Explorer Guitar Copy Review + Demo

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

In 08, I got an Epiphone Korina Explorer. Was $499.99 off the shelf. The LP Standard Cherry Burst with a stunning top was also $499.00. Now they charge $1200.00. Insanity.

[@OuchMyHooves]

That would be abt 750 in today’s money. Which feels reasonable compared to the quality. I love my new es-335 but the prices are ridiculous 99% of the time

[@BaBaBaBenny]

Dude sounds great! Also, you're fucking funny dude. Those screaming Lzzy segments and the sad explorer montage really tickled me.

[@aavavertu229]

Daniel Heiman is actually a pretty sick singer.

[@aaronddi8067]

I used to be a package handler for fedex, we were specifically instructed to throw fragile listed boxes to keep up with the 3 package a minute standard operation speed

[@stevebruce1078]

yes but "fragile" marked on the box is important if a claim is made

[@mruncletheredge]

It's so insane that they have these "3 packages a minute" speeds....

[@chrisd6839]

Note to self do not use FedEx.

[@graysenm1320]

Dude that guitar is beautiful. Maybe im coping because im broke (and probably will forever be lolol) but buying cheap guitars and customizing them with better parts always make me feel great. Almost like a bonding experience with the guitar. Thats something that i don't think I'd ever get out of a $20k guitar that I'd be too scared to even really ever bust out. Great work man.

[@alsantangelo]

Same here, I don't think you're coping. As long as the basics are solid and you don't have to worry about the bridge being in the correct place and stuff that's major surgery, the rest is workable. I found this video because I ordered one of these a few days ago off eBay and wanted to see if anyone else had tried one, even saw the listing for the one I got on his screen! For $200, I got the Explorer shape I wanted and I can mod it without worrying about damaging it. These guitars are great if your expectations are in check. I know I'll probably have to replace some hardware and possibly do some fretwork, but considering the whole guitar plus shipping cost pretty much the same as the pickups I would put it, how can you not?

[@nangcamau3919]

PSVR2: MEOW!!!

[@brylidan]

as long as the neck is good the rest doesn't matter that much cause you can replace em.

[@MegaManX7]

Keep up that attitude and you'll be poor your whole life. The minute you step outside of your comfort zone you'll be right where you want.

[@mruncletheredge]

I totally agree.... I got a few Chinese guitars recently and one of them was almost perfect out of the box (Slight action adjustment) and the other one needed a bit more work . But doing the work is quite satisfying. It really does give you a sense of connection to the guitar.... Also, you learn so much....

[@wwland]

That came out AWESOME! And I love that you opted for no "Chibson" decal...made it your own!

[@gpf32]

I’d be one to put a piece of tape on the headstock and write Gibson in some stupid ass lettering

[@mouseCopTV]

@@gpf32 comic sans 😂😂

[@dboone7670]

Large sections of your jam session at the end sounded a lot like Kyuss. Not all of it, but the majority of it was very Kyuss-esque. I dig it.

[@vemanjadhav]

Kyuss lives.

[@Kyush4]

Hey man, great vid, I appreciate you putting the final cost, but if you noticed, on the 0:58 frame, starting from the left theres a black Explorer for 599, so it's not like it's that much worthy, I mean, it is in your case because you had the tailpiece and wanted that white paint, but I only recommend getting Chibbos if you're after certain specs, for example, if you want an RD? there's no way to get one under 2k, if you want a maple fretboard LP, or I don't know, a LP DC, those are getting really expensive, but if you're into traditional 50's Les Pauls I would get an Epi and call it a day. I think if you had searched on FB Marketplace you would eventually land on a good deal. But yeah, getting anything that isn't a Les Paul or an SG is kinda hard. There's also IYV who do similar things but from Vietnam.

[@damonsdeliberatedetour492]

Love Lzzy that said always love tricking out a guitar. Chibson, Partcaster and so on some upgrades always help!

[@porchestra]

Hey, New Subscriber here and this video popped up after Trogly. Great vignette, and your entertaining personality and excellent writing and video skills are solid!

[@gavriloprincip11]

he's like Trogly if Trogly spent a fraction of his time researching and ogling 20 000$ LesPauls practising and could actually play more than jangly zombie chords and smells like teen spirit for the demos !

[@MathiasBronnes]

i own a chibson les paul. i bought it USED for 400 USD. it came with a seymor duncan sh4 in the neck, and a gibson classic in the bridge, the tuners were upgraded to grovers. i dont know about the rest but i assume the pots and wires have been changed. its a FANTASTIC guitar.

