I refuse to buy a gibson with “trans” in its name since the word is now associated with activists and shooters. Gibson can keep them or rename the colors.
I’m guessing there isn’t any neck dove since Austin didn’t complain about it. That’s what I love about my gothic explorer; it’s really well balanced. It was also on sale from MF for $500 in 2001 or 2. Free shipping and no tax on internet sales. Ah, the good ol’ days…
I have both of them Trans Black and Amber. They are beautiful and play great. I had to check my cavities to see if it had brass grounding. No they don’t have it. Keep up the great work!
Wow I was'nt expecting to like the downsized Explorer but its super cool !...I love that finish and the way Gibson made the cuts on the body, well done Gibson !...Ive always liked the larger bodied guitars ,like the older BIG bodied Gretsch models and the old Jazz Box Gibson models...Thanky Trogly !
X-Plorer studio 2006 Basswood (Green, blue, copper, red, yellow or Swap Ash body. Mini humbuckers, 22frets, rosewood fingerboard. Mahogany neck. Chrome stopbar Tune-o-matic, speed knobs and grovers w/chrome buttons. Was 90% of the original. I always wanted one.
I’m only 5’6” and I don’t have a issue with my lefty Explorer- the extra bit sits under your arm so it doesn’t stick out too much. If anything it keeps it nicely balanced. Saying that, the case is about 5ft long which can be a bit cumbersome.
I bought one of these in December and was surprised there wasn't a Trogly vid when I was looking into it! I love mine, brilliant guitar. Mine's a 2003 with a brown/pink case (no shroud anymore, boo)
it's basically 1/10 smaller. they did away with the pickguard and put a 500 in the bridge which is great but made it smaller and changed the knobs like an ibanez destroyer. so for me it's two steps foward and two steps back
Shrunken guitars are criminally underrated. The Melody maker series Gibson did for the X and the V were a great idea. I wish it still was an option, at least as an Epiphone..
The GoTW Explorer Pro is the one that got away for me. They had a used one at the local GC,but I just bought my LP. Being smaller, it was awesome to play.
It’s a little bit funny cuz I’m not much of a Gibson fan but Trogly keeps me watching & that Explorer might be one of the few Gibson’s I could see owning..Sounded great! ✌️
I had an Epiphone Explorer that I purchased at the end of 2008. At the same time that I miss it, I also wonder whether it was such an appropriate purchase to make. At most, I am five foot six, and although I loved the sound, it was a handful (Ieventually traded it off in Aug. 2012). I have enough difficulty playing more frequently seen guitar shapes, although I did wind up getting myself an Epiphone Flying V at the end of 2021. It isn't difficult for me to imagine that I would enjoy playing a model like this one.
It is not only the mini humbucker version that is called X-Plorer. In the february 2003 issue of Guitar player (P110) a guitar just like yours (Except it´s natural finish), and it is called X-Plorer Pro.
I bought a 2005 Les Paul studio and when I looked at the back of the pickups, they were exactly the same as these with no sticker and Gibson USA embossed into the back. What pickups would you think they are?
Heck yeah! I'm 5'8" and these slightly smaller 7/8th or whatever Explorers are totally for me! I have a Takamine 7/8th Explorer very similar to an Aria Pro II "ZZ" series all sanded down I need to stain, tru-oil, and put upgraded hardware and electronics on someday! 🤘
This is a beautiful and great sounding guitar. I like the sound of both pickups and it had some great clean sounds as well. The neck pickup produce's a nice clean percussive tone. I rate this guitar a 10. I love it! Wish i had one.
I have the opposite problem with explorers- I want them *BIGGER*. I'm a super tall player so most guitars look too small in my hands. I'd pay big money for the 'buckethead' treatment on an explorer. Baritone scale with an even bigger body. Like, comically huge.
I own one of these Explorer Pro in Sunburst, from 2007 where it has been a Guitar of the Week with only 400 made of them. The case has a white plush interior and no blanket and it originally was equipped with 500T/R (Now Classic/Classic+) An amazingly light Gibson for this time, Neck is not as bold, somewhere between a slim taper and a 59 Neck...
