Members thunder100 Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Dear Community It may sound odd to you,but im my higher age,with rarely giggin naymore and just playing for my own fun,I start to explore "other" guitar worlds I was a 30 + Years diehard Stratocaster player and it took me now 3 years to explore the world of Telecasters. Now I want to make the biggest step of my musical career and try to explore Gibson(EPI)'s as well Once In a while I played Les Paul's-->they are not for me Now I look into a SG or into an Explorer Can somebody guide me a bit? I play Blues via Jazz to Hardrock(no Brutalz) up to a Metallica,Led Zeppelin,Deep Purple level) What are the basic tonal differences?What are the main battlefields of each of them If I would life in US I would go and try each of them 2-3 hours but overhere in Europe this is out of question Thanks for some comments Roalnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SGRocker30 Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Explorers come with ceramic pickups most of the time, which means they tend to have a more aggressive character to them. Of course rolling down the tone knob will cure that some, and plenty of guys have used them for softer tones too. The Edge plays an explorer fairly often I believe. They are also a little heavier and a bit more unwieldy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members craigny Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Well being the owner of two Explorer shapes (a Gibson and an ESP-LTD), I can certinally vouch for their awesomeness!! The shape is very different but that is what drew them to me in the first place. They are nicley balanced and play really well, that bigger body resonates like crazy. Ive never gave an SG a true test, but for some reason ive always been turned off by them..i hear they can be neck heavy which is a huge peave for me, but then again ive heard some guys say that their SG has no neck dive issues:idk:...as far as the pickups it really isint an issue due to the fact that a swap can always be done....my Gibson has the 500T & 496R pickups and my ESP-LTD has EMG'S so they definatley are high output..the SG standard has the 498T & 490R pickups..i wouldn't say the pickups from an SG and an Explorer are worlds apart but definatley different, but again nothing that cant be changed to your liking....best advice is play both and see what one fits you best, can't go wrong either way if you ask me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Stock, Explorer pickups are hotter, if you're comparing the standard models. SGs are lighter, and while standing they can be neck-heavy. Explorers supposedly balance very well while standing. The bigger body of the Explorer will give it a little "bigger" sound than an SG, but they're still comparable - they're both dual-humbucker mahogany guitars, after all. I prefer an SG - I like the lower-output pickups, and the body is more comfortable for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thunder100 Posted March 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Getting old(er) too-->52 From Shape Explorer tempt me more I can't speak for SG's, but I'm getting a bit older (47) and just got my first explorer after wanting one my whole life. I play mostly blues and chose a Hamer Standard because I didn't want to mod the guitar and the stock Gibson pickups were too hot. Hamers come with Duncan '59s, which are far more versitile. Annother (semi) stupid question-->where did you buy the Hamer?ebay,GC,Musician friend revield not much Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members curseoftruth Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 I have lots of experience with both (and Vs and Les Pauls) - I am Gibson guy who has also explored the world of Teles and Strats and they did nothing for me. I'm 45 years and do gig a lot, so this opinion isn't coming from a kid who just played them in a music store. I had a Goth Explorer several years ago. I love the 500T/496R (highly under rated neck pickup) combo and have them in a Les Paul and my V currently. I play a really heavy rock style of southern blues these days. The Explorer is a really big guitar and I like many others wanted one since I was a kid (same with a V). I'm not a huge guy, just about 5' 10" and I found it to be a bit of a beast to play live. Sitting down, they upper edge I thought was kind of sharp where my arm rested on it and it would cut into my arm and leave a big indention. So I ended up finding them a bit uncomfortable to play. Well balanced, yes, comfy, no. They do sound great. I sold it and never really missed it. The other guitarist in my band had a faded Explorer and man did that thing sound great, he sold it and misses it. SGs, now this is a different story. I'm on my 4th one now. Its a love hate thing with them and I think I finally found a keeper. I first had an Epi SG years ago which I loved and played the hell out of it ended being my lab when I started to learn how to mod. I still have it but its a wall decoration in my kid's room! I then picked up a Gibson SG Special in a trade for a Tele I had. All stock, was ebony with the thickest, stickiest, nastiest factory nitro paint job I'd ever seen. Was like a 2001 model I think. Bridge pup was weak and thin. Neck sounded pretty good. Came from a smoker house and the smoke smell would never get out of it. The neck was monstrous also, true baseball bat. I ended up hating that guitar so I sold it. Then came the SG Classic a couple of years later. I wanted a P90 (Gibson single coils) guitar. I wasn't in a band at the time so for bedroom wankery through an Orange RV50 combo, it was a dream. I love that set up - until I started a new band in 2008. I just couldn't get that thing to sound like I wanted for the band. Was a beautiful guitar but even with a ton of gain from a Marshall or an Orange, it sounded like a classic rock guitar. It also had a really sticky nitro paint job that was annoying. So I sold it to fund a new amp. Fast forward to this year, I wanted another P90 guitar, I wanted to try another SG, but I didn't want a really