[@trip866]

It looks 100% better after your upgrade! Love the jam at the end, some tasty licks there!

[@blakebolton1902]

Bro your editing is Supreme. Good work, i’m thinking about doing this exact method with some gibson pickups just as a shredder. Super informative

[@Thestinkues17]

I bought this same one and will confirm mine was great as well. It was delivered yesterday, 9/6/24. Frets are nicely leveled, action was set well. The only knock on mine was scratchy frets. I polished them and she’s good to go now! Pickups are a little weak so I will be changing them out, but the stock ones are not terrible by any means.

[@aldoalvarez851]

Sounds really good dude! I’ve done this treatment to two of epis where I swap out a ton of parts. They hang with all my gibsons just fine!

[@saladgl0ve]

a cheap guitar with a decent neck is a lot of fun for people who like modding. i live in a small apartment so kits are kind of a pain since i don't have room to paint a body or cut a headstock. i think every guitarist should have a project guitar or two.

[@alsilveira]

Great video, man. Very inspiring, in a way. I also have a copy of an ESP explorer, those Hetfield's style, but an actual brazilian company that manufactured in Korea back in the 00's. Plays great, it's kinda heavy, but I still wanna have the experience of playing on an actual explorer body, could be an epiphone or gibson, but both are damn expensive here in Brazil. Watching videos like this will serve as guide to pay attention to detail when buying stuff from China, even though I never did.

[@drhall343]

Definitely agree, the Explorer shape is so underrated. I have an Ibanez X Series bass with the same shape and my elbow just sits super comfortable on that wing.

[@IgorBlackEyes]

Awesome video man! And I've never noticed you're really tall until you mentioned it, but the Explorer was really a good comparison for me. I've had an explorer copy a few years ago and that guitar was too big for me (I'm 5'6") but it looks awesome with you, like it fits :), for me, even a Les Paul looks big haha

[@Bertyification]

Great video! watched your DG-335 vids a while back and took the plunge with a Chibson. First guitar was confiscated and destroyed by HMRC (customs in UK) - even after telling the seller to NOT to label the guitar as Gibson or DG-335, the case & guitar had Gibson logos. Fortunately the site I purchased from had buyer protection, so I got a refund. Better luck with my second purchase however all they'd done was put some masking tape over the Gibson Logo! (Sigh). Like you I changed all the electrics, pickups and tuners for Gibson & Govers. I even had the neck re-shaped, slimmed down and re-sprayed (I'm 5ft8 to your 6ft7!) - at which point ! discovered it wasn't painted genuine Pelham Blue. The worst part of it was that the intonation was off. I ended up taking it to a luthier who did the best they could - we even checked all the fret spacing and bridge positions against my epiphone ES-335 and everything was with 1-05.mm tolerance, but the notes all went sharp around the 4-5th fret, especially on the G string - we just couldn’t work out what was wrong! Such a tragedy as it was the guitar I’ve always wanted, but I fell out of love with it and sold it for far less than it cost me in total (new components & luthier work). I’ve played many Chibsons (mainly LPs) and some where exceptional - I guess I was just unlucky. The real rub is that I don’t think I can quite bring myself to spend £1,200 on an epiphone DG-335. As you say - if you have a bit of skill and patience you can end-up with a bespoke hot-rodded DIY-custom shop guitar to your own specifications. Personally I wouldn’t buy another Chibson, unless it was 2nd hand and I could try before I bought it. Keep up the great vids - thanks!

[@AndrewAHayes]

I have often thought about buying a Chibson but with no electronics and no hardware but was scared of it coming with a logo, I have seen videos where a guy had ordered one and specifically asked that no logo be on the headstock and they agreed but then just ignored him. As long as the neck and body are built well the cost is much less than it would even cost me to to buy the wood in the UK and it would even be painted and lacquered. I have a collection of 8 white guitars but don't have an Explorer

[@td_gtr_plyr]

This was a GREAT video, nice work

[@davepatterson4774]

Inspirational! Thank you for making this video. Nicely done, all around.

[@EHou01]

I just snagged an un-branded Explorer off of ebay. Banana headstock. No Gibson logo. Binding on the edges and neck. Seller had 100% feedback and shipped from within the USA. Guitar is nice and heavy. It had trouble getting in tune and needed the action raised. Still needs a set up. Initially sounded terrible. But my first mod was to change the strings and that made a huge difference. Pickups are low end but not microphonic. Electronics are crappy and tuners are bunk. But I have some spare pups that I'm gonna throw in there to make it chug. I'll wait to change the electronics and tuners. But in all, priced lower than a Firefly FFX. Feels really good in my hands and has good bones to upgrade without spending a fortune.

