Explorer versus Explorer Pro

[enuenu]

Thanks a lot. My little guitar buying saga has taken an unexpected turn. I was always tossing up between an LP Studio and an Explorer as these two Gibsons are within my budget and fill my needs, and a Gibson I must have. I have played many Explorers and LP Studios over the last few days, a couple of sweet Explorers among them and was thus leaning to an Explorer. Then this afternoon I dropped into another store and played another Explorer and an LP Studio for comparison. The LP Studio sung like a bird and felt so fine. So much better than any previous LP Studio I have tried. The Explorer in this shop was on the other hand as dead as a dodo, it literally had half the sustain of the LP Studio. I am starting to understand that guitars of the same model can vary A LOT. That LP Studio has me squirming now. It had amazing sustain and tone, the most sustain of any guitar I have played in recent days including the LP Standards I played for comparison. I will sleep on it. I can't have both, DOH!

Mr Mow, what does "fretted out" mean. Excuse my ignorance, I can play OK but the only technical term I know is "it buzzed". Same thing?

[Mr.Mow]

Thanks a lot. My little guitar buying saga has taken an unexpected turn. I was always tossing up between an LP Studio and an Explorer as these two Gibsons are within my budget and fill my needs, and a Gibson I must have. I have played many Explorers and LP Studios over the last few days, a couple of sweet Explorers among them and was thus leaning to an Explorer. Then this afternoon I dropped into another store and played another Explorer and an LP Studio for comparison. The LP Studio sung like a bird and felt so fine. So much better than any previous LP Studio I have tried. The Explorer in this shop was on the other hand as dead as a dodo, it literally had half the sustain of the LP Studio. I am starting to understand that guitars of the same model can vary A LOT. That LP Studio has me squirming now. It had amazing sustain and tone, the most sustain of any guitar I have played in recent days including the LP Standards I played for comparison. I will sleep on it. I can't have both, DOH! Mr Mow, what does "fretted out" mean. Excuse my ignorance, I can play OK but the only technical term I know is "it buzzed". Same thing?

 

 

Hey, what ever is working!

by fretting out I mean as you bend the note it will just suddenly die (due to a fret being higher, crooked etc), I've noticed it on several explorers thats all, one of mine had it too, not the end of the world, easy enough to fix, just annoying!

[enuenu]

Oh no, the agony of decision! I played the Explorer and the Studio through a nice Mesa valve amp side by side and it was undeniable that the Explorer had a slightly meaner edge to its tone, which I really liked. I wanted mean and the 500T is just that little bit meaner than the Studio's pickups. I am back on the Explorer path again, regardless of the superior sustain of the Studio. The tuners on the Studio also semmed to work better. I will make up my mind sometime this century. This guitar will have to last me a long time so I had better get it right.

[Zerimas]

Thanks. I am in Canada on holiday now and about to drop around CDN$1000 on one (around $1200 for Pro). Guitar prices in Oz are just plain silly. Do you think the ebony fretboard is a real plus? Harder (denser) wood perhaps?

Wait, you are on vacation in Canada? Why would you leave the warmth of Australia to visit this frozen wasteland?

[enuenu]

I love it. -20 deg C rocks

[enuenu]

It's over. Gibson Ebony '76 Explorer. Lovely guitar. The LP Studio had slightly more sustain but the Explorer had something in its tone I really liked, both when played clean and dirty. The Explorer also just fit really well into my hands, the neck was faster for me. I'm happy.