I hope you enjoyed seeing this guitar in detail. Most of these will be held in private collections so this might be the only one you ever see! 🟢Buy My Guitars on My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com 🔴Reverb: reverb.com/item/43477828?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/ 👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
Honestly Trog, I'd rather pay for a nice R6 goldtop than to get one of these free. As I said before, it's two pieces of wood and some wire. I do enjoy your videos.
@Wendy Black Wake up toddler. In 20 years very few will even know what these are and certainly will care nothing about it. These will be for sale very shortly for a fraction. What world are you living in?
@@scottykingdavid I have been building with Korina for 25 years, some one piece. Not a big deal. You are just brainwashed by the marketing of mainstream corporations. You cannot see through the BS regarding anything around you, guitars and everything else.
@@zacharyhandcraftedguitars you may be building them but I've been playing them for 45 years now I can tell you Korina wood has a great mid-range.... Now go build me something
I understand relicing as an aesthetic choice and I fully support it as a playing comfort choice (sanded necks are amazing) but trying to retroactively place a guitar into history just so collectors can blow their load pretending they have the real thing, is kinda pathetic honestly. This run would have been cooler as a complete reissue run, make them like they would have looked back in '58
I know it's just me, but for $30k USD and not just NZD, I'd want it to look brandnew and on top of that to be built absolutely flawlessly. Very cool guitar otherwise! I too love Explorers 🙂
Totally agree! All this artificial aging.. I don't get it...Too much money is asked for this aspect of a guitar and it adds nothing to the sound. Leave it new and spent money and time on the PU's for example or something else that can be heard when the guitar is played. But that's the whole thing, isn't it? These guitars are not meant to be played, just to be kept as an investment so the sound and finish is basically irrelevant.. Not sure whether Austin is 100% behind this guitar, I hear some disappointment every now and then.. and rightfully so...
my feeling is I can get between 5 and 20 super good guitars for that (depending on price obviously) so does this feel and sound between 5 and 20 times better than a normal high end guitar? i'd doubt it. but i'm not a collecter and dont see the "collecter" value
Hetfield has a real 58 that he some times brings out on stage. I think even Kirk used it a few times live. Killer guitar. Only thing that would bug me is the weight. You said it's super light. I have a bunch of ESP MXII-CTM's and a JH-2 and love how heavy they are. Great review dude!
@@IcedFIame kirk confirmed on his instagram about his V saying that it wasnt even a production model, it was a prototype. It doesnt have a serial number and Gibson even confirmed its authenticity
Korina is a super freaky wood to work with, it’s a hardwood but is almost as light as balsa. It’s super smooth to work as a result and doesn’t tend to splinter when worked with hand tools. But, given the weight you expect it to work like balsa yet it doesn’t, reminds me a little of Padauk the way it works.
I'd love to see you demo some of those 70s lawsuit guitars as a side-by-side comparison. An old bandmate had one of the Ibanez Destroyers and that thing sounded and played great.
Man I'd love to have a Destroyer or a Rocket Roll Sr. as a complement to my Gibson V. I hear those 70s Japanese humbuckers are really good pickups (Bob Mould said it was the reason he played a Rocket Roll instead of a Flying V).
That was because all manufacturing was outsourced to Asia third word and it falsely made you believe that the real price of a guitar should be $300, not $3000. This is why you are working for minimum wage in a service industry (with a diper on your face).
@@ToTheMaxGaming1 Your intelligence is low to even figure it out. I have absolutely no respect for the toddlers. This is a toddler channel, hosted by a cringey toddler. I worked my entire life to repel you toddlers, so I certainly hope that I have been successful. Its not a guitar you need. You are getting exactly what you need right now. Its wonderful to see.
@@ToTheMaxGaming1 Yah, you only wish you could do it toddler. Let's see what you can do. Any time you are ready. First start by showing your face and exposing who you are. Don't hide.
This is my favorite guitar video on the entire internet! Especially all the closeup footage inside and outside of the guitar. I am obsessed with 1958 Explorers, and this is probably the only opportunity to get an intimate experience like this. Thank you Trogly's👊and congratulations on maybe the best purchase I've ever seen on your channel.
Most of you toddlers will be gone in the next 6 months to 3 years but the new "Americans" I hear have a huge appreciation for your culture. LOL Keep your masks on white boys. Stay Safe!
I have a 76 Les Paul custom on the bench. Very yellowed and worn. Many hours on the fretboard. Really worn on sides with nail gouges in the rosewood. Real wear. It doesn't look anything like what you have. Some people like relicing a guitar, but, to me, it's like wearing a bad toupee...looks sort of real, but you can tell.
