The Gibson Epiphone Explorer EX 1984

Back to the Future stuff

Can you believe that this Gibson Epiphone Explorer electric guitar was first introduced by Gibson back in 1958. When I first saw this Gibson I would not think that the design was so old. I would have thought 1980s but late 1950s.. that sure is something else. I would not be suprised that this electric guitar would have been considered "radical" at the time. Guitar players that have used the Explorer on records and tours are probably in the thousands. Players like James Hatfield have played the Explorer.


Now the picture shows a 1984 Epiphone Explorer EX. The white Epiphone 1984 Explorer EX looks like the model that Hetfield used to play with no pickguard, black humbuckers and headstock. Come on look at that guitar!! 1950s!! Maybe they took the design of the space shuttle. Or a Hot Rod. There's a movie called the Hot Rod Gang that came out that same year. It's about a kid who wants to enter his car in the drag races joins a rock band to make enough money to do it.


The 1984 Explorer EX features a solid mahogany body for a light but balanced weight that’s perfect for long hours on stage and in rehearsal. Mahogany also gives the “1984” EX subtle tonal shades and biting sustain when played at loud volume. The mahogany neck is hand-fitted and glued into the body. It features a 24.75” scale length rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium/jumbo frets, a 1.68” nut width, and a radius of 14”. You’ll also notice the “1984” Explorer has no pickguard, giving the guitar a sleek, uncluttered and modern look.

The “1984” EX’s Big Brother tone comes from one Active EMG-85 neck pickup and one Active EMG-81 bridge pickup. The EMG-85 uses two Alnico magnet-loaded coils with a wide aperture for a beefy low end and a fat top end. The EMG-81 pickup is designed especially for lead guitar and excels at high volume overdrive. Distortion during lead passages is consistent with long sustain and smooth breakup fades. The Active EMG pickups excel at pushing any amp into overdrive. The EMG-81 features ceramic magnets and close aperture coils for a ringing sustain and high end cut. The combination of both the neck and bridge positions make for head ringing that will cut through any stage volume. A hinged compartment on the back makes changing the active pickup’s 9-volt battery easy. The pickup selector is an Epiphone all metal three-way toggle switch.


Controls feature all black hardware and are straight-forward with Master Volume and Master Tone, making blends and volume adjustments quick. Like all Epiphone electric guitars, the 1984 Explorer EX includes Epiphone’s trademark LockTone  Tune-o-matic bridge and LockTone Stopbar tailpiece, which provide solid string tension and quick tuning accuracy. Tuners are Grover(R) with metal buttons and Epiphone’s own exclusive non-rotating heavy-duty output jack.

Great Guitar Sound

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