Gibson Explorer Electric Guitar For Sale (2023 Update)

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought one of these a couple years ago. Fit and finish was ok, but static popping when touching pick guard and strings. The volume pot for bridge pickup goes silent when pushed at 10. Poor shielding on these guitars. I spent over 150 resolving the issue rather than letting it languish with Gibson.Timothy

I rarely buy new, but this was worth it. Unbelievably light (just over 7 pounds) and incredibly resonant. The entirely thing noticeably vibrates with each strum. Love the gloss nitro, gives the body and neck a sleek feel. Very good fretwork. BB2/BB3 combo in this guitar is perhaps my favorite HB combo thus far for rock tones, and I have been through many of the biggest mass-market pickups. Very versatile. What's also really impressive is that this is as comfortable as any guitar I've owned so far, out of dozens. It's surprisingly…ergonomic? Really, don't knock an Explorer before you try it. Also, it looks killer if you're into that mid-century modern thing. It's a little pricey for what it is, but if you play an awesome one and can foot the bill, I say go for it. Only bad thing I'd note is that the jack plate is mounted off-center. Not terribly so, but noticeable. It's baffling, the rest of the guitar is all aces, but this looks like someone eyeballed it when the drilled it. The guitar as a whole is so good that I'm not going to go into a whole Gibson quality rant, but it is really weird that something like that slides by. A close friend has a '19 Standard with the same issue. I also have a TV Yellow Special with some really minor finish issues along the bottom of the neck binding. Again, nobody will see it, but if you're dropping thousands of $$$…your mileage may vary. It will be up to you whether to overlook it. Be sure to give it your "55 point inspection."Bam Bam Gordy

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought one of these a couple years ago. Fit and finish was ok, but static popping when touching pick guard and strings. The volume pot for bridge pickup goes silent when pushed at 10. Poor shielding on these guitars. I spent over 150 resolving the issue rather than letting it languish with Gibson.Timothy

I rarely buy new, but this was worth it. Unbelievably light (just over 7 pounds) and incredibly resonant. The entirely thing noticeably vibrates with each strum. Love the gloss nitro, gives the body and neck a sleek feel. Very good fretwork. BB2/BB3 combo in this guitar is perhaps my favorite HB combo thus far for rock tones, and I have been through many of the biggest mass-market pickups. Very versatile. What's also really impressive is that this is as comfortable as any guitar I've owned so far, out of dozens. It's surprisingly…ergonomic? Really, don't knock an Explorer before you try it. Also, it looks killer if you're into that mid-century modern thing. It's a little pricey for what it is, but if you play an awesome one and can foot the bill, I say go for it. Only bad thing I'd note is that the jack plate is mounted off-center. Not terribly so, but noticeable. It's baffling, the rest of the guitar is all aces, but this looks like someone eyeballed it when the drilled it. The guitar as a whole is so good that I'm not going to go into a whole Gibson quality rant, but it is really weird that something like that slides by. A close friend has a '19 Standard with the same issue. I also have a TV Yellow Special with some really minor finish issues along the bottom of the neck binding. Again, nobody will see it, but if you're dropping thousands of $$$…your mileage may vary. It will be up to you whether to overlook it. Be sure to give it your "55 point inspection."Bam Bam Gordy

Bought one of these a couple years ago. Fit and finish was ok, but static popping when touching pick guard and strings. The volume pot for bridge pickup goes silent when pushed at 10. Poor shielding on these guitars. I spent over 150 resolving the issue rather than letting it languish with Gibson.Timothy

I rarely buy new, but this was worth it. Unbelievably light (just over 7 pounds) and incredibly resonant. The entirely thing noticeably vibrates with each strum. Love the gloss nitro, gives the body and neck a sleek feel. Very good fretwork. BB2/BB3 combo in this guitar is perhaps my favorite HB combo thus far for rock tones, and I have been through many of the biggest mass-market pickups. Very versatile. What's also really impressive is that this is as comfortable as any guitar I've owned so far, out of dozens. It's surprisingly…ergonomic? Really, don't knock an Explorer before you try it. Also, it looks killer if you're into that mid-century modern thing. It's a little pricey for what it is, but if you play an awesome one and can foot the bill, I say go for it. Only bad thing I'd note is that the jack plate is mounted off-center. Not terribly so, but noticeable. It's baffling, the rest of the guitar is all aces, but this looks like someone eyeballed it when the drilled it. The guitar as a whole is so good that I'm not going to go into a whole Gibson quality rant, but it is really weird that something like that slides by. A close friend has a '19 Standard with the same issue. I also have a TV Yellow Special with some really minor finish issues along the bottom of the neck binding. Again, nobody will see it, but if you're dropping thousands of $$$…your mileage may vary. It will be up to you whether to overlook it. Be sure to give it your "55 point inspection."Bam Bam Gordy

