The Complete Guide To Explorer Guitars
What The Shape Does And Does Not Suit
The Explorer guitar is a set-neck electric built around an angular body with a long upper horn and a thick mahogany core, and it is aimed squarely at hard rock and metal. Standing with a strap, it gives heavy low mids and sustain that holds. Seated, the flat lower edge gives the thigh very little to grip, which catches out players used to a contoured body.
What it is not is a familiar guitar in a different outline. The scale is short and the neck is glued in, so the fretting hand has little to adjust to, but the mass sits differently on a strap and the reach to the first fret is longer. We have served Perth players for twenty years, and the notes below are the ones we hear most often at the counter and on the bench.
Core Specifications, Tone And Timber Rules
Gibson's published specification for the Antique Natural Explorer, a model now discontinued and used here as a specification reference, lists a 24.75 inch, or 628.65 mm, scale length, a mahogany body, a set mahogany neck and a rosewood fingerboard, along with a 12 inch fingerboard radius, 22 frets and a nut width of around 43 mm.
That rosewood fingerboard brings the instrument inside wildlife trade rules, which matters to anyone buying one from overseas rather than off a wall in Perth. The Australian Music Association reported that from 26 November 2019 the import and export of finished musical instruments, finished parts and finished accessories containing Dalbergia, the rosewood genus, no longer requires a CITES permit. Separately, the Department of Agriculture's illegal logging guidance for importers states that musical instruments are not regulated timber products, and that consignments where the regulated timber value does not exceed $1,000 are exempt as well. Biosecurity conditions still apply to wooden manufactured articles in general, and the department's industry advice is to check BICON for the current condition set before anything wooden is shipped in.
The voice follows the timber and the construction, thick through the low mids with a long decay. A mid-forward amp driven hard can tip the low end into mush, so a sensible starting point is to pull the amp's mids back and let the guitar supply them, rather than stacking a mid-boosted pedal in front of it.
Epiphone and LTD ESP are among the electric brands we carry, and our Epiphone range sits on the wall in Joondalup, though stock of any individual model moves, so a call on 08 9300 0033 confirms what is in the shop on the day. Where a given example lands on price depends on the model, the year and the finish, which is why we quote on the instrument in front of us rather than publish a figure.
Balance, Seated Playing And Case Fit
The body is wide at the shoulder and flat along the bottom edge, and that geometry drives most of the ownership questions we hear. On a strap, the mass sits behind the bridge while the long horn pushes the neck out in front, so the headstock wants to drop. A wide strap with a grippy backing is the simple remedy, and we offer servicing and repairs, with free quotes in-store, where more than that is needed.
Seated, the flat lower bout slides off the thigh, which matters for students and for anyone who practises sitting down. Hooking the lower horn over the leg, or simply wearing the strap while seated, settles it. The asymmetric outline also means the guitar does not drop into a standard rectangular or dreadnought-shaped case, and many hanging wall mounts will not take the headstock, so fit is worth checking before a bag or a hanger is bought. Our guide to choosing a hard case or gig bag covers how to judge that.
Many hangers are cut for a narrow headstock and will not cradle a long one safely. Measure the headstock at its widest point and compare it with the hanger's opening before anything goes on a wall.
For a smaller-framed player, a left-handed player or a child, this is not an accommodating shape. A conventional double-cutaway sits better seated, so the Fender electric guitars wall is the usual alternative.
Setup, Restrings And Headstock Protection
The nut carries most of the load on this headstock, so when tuning jumps after a bend, the cause is often a tight or dry nut slot rather than the tuners, and the answer is slot dressing and lubrication, sometimes with locking tuners to make restringing tidier. Truss rod access sits under the shaped head, so the right short wrench earns its place in the case.
The angled headstock and the glued neck joint are the points that suffer in a knock, which is the practical argument for a case that genuinely fits the shape. We offer re-strings, parts, servicing and repairs, with free quotes in-store at Unit 4/101 Winton Rd, Joondalup, open 7 days, and because the cost depends entirely on what the instrument needs, we do not quote setup work by model.
Inspecting A Used Example Before Buying
A second-hand one is worth buying when the headstock, the neck joint and the model identity all stand up to a close look. The headstock and the neck joint are where a knock shows, and a repair there bears on what an instrument is worth, so inspection follows a set order.
- Headstock and neck joint: sight along the back of the neck into the head under a bright light, feeling for a step, a ridge or a change in gloss, and press the joint area for any hairline crack.
- Finish evidence: look for overspray, a colour mismatch at the head, or lacquer that is thicker in one band than elsewhere, all of which point to past work.
- Timber and hardware: confirm the body timber from the serial and model rather than from the grain, and check the bridge, tailpiece and tuners are original and complete.
- Model and year: confirm which model and year it is against the maker's published specification for that run, because feel and value follow the specification rather than the outline.
Body timbers cannot be separated by eye with any confidence, since finish and figure hide a great deal. The timber is identified from the model and serial, backed by the maker's specification for that run, and a seller's description without that evidence is best treated with caution rather than argued over grain.
Timber becomes a paperwork question when an older instrument is coming in from abroad. The Department of Agriculture's CITES timber species factsheet records that Brazilian rosewood, Dalbergia nigra, remains listed on CITES Appendix I and is still a controlled import, so the finished instrument exemption does not extend to it. Where pre-Convention status is claimed for older rosewood, the same factsheet gives shipment or transit records into Australia, an independent age assessment, or a statutory declaration detailing how the instrument was acquired as acceptable evidence. Players who intend to travel with an instrument should also note that, as the Australian Music Association set out in a 2022 update, Australia has not implemented the Musical Instrument Certificate system used by some other CITES parties, so one cannot be obtained here.
Our guide to buying a second hand guitar in WA covers the paperwork and the seller checks that sit alongside this.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Shape As A First Guitar
An Explorer guitar is not where we would usually start a beginner, mainly because of how it behaves seated. A student who is set on the shape should budget for a setup and plan to practise with the strap on. Otherwise, our guide to the best starter guitar covers the easier options, and music tuition is available through the Joondalup School of Music on 08 9300 0965.
The Upgrades That Actually Change The Instrument
A proper setup first, every time, because nut and relief work fixes more complaints than parts do. After that, pickups move the voice furthest, with traditional humbuckers for a classic rock tone and an active set for modern metal. Locking tuners speed up restringing, and strap button placement is the simplest cure for neck dive.
Contact information: Joondalup Music Centre, Unit 4/101 Winton Rd, Joondalup, open 7 days, ph 08 9300 0033. We are a Joondalup shop serving players across Perth, and we ship Australia-wide.