I have a 2004 X-plorer Studio in sparkle wine red with mini humbuckers without binding. This fits my needs much better than the standard size Explorer, which is too heavy for me.
Maybe it’s worth mentioning the recent Epiphone Extura Prophecy (supposedly shaped in between an Explorer and a Futura) that is very close to the Explorer Pro in shape, looks and dimensions.. 🤘😎⚡️
Bro… You don’t have to diss the Futura. It’s neck joint is Les Paul not v. With the smaller body and a shift in the balance point, it’s just it’s own thing.
This traditional layout of knobs and toggle WITHOUT a pickguard SHOULD be a standard option for Explorers. I own 6 and all have pickguards but I've always wanted one without a pickguard.
I have a Kramer Imperial that is the size of a full size explorer. I never fully fell in love with it, even after swapping out all the electronics and pickups. Maybe it was that gigantic body that turned me off. Perhaps I should give one of these Explorer Pros a look.
Trogs if they were shrunk down 90% they would be about 4 inches long. I think you’re trying to say they are about 90% the size of a normal explorer. Therefore they are shrunken down 10%
My somewhat amusing interaction with the Explorer Pro model was from a number of years ago when I needed to buy a new case for my '94 Explorer and the first two cases I bought were for the Pro and thus were too small. I remember meeting up with a guy who didn't really know much about the case he had (I've either forgotten or didn't ask how he ended up with it) and was disappointed to learn that it wasn't a case for a normal Explorer. Eventually, I would like to find a proper case for mine with the brown exterior and pink interior with the matching shroud.
This is one that "got away" for me. I was a dealer, had a Trans amber in the shop and loved the size. Sold it to a good customer and thought I would just get another... But noooo....
I like this variant of proportionally scaled down Explorer as it does not look disfigured. I'm sorry and I hate to bring this up but it's downsized to about just 10% , not 90% smaller (1:15) as you have mentioned and measured (7:24) . Had that been 90% smaller, it would have been a shrunken to about 1:10 scale and might be called "exPlorer micro. Thank you for your presentation. I appreciate it.
I have an Epiphone Explorer Pro in TV Silver. Would it be a "small" Explorer as well? I suppose I can measure it and compare it to the dimensions you came up with. Have you ever done a video on one? It's a pretty sweet guitar. Dual humbuckers with coil splitting on both. The TV Silver finish looks terrific. Thanks.
I had an e90 silver with a kahler trem it was a great player I got it from a smoker and the case and guitar smelled up my apartment I tried to clean it but finally sold it too bad
ever see the V with the explorer headstock? (xplrv) I'm guessing it was their answer to the king v. they didn't make many (84-85) I have one. it has dirty fingers and a kahler
Argh!!!! Hello from the UK. That explorer is flipping awesome. Love the top. It sounds beautiful. G.A.S. is triggered again lolz. Thanks for the awesome reviews of beautiful instruments. This one was particularly nice, as being player grade and having the neck side strap button in the right spot. That top though. Just wow!
Gibson translation of a Jackson Dinky... Multiple mutations like Futura show the intent, but not settled on a final decision. Is the gray case interior indicative of Canadian sourcing, or annual color code, like white is 2003, red 2004, gray 2005?
Should Gibson bring the "Explorer Pro" size back?
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Absolutely. They sound and look awesome. 👍
I refuse to buy a gibson with “trans” in its name since the word is now associated with activists and shooters. Gibson can keep them or rename the colors.
This is honestly gorgeous... I would take this over a regular explorer any day
Ditto, I Love it 😀 😍
Smaller body, block inlays, no pick guard, flame top, I'm in.
I graduated in the top 90% of my class.
The other 10% got jobs at Gibson doing QC.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar 😂😅
I love this version. I’m partial to block and trapezoid inlays as opposed to dots. Also it sounds fantastic.
10% smaller, not 90%. If it were that small it would be a tie tac.
It drove me nuts!!
Basically, they decimated it...
A tie tac, or a tic tac?
Yeah it’s killing me each time he says it lol
@@younkinjames8571 a man of culture I see.
Oh my! Thats THE exolorer that I always wanted, a Pro of the first batch in trans Black with custom appointments. Sweet!!!!