thick nitro neck. So I went with the new 60s SG Tribute. First one had QC issues and I sent it back, but the second one I got - it is a player. Neck is awesome (no sticky!), P90s sound great - took me a few weeks to get used to. Its a lot different animal than my V or Les Pauls. But it works well with my current amps and lets their characteristics shine through. They are tiny, light guitars - so be aware of that. And it sounds awesome for the heavy stuff (I play an Orange RV100 and vintage Sunn amps these days) and it let's the amps characteristics shine through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kherman Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Love my Explorer Pro. Nice big slab of mahogany. Nice D shaped neck. Balances well. Great tones. My only complaint is the access to the 22nd fret isn't easy. Wish they'd put a beveled edge there in the body. So, access on the SG is probably better. But, the drawback to the SG is the larger heel (unless you go '61 SG RI). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 I generally prefer SGs (although I have 2 Explorers including the one that kherman shows above and it does sound fantastic, even with the ceramic pickups it sounds very chimey and vibey) because their tone is a bit more spanky with a bit more vibe to it. The Explorers generally have a phatter sound to them since they are a bigger thicker slab of mahogany. The Explorer Pro above that kherman displays has a smaller body to it and that might possibly be part of why it sounds more vibey and chimey than the Gibson Explorer '76 RI Explorer I first bought for my son, which has the same pickups. The new Explorer Thunderhorse that Gibson is bringing out has Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups which is a really cool feature for us older guys. It means it will be able to play just about any tone from sweet vintage cleans to cranked gain with the right pedals and amp. I have one of those on order for my 3rd Explorer. My first Explorer was actually the Epiphone '58 Korina. Those have a very phat resonant (almost semi-hollow-ish) vintage tone to them. I have a set of 57s I'm going to eventually have installed in it, but the stock sound was pretty good as well. But bottom line, I'd still recommend the SG first. To me they strike a balance between Gibson and Fender tone. Plus they are a much more comfy guitar if you are a recliner rocker like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kherman Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 Agreed, Gas man. And the new Thunderhorse Explorer does look nice. (especially for a cartoon signature model). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 The Gibson SG Standard is the best thing going for just over $1000 I just never really knew until I took delivery of mine and boy does she smell fantastic too. Before this I had the Epiphone G-400 Custom and a faded model The experince here is night and day for me even after all of the mods to the Epi's. There is something electronically and sonic-ally different about this Gibson instrument and it delivers everything promised. The Traditional Pro I have can't even compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brewski Posted March 20, 2011 Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 these are two entirely different beasts!! If you are a Strat/Tele guy you are most likely a bit conservative so the SG is safer and would fit into the group a bit better than the Explorer which is pointy and agressive!! I personally like the heft of a heavier guitar than the SG but that's just me. all-in-all neither is a bad choice - it's just a preference. HECK - Buy on e of each and that'll solve the problem!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted March 21, 2011 Members Share Posted March 21, 2011 Being older and owning both at one time I'ld go with the SG . Explorers are big and SG aren't they are both made out of Mahogany and 2 Humbuckers and sound similar. I wish I'ld never sold any of the 6 SG's ( no they aren't neck heavy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fuzwah Posted March 21, 2011 Members Share Posted March 21, 2011 Just get both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thunder100 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 22, 2011 Just get both! Best of all idea's BUT FULLY OUT OF QUESTION as having 7 guitars allready brings me in a defensive position in arguing with the boss ;-) So need to make a choice Roland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vmanmurph Posted March 23, 2011 Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 I guess a question to ask is do you solo alot? Sg's have a better fretboard access to the upper register than the Explorer, but the Explorer is just so friggin cool. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MrPFloyd Posted March 23, 2011 Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 Have you ever tried the gibson v? I think they may be right up your alley for the styles you want, and they're not as "metal" as people may think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted March 23, 2011 Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 I love SGs. You'll find the sound isn't as rich and thick as a Les Paul - has more of a midrange bark. I feel SGs are the ultimate hard rock lead guitar. Upper fret access is very good so it's ideal for lead playing. Just ask Angus Young! My only gripe with SGs is the neck-heaviness. You really cannot take your hands off the guitar when playing live - although getting the right strap may sort this out. I've never played an Explorer (but always wanted one) - they are usually mahogany and the body is bigger than an SG so I would expect it to be a very fat sounding guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members treedroppings Posted March 23, 2011 Members Share Posted March 23, 2011 a real bargain is a 'the paul' or 'the paul II' both are 15+ yrs old and are mahogany or walnut i got mine in 07 for 550 w case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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