[@deanbartone8187]

It looks and sounds excellent. I just found your channel I like it. I’ll look forward to some more of your videos that came out really good. I too heavy chibson Explorer and I did some upgrades and I love it.

The original pickups sounded killer to me, sounded like they did distortion with a lot of definition. Not sure if new ones are better or not.

[@GODZILLAmonsoon]

This tall man bought a not-splorer for pennies, gutted it, stuffed it back full and ripped a demo that was tastier than anything any major record label has put out in years. bravo.

[@IronSwan-ll5ju]

I also want an explorer and don’t wanna spend $1500-1800 used unless I have to. Loved your plexi glass guitar copy and I’m gonna have to go that route as well for my iconic guitar blood lust.

[@paultaters]

Got this same hale copy model about a year ago, used it on plenty of recordings and it’s a favorite to jam with. Never even changed out the pickups

[@paultaters]

I’ve almost always had to change pickups on “cheaper” guitars.. whether epiphone, Harley Benton, etc. pretty much all my other chibsons have had horrible pickups

[@robertholtom9345]

Yah I enjoyed watching your video, great choices you made to actually own and modify your explorer into a Beast! All done without breaking your bank account. Rock On!

[@christianglaude6659]

5:57 Still looking for a Dg 335 like yours, all the ones out there the diamond holes are not right 🤦

[@JEEJ_MUSIC]

The epiphone models are out now!

[@christianglaude6659]

@@JEEJ_MUSIC I know Just $1899 Canadian Or $1299 USD 🤦

[@victor1jhp]

cool project dude keep rocking

[@tonyjeevar6565]

Minor paint repairs can often be done with nail polish/varnish. Most colours are covered and often you can blend shades.

[@Furiora]

I'm almost sad you changed out the gold. gold and white is just such a classy combination, although the black and chrome look is also pretty cool. First major thought I had was "that bridge needs cleaning asap" XD rock on!

[@jasonkidd1689]

I seen these on Ebay and they got solid reviews on them. Im getting a explorer and custom it out.

[@greggrant502]

Enjoyed the vid. Great playing too

[@joetheriault21]

Funny is looking for a Chris Shiflett cleaver in Sherwood green on the Chinese market to upgrade it and no luck. I had to order the parts from warmoth. Can’t wait for those

[@d.j.9961]

Bro, I watched a "Scar my Guitar" video where Shawn showed a Bullfighter guitar from amazon that he really liked so, I tried to find one just like it & couldn't but, I did find a Bullfighter D-120 (red) LP STYLE from amazon that cost me $150.00 shipped to my door. It is fantastic! I play it daily & put it in a custom case. I might add split coils & 4 wire pick ups but. It's half okay the way it is.

[@philheath9854]

Did you not find the chip that came off in the box ??? might of been able to stick it back on and tidy it up...

[@okayestguitar66]

As for the shapes, a shallow top bout with a long bottom horn is a Futura copy, not an explorer. The sharp ones are a Jackson Kelly copy, about 7/8 size of an Explorer.

[@PortsmouthCherokee]

People forget to take off the plastic covering on the pickups sometimes and claim the pick ups suck. It's pretty fun y

[@Leon-eh2df]

So happy I came across your channel. I've been toying with the same idea in customizing a more "affordable" guitar. I want to go the '84 Explorer route...not a fan of pick guards. Fucking awesome presentation man, knowledgeable and some great tips. Now to find decent hardware in the asshole side of the world... Greetings from South Africa

[@JoshuaPlaysMusic]

Brother, I have no idea why you only have 4k Subs! The content, and quality, of this video is fantastic! And you're a really talented player!

[@St0n_e_man]

His tiktok is where its at

[@JoshuaPlaysMusic]

@@St0n_e_man Thanks I will check it out!

[@bobbyblue2632]

Great project! Sounds pretty good. Just curious what bridge pickup did you use? Thanks

[@intelligenceservices]

there used to be problems even with harpsichords being "counterfeited" hundreds of years ago. but when i think about it, if you just copy someone's instrument, putting the name of who you copied is a form of giving credit to the original rather than creating any confusion that perhaps you were the one who invented it and taking credit for it yourself.

[@jessefillmore]

Awesome , knowing stuff will always save ya money . I understand being a bigger dude and guitars looking hilariously small . I played bass in a band and one day I picked up my girlfriends guitar to play and everyone started laughing about how small the guitar looked LOL . I have a late 2018/ early 2019 Gibson Explorer and it has been my fav . It was part of the first batch Gibson sent out under new ownership so I'm thinking it was made to impress . I've play other Explorers during the 2010's Henry Era and they just didn't have it . Keep up the great work !