I’m guessing there isn’t any neck dove since Austin didn’t complain about it. That’s what I love about my gothic explorer; it’s really well balanced. It was also on sale from MF for $500 in 2001 or 2. Free shipping and no tax on internet sales. Ah, the good ol’ days…
I LOVED those guitars! Had a 1999/2000 model a while back. Miss it dearly every day. If you EVER want to sell it..I'll buy it. I am serious.
Nope, no neck dive on mine either.
This would be my dream spec'd explorer. Thanks for the deep dive into it
I have both of them Trans Black and Amber. They are beautiful and play great. I had to check my cavities to see if it had brass grounding. No they don’t have it. Keep up the great work!
I freaking like it! I always felt like the regular models were too big
man that bridge pick up sounds narly! takes me back to high school in the late 80's
Wow I was'nt expecting to like the downsized Explorer but its super cool !...I love that finish and the way Gibson made the cuts on the body, well done Gibson !...Ive always liked the larger bodied guitars ,like the older BIG bodied Gretsch models and the old Jazz Box Gibson models...Thanky Trogly !
X-Plorer studio 2006 Basswood (Green, blue, copper, red, yellow or Swap Ash body. Mini humbuckers, 22frets, rosewood fingerboard. Mahogany neck. Chrome stopbar Tune-o-matic, speed knobs and grovers w/chrome buttons. Was 90% of the original. I always wanted one.
I’m only 5’6” and I don’t have a issue with my lefty Explorer- the extra bit sits under your arm so it doesn’t stick out too much. If anything it keeps it nicely balanced.
Saying that, the case is about 5ft long which can be a bit cumbersome.
Trogly is offering 90% off all guitars. Today only!
I think you meant to say they are shrunken down 10%. You kept saying 90%. Beautiful guitar. I've always wanted an Explorer.
Hi Everyone
Hi
Howdy HK
@@graemeferguson2000 Howdy, Howdy 👍😉
@@andye3684 Greetings Andy, I do hope all is well with you these days.
I'm not a big Explorer fan, however this example looks and sounds pretty great.
@@hkguitar1984 yes coasting along nicely. hope you and yours are doing well. I'm impressed with the clean sound on this one
I bought one of these in December and was surprised there wasn't a Trogly vid when I was looking into it! I love mine, brilliant guitar. Mine's a 2003 with a brown/pink case (no shroud anymore, boo)
I have week #13 of the 2007 gotw and it’s awesome. No maple cap, cherry finished mahogany
it's basically 1/10 smaller. they did away with the pickguard and put a 500 in the bridge which is great but made it smaller and changed the knobs like an ibanez destroyer. so for me it's two steps foward and two steps back
"On my show we tear them apart to see their parts and specs." THAT'S what I love about this show. 🤣
4:27 That cherry mahogany is gorgeous.
I’ve always liked those too!
Shrunken guitars are criminally underrated. The Melody maker series Gibson did for the X and the V were a great idea.
I wish it still was an option, at least as an Epiphone..
Explorer's are my favorite. I want one so bad...but I want an 70's Gibson Explorer in mint shape. My bank account says "no sir."
The GoTW Explorer Pro is the one that got away for me. They had a used one at the local GC,but I just bought my LP. Being smaller, it was awesome to play.
Galen Hensen (rhythm guitar for Satriani and Tech for TSO) plays one of these. Stunning instrument.
It’s a little bit funny cuz I’m not much of a Gibson fan but Trogly keeps me watching & that Explorer might be one of the few Gibson’s I could see owning..Sounded great! ✌️
my first gibson- the GOTW sunburst one- still have it and love it
Wish I never sold mine, but I had tuition to pay. Sold a beautiful pair of them. At least the recipients were very satisfied.
I just bought one of the XPlorer Studio models in green. Didn’t know they existed until yesterday.
I had an Epiphone Explorer that I purchased at the end of 2008. At the same time that I miss it, I also wonder whether it was such an appropriate purchase to make. At most, I am five foot six, and although I loved the sound, it was a handful (Ieventually traded it off in Aug. 2012). I have enough difficulty playing more frequently seen guitar shapes, although I did wind up getting myself an Epiphone Flying V at the end of 2021. It isn't difficult for me to imagine that I would enjoy playing a model like this one.
