Greetings, guitardom. Amidst all the Gibson thrashing in the mean time, I've decided to invest in this guitar- the 2016 Gibson Explorer T. The T there stands for Traditional. Recall that 2016 saw the Gibson models dichotomised into two camps, the T (traditional) & HP (high performance). The latter model was spec'd with an adjustable metal nut & a set of (heinous) robot tuners. I'm not a fan of desecration so I went with the T. It's a fresh purchase, from Swee Lee.
I'm not an Explorer fan in any way, but this is a good time to own one seeing that Gibson prices are not coming down any time soon. The primary reason for disliking the Explorer is the body outline; it features a very excessive upper bout protrusion which is unnecessary & reflects poor ergonomics. There is a very high tendency for the user to knock this part of the instrument onto nearby structures & makes movement in standing position very awkward, not to mention clumsy. However, we cannot deny the fact that this extension is the reason why Gibson Explorers are the go-to instruments when sustain is the order of the day.
Three main reasons why I'm happy with this instrument: 1) The default pickups. The 500T & 496R are my type of Gibson pickups- absolutely brutal when it comes to distortion & manifest individual notes clarity. I won't be swapping them out. 2) Slim taper neck. OK not that slim in the industry but speed-inducing with lots of grip potential. Again, my type of Gibson neck.
3) Headstock. The 6-in-line tuners are, in my opinion, the most stable amongst the Gibson designs. This model comes with a bag but the width of it makes bringing it around in public transport a little challenging.
Big thanks to Mr. Faizal at Swee Lee I12 Katong for making this happen.
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