Value: This guitar and others in the Epiphone line at this price point to $100 more are excellent value for money. If you need a set up and want to replace something, you still come out well under the price of the Gibson equivalent. The Wow Factor: It's different. It has character. It's sexy in It's own way. Just like me, haha 😉 Overall: It's been long years since I had an Explorer, mostly playing acoustics and Teles for a long time. I wanted humbuckers and a flatter fretboard than what Fender typically supplies, so I tried just about every Gibson and Epiphone model I could get my hands on. There were some contenders: LPs, 335s/Sheratons, even SGs which I never really cared for but was pleasantly surprised. None really felt comfortable to hold or play, all other factors being equal. Nostalgia called me back to the Explorer. It's big, drips with character and attitude, and is so easy to play sitting down or standing. If Gibson had a korina-bodied reissue model, I would have gone with that. The Olive Drab Green stood out to me, not positively at first, but I kept coming back to it. At this price, I could afford to upgrade everything from pickups to tuners for less than the price of a Gibson model. So, I pulled the trigger with zZounds because of their payment plan and great customer service.That being said, I had a few QC issues with the first one zZounds sent. It was shipped only in the box Epiphone packages them in, which got squished and shorted out the selector switch, and the neck was VERY bendy, like rubber spaghetti. zZounds was very cool about everything and I got a replacement in short order. It came with a box around the Epiphonr box, everything worked, and the neck was much more stable. It had some minor fret sprout in the upper frets, but that was the only issue.The guitar itself plays great, and the ProBucker pickups really push my amps. The bridge pickup is especially nice, but I plan on replacing them down the line with something with more clarity and definition like I've grown accustomed to from playing twangy Telecasters for so long. The ProBuckers are NOT muddy, dull cheap pickups like you would expect from an affordable sister company. The neck is probably the least articulate, even for a neck pickup, but it can still put out some great tones when pedals and amps are dialed in. Suitable for rhythm parts. Middle position is probably my go to, with the neck rolled back to 6-7, the bridge at 8-9, and tone at full tilt. The bridge pickup is excellent at driving leads and solos with the tone at 7-8 or at maximum. My first non-maple or ebony fretboard, I was well pleased with the Indian laurel. A bit of lemon oil conditioning was needed to bring it from Sahara dry to non-gritty playability. A couple of frets need some polishing to bring back in line, but nothing makes it unplayable. Just a little TLC and refinement, like any new guitar, and you're ready to rock and roll. So to speak. About versatility, the Explorer is a dark horse. Decades of hard rock and metal guitarists using them gives them a stigma, but they can play anything from blues and jazz to rock to metal if you fiddle with the knobs and get your pedals and amps dialed in correctly. My tastes are eclectic, and I wouldn't have bought or kept this guitar if I couldn't get the sounds I wanted out of it. Things I would like to see: push-pull coil splitting, a quieter selector switch, regular pickup soldering instead of quick connects, and a better-cared-for/out-of-the-box fretboard. Honestly, it was dry enough to be used for kindling.What I really liked: playability, fit of parts, very decent ProBucker pickups, Tusq nut, and the color. The Olive Drab Green gives a military/Cold War vibe that I love, and the poly finish is going to be able to handle years of my clumsiness and abuse and still look good. Say what you will about poly finishes, but they will survive the nuclear apocalypse.Jefferson

I bought this guitar 8 months ago and now have run it thru it’s paces. What a great instrument this is. I compared my Epiphone to my Gibson Explorer and honestly the sound on the Epi is right there. My Gibson is mahogany as opposed to the Limba on the Epi but the Epi still holds its own. The Epiphone is lighter and has a sweet, solid attack with a rich mid range that sings. The neck is super straight, the fit and finish is beautiful and hardware is great. The pickups are very sweet however I replaced mine with Pro Buckers to darken the sound slightly. The original pickups are great but with my rig I like the darker Alnico 2 sound. In my opinion the difference between the Pro Bucker and Classic pickups are the magnets. Not a lot of difference in output. Other changes I made were a white pick guard, CTS pots and bumblebee capacitors but upgrading these guitars is the best part. Stock it’s fantastic and adding a few new parts is just a joy ride. I consider this guitar completely ready for professional performances all the way.Roger

I have always wanted a 335, but did not like the larger size. I saw this 339 and stepped up and bought it home. Had to wait 6 weeks, but was it ever worth it. This is the best guitar I have ever played or been around. Cannot make my mind up if it plays better than it looks, or if it looks better then it sounds. It came set up really well, intonation and all. All I had to do was tune it and go. Cannot find one flaw in the paint, assembly or anything wrong at all. It rings so true, holds a note and there is a major difference when selecting either pickup or both, and the tone and volume controls lets you have an infinite setting control on tone and volume. Set the bridge to really ring out and the neck one a little muddy and together it is killer, but can flip the switch and brighten a solo up good. An absolute joy to play. Just strike your favorite chord and let it ring…beautiful fun. I was worried about the neck thickness, but it is a non issue. Easy to chord, simple to fret in any way you please. I cannot express just how happy I am with this guitar. Michael at musicians friend was a great help in every way getting it here.Keith