[@JeffWagner-i5w]

I own a Chibson Les Paul custom plays great

[@TheMarrvvinn]

Great vid! Can we dive into the instruments of the rest of the Foo? I'd love your perspective on Nate's rig as well as Pat & Shifty's!

[@yodasecondave]

That. Looks. EPIC! And sounds great to boot!

[@offdutyjie]

Jeej, its hilarious how you are an unofficial Chibson Guitar Explorer for us lol! You are an invaluable resource for some of us who may take a small gamble into seeing how some of these guitars will be for us in the Future! Keep the vids up and keep rocking out man! This guitar gives me Dave Grohl mid 2000's vibes!

[@williamlayton1175]

Definitely sounds it looks better but question why did you get the one with the gold all over it if you don't like it?

[@yanagida_01]

12:29 those are most likely a rebranded Artec pickup which is what they use on Epiphones too🤣 they're pretty decent too especially since they cost around 13-20 USD.

[@andyramstedt4387]

Guitar looks and sounds fantastic, well done. You mentioned it was heavy-what does it weigh? What about the neck-was it fatter or thinner?

[@Exercise-01]

That fretboard looks sweet. What do you think is made of ? Richlite?Laurel or pau ferro dyed ? It cant be real ebony. But overall is a beauty and I'm not even a huge explorer fan.

[@Migmat1000]

Looks perfect with those mods! Awsome guitar!

[@golfrick007]

I got the CibPaul custom from AliExspree. It showed up undamaged in about a week after being told it would take a few months.

[@stevenbrooks498]

Dude, like your playing! I have a Gibson Explorer and need a fret leveling but got no one to do it. One dude that i was referred to did some work on it but now its worse. Thinking i will have to buy another guitar until I can find someone who knows what theyre doing

[@IowasPhotographer]

It sounds amazing! Great video

[@mariolafontaine5853]

Very nice playing🤘

[@maraudermusic2714]

I have a ChiESP Explorer and love it!! It is amazing how they can get these to us from China with headstocks perfect condition. Those shipping boxes are kinda bullet proof with all the foam cradling it. Surprised the neck joint took a jolt.

[@brucedickinson8993]

It's really good? Sounds good?

[@markrajfura4443]

where did you get the parts for the guitar?

[@mr.giggles4995]

Nice video! I've been thinking of buying an Ibanez Iceman replica in white.

[@mikey-dubs]

Can you do an update video with one of those lead checking kits, check the frets!

[@johndonzell2049]

Fret size and neck radius and neck shape?? Thanks and great video!

[@Salamiel]

those pickups are probably wilkinson humbuckers, pretty much the best aftermarket that wont break the bank for low end guitars because they're wax potted on a lot of models

[@KentuckyColonel]

The 2023 Korina Explorer Epi's are solid body.. not veneer.. I just bought a husk for $490.. Epi says exact same wood (That's why they cost $1300).. .. doing a build a soon..

[@michaelworse6034]

Great vid , love it . Fiddling with my Koa Chibson . Maybe mahogany . Faber Hardware and soon some nice American ‘59 pups . 58 wiring with CTS pots and input jack . Anyway , I love it ❤

[@BleedingDirt-j8n]

Whats the song playing in the background

[@ozzy844]

The guitar looks absolutely lovely! Ive been thinking about ordering a guitar from china as i am a lefty and there are just some guitar styles i cant get in my price range which i can get from china and use as a mod platform. However i am slightly worried about getting it through customs, if i tell the seller to remove the logo would you know if it will it be fine to go through customs at all? I dont care for the logo i just want a guitar that looks nice.

[@wayne9934]

It's bad ass now after you did the mods......sounds great looks great 👍

[@jesterraj]

Is the neck chunky? ot does the guitar lean forward when standing?

[@YiYang-i7f]

HOw is the neck profile on this? I have a few Chibson Explorers and my one complaint is that the necks are too chunky.

[@djlehara]

I kinda like the way it looks and sounds...as is. DANG

[@crx1vtec]

I bought 2 explorers, on both guitars truss rod is fake, so neck adjustment isnt possible. For now they looks and played great. But bad thing is that adjustment isnt possible

[@Phatzo1000]

You can get rid of the bubbles on the pickguard by putting a tinny pin prick in the middle of them then squeeze them down.

[@MentMicro]

dis the explorer you got have a gibsin/epiphone size tune o matic? ive been looking to buy a chibson and put an frx on it!