You’ve come a long way from a produce clerk, man. Just getting to jam out on one of these has got to be an amazing feeling! Thanks for showing us this thing!
There's a dude that has had one for sell on Ebay and Reverb for years now. When I first saw it, he was selling it for $30,000. No one would buy it so he increased the price to $35,000 and now it's $40,000. He's obviously trolling and doesn't need the money. lol
@@tacoconch7678 There's a rich dude from Turkey who has/had several mx220 and mx250's. He is a fan and a guitarist, and he obviously took the opportunity and flipped some money on these rare pieces.
I agree, the single ring Kluson Tuners look great (Rad). It also looks like Gibson even used a Historically correct MOP logo on the headstock judging by the shape of the "G". The aging/relic job looks pretty convincing too (as near as I can tell). LOL, most the '50s Gibson's I've played was back in the 1970s and none of them had aged that much!
The gold height adjustment screws are at the very least period correct flat head type screws. Wouldn't have noticed that without the zoom in. For the price of this though, you could acquire all the tools for guitar building, and build like 15 - 20 of these things.
Stop making a clown out of yourself man. these are 1:1 replicas of the original and are made to look and feel like the pre c&c hand made guitars that's why they have little imperfections. you want perfect go get yourself a prs privet stock.
@@bazitube390 I can't believe I'm going to grace this with a reply, but here goes: I don't have a C+C machine. I could do a better job by hand, and I am... let's put it generously... a fast improving novice. There are luthiers and woodworkers around the world that can hand craft things to within millimeter tolerances, and you would think for over $10,000 a pop, Gibson would be able to hire some of those people to make flawless instruments. Were the originals flawless? By no means, absolutely not, but something like this would have been considered a minor defect even in the 50s. However, these guitars are worth a staggering amount of money compared to the inflation adjusted original prices, and as such, should be a reproduction of the IDEAL 59 explorer, not some could-have-been-B-stock one. The only reason they're valuable is the limited edition rarity/novelty factor and the name brand, and in that sense, Gibson really is becoming the Supreme of boomer guitarists.
So happy for you Austin - to be a guy who owns and has owned such a variety of quality guitars but is still visibly and audibly excited and overjoyed to have the opportunity to be the owner of his ‘dream guitar’. Just goes to prove that it’s all about quality, not quantity. Rock on brother 🤘🏻
This is by far one of my favorite videos you've done, Trogly! I love all of your videos, but this one is special. The way you geek out over this Explorer (and rightfully so) is evident in how you talk about it and it comes out in your playing also in this one. Very cool! Keep rockin', dude!
Re: Control Cavity Cover fit ... Gibson could have made a template for the cover that fit tightly in to the routed ledge surrounding the cavity, but remember they were trying to minimize small, inconsequential handwork items, so making the cover slightly smaller than the rout eliminated any potential fit issues and allowed them to quickly install the cover without any handwork involved. Just one small thing that they did to boost productivity and control production costs.
When I toured the United States playing guitar it was a chance of a lifetime and it was wonderful and to go to Europe with the band was absolutely fantastic I just want to say that you've become a very disciplined guitarist maybe you should break out of the norm
The grail is an original 50s Moderne or Futura…. If they exist at all outside of the patent drawings. (Norm’s Rare Guitars had an 80s Moderne in Korina that Orithani grabbed (thanks to a fan buying it for her). She really loved that example and played it like only she can.)
It's cool that they come with a cover to protect the case that's for protecting the guitar, but how are you supposed to protect the cover that protects the case that protects the guitar? For that kind of money I think they ought to solve this very important problem.
You protect the soft case with the cardboard box that it was shipped in. You protect the cardboard box with a special edition titanium case. The titanium case then goes into a specially designed vault, which in turn goes into a specially designed guarded building
@@srh361 Yes, although the early Gibson models always intrigued me. There isn’t anything bad about the epiphone ones, especially considering that epiphone is owned by Gibson. I just think it would be hard to get my hands on a Gibson korina explorer, considering the price point and quantity of the new model.
Beautiful guitar great sound too, a young 17 year old Irishman on holidays in New York in 1978 walked into a guitar store while on holidays. He had 250 dollars planning to buy a Gibson les Paul, a lot of money back then but saw the newly released 1978 Gibson explorer and bought it for around his budget. His name is the edge of U2 there was only 118 made, he sold it in a charity auction for the victims of Katrina for 300,000 dollars, I think he and his guitar tech bought a replacement
I don't know if I could let go of that back panel not fitting perfectly unless it was intentional. That is the best I've ever heard you play by the way brother!
