The Great Mystery eBay Explorer! Can You Solve the Case? 1982 Gibson Explorer Reissue Review + Demo
1,932Find Your Own Explorer on eBay!
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_odkw%3Dexplorer%26rmvSB%3Dtrue%26_osacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2045573.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xgibson%2Bexplorer.TRS0%26_nkw%3Dgibson%2Bexplorer%26_sacat%3D0&campid=5338292223&toolid=20008
Oh boy... it seems eBay is filled with mystery guitars. You've got to know your stuff when buying electric guitars at auction because what you get isn't always what the seller portrays (or sometimes even knows.)
In this case, this was an Explorer that someone traded some car parts for back in the 80s. The owner had it since then and was surprised to hear about my findings that this guitar has a troubled past.
I am very confident this is an original Gibson Neck, however, I am not so sure about the body. I am thinking this Gibson Explorer neck was placed on an lawsuit/import Ibanez (or similar brand such as Greco) body and this happened early on in its life.
The neck still have the original finish over it, but the body has been spray painted multiple times. Black, Red and Black. This spray paint covers the heel joint, so I believe there has either been a heel repair or a renecking done.
The only mystery to the neck is why the serial number is upside down. It is the Norlin era so anything is possible though. The lack of Made In USA stamp is semi-common to see on reissues like these and the font appears correct as does the construction of the neck.
So let's dive in and Learn about the History of the Gibson Explorer - take a look at the story of this guitar and see if we can solve the mystery together! All I know is that it plays really well! There is just something magical about an old explorer. They just feel so cool.
This was sold to me as a stock 1982 Gibson Explorer. As you can see, this is not the lower-end explorer that usually sells for $1,000-$1,500, this is the higher end 'reissue' explorer. It is easy to tell the difference because the lower end ones will have the Gold Silkscreen Gibson logos and a Nashville Style Bridge. This one has the correct Gibson ABR-1 Bridge and Mother of Pearl Gibson logo. These 'reissue' type explorers are usually in the $2,000-$3,000 range. No, this is not one of the Korina ones (even more $$$) - it appears to be made of all mahogany.
So first, here is the good: The ABR-1 bridge on this guitar is an era correct 80s part, the TP-6 tailpiece is non-original to this model, but is a genuine 70s/80s part. It has the correct Schaller-made Gibson tuners, an original 80s Styled Gibson Explorer case and the guitar plays very nicely (nice full feeling neck.) Seriously... this guitar SLAYS! These parts are worth roughly $600+ on their own.
Here is the bad: The whole body of the guitar has been spray painted black, covering the heel joint. I can only assume this means there is some type of heel repair, filled in Kahler Route (I don't see any outlines of one though) or maybe the finish was just worn and needed touched up. It's also possible the whole body was replaced - I can't be 100% sure either way.
The guitar smells of spray paint, but besides lots of steel wool scratches, it actually looks pretty good. There is a paint run on the front and back of the guitar where I spilled some lacquer thinner. I was trying to remove some of the finish under the pickguard to view the wood underneath.
The Serial number is stamped upside down and there is no Made In USA stamp.The font looks correct with other 80s reissue explorers and the finish on the neck glows under blacklight the way I would expect it to. Seeing as this a Kalamazoo made guitar, it is quite common to see these without the Made in USA stamp. A follower sent me photos of his '76 spec'd 80s explorer that had the same lack of Made in USA stamp as well as the same serial font - but stamped the other way around. There appears to be a crack by the low E string tuner - right along the 'wing' line which is common to see. I am 99% confident this is an 80s explorer neck with the original finish.
All of the electronics have been changed out to what looks like old overseas stuff - pickups, pots, everything. Honestly, plugged into my amps, I would've guessed they were Gibson pickups as they sound pretty darn good. These don't necessarily need replaced. The pickups have chrome covers on them, the rest of the guitar is gold. The pickguard might be the original one. It has many scratches and black marks from the spray paint job. It is possible this is a homemade version, but after looking at it more, it may be original. There was a little bit of extra routing (very professional) under the pickguard to make room for a mini-toggle switch which is no longer hooked up. The knobs are modern replacements.
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