[@matthewsalyersjr4965]

Sounds damn good bro! But I wanted to correct ya on just one thing though! I actually got the Chinese copy of the ESP MX-220 .. and maybe it’s just that I got a really good one, but the body shape was pretty much dead on identical to the original MX-220. And how do I know that? Well, because a friend of mine owns a guitar shop and one of his collections. He actually owns one of the original MX 220. EET FUK JH explorer guitars. Yeah he spent $32,000 on that I think he said lol , but yeah, I was actually really surprised everything was damn near for too much dead on. Of course I changed out the pick up and tuners the bridge. Everything else but this Guitar sounds and feels just like the original…. And the trick you did with the soldering, I do that exact same thing because it is way easier that way just to do it in the open and then set it into the Guitar .. but dude you got that Guitar looking seriously bad ass!

[@supercub111]

Just commented on your paint job video and the next video I saw was this explorer video. 2 years ago I walked into guitar center and on the wall was a used Korina 2008 reissue explorer. Since I’ve never seen an explorer in guitar center I grabbed it off the wall immediately. It’s an Epiphone great shape 275.00 it’s the black with white pic guard. By the way the comment your wife said on the couch sounds exactly like my wife. You seem to know wiring. That kit guitar I painted the neck pickup is not working right. Could that be the ground wire?

[@xalexissleepingx]

Damn your videos took a step up! Subscribing man, good work 👍

[@legendofthestrings1]

Hey JEEJ can you provide a link where I can get one? I would love one in silverburst.

[@olegosipchuk]

Hi Jeremy, as always a great guitar review. Will you buy and review the Epiphone DG-335?I wonder what it will be like compared to your replica DG-335.

[@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885]

I'm guessing that unless Epiphone gives him a free one at $1299.00 retail that would be a “no.”

[@drummerboydri]

Do You Have a wiring diagram for the guitar?

[@EricfromBloatGames]

Looks and sounds great!

[@cancelbubble6535]

Great review and song at the end. How did you record the bass and drums? Does anyone know if any "brand" has basically done what was done here? Seems like a missed opportunity to not upgrade these guitars with solid hardware and electronics and sell those upgraded "Chibsons" and hit that $500 price point where the end user doesn't have to upgrade anything as they're getting quality components from the purchase. I think far more people want something great out-of-the-box rather than to upgrade and hope the ROI is there. If I were a Chinese seller, I would definitely try that myself.

[@isimpforfaithordway4618]

Damn man I love your composition skills ❤

[@patrickmichaels1362]

Most importantly, how are the frets and fret ends?

[@feliperuiz2227]

any plan on trying those chinese 7 string warlocks?

[@sleichter]

Fantastic video!

[@tonedpeter]

Great video! Also, you can get the bridge post ferrule thingies out by screwing in a longer bolt of the same thickness. (In case you wanna replace them with chrome ones). Edit: Oh and by the way, my mom with face blindness thought you were Dave Grohl.

[@NelyQueen]

Have you still got your white DG335

[@benwright6330]

..is the es-335 in the back ground a copy?

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

Couple things I bought off of eBay. I did some research and it came from AliExpress.

[@walleyealx]

You may have said it, but what was the final total after all of the upgrades?

[@JEEJ_MUSIC]

There’s a tally at the very end. Ended up just under $500

[@jmelara324]

stupid question especially after this video, but, are you getting the DG-335?

[@gp129]

You had me in the first 30 seconds. Love how supportive our wives are of the ever growing collection

[@ernieflanaganstingraybassm1463]

Great job and you have a great guitar without spending a ton of money !!

[@FastRedPonyCar]

I've been wondering how the Chibson quality has been over the years. They used to be SOOO bad. I've got the real deal red lizzy explorer bird and it's hands down my favorite guitar I've ever owned. Been thinking about snagging a Chibson flying V to throw some high output pickups in for more of a metal guitar where nuance of tone vs a real V wouldn't matter.

[@FastRedPonyCar]

Update: I bought one. Doesn't have the pickguard. It looks like the gibson 80's V with the all black look, no pickguard, 3 in a row controls and who knows what kind of active pickups but at least the battery cavity/holder is already there if I want to stick with actives.

[@ryanarnett3519]

Is there a specific seller you buy from on eBay? I want to order one but I'm afraid of getting ripped off. Any info would be greatly appreciated 🤘🏻

[@raidrocker9048]

He’s the one, pure in his heart.

[@doctoribanez]

I recently saw a news article where us customs ceased a ridiculous number of them. All at the same time

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

That instrumental bit was tasty af.