I have been a fan of explorers ever since I was a kid and saw The Scorpions Matthias Jabs play one...the white one with black stripes...that guitar was so badass!!!
@larry dickman - Ohhh! Yes, me too! Thank you for reminding me, Larry! 😀 I was trying to figure out only a moment ago where I'd seen an Explorer for the first time, and I was sure it must've been waaay before The Edge's in '83! Indeed, the Scorpions! I had a poster on my wall from one of my big sister's teenie mags, in which Matthias had that exact same Explorer! 😀
That's true for me too. Matthias sold his second Explorer, the white one without the iconic black stripes (a design even cooler than the Van Halen striping) some years ago and I still hate myself for not bying. Stupid!
@@holgermartinius2521 - Are you referring to EVH's modified Ibanez Explorer copy here, which had originally looked a lot like the one in this video, before it was first refinished all-white and eventually got the VH-typical paint job plus the 'shark' cutout at the back of the body? 😀
One possible but trivial reason I can speculate as to why Gibson used both black pick guards originally (& didn't include both for the Explorer) is maybe bc they thought if they did em in white, they'd have to match the anti-slip leg rest on the treble side of the V as well & if that were white it may get dirtier more quickly compared to a black version of it. Just a thought
IIRC, even on the original (like ORIGINAL original) white guard ones, the leg strip was still black. I think its because there were SO many players on the OG V that swapped for a blackguard, whereas the most notable players of Explorers (The Edge comes to mind) tend to keep em white. Marketing above all. Just speculation though
I have an original '76, it's my absolute favorite guitar. When I got it the tuners were already replaced with Schaller minis, and the pickups were changed to early 90s Gibson Custom Shop '59 PAF reissues. . I also have an '84 alder one with 3 P90s 😋 Oh, didn't Epiphone do a korina Explorer?
If you bought a Les Paul new in 1959 and played it in smokey bars and clubs for the past 60+ years, then your guitar has "honest" aging. But if you bought a real '59 in 2029 you had nothing more to DO with the aging on your guitar than the guy with the relic.
I mean, most of my guitars have visible "relicing" after about 6 months of actual playing, but that's what happens when you're always wearing a guitar when you go from room to room.
Having an argument while watching this. I'm saying the V's aging looks somewhat acceptable but this one looks fake and sad for its price. Meanwhile my girlfriend has been watching your every move and she says there is no way your voice is recorded as you're unboxing and it must be dubbed later because it is so clean and pristine and does not change one bit even when you are moving the shipping boxed around.
They have. There are a few Artist model ‘59 Relic Les Pauls that clearly show a neck repair. I have no idea if it I only cosmetic or a real break, but they have already done that.
Had a chance to pick up an Epiphone Korina Explorer but went for the regular Gibson iteration instead. It's a standard one, black with white pickguard, 2 or 3 piece mahogany body and regular everything else. Still...love it to bits!! Thanks to Trogly for bringing us the ultimate reissue 😍
I wonder what Trog would have to do to be classified a dealer...he would be on the cutting edge of new guitars and special runs. I think he's the best of the unboxing/reviewing blogs.
I thought I would like a relic guitar. Went in to local guitar store and played some fender relic teles and strats. Sounded great, but wow I was surprised at how much I hated the relic look in person- the guitars seemed just ‘dirty’ and not something id want to spend money on Felt like picking up a dirty pawnshop guitar lol
I believe that Allen Collins’ explorer was an original ‘58, but I could be mistaken because he started using it in 1976 which coincides with Gibson releasing it again.
I could feel your enjoyment of this great guitar in your playing demo. It really does have a wonderful tone clean or overdriven. Thanks for documenting it. ☺
wow thanks for showing us that Beauty.. You have no idea how much i enjoy this stuff... and im learning alot too lol. Thanks again and hopefully we will be in touch soon, im about to start looking for my first Gibson les Paul.
I'll never understand why people want Kluson tuners. In the 70s if we could afford it, we ripped off the Klusons and installed Grover Rotomatics or Schallers, because the Klusons were always getting bent and were not very smooth.
I really like and want a Flying V, a Korina would be the bomb. Epiphone still makes a Korina Explorer and Flying V last time I checked. I may go that route. Thanks for the review and opportunity to drool ! 🤤
I have a 69 SG Special. The pickup height adjustment screws are still shiny and clean, all the pickguard screws are completely rusted. I suppose the height adjustment screws have better quality plating. It does indeed look a little funny.
