about used guitars though. Everyone always changes a few things when they get a guitar, even the new ones. My E2 is the first guitar that all I had to do was tune up and play. It played so nice that I was left wondering why someone would part with such a great guitar. My E2 was 19 years old when I got it in 2001, so it shows signs of a 22 year old guitar but is still in great shape. It has a few finish scratches that are all but un-noticeable, and one small chip in the clearcoat at the top of the wing that's about 2mm wide. The dovetail on the neckjoint is still smooth and shows no sign of structural breakdown. All the knobs and switches are still nioseless. The curly maple top is one whole piece. The "waves" go in the proper up and down direction. Nothing about this guitar looks cheaply made. The gold hardware is showing a tiny bit of ware from 22 years of playing though. The pickguard is a great fit with the pickups and the binding on the body. The craftsman that built this one was definatly paying attention to the templates!

The E2 is built like a Russian tank! I've not dropped it, but I don't think too much would happen to it if I did unless it was on the headstock or my toes. It's 22 years old now, and it has some battle scars. Nothing like what you'd find on a Strat of the same vintage though. You really need to look for any surface flaws from playing it. All of the tuners, and the tune-o-matic bridge work perfectly. The frets are a tiny bit worn, but have held up great. I've been wanting to put Dunlop Jumbo frets on it, but the original frets just won't wear out! I personally can't justify a fret job until it really needs it.

I've never delt with the Gibson factory for warranty repairs, so I don't know about that. They were however very helpfull with some questions I had about my '57 Black Beauty Les Paul.

I've been playing for 25 years. I worked in a guitar shop for a few of those years, and played a lot of gigs during those years. My E2 stand out as my favorite guitar after all that playing. I've got a couple ESP's, a Jackson Randy Rhoads, a '57 Les Paul, a Fender Stratocaster, and a few others that I don't play that much. I'm not trying to say "look what I got" I just bought a few guitars over the years and never sold any. Compairing the E2 to any of the other guitars I've played is really compairing apples to oranges. The closest thing would be my Las Paul, and even that guitar does things my E2 won't. The Explorer is a very specialized instrument. It's made for a heavy sound. But it's always the first guitar I pick up in the morning. It sounds great even when it's not plugged in. Since I'm in a Christian band, some of the other guys think I'm trying to be too heavy metal when I play it, but who cares. It sounds great. If this guitar got stolen I'd have to hunt them down, it's irreplaceable to me. People who play Explorers have a deep rooted love for them. It's almost like the people who restore Volkswagens. Sometimes we don't care what other people think, we love the sound, we love the looks, we love the playability. When I die, I'll go to Heaven, but it's going to be a lonely place without my Explorer!

Purchased in the Spring of 1982, my E2 was a limited edition and was very different from the standard Gibson mix-and-match approach to construction and components of most of its new introdutions, including the E2s mentioned above.
It seemed to pay homage to the 1968 100-count limited edition rosewood and maple stripe Telecaster (see George Harrison in the Get Back video). The body featured a five layer sandwich of thee layers of rosewood and two thin layers of maple. The neck was rosewood with a maple stripe, with a rosewood fingerboard and a headstock with a rosewood laminated face. It had a black 5 ply scratch guard, gold hardware, and a pair of black coverless Dirty FIngers pickups. It also has a fine tune tailp[iece (an item that should nev er have been dropped from the Gisbon parts catalogue)
It was issued at the same time and in the same materials as the as the V2, the main difference being that whereas the E2 had smooth routed edges the V2 had a series of large scallops along the sides of the top that, with the maple sandwich elements, made the thing look like a triangular chololate lasagna.
Being young and stupid, I removed the tailpiece and screwed a Bigsby right into that gorgeous rosewood finish, thereby messing up what is apparently an extremely rare version of the Explorer 2.
BTW, this guitar doesn't show up in the blue book. All E2s are combined into a single entry. I've seen a couple of the chocolate lasagna V2s over the years but the only other resewood E2 I ever saw was a poorly slapped together mismatched rosewood prototype hanging in a pawn shop 15 years ago. Any information would be appreciated.

Being a Boogie man for many years I like to let the amp have a say in the tone of an instrument. The Dirty Fingers pickups did not provide the kind of explosive response that a strong pick attack could turn clean into crunch, but rather produced an artificial-sounding distortion that was ladled on top of everything and reminded me of the kind of fake distortion found in a solid state amp. This axe was made for Marshalls and all-out thrash, not soulful Santanna stuff. Nevertheless, I used it on a number of recordings and, once I go to know it, I loved it despite its pickup-limited tone.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I have never seen an electric guitar as beautiful as this scultpure in rosewood and the fit and finish was immaculate. The action was low and perfect. Everything about the construction and craftsmanship was perfect.