Very comfortable to hold and play, with a slightly chunky neck which is my preference. Combines the best aspects of 335s and Les Pauls. It's also heavier than I thought it would be (again for me a good thing, I don't like feather-light guitars) I was expecting SG weights and annoying neck dive. As suggested already it seems to sound somewhere between a full-sized 335 type and a solid body, which again isn't much of a surprise. Seems to have more twang than my LP which is good for my taste, which is more soul and funk. The finish is also perfect, though slightly different to the one advertised at the time of purchase. The neck fades into a natural varnish rather than the all-black paint. Also the sides are solid natural varnish rather than the fading between black and natural effect.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought one of these a couple years ago. Fit and finish was ok, but static popping when touching pick guard and strings. The volume pot for bridge pickup goes silent when pushed at 10. Poor shielding on these guitars. I spent over 150 resolving the issue rather than letting it languish with Gibson.Timothy

I rarely buy new, but this was worth it. Unbelievably light (just over 7 pounds) and incredibly resonant. The entirely thing noticeably vibrates with each strum. Love the gloss nitro, gives the body and neck a sleek feel. Very good fretwork. BB2/BB3 combo in this guitar is perhaps my favorite HB combo thus far for rock tones, and I have been through many of the biggest mass-market pickups. Very versatile. What's also really impressive is that this is as comfortable as any guitar I've owned so far, out of dozens. It's surprisingly…ergonomic? Really, don't knock an Explorer before you try it. Also, it looks killer if you're into that mid-century modern thing. It's a little pricey for what it is, but if you play an awesome one and can foot the bill, I say go for it. Only bad thing I'd note is that the jack plate is mounted off-center. Not terribly so, but noticeable. It's baffling, the rest of the guitar is all aces, but this looks like someone eyeballed it when the drilled it. The guitar as a whole is so good that I'm not going to go into a whole Gibson quality rant, but it is really weird that something like that slides by. A close friend has a '19 Standard with the same issue. I also have a TV Yellow Special with some really minor finish issues along the bottom of the neck binding. Again, nobody will see it, but if you're dropping thousands of $$$…your mileage may vary. It will be up to you whether to overlook it. Be sure to give it your "55 point inspection."Bam Bam Gordy

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Bought one of these a couple years ago. Fit and finish was ok, but static popping when touching pick guard and strings. The volume pot for bridge pickup goes silent when pushed at 10. Poor shielding on these guitars. I spent over 150 resolving the issue rather than letting it languish with Gibson.Timothy

I rarely buy new, but this was worth it. Unbelievably light (just over 7 pounds) and incredibly resonant. The entirely thing noticeably vibrates with each strum. Love the gloss nitro, gives the body and neck a sleek feel. Very good fretwork. BB2/BB3 combo in this guitar is perhaps my favorite HB combo thus far for rock tones, and I have been through many of the biggest mass-market pickups. Very versatile. What's also really impressive is that this is as comfortable as any guitar I've owned so far, out of dozens. It's surprisingly…ergonomic? Really, don't knock an Explorer before you try it. Also, it looks killer if you're into that mid-century modern thing. It's a little pricey for what it is, but if you play an awesome one and can foot the bill, I say go for it. Only bad thing I'd note is that the jack plate is mounted off-center. Not terribly so, but noticeable. It's baffling, the rest of the guitar is all aces, but this looks like someone eyeballed it when the drilled it. The guitar as a whole is so good that I'm not going to go into a whole Gibson quality rant, but it is really weird that something like that slides by. A close friend has a '19 Standard with the same issue. I also have a TV Yellow Special with some really minor finish issues along the bottom of the neck binding. Again, nobody will see it, but if you're dropping thousands of $$$…your mileage may vary. It will be up to you whether to overlook it. Be sure to give it your "55 point inspection."Bam Bam Gordy

Bought this to complete my Skynyrd sound and it screams. Finish is great I run this through a late 80's Peavey Triumph and a Marshall JCM800 no extra effects. This guitar is awesome! My current favorite Guitar! Still need to Strat or Tele for the King or Gains Sound but man this thing is versatile! Set up was ready to go right out of the box! I have humidity issues so I have had to adjust the neck but that is pretty common for my area and the mahogany necks!Stanley

Just got my Lzzy in this past week and it plays as good as it looks. Slim profile neck is fantastic for lead work and the pickups sound ballsy and are more than well-suited for hard rock and metal. The guitar is a bit heavier than other Explorers I own but the sound produced is well worth it. I highly recommend this and give it a 5 stars for not only its looks but everything else about it!RT

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

I just purchased my sunburst Les Paul studio on 11/20/21. The action is low and incredible. The neck is small which is perfect for me. This Les Paul is very suitable for professionals and young teenagers that are still learning. Playing it comes with ease and requires only a very light touch. It has a lot of the very same qualities that a Standard has. Especially the tone. Wait till you get yours. You won't be the least disappointed at all. It's worth every penny. I give it 5 stars or two thumbs up. 👍 👍Daniel Trimboli