As far as I'm aware, James Hetfield never really played Gibson Explorer's outside of a few live shows and I believe one or two tracks from St. Anger. He mostly used ESP MX220's and MX250's, until they stopped making them after Gibson sued them. In fact, it was ESP's take on the Explorer that lead to the Gibson '84 reissues that had a different control layout and no pick guard just like the ESP, despite the fact that Gibson had never actually made an Explorer in that configuration. It is kind of funny how James Hetfield essentially popularised the Gibson Explorer in the metal community, without actually playing one. Also, according to Ron McGovney (the original bassist), Hetfields Flying V from Kill 'em All was allegedly an Epiphone with a Gibson truss rod cover on it as well.
I'll never be able to afford a 30k guitar so I'm perfectly Happy with my 2018 Explorer Electric Guitar (with Case) in (New, Antique Natural) I can pretend - Charles
At this price, most of these will just go into collections never to be played, only to be investments which I get but it’s kind of sad considering they are meant to be played
That’s definitely a keeper! I’d gig it too. Just never take your eyes off of it, and place a hidden gps tracker inside somewhere , and also in the case. A dirty sneaky thief would steal it in seconds.
Hetfield is the reason I play guitar, and the Explorer shape to me is my all time favorite guitar shape, I own a 2020 Gibson Explorer and an ESP Snakebyte and they are my babies. would love to own a Korina Explorer one day!
I personally prefer the RD shape out of the Explorer, Moderne, and Firebird, but the 50s Korinas are sick forsure, so far ahead of their time back then. I just don't know how I feel about the relicing on this... I'd rather have a brand new looking one that I could naturally age over the next 65 years for $30K.. the artificial aging to make someone feel like they own the real deal just seems kinda corny to me. It's not the real, but the next best thing from Gibson themselves, and it aint cheap. Relic it yourself.
I totally understand what you're saying. The only aspect of a relic I'd argue for would be the neck/fingerboard wear. The rolled/worn edges of the fingerboard as well as the finish worn off the back really does make for a nice playing experience. As for the rest of it, the checking and all the body dings, I can take it or leave it. Too bad they don't develop a relic category for neck/fingerboard only and leave the rest of the instrument alone.
@@neagoat I have a Epi Lee Malia RD Artisan and it's hands down the best guitar I've ever owned, even over my Gibsons. They were Indonesian made with Gibson USA Custom Shop pups and nitro finish back in 2017. It's such a killer guitar man. It has the Les Paul Artisan inlays and stuff too you should look one up It's beautiful.
@@hkguitar1984 I agree, a worn neck and fretboard is great. Fender does something similar to that on alot of their MIM guitars and they'll finish the neck in nitro too. I'm all for the rolled fretboard edges but man idk.. $30K is alot and I like the relicing, I just don't know if I could put that type of money out on something that's brand new to look like that. Buying an actual vintage guitar with wear is different, just cause you can't really get past it aside from a re finish. It's kinda ironic too bc 99% of the time a collectors grade instrument is in mint condition with like no wear at all. But these on the other hand are immediate collector level and look like they've been beatin on for 70 years 😂
I'm curious. So when selling a relic, do you disclose the nicks and dings when trying to sell it on? Seems to me that honest wear gets your instrument devalued whereas a relic job adds value, bizarre. Imagine trying to sell a house this way. All of my guitars are kept in good nick and play great, they look fantastic and I'm very proud that I own them. A hilarious comment from Lee Anderton when talking about some 50s reissue relic that he has, he was really upset that he dinged his guitar DESPITEit already being a relic. Who the hell would know? Boggles me mind
Exactly, if you’re into woodworking and amateur luthier stuff, these super-high prices start to seem more and more ridiculous, no matter what era or spec any guitar is, it was cranked out of the factory just like the rest.
I honestly thought it looked like they put a very shallow scallop on the fingerboard. When I got a good look at the edge of the fb I could really see what he was talking about. But personally I would want a cosmetically pristine example for 30 grand. I don't care if Murphy did it or not.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this guitar in detail. Most of these will be held in private collections so this might be the only one you ever see!
🟢Buy My Guitars on My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com
🔴Reverb: reverb.com/item/43477828?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly
❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/
👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
Honestly Trog, I'd rather pay for a nice R6 goldtop than to get one of these free. As I said before, it's two pieces of wood and some wire. I do enjoy your videos.
It's your best guitar yet on your show. Korina . Nothing like it
@Wendy Black Wake up toddler. In 20 years very few will even know what these are and certainly will care nothing about it. These will be for sale very shortly for a fraction. What world are you living in?
