Gibson Explorer and Age Question

Goldmember said:
...but, at the age of 53, does the Explorer, with its highly groovy styling, look silly on us older gents that are not famous musicians?
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You should be ashamed of yourself for asking this question.

Get the Explorer and put a gold Kahler on it....like this one:

full


Yes. That's mine.

Don't you just love it...the look of it...the taste of it...the schmell of it....!
 
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They sound wonderful but I am a little guy and huge slab guitars
with points sticking out all over the place don't work for me.
(Yet I play 335s, which are also big, but it's different.)
Buy the damn guitar. Why is this even a question?
 
Goldmember said:
Hi Mates,

(Yes, I realize that I may be opening myself up to the, "why give a $hit what people think" and "grow up, man" types of responses, but I trust you guys here at the Rooms of Tone, so go easy....It's an age-related question.)

I have always loved the looks, the feel, the taste, the shmell...(you get it)...of the Explorer. I have loved them since I was 14 years old. I'm thinking of buying a 2017 T in black, but, at the age of 53, does the Explorer, with its highly groovy styling, look silly on us older gents that are not famous musicians? I must remind myself that I'm not in my 20s and 30s. Can this be pulled off in gigs without looking affected, similar to wearing a costume or a toupée? I understand that, if it feels good and plays good, nothing else matters. I respect your thoughts on this.
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No, my friend. Rock n' Roll and music in general is one of the most forgiving and bullshit-free activities mankind ever created.

Age, gender, size... Nothing matters except you liking what you're doing.

I think size would e the only aspect that could be an issue, but look at Ronnie James Dio, Angus and Malcolm Young, Prince... 5' guys who ROCK a full capacity stadium.

Nah, if you like the explorer and feel good playing it, what does your age have to do with anything? I recently saw a video of a very badass band (can't recall the name", a bunch of old geezers with white hair and beards, their guitarist played a V. Vs are even more badass in attitude than explorers, and he looked the part all right.

As long as you don't dress like a school boy or a Kiss member, you're all right (and they are too even doing that, but you don't get paid what they do to do that).

And don't forget to post pictures of that sexy beast when you buy it, play it and paint it GOLD
 
Thanks for the responses.

Closest I could get to gold is the limited edition 2016 Faded Explorer, though it has chrome hardware. I don't understand why Gibson decided to place the jack on the top, rather than the traditional location. I don't mind the "nude" approach of no pickguard (with toggle moved closer to the controls).

DSXF16VACH1_MAIN_HERO_01.jpg
 
Goldmember said:
Thanks for the responses.

Closest I could get to gold is the limited edition 2016 Faded Explorer, though it has chrome hardware. I don't understand why Gibson decided to place the jack on the top, rather than the traditional location. I don't mind the "nude" approach of no pickguard (with toggle moved closer to the controls).

View attachment 1761
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Love it! And the jack location doesn't bother me at all (I suspect they moved it to be more PCB compatible).
My only gripe is the lack of pickguard.
 
Ah....Bun E. Carlos. What a cool drummer. Always had a cig burning, and was as tight as a metronome. I miss him!
 
I felt the same way last month when I ordered the V...but I figured what the hell you're never really too old if you dig something...
 
You can also move the toggle into the neck volume spot and move the two volume pots back one place, deleting the tone pot. Best mod I ever did to mine. You can either replace the pickguard with one with the hole deleted or install a toggle for a series/parallel, coil-split, or phase switch

The cherry model out at the moment might like okay with gold hardware installed.

Moving the toggle involves a rewire and reaming the hole out though

Also I am pretty old but I have one ...

NLNSghu.jpg
 
Goldmember said:
Ah....Bun E. Carlos. What a cool drummer. Always had a cig burning, and was as tight as a metronome. I miss him!
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Goldmember said:
Ah....Bun E. Carlos. What a cool drummer. Always had a cig burning, and was as tight as a metronome. I miss him!
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Thought you might like this.... My band The Boyzz played the same bar circuit back in the 70's we all lived about 45 minutes away from each other, we were playing a gig in Rockford with CCR, Bunny and Rick showed up at the gig, came up later and jammed with us, crowed loved it, CCR not so much.

me and Bun E. Carlos.JPG
 
I'm definitely in the camp of, get the guitar that you want, love, and desire.

We play guitar, we love guitar. Life goes by in the blink of an eye. Enjoy what you control....Get it!!
 
Goldmember said:
Ah....Bun E. Carlos. What a cool drummer. Always had a cig burning, and was as tight as a metronome. I miss him!
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I knew his sister. She plays violin and was a really nice, down-to-earth person. You'd never know by the way she acted that her brother was a rock star.
 
BTW, can's speak for modern Explorers, but I had a wonderful experience many years ago at Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island.

In the high-end room they had an original Explorer and an original 'Burst (this was way back when they were just 5-figure guitars instead of 6 or 7 like now). Plugged into a Super Reverb and cranked, the Explorer took the Les Paul's lunch, stepped on it, then turned around and gave it a wedgie, then took the Paul's book bag and threw it into a ravine. Then it laughed.

It was that incredibly toneful.
 
Paul G. said:
BTW, can's speak for modern Explorers, but I had a wonderful experience many years ago at Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island.
In the high-end room they had an original Explorer and an original 'Burst (this was way back when they were just 5-figure guitars instead of 6 or 7 like now). Plugged into a Super Reverb and cranked, the Explorer took the Les Paul's lunch, stepped on it, then turned around and gave it a wedgie, then took the Paul's book bag and threw it into a ravine. Then it laughed.
It was that incredibly toneful.
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That was the Super Reverb they had sitting in the "high end" room.
I tried to buy that from Stan so many times it became a running joke
between us. I would walk in and his greeting would be "Not today
either." I miss him. He was a good guy.
 
Tony M. said:
That was the Super Reverb they had sitting in the "high end" room.
I tried to buy that from Stan so many times it became a running joke
between us. I would walk in and his greeting would be "Not today
either." I miss him. He was a good guy.
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Stan Jay is missed by a lot of people.

P
 
Six String said:
Rock on Weas........ and Goldmember too!
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+1 on that!

And here's my take on old guys playing radical guitars: If the guitar makes you feel like you need to live up to the image,
THAT'S A GOOD THING! The older we get, the more we realize that: that thing about getting set in yer ways when yer old
is no joke.

A radical guitar might be a cure. Or at least a remedy. There really is no cure for our age.
"You can get as New Age as you want, but Old Age is still gonna kick yer ass..." --Utah Philips.

People on ETSG told me when I signed up: My new SG would enhance my playing and make it possible for me to
perform guitar parts I never knew I could.

I scoffed, but this was true. I will venture to admit that the Explorer may have the same effect.
Anyway, it's not about the gear... it's about the music. So if a new and radical guitar helps you to pop yourself
out of whatever rut you've slid into at the age you mention: then more power to you. Embrace it!

Personally, the SG does it for me, and I don't need an explorer. But the Explorer is a fine example of Gibson radicalism
at its best. Enjoy it, and allow it to take you places you never knew you could go.
 
Explorers generally have huge sustain and will enable you to play slower, heavier forms of music than you might with some other guitar types
 
The old age thing is a figment of your imagination... and a temperament thing of the body!

I have a T-shirt I wear from time to time that says: "Think old and you'll be old! Think young and you'll be a delusional old stinker!" :pound-hand:
 
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