It is not only the mini humbucker version that is called X-Plorer. In the february 2003 issue of Guitar player (P110) a guitar just like yours (Except it´s natural finish), and it is called X-Plorer Pro.
I'm not an explorer fan, because they are large (I'm tiny) so I'd be interested in playing one of these.
Yo
👍😉
🥈
Well done Grant, you earned a Silver Medal.
The plus side is, if you don't like your Explorer, you can always make a coffee table out of it. or, a rudder for your boat..
I have one that’s black it called the traditional pro also my favorite guitar lol!
This one isn't going to be on your Reverb account for long. Stunning guitar 👍
I think I would like that size better. I’ve never been a huge explorer fan, but I like that one!
I bought a 2005 Les Paul studio and when I looked at the back of the pickups, they were exactly the same as these with no sticker and Gibson USA embossed into the back. What pickups would you think they are?
I still prefer the full sized Explorers but this is one sharp-looking guitar and it sounds great
Heck yeah! I'm 5'8" and these slightly smaller 7/8th or whatever Explorers are totally for me! I have a Takamine 7/8th Explorer very similar to an Aria Pro II "ZZ" series all sanded down I need to stain, tru-oil, and put upgraded hardware and electronics on someday! 🤘
Beautiful top, same here, love the inlays.
This is a beautiful and great sounding guitar. I like the sound of both pickups and it had some great clean sounds as well. The neck pickup produce's a nice clean percussive tone. I rate this guitar a 10. I love it! Wish i had one.
That is a top that does not need any movement, it has everything it needs.
That’s sweet. I love the specs. I’d love to find a “V” these exact appointments.
I have the opposite problem with explorers- I want them *BIGGER*. I'm a super tall player so most guitars look too small in my hands. I'd pay big money for the 'buckethead' treatment on an explorer. Baritone scale with an even bigger body. Like, comically huge.
Been waiting this video! Yes, not many info available. I got one 2005 X-plorer gold w factory HB instead of mini HB.
I own one of these Explorer Pro in Sunburst, from 2007 where it has been a Guitar of the Week with only 400 made of them.
The case has a white plush interior and no blanket and it originally was equipped with 500T/R (Now Classic/Classic+)
An amazingly light Gibson for this time, Neck is not as bold, somewhere between a slim taper and a 59 Neck...
Yah, I really dig that. Great tones
Nuno Bettencourt has been burning up the internet. How about a review of his Washburn N4?
One of the nicest guitars I have ever seen.
Great review! Almost like a preview of the Goddess series for the LPs and SGs.
It’d be fun to see a Clapton Cut explorer on the show
It reminds me of a brindle coat on a dog. That is pretty cool!
Beautiful guitar! I wish Gibson made these with the body reversed, but I don't suppose that ever happened... Custom Shop, are you listening?
The Reverse Explorer is a thing, but not in the shrunken body size
Really handsome top!😊
i love the feel of firebirds but they huge like a spaceship😂😂 against a sg or a les paul
trans black looks so nice
They made a mini explorer with 5 strings that Ace Frehley used on KISS' 1980 Unmasked Australian tour.
OMG !!!! i love that thing, i wish all explores were back routed, looks so good without that ugly pick guard.
I have a 2004 X-plorer Studio in sparkle wine red with mini humbuckers without binding.
This fits my needs much better than the standard size Explorer, which is too heavy for me.
Good show, Trogg! Thanks!
Maybe it’s worth mentioning the recent Epiphone Extura Prophecy (supposedly shaped in between an Explorer and a Futura) that is very close to the Explorer Pro in shape, looks and dimensions.. 🤘😎⚡️
It's good. Not sure about the pickups vs, say, burstbuckers, but everything else works. Probably still regular Explorer over this, but I do like it.
Bro…
You don’t have to diss the Futura. It’s neck joint is Les Paul not v. With the smaller body and a shift in the balance point, it’s just it’s own thing.
