1990 1976 Gibson Explorer Reissue Guitar Review Scott Grove

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[@groovydjs]

@ics1974 No problem, they are both at 1/8". So the neck pickup is set flush with the mounting ring and the bridge pickup is barely above the mounting ring. I prefer to keep them a fair distance from the strings to avoid as much magnetic drag as I can, plus it really evens out the sound as you had mentioned. It seems that every guitar I order in, I always have to lower the pickups on them. Folks tend to cram them right next to the strings when they actually sound better further away. Thanks!

[@groovydjs]

@theaceofspadesjl Thank you very much my friend. Yeah, Malmsteen had no problem getting around on a Strat. lol I appreciate that you are checking in on the reviews. Scott

[@groovydjs]

@PBANDSNOW Yeah, that's why I picked up the Les Paul Traditional Pro with the splittable humbuckers with the push / pull volume pots. Those are nice to have. I have several Gibsons with the M-III wiring too. So, 2 humbuckers and a single coil in the middle and you can have all of the Tele, Strat, LP, Kill Switch, Woman tone, all those variations on my Les Paul Studio Lite M-III and my Victory MVX Very cool tonal options on those axes.

[@groovydjs]

@ThieleM Very cool my friend. If you put a video up on it, I'd really love to check out your mods and see how it all turned out.

[@groovydjs]

I was just checking that out. That looks like it should be a fun project. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your progress. Best of luck my friend.

[@groovydjs]

@2IronBird The honor is mine my friend. It's always great to talk to folks who are still passionate about making music!

[@groovydjs]

@MrPeterGroove That was the thing, nobody knew about them. They were the first modeling amp to hit the market. Nobody gave them a chance, so they quickly went away. They a quite cheap on Ebay now and sooooo worth getting. Thanks again.

[@groovydjs]

@guitarman7477 You are correct. He did use the Explorer and the V.

[@groovydjs]

@freakfreak12345 It sounds like it requires another scale length neck. Or is it simply that the shape of the neck doesn't allow it to fit into the neck pocket properly?

[@groovydjs]

@SisarkeZrenjanin I don't know if they were still using the Dirty Fingers pickups at this time or not. Everything is 100% stock.

[@groovydjs]

@journeyquest1 I hear ya. I'm in the marke for one of those too. Looking for the right one to come along.

[@groovydjs]

@Bassfreak97 My pleasure! Very appreciated.

[@groovydjs]

@ncethngs I actually got another red GibsonCorvus just today, but not an SG. No SG's allowed in my house ever again. lol I just sold the last 2 I had and I was very happy to see them go.

[@groovydjs]

@groovydjs You can actually get them new for that if you go through GC and grab one that hasn't sold since it was there last year, they will make that deal to make room for this year's new models. Plus, the floor models sell for that too. They are only $999.00 normally anyway, so even one that is just as good as new on Ebay that hasn't ever been played, or been played far less than one on the floor at GC can be had for far less.

[@groovydjs]

@v0lquete Thank you. This one is quite the special little guy. I feel fortunate to have picked this one up. I talked the guy on Ebay down to a grand for it. Not bad at all considering what it is and that it's mint as well as the case. Looks like new and it's 20 years old. I love it. Thanks again my friend.

[@groovydjs]

Thank you, you just can't beat these things for getting the job done right.

[@groovydjs]

@Jwguitarjam It's on here. It's missing a couple dozen, but I'll update it soon.

[@groovydjs]

@mplo91 Thank you very much. Yeah, the distortion is the Gibson Explorer's best friend. They were made for each other. Many thanks my friend.

[@groovydjs]

@TomOzzy123 Awesome! I'm glad you got such a good deal. Enjoy it and play loud my friend.

[@groovydjs]

@arva300178 My pleasure. They really deserve a place in every collection. They are actually one of the most comfortable guitars around to play. Standing or sitting.

[@groovydjs]

@antve They are 8 digit serial numbers. The first number in this case,9 will tell you it was made in the 90's and then the 5th number will give you the 2nd half of the puzzle. So, the 5th number is 0. So, that gives you 90 which will translate to 1990. So, you will have exactly as you described. The other numbers will tell you what day it was made on and what number of that guitar it was produced that day. So, you could find out if it was the 47th of these on that particulard day.

