Selling: Epiphone hard case (SOLD)

Holiday eve listing. Have an Epiphone hard case to let go since it ended its duty today.

Condition: 8/10. Fits Explorer I think you can see my Explorer outline there. 😅 Due to my medical condition, I can only deal at Bt Batok mrt station; thanks for understanding.

• Selling: Epiphone hard case (8/10 condition)
• Fits: Explorer type shape
• Deal at Bukit Batok MRT station
• No reservations / trades
• Query / confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $70

EDIT: Folks, this case fits the Explorer shape the best, please note. Price revised.

G vs D (Part 2)

No, the Dean camp does not take things lying down. It seems there's a fair bit of defence/ fight coming. They remind the world that their versions of the V & Z models were there for the taking back in 1976 & question why this is unfolding now. 

From an intellectual property perspective, we note that Gibson had filed the V design trademark registration in April 1997.

The Explorer design was registered in the same month/ year, just a few days following the V documentation. 

The way I see it, Gibson is pushing the courts for a legit recognition of its design which became increasingly difficult owing to commonality & the lack of perpetual protection. They are trying to show the courts the elements of infringement & design sharking should this be unaddressed. Dean is simply a scapegoat in all this considering the timing of things. You need not agree on this, it's just me coming from the legal end of how things are shaping up between these two guitar giants. I'm for mitigation, definitely. Legal proceedings are costly & subsequently affect the consumers as well. 

Gibson 2019- moving on (2)

Still on what's to come from the Gibson camp (2019)- the B2 series, starring this Flying V...

... and the Explorer.

These really look the works, especially if you're in a metal outfit, black is it. Dirty Fingers humbuckers, all mahogany, rosewood fretboard & slim taper neck seems to be a workable formula. Also, these instruments will be priced cheaper than the 'standard' versions as they come with a bag instead of a hard case. 

Exploring expectations

Considering the price-to-goodness ratio, if you are intending to spend good money on a Gibson next year, I believe this Explorer T (USD1,299) is a safe investment. If you have ever played an Explorer before, you'd be impressed with that incredible sustain & a bottom end focus. 2016's version feature the gain-friendly 496R/500T pickup combo so it's something to behold tone-wise. However, the quirky Explorer design means you have to deal with that extra tail end flap which some find undesirable.

Gibson: Blackout Explorer

The newbie by Gibson- Blackout Explorer. Definitely meant for high gain applications with those Dirty Fingers humbuckers in there. Looks the works but again, the manufacturer's choice for fingerboard material remains questionable- it's a composite material.

Gibson Kelliher

Mastodon's Bill Kelliher has his own Explorer dubbed the Golden Axe. Thought he has a thing for Les Pauls... Interesting to note he's having non-Gibson pickups in there (LACE Nitro Hemi).

Red rocking 2

Sammy Hagar had a Gibson Les Paul done for him in conjunction with his involvements in the 'super band' Chicken Foot: CLICK. This time round, the Explorer gets the Red Rocker treatment.

Exploring 7...

Gibson jumps into the 7 bandwagon; the Explorer is now offered with an extra string for your consideration. Wise move: EMG pickups. I strongly urge fellow 7 string players to consider active pickups when you peddle lower notes for your music; these do wonders for single notes definition, especially so for detuned stuff.

Holy what?!

Despite not being my preferred brand name, I have great respect for Gibson because these guitars are still the standard to beat in terms of craftsmanship & tone. The Holy (pun intended) Explorer (pic above) is one of those really peculiar production which would have you dismiss the manufacturer for desperation despite the herculean goodwill of the name.

Tribal Explorer

This is something we don't see too often- a whammy bridge in a Gibson guitar (2009 Limited Edition Gibson Tribal Explorer). Let's face it, which 'normal' person would be very enthusistic with such a contraption in a 'Gibson'?

Ok, maybe Neil Schon...

The first (Part 4)

The first person whom I saw play a Gibson Explorer was U2's the Edge. He's another one of those minimalists to have made an impact on me but his playing was (still is) effects laden, in fact, the delay effect & this chap are quite synonymous.

The thing I like about him is that he fits in the guitar parts into the songs regardless of the song's nature. This is also the reason why I like Zooropa the best- the most electronica U2 release & probably the most disliked if you are a traditional U2 fan. I remember having Zooropa in my Walkman years ago (in perpetual repeat mode) & cycling along East Coast Parkway at sunset... those were the days.

Van Halen: Ibanez Destroyer

Back in time when bell-bottoms were about to make way for the skinnies, the Jap guitar manufacturers had a lucrative occupation- they were enjoying their fills as copycats. One of the more well known brand names in this notoriety is Ibanez, more so for their remarkable craftsmanship, which was about to knock off the genuine articles in their own turf, than their reputation for being mere blatant reproductions.

This scheme of things even caught the attention of one Edward Van Halen who took a liking for the manufacturer's interpretation (which possess negligible differences in essence) of Gibson's fabled Explorer guitar simply because the korina wood used sounded fantastic. However, one day, possibly under the influence of foul constellation alignment which conjured bad karma, the aforementioned Mr. Ed decided to give his Ibanez a creative touch by hacking off a substantial portion of the instrument beyond its bridge's hard tail. The entailment of this spur of inventiveness resulted in total annihilation of immaculate tones; it was a gonner.

The issue here is, how much wood is substantial for good tones to manifest? We know that there are guitars with lesser fibre in the body which sound great, we need not tread the Explorer excess to possess ear candy but it all boils down to the design per se. The Explorer was conceived in such an outline by the designer to give off great tone in view of the volume of wood used. Mess with this formula & the consequences might be dire (tone-wise) as discoved by EVH.