This traditional layout of knobs and toggle WITHOUT a pickguard SHOULD be a standard option for Explorers. I own 6 and all have pickguards but I've always wanted one without a pickguard.
i never ssaw the mini humbucker version it gives me big paul gilbert vibe kinda cool
I liked the clean tones, but the heavy tones seemed just a bit on the harsh side. Not too bad though, its livable.
I'd like to buy that one.👍
I have a Kramer Imperial that is the size of a full size explorer. I never fully fell in love with it, even after swapping out all the electronics and pickups. Maybe it was that gigantic body that turned me off. Perhaps I should give one of these Explorer Pros a look.
Trogs if they were shrunk down 90% they would be about 4 inches long. I think you’re trying to say they are about 90% the size of a normal explorer. Therefore they are shrunken down 10%
The Futura is the "corseted" Explorer.
The Dita Von Teese signature model 🙂
That's one sweet Explorer and it sounds mean to boot 👍👏🤘
The zebra pickup dot neck version came out in 2007, not 2011. I have one in black.
Perfect !!!
I just looked on Reverb and there is a listing for this guitar from 2 months ago located in London and they are using this video in the description .🤔
Must’ve updated it last night and be a watcher of the show. People use my videos in their listings all the time
Didn’t Jackson do a Dinky version of the Kelly (their Explorer inspired design)?
My somewhat amusing interaction with the Explorer Pro model was from a number of years ago when I needed to buy a new case for my '94 Explorer and the first two cases I bought were for the Pro and thus were too small. I remember meeting up with a guy who didn't really know much about the case he had (I've either forgotten or didn't ask how he ended up with it) and was disappointed to learn that it wasn't a case for a normal Explorer. Eventually, I would like to find a proper case for mine with the brown exterior and pink interior with the matching shroud.
been waiting for this from you as i have the ghost fret which is the same size as the explorer pro
This is one that "got away" for me.
I was a dealer, had a Trans amber in the shop and loved the size.
Sold it to a good customer and thought I would just get another...
But noooo....
Howdy all!!
I love it! I'd gladly take one over a regular explorer
I love it .... just needs speed knobs
Fender Guy. ME WANT 1 😮 ❤😊
Awesome Playing. MEGGADEATH 👏
One of the best Explorers I have seen.
Really like this version! Sounds great and I look e the smaller dimensions! Plus,it's pretty dang sharp!
Put it on your site Austin!
I like this variant of proportionally scaled down Explorer as it does not look disfigured. I'm sorry and I hate to bring this up but it's downsized to about just 10% , not 90% smaller (1:15) as you have mentioned and measured (7:24) . Had that been 90% smaller, it would have been a shrunken to about 1:10 scale and might be called "exPlorer micro. Thank you for your presentation. I appreciate it.
I have an Epiphone Explorer Pro in TV Silver. Would it be a "small" Explorer as well? I suppose I can measure it and compare it to the dimensions you came up with. Have you ever done a video on one? It's a pretty sweet guitar. Dual humbuckers with coil splitting on both. The TV Silver finish looks terrific. Thanks.
I own one of these. It is a very nice guitar.
reminds me even more of a jackson kelly
I had an e90 silver with a kahler trem it was a great player I got it from a smoker and the case and guitar smelled up my apartment I tried to clean it but finally sold it too bad
Love that guitar ,do they make it in left hand ?
ever see the V with the explorer headstock? (xplrv) I'm guessing it was their answer to the king v. they didn't make many (84-85) I have one. it has dirty fingers and a kahler
It's beautiful, but it does look really weird when you're wearing it.
I could see a tiny guy like Angus Young really liking it!
Whoop whoop whoop Troggs in the house
Argh!!!! Hello from the UK. That explorer is flipping awesome. Love the top. It sounds beautiful. G.A.S. is triggered again lolz. Thanks for the awesome reviews of beautiful instruments. This one was particularly nice, as being player grade and having the neck side strap button in the right spot. That top though. Just wow!
Hey Austin, has Robert been giving you lessons?
Gibson translation of a Jackson Dinky...
Multiple mutations like Futura show the intent, but not settled on a final decision.
Is the gray case interior indicative of Canadian sourcing, or annual color code, like white is 2003, red 2004, gray 2005?
Nice! Good information!
That this is wicked awesome