Made of tough, dark toned hardwood, and with a thick clear finish, it would not show scratches as easily as many other guitars but scratches were certain to take place, particularly with the long lower bout and tail of the body. During my ownership it never encontered a belt buckle or watchband. As for dependability, it was solid as a rock. The only thing doomed to withstand time was the gold plate on the hardware.

I've never had a relationship with the company and couldn't say.

Over the past 40 years I've owned most guitars you could think of from the pre indie days - ES 345, Black Beauty, Assorted Fenders, you name it , even a metal necked Kramer - and with the exception of the E2, all were originals, not reissues.
I was so in love with my E2 that when I had to sell most of my stuff to pay for a move overseas I aternated my weekly classified ads between the E2 and my other electric, an original (that's right - not a reissue) 1954 Strat. By pure chance the Strat stayed with me and the E2 moved on. I look back on that guitar like the protagonist in Michael Murphy's sappy tragic love song "Wildfire". How could I have allowed us to be parted? I'll never see her again.

I have an '83 E/2 I believe to be American made. It has 22 frets. I also believe it is made of 5 piece mahogany construction. Not laminated. The curves on this guitar are beautiful! Cut and sanded to mold with the player as though they are one. A good thing for this guitar because it is heavy. I'm a tall strong guy so the weight isn't a problem. For any musician small in build I would suggest strapping it on and playing for several hours before buying. The only fault I have found on this guitar are the strap knobs. It was built with the Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups (2). When it was new it was very bright and snarly. They have mellowed a bit over the last 20 years but have never failed. As far as pickups go they are very quiet even set at an obnoxious volume. What initially caught my eye was the paint job. Vintage Cherry Burst! Mounted in a custom red velvet hardshell case. Exquisite! It originally came with the fine tuner tail piece which is a nice feature. I had the original bridge and tail piece removed. I had an expert guitar smith rout and mount a gold plated Kahler Tremolo System with locking nut. (Jimmy Gravity in St. Louis) Totally elevated the capability of this axe. I have never seen another one like it. I first laid eyes on an E/2 in 1980. I believe besides the sound the ebony neck and flat, fat frets were the most playable on a guitar I have ever picked up. Still to this day I measure every guitar I play to the E/2. The ultimate homage to the grat Gibson guitar company.

This guitar is a gut stomping rocker! It was made just for that so know what sound you seek before you buy one. But if you're a rocker just plug it in to a marshall amp with some digital effects open it up and let 'er rip! The tonal qualities almost play the guitar for you!

Very good from the factory. Individual preference adjustments are necessary as with every guitar for every player. Excellent board action and excellent paint. I couldn't find any imperfections on this guitar as far as craftsmanship.

The guitar, performance, mechanics and reliability are top notch. Never a failure in twenty years. The only flaw and criticism i have for Gibson on this model was the engineering of the strap buttons. As soon as you put on an E/2 you immediately look at the salesman and request a straplock. For such a wellcrafted, beautiful instrument straplocks should have been standard on this guitar.

Never had a single reason to call Gibson. How's that for quality?!

I think I've covered it all. If it were stolen there would be a world wide man hunt. This is my main stay of twenty years. I practically stole this guitar! I saw it in the shop behind the counter with the case open and asked the store owner about it. The story he told me, I trust to be true. first the paint had to be custom ordered from Gibson. He required $200.00 downpayment for any Gibson custom order. Some guy came in his store, custom ordered the guitar with a vintage cherry burst paint and paid the $200.00 downpayment. He had 90 days to pick up the guitar and pay the balance which he never did. I had to wait about a month for his time to run out. When it did I traded a lotus explorer copy and $450.00 for the guitar. After the custom work and twenty years I still wouldn't sell it.

This is a 1982 Gibson Explorer E2. It has a beautiful 'bleached cherry' maple top, with cream binding. I have only seen this coloring on this model twice in my life. The first time was about 20 years ago. I spent 10 years kicking myself for not buying it the first time I saw it, then another 10 years searching for another one. Which I finally found, thanks to the Internet. Otherwise I'm sure I would never find another. I have never even seen a photograph of this particular color scheme anywhere, ever! I think the entire body is maple. At least the back does not look like mahogony. Two Dirty Fingers pickups that provide a really satisfying crunch, or a clean tone that is pretty and pure. T-6 tailpiece, which allows for fine tuning, and is especially handy when recording.