[@groovydjs]

@4Bolter My pleasure. This guitar has yet to leave the house. I've never gigged it. I've had it for a few years now and simply haven't played the right gig that would lend itself to it.

[@groovydjs]

@ics1974 Yes, I always keep them even. People always tend to slant them like you're talking about, but it just makes them too bright and uneven, just like the pickups look. So, evening them out really makes for a good, even response across the board. It really makes an ear pleasing difference.

[@groovydjs]

@Kingddd333 They will stack up pretty much the same. So if the pickups are identical in both models, each are made of Mahogany and will sound very similar. The Explorers tend to be a bit heavier than the V's.

[@groovydjs]

@TNMinuteMan THanks my friend. Yeah, I tossed a little Train, Train in there for a moment. This guitar really brings out the southern rock when you pick it up. It just seems so natural to play it on these axes. If you have the original pickups in it, the sound just lends itself so well to it instead of cramming it full of some super hot, metal EMG's. These have growl instead of shred.

[@groovydjs]

@freakfreak12345 So, what you have would be the Ibanez Destroyer correct? What year is it?

[@groovydjs]

@DH31701 Sure, just because I enjoy them and I use a lot of them for many different projects and shows. Each has a unique sound of it's own. I've had over 1,000 guitars so far and these are the ones that I still enjoy.

[@groovydjs]

@Weastell95 Thank you my friend, much appreciated.

[@groovydjs]

@KingTabor Thank you very much my friend! I love this axe.

[@groovydjs]

@mothershipish1 Yes, Gibson makes the Xplorer which has a smaller body than these do. There is also the new Melody Maker with the small Explorer body shape and one humbucker only, but easy to hack it up and drop another one into it.

[@groovydjs]

@theaceofspadesjl It has the typical Gibson ball bat neck. The best shred necks always tend to be the unfinished, flat and wide necks like the Jackson and Ibanez necks. So, the finish on the back of the neck slows you down when you sweat, you stick to it like all of the other Gibson guitars. A lot of folks can still shred on them, but they tend to sand the finish off the back of the necks first.

[@groovydjs]

@Cellwrath Hello, I'm just bending the neck since the guitar doesn't have a whammy bar on it. So you grab the body near the neck and push on the body of the guitar towards you and then you push away from you on the back of the neck at the headstock. It is something that should not be done very heavily on a set neck, like a gibson, but you can do it harder and a lot more on a bolt on neck like a Fender guitar. So, practice with it a little at a time and see how much you can get away with.

[@groovydjs]

@LLschoolJ2 Actually I'm a single coil guy and mainly into country. The Explorer came out in 1958 and was desinged to look like the tail fins on cars of the day. Such as the Cadillac and especially the 1957 Chevrolet Bel-air. So, they were meant strictly as an all purpose guitar for music of that time. Metal and any kind of hard rock was the furthest thing from Gibson's mind when they put it and the Flying V out at the same time. Thanks for writing in my friend. Scott

[@groovydjs]

@TheMAJofficial GOOD TO HEAR! That is music to my ears right there my friend.

[@groovydjs]

@motocarnage615 Very cool! You will dig the S-1, just a great guitar that hasn't gone through the room YET. lol I just bought another one last night. It cost me $850.00 for it. It's another 1975 sunburst, but he didn't have the original case. Those cases are impossible to find. lol Have a good hunt!

[@groovydjs]

@omfg51 Thank you. I've actually grown fond of this color over time. I really like the Destroyers too. I've had quite a few of them. Just great axes for sure.

[@groovydjs]

@skiny998 Hi, I am going strait into one of my Johnson Millennium JM-150's. They were the very first and still the best modeling amps to ever hit the market. I have a few of them. Every sound in the world in there and with the optional foot controller (J-12) that amp is simply unbeatable. Thank you for asking. They are awesome amps.

[@groovydjs]

@BudMovies You are too kind my friend. Thank you so very much! Scott

[@groovydjs]

@cfhbriandaniel You are correct. I play through Johnson Millennium JM-150 amps.

