Description
Running through 2008, Gibson's Guitar of The Month produced some unique items including this Gibson Reverse Explorer, #002 electric guitar of 1000 in Antique Walnut Nitro.
Over the course of three years, Gibson experimented with limited-production offerings of experimental instruments or finishes. For 2007 the Guitar of The Week program ran for 48 weeks and often consisted of custom finishes in small batches of a few hundred. In 2008, the Guitar of the Month program began, with complete redesigns and runs up to 1000.
For 2009, the company shifted to the 'Limited Run' series, which abandoned set dates and production goals.
Gibson Reverse Explorer #002 Condition and Playability
This Gibson Reverse Explorer is a rare instrument from the beginning of its production run. It's just as much 'Go' as 'Show', playing well and sounding great, balancing well and delivering everything it should. It is in overall very good condition with light play wear.
The original black, rectangular hard shell case is included. The case is marked 'Guitar of the Month' on both the outside and the inner white plush protective shroud.
Construction and Materials
As with standard Explorers, the construction and materials are not complex. The body and set neck are Mahogany, and the fingerboard is Indian Rosewood.
However, there are some obvious differences, the first of the which is the body being reversed! Explorers can be very comfortable to sit with, and flipping the body doesn't make a lot of difference in this regard.
The second clearly visible alteration is the use of the 'Moderne' or 'Gumby' headstock. In 1958 the Explorer was one of three radical new instruments introduced - though only two made it to public showings and production, the Explorer and Flying V. The Moderne was not well thought of and outside of one or two mythical prototypes was scrapped. To satisfy collectors, Gibson has produced a few reissue Modernes of the the years. But for the Reverse Explorer, the Moderne headstock made a bit more sense, being shorter and allowing reduced string splay from the nut. Rather than a traditional walnut face, the headstock features a striking gloss-black headplate overlay that showcases the gold, art-deco script Gibson logo. Steinberger gearless locking tuners were also used, and these are excellent choices. The fingerboard position markers are also a change - there are only two blocks of grey checkered carbon fiber, at the fifth and twelfth frets.
For hardware in addition to the Steinberger tuners, a standard gold-plated Tune-o-Matic and Stop Tailpiece are used, and the pickguard is a lightning-bolt shaped piece of carbon fiber.
The electronics are fairly standard, beginning with a calibrated pair of PAF-style humbuckers: a '57 Classic in the neck and a slightly hotter '57 Classic Plus in the bridge. Both feature unique copper-plated, gunmetal-bronze powder-coated textured covers with concealed pole pieces.
The finish is a dark Walnut nitrocellulose lacquer, in good shape with minor scuffing from real use.
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |
DETAILS:
- Instrument Model: Reverse Explorer
- Instrument Manufacturer: Gibsosn
- Instrument year: 2008
- Instrument Finish: Antique Walnut Nitro
- Instrument Class: Solidbody Electric Guitars
- Instrument serial number: 021280519 002 (of 1000) Dated July 30 2008 Nashville TN as September 2008 Guitar of the Month Guitar of the Month
- Country of Origin: USA
- Instrument Condition: Very Good
- Right-handed
- Instrument Weight Imperial: 8.536 lbs
- Instrument Weight Metric: 3.88 kgs
- Scale Length Imperial: 24.6 in
- Scale Length Metric: 625mm mm
- Nut Width Imperial: 1.719 in
- Nut Width Metric: 43.67 mm
- CITIES Documentation Required: No
- Case included: Yes
- Case original: Yes
- Items in Case: Paperwork, truss rod tool
- Case Type: Hard
- Consignment: Yes
- Product ID: 190923
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There are no refunds or returns on used items unless authorized in advance by a Twelfth Fret Sales Associate at time of sale. View Our Full Terms Here |