I'll give it a '9' because it doesn't have the tonal variety of a strat. But it has the tones I am looking for.

Real nice. In my opinion, this was the golden era for explorers. I know Gibsonophiles may disagree, but these maple topped beauties are a wonderful meeting of finesse and devistation. Kind of like a sword with a beautifully engraved blade.

Set neck. But one must be careful with this model, there are several vulnerable areas. But a sober person of moderate responsibility can keep one in great shape, even performing live with it. Because these models lend themselves to hard rock environments, and because they haven't been produced for about 20 years, it can be difficult to find one that isn't kind of tattered. But they stay true if respected!

Dunno

I've been playing for about 25 or so years. If I lost this guitar, I'd have to try to replace it, but that would be quite difficult. I don't know when I'll see another one for sale! I love the fact that it is so unique and so beautiful, and that it plays so well and sounds so sweet. I have several other E2s, but this one is my favorite. But I'll rate it at 8, because an Explorer is not for everyone. It wouldn't the the electric guitar I'd recommend to someone who didn't have a particular obsession for Explorers. But for me, that is the guitar. All 4 of my electrics are Explorers. So, it is a '10' for me, and an '8' for the general public.

Made in 1980, Gibson E/2 (Explorer II). All factory with matching hardshell (HUGE) case. Pair of Gibson Dirty Fingers(H-H) passive pickups, each with their own volume and master tone control. 3 way switch. FT-6 finetuning tailpiece. All maple construction, and this thing is HEAVY, I mean really really heavy. Ebony (Not rosewood) board. Gold hardware, quilted tobacco burst maple top, but the top is thin, about 1/8 inch. Has a antique look about it I really like. 22 fret neck with really nice low wide frets. Tune-O-Matic bridge. This is not the E/2 with the weird cuts to the body, but the other all maple version with the nice top. Fully bound body with creme binding, I love the way this thing looks, even if it is a little beat up. I give it a 6 for features as it has enough to be functional without going overboard, just the way I like it.

I play metal and roots rock. For metal, to me, it has no equal. It can get bright on the bridge pickup with the tone rolled off, but bring it on a few numbers and it gets really smooth sounding. No two ways about it, the Dirty Fingers are hot pickups. They will mellow up if you roll off the volume and lighten your picking attack up. The guitar is not really noisy, unless you compare it to something loaded with EMGS. I love EMGS but I'd never think of putting them on this guitar, as it's perfect for me the way it is. This guitar was made to rock, period. If you play mellow blues-jazz-country I don't think you'd be very happy with it. I've mostly used it with a Rivera M60 amp, Vox wah, EH Deluxe Memory Man and a Korg 104 DS Hyperdistorion.
It has a little more bottom end chunk to the sound, I assume from the heavy maple body. If you play one of these, and compare it to a Korina or Mahogony Explorer, you'll notice a difference in sound. I love it, it just has that tone I crave.

I don't know how the factory setup was, but when I got it, it SUCKED with a capital S. The guy I got it from forgot to mention it needed the frets leveled and polished, AND the neck needed reset. Thanks. After having the word done (reset and frets) it is a excellent playing guitar. Very low action, and its hard to beat a Explorer for upper fret access. You can sail up to the 22nd fret. As far as the way the factory put it together, no complaints. The hardware and electronics have held up well, even the tuners are still good and don't slip.

I've owned several Explorers over the years and heres a tip for you. GET STRAPLOCS. The way they are angled you are cheating fate if you don't think the strap will ever pop off. The headstocks will also break off if they are dropped to the floor with any force, this I know. The guitar I'm reviewing has never had any problems like that, but I killed another Explorer I had, and I've had 11 of them over the years (still have 2). If I didn't have a backup I'd gig without one, but being I do, its kind of stupid to risk it. The finnish is beat up, but seems to have done well for a 21 year old axe that got played most of its life. This ain't no closet queen. You'll seldom see a Explorer with the back 'arm' that sticks out without dings and paint chips in it from hitting everything when you play one.

Never dealt directly with Gibson, other then for questions they couldn't answer anyway. I'd like to see companys start having more to do with their past products, but we all know better.

I've been playing a long time now, about 19 years. This guitar would be perfect for me if it weighed a few pounds less, but I can deal with it. You think Les Pauls are heavy, try one of these guys. If anything happened to this guitar, I'd replace it in a heartbeat. I go though a lot of gear, but when I find something I LOVE, I keep it forever. In my eyes, they really don't have anything on the market to replace this, except for another used one. You may hate these things or think Gibson sucks but I'd be hard pressed to have anything else and be happy with it. Oh, and I love Gibsons.