[@groovydjs]

@Kingddd333 There are so many different models of Gibson V's and Explorers out there. So, it pretty much comes down to which models you're looking at. If they are of the same year, wood and pickups, the they will be pretty much the same deal.

[@groovydjs]

@snowpeaceguitar I've been looking for it and can't find it anywhere. I look at all of the Explorers every day on here and can't find another 1990 Cherry Explorer. If you have a link for it, please send it to me. Thanks.

[@SisarkeZrenjanin]

Great sound! What pickups u use ? I wanna buy the same

[@groovydjs]

@StephenFiorentini I use 9-42 Elixir Polywebs on all of my electrics. They are great, never, ever go dead because of their unique coating that everybody has been trying to copy but always failing at. These always sound new where all of the other companies that try the coated thing always kill their strings by doing them the wrong way or trying to color them. I hope you try a set. Worth checking out.

[@groovydjs]

@MrRockinSG My pleasure and you betcha!

[@groovydjs]

@toddidaman My pleasure, you'll really like it. There's just no beating this thing for so many reasons.

[@groovydjs]

@freakfreak12345 I just went to your channel and checked it out. Very cool axe and it and you sound great. That thing looks awesome. I never would've paired that neck with that body, but it really worked out great. Sweet job!

[@groovydjs]

@4Bolter I'm 100% honest. It's just a guitar plugged in with the high gain, nothing else. You may have some chorus or something turned on there on your headphones, but there's none on when I'm playing.

[@groovydjs]

@MarshallStaxs I hear you my friend. I've grown very fond of this axe over the past couple of years and it's not going anywhere. They really made this puppy right. I've got my eye open for the REAL, typical 1976 in the Korina color. Everybody has to have one of those laying around. Right now on Ebay is the Explorer reissue Prototype from 1975. All white with a white pickguard. I'm seriously thinking of picking it up too since it's such an oddball. There's only one, and I like that! lol

[@groovydjs]

@taterfamine Yeah, I love the old ESP guitars. ESP has the current MX250's that you can pick up any day of the week for $300-$400 and they are really sub par. Same horrible quality as the LTD stuff. So, naturally I figured you were talking about the current models that they are still pushing. Congrats on the 84 Explorer. What finish did you get? I've got a Purple Burst 84 Flying V. Does yours have the Tune-O-Matic bridge, Kahler or the Master Tune Vibrola as I showed on the Challenger?

[@groovydjs]

@2IronBird I'm with you. I'm sure that ESP would build you one just that way out of the custom shop. I have one of their custom shop guitars and they really do such a great job. So much better than the other "Big Boy" custom shops for sure.

[@groovydjs]

@cellomannathan I would honestly go with the lesson simply entitled "Learn Electric Lead Guitar". It's got pretty much all of those and so many more and no scales and junk involved. It's a whole way of thinking that has really turned it around for SOOOOO many people. Everybody really loves that video. You get a feel for which ones people like more than others....that one is the one everybody keeps thanking me over and over for. So, give that one a shot. Only four bucks for the download!

[@groovydjs]

@flatlandnut I use Johnson Millennium JM150 amps exclusively. The guitar is plugged straight into it. I have a review of the amp if you would like to check it out. Just type in Scott Grove Johnson and it should pop right on up for you. Thank you. Scott

[@groovydjs]

@2IronBird Thank you. Yeah, these are great guitars. Amazingly comfortable to wear and play too. Nothing gets in your way like it looks like it would. Just an iconic guitar for a good reason.....it works.

[@groovydjs]

Good eye, yes it is. So....red would've been a bad call on my part which is probably why I don't mind the color since it's not actually red. It's actually beautiful on this guitar I think.

[@groovydjs]

@skiny998 I hear you. The Explorer makes a statement as soon as you hit the stage.

[@groovydjs]

@SAMt784 It would be great for metal. Most folks tend to change the pickups over to EMG's when they go the metal route since these pickups are reissues of the 1976 models and were designed for more of a classic rock, Skynyrd type of sound. A lot of folks do use them for the heavy stuff as you've seen, but they do swap the pickups out first thing and then all is ready to destroy the world.

[@groovydjs]

That's cool. I'm a country player, so...this one fits the southern rock thing better for some of that stuff I have to play.

