The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro), made its debut in 1958, then known as the Futura. It offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. Its initial run was unsuccessful and it was discontinued in 1959. In 1975, Gibson began reissuing the Explorer after other guitar companies had success selling similar designs. Image File history File links Explorer_guitar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Typical Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar Tune-o-matic (also abbreviated to TOM) is a fixed bridge for electric guitars, designed by Gibson and introduced in 1954 in Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar. ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... Traditional humbucker pickup, uncovered A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Gibson Flying V is a popular electric guitar first released in 1958 by Gibson. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Highly valued

Gibson produced fewer than 100 Explorers during the 1958 run of the original Korina wood model. The low availability of this guitar has increased its value significantly and made them prized collectibles. A collectible (or collectable) is typically a manufactured item designed for people to collect. ...

Explorer variations

There have been several variants produced by Gibson, including several smaller, more "user friendly" versions such as the Studio Explorer and the Matthias Jabs designed Explorer 90 (named so because it was 90% the body of a regular Explorer). An explorer was also produced in Gibson's "Goth" line, which feature some of Gibson's most renowned guitars including the Explorer, Flying V, SG, and Les Paul in Matte Black Finishes. Several variants are also produced by Epiphone, Gibson's lower cost, offshore operation. These include a model produced in Korina Wood and Epiphone's own "Goth" model. Matthias Jabs (born October 25, 1955) is a German guitarist and songwriter. ... The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s. ... For the jazz guitarist, see Les Paul. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... Limba (Terminalia superba ) is a dark hardwood native to Africa. ...

Other makers

The Hamer Guitar company created a tribute to the Explorer in 1974 called the Hamer "Standard" . Gaining popularity with the more progressive rock musicians of the day, Hamer's success led the way for other reissues, including those from Gibson. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Jackson guitar company (now a subsidiary of Fender) was once sued by Gibson for their line of Kelly guitars, which are very similar to the X-plorer, although more lightweight. The Kelly was sleeker and lighter, but was otherwise identical. The most famous user of this line is Marty Friedman of Megadeth fame. The Jackson logo Jackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. ... It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ... Marty Friedman (born Martin Adam Friedman December 8, 1962 in Washington, D.C., United States) is an American guitarist. ... Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ...

High-end guitar company Alembic Inc produced a few custom made bass guitars for the late John Entwistle of the Who. These basses had the body shape of the Explorer. After his death, Alembic released a limited number of the bass guitars based on John's custom basses. Warwick also produces the Stryker basses, based on the custom basses. Alembic Dragons Breath Custom Bass Guitar Alembic was founded in 1969 and is a manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps. ... John Alec Entwistle (October 9, 1944 – June 27, 2002) was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, and horn player, who was best known as the bass guitarist for rock band The Who. ... It has been suggested that Bob Pridden be merged into this article or section. ... Warwick Streamer 5-string bass Warwick is a bass guitar company founded in Germany in 1982. ...

Other companies that have produced Explorer-esque guitars are: ESP, Dean Guitars, Ibanez, Jackson, Yamaha, Kramer and Peavey. ESP Company, Limited ), located in North Hollywood, California, is a prominent manufacturer of electric guitars and basses, originally from Japan. ... Dean Guitars is a manufacturer of musical instruments. ... This article is about the guitar manufacturer. ... The Jackson logo Jackson is a guitar manufacturer originally owned and operated by Grover Jackson, a partner of Wayne Charvel of Charvel Guitar Repair. ... The Yamaha Corporation (ヤマハ株式会社; TYO: 7951 ) is a Japanese company with a large number of product areas. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Peavey Guitars are musical instruments manufactured by Peavey Electronics. ...

In 2007, the Xbox 360 video game Guitar Hero II was released with the Explorer as a controller, as well as being one of the featured playable guitars in the game. (a Gibson SG was featured on the PS2). 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... Guitar Hero II is a music video game and a sequel of Guitar Hero. ... The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s. ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ...

Xbox 360 exclusive Gibson Explorer controller

Image File history File links Gh2-explorer-controller. ... Image File history File links Gh2-explorer-controller. ...

Notable Explorer players

Main article: List of Gibson players

A Gibson Les Paul Studio model This is an alphabetized list of musicians who have made notable use of Gibson Guitar models in live performances or studio recordings. ...

References

• Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars By George Gruhn
• The Ultimate Guitar Book By Tony Bacon
• Guitar World Magazine-October 2005

See also

• Gibson Guitars

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

• Gibson's X-Plorer Webpage