[@groovydjs]

@101Petercriss101 My pleasure my friend. Let me know what you end up getting!

[@groovydjs]

@freakfreak12345 Cool, I'd like to check it out. Do you have it posted?

[@groovydjs]

@brownsugarskom Of course they do. I gave more than that for this one used. Depending on the model and year, you can spend tends of thousands easily.

[@groovydjs]

@donSparda I don't have a clue as to what "Play a little Down" means. Is that Ebonics? lol

[@groovydjs]

You are right, the video show the actual color. It is very dark and would look nearly black in dim lighting.

[@groovydjs]

@emanhacker That is so true. When they did the whole Music Yo Dot C O M thing, that just was the nail in the coffin for the Kramer line.

[@groovydjs]

@21stCENTURYBOY12 Thank you very much. Very appreciated my friend.

[@groovydjs]

@QpLoRer It would be impossible to have a 1968 reissue of the Explorer. The Gibson Explorer was only made in 1958 and 1959 and they were discontinued. The very first Gibson Explorer to be "reissued" was in 1976. Gibson started putting them back out again because companies like Hamer etc. were having success with their versions of them. So, that is why the '76 reissues are so popular. So, if you see something claiming to be a 1968 reissue, it's not so. Even if it's a Gibson claim. lol

[@groovydjs]

@masterbeat04 Yeah, I've played a couple of nice ESP Explorers that were great. I have yet to find a good LTD version though.

[@fullmetalfunk]

That's pretty much the exact Explorer I want. Not a huge fan of Red Guitars either but something about that red with the wood grain showing through really catches my eye. I plan on having one soon. Thanks for the review!

[@iosebaart]

WOW it really sounds great!! the only thing that is left for me is the balance, i mean, does it leans hard to the left because of the neck weight?

[@groovydjs]

@fullmetalfunk Yeah, this color is growing on me more and more. It would even tone it down a little more if I were to change the pickguard to black, but, I'm going to keep it all original.

[@groovydjs]

@tjstubbs1 Thank you, you really can't beat them and the balance is amazing. Very comfortable to play standing or sitting.

[@groovydjs]

@Ericclapton24000 Thank you so very much my friend. Very appreciated! Scott

[@groovydjs]

@RockGuitarDave Thanks my friend. Very appreciated. If you want a Gibson that is simply everything that Gibson guitars should be, this would be it. Not neck heavy in the slightest, like most guitars with the Explorer shape. It is easily one of the most comfortable guitars to play sitting or standing. Perfect balance. You have much better fret access to the 22nd fret than a Les Paul for sure. Everybody should have at least one real Gibson Explorer in their collection. GREAT AXE!

[@groovydjs]

@skiny998 My pleasure my friend, I've just never researched the pickups that were used in them. I'm sure a simple google would provide the answers. They are great and original....so the answer shouldn't be that hard to find. I wish I could be of more help my man. Thanks again, Scott

[@groovydjs]

@AMAN1640 If it says Line 6 anywhere on it, I run the other direction as fast as I can. They are on par with Behringer. Just cheap, disposable gear that most kids can afford when they are starting out. Which is fine, but you don't take that stuff on to a REAL stage, (not your local town stages) but REAL stages. You'll never see them on tour with anybody for a good reason.

[@ArseLoad0fMetal666]

i have a gibson explorer that i love but i do feel that the bridge pick up could be improved, i am planning on putting a seymour duncan invader pick up in the bridge insteaed of the 500t it came with. Would iit work to leave the 496R in the neck position and have it with the seymour invader

[@groovydjs]

@funkyp4nd4 Thank you. I really love the Explorer and the shoes, I've had to buy a new pair of them since Fast Times At Ridgemont High first hit the movie screen. lol

[@groovydjs]

@SuperCornChip2000 Very cool. That's one heck of a major deal!

[@groovydjs]

@runescapelego1223 Yes, James often uses a Gibson Explorer.

[@groovydjs]

@CheckThisSaw Thank you. This is my favorite of all the different Explorer models. It is why I only have the 1 explorer, when you get THE ONE, no need to look any further. lol

[@groovydjs]

@SAMt784 My pleasure my friend.

[@ArseLoad0fMetal666]

@groovydjs so what about a D-activator in the Bridge and a Liquifire in the neck position? The thing i really want is a powerful highoutput bridge pickup, and a really creamy thick neck pickup with good cleans

[@groovydjs]

@MrJaxreid Thanks and it weighs about the same as a Stratocaster or an SG. Less than a Les Paul by far. Flying V's and Explorers are quite light.

[@groovydjs]

@jpboogie60 Thank you so very much! It's quite a great guitar. Just a serious, no frills axe that gets the job done right.

[@2IronBird]

@groovydjs thx very much for encouragement!!! realy you have one of their custom shop guitars??? that`s awesome!! it`s a very big honor for me to talk with you....

[@groovydjs]

@mecalek Yep, that would be Woody Harrelson. We are both originally from Indiana. Manybe it's the Hoosier accent. You don't have any videos posted, so I was not able to give a comparrison of your voice.....sorry.

[@groovydjs]

@natetheguitarkid What about Van Halen or Judas Priest?

[@groovydjs]

@scotty688 Only if you were to put the EMG 85 and 81s in it. These pickups are meant to be the vintage type and don't respond to the high gain settings well. These really give the great overdriven sounds of Skynyrd and such. Sure they sound fine with distortion, but there are other high gain pickups that will sound better for the metal stuff. The body style is right for it, but the necks are a bit slower because of the nasty Gibson finish that slows you down.

[@groovydjs]

@thelordofdarkcheese They are all different, same as the Les Paul's and S.G.'s. They offer so many neck profiles that you can have one that is suited for you. It is that way with pretty much all guitars. So, you just get them however suits you.

[@ArseLoad0fMetal666]

@groovydjs I'm thinking of putting new pickups in my explorer, and i don't like active pickups. Do you think it would be a good idea to put a Seymour Duncan invader in the Bridge, and a Pearly Gates in the neck. Or would i be better off putting another high output pickup like the 'full shred' or the JB in the bridge

[@groovydjs]

@SuperCornChip2000 Yeah, it sounds like that guy did a number on it huh? It won't take too much to put it back to good. At least all the parts for those are readily available and you can pop it together in no time flat.

[@groovydjs]

@TheMAJofficial Yep, those are people who are strictly metal heads and play with heavy distortion that does not rely one single bit on the guitar, just that the pickups are extra hot and will overdrive the preamp section of their amp to the point of the heaviest of distortions and no possiblility of using a clean tone or even a decent sounding overdrive. So, the folks that play the guitar with it's original intent with the original pickups will get great clean tones and overdrive tones.

[@Metallicafanfrom93]

@groovydjs yeah the bridge section....i did a bending and the strings thought they needed new fellow companions, so one of them played suicide bender, and all i heard was, bup! what strings should i buy?

[@groovydjs]

@BritishMetalIsKing Thank you, I'm actually growing to like this color. I just don't like the bright red. You know, when the really cheap guitars come out that are always available in that same bright Red, Blue and Black only. Yeah, THAT red. True on the Green SG. Those are really funky looking. I do have a green Strat that looks fine, but the SG don't wear it well. lol

[@thelordofdarkcheese]

I haven't had the opportunity to play an explorer but i have had the chance to play les pauls and sgs. Do explorers have the wide neck like those?

[@groovydjs]

@ryanspeed Nope, no pickup covers.

[@groovydjs]

@kernowrock555 My pleasure. They really are great guitars. You just have to remember the shape of it while you're moving around. You don't want to knock the furniture over or knock the back end of your guitar off. lol They really are easily one of the most comfortable guitars to wear and play, not to mention listen to. Best of luck in your great Explorer search!

[@groovydjs]

If you are playing heavy stuff, I would go for the Duncan and if you are looking for something that will be more responsive and pleasing IMHO for a nicer, easier going traditional neck pickup for clean tones and classic rock styles, then the 500T.

[@groovydjs]

@Metallicafanfrom93 Where are the strings breaking at? Down at the bridge?

[@groovydjs]

@Andithewicked Yeah, these are just flat out hard to beat.

[@groovydjs]

@YodaVanGrindey95 You betcha! It's one of those "Must have" guitars.