@@scottykingdavid I have been building with Korina for 25 years, some one piece. Not a big deal. You are just brainwashed by the marketing of mainstream corporations. You cannot see through the BS regarding anything around you, guitars and everything else.
@@zacharyhandcraftedguitars you may be building them but I've been playing them for 45 years now I can tell you Korina wood has a great mid-range.... Now go build me something
I understand relicing as an aesthetic choice and I fully support it as a playing comfort choice (sanded necks are amazing) but trying to retroactively place a guitar into history just so collectors can blow their load pretending they have the real thing, is kinda pathetic honestly. This run would have been cooler as a complete reissue run, make them like they would have looked back in '58
Thank you.
I hate the direction Gibson has been going in recently. I agree with you 100%
Yeah agree they can extra sand the neck and fingerboard just for playability but it would have been 10 times cooler if it was not relic
Agreed
Yeah but then the boomers wouldn't be as nostalgic for them and that's mostly who are buying these.
I know it's just me, but for $30k USD and not just NZD, I'd want it to look brandnew and on top of that to be built absolutely flawlessly. Very cool guitar otherwise! I too love Explorers 🙂
I'll beat it up myself, thank you very much!
@@atakdragonfly1675 - Exactly!
Totally agree! All this artificial aging.. I don't get it...Too much money is asked for this aspect of a guitar and it adds nothing to the sound. Leave it new and spent money and time on the PU's for example or something else that can be heard when the guitar is played.
But that's the whole thing, isn't it? These guitars are not meant to be played, just to be kept as an investment so the sound and finish is basically irrelevant..
Not sure whether Austin is 100% behind this guitar, I hear some disappointment every now and then.. and rightfully so...
my feeling is I can get between 5 and 20 super good guitars for that (depending on price obviously) so does this feel and sound between 5 and 20 times better than a normal high end guitar? i'd doubt it. but i'm not a collecter and dont see the "collecter" value
@@cheebsgod I can get a few good ones with just the markup they get for these relic jobs I'm sure.
Hetfield has a real 58 that he some times brings out on stage. I think even Kirk used it a few times live. Killer guitar. Only thing that would bug me is the weight. You said it's super light. I have a bunch of ESP MXII-CTM's and a JH-2 and love how heavy they are. Great review dude!
Both Kirk and James have a '58 'pair of korinas', Explorer and V. I've read about it in some interview with James.
@@IcedFIame kirk confirmed on his instagram about his V saying that it wasnt even a production model, it was a prototype. It doesnt have a serial number and Gibson even confirmed its authenticity
Basically, Kirk has the rarest possible korina flying v
Korina is a super freaky wood to work with, it’s a hardwood but is almost as light as balsa. It’s super smooth to work as a result and doesn’t tend to splinter when worked with hand tools. But, given the weight you expect it to work like balsa yet it doesn’t, reminds me a little of Padauk the way it works.
@@paulcrosby7419 I remember he mentioned in the same interview that his '58 V is hand routed and it might be a prototype. Nice catch!
I'd love to see you demo some of those 70s lawsuit guitars as a side-by-side comparison. An old bandmate had one of the Ibanez Destroyers and that thing sounded and played great.
Man I'd love to have a Destroyer or a Rocket Roll Sr. as a complement to my Gibson V. I hear those 70s Japanese humbuckers are really good pickups (Bob Mould said it was the reason he played a Rocket Roll instead of a Flying V).
When I started watching your channel, I thought spending $2k on a guitar was insane. Now, it seems almost affordable. Lol!
Funny how things like that work haha
That was because all manufacturing was outsourced to Asia third word and it falsely made you believe that the real price of a guitar should be $300, not $3000.
This is why you are working for minimum wage in a service industry (with a diper on your face).
@@ToTheMaxGaming1 Your intelligence is low to even figure it out. I have absolutely no respect for the toddlers. This is a toddler channel, hosted by a cringey toddler. I worked my entire life to repel you toddlers, so I certainly hope that I have been successful. Its not a guitar you need. You are getting exactly what you need right now. Its wonderful to see.
@@ToTheMaxGaming1 Yah, you only wish you could do it toddler. Let's see what you can do. Any time you are ready. First start by showing your face and exposing who you are. Don't hide.
@@zacharyhandcraftedguitars lol just found this thread. his guitars really are ugly 😂
This is my favorite guitar video on the entire internet! Especially all the closeup footage inside and outside of the guitar. I am obsessed with 1958 Explorers, and this is probably the only opportunity to get an intimate experience like this. Thank you Trogly's👊and congratulations on maybe the best purchase I've ever seen on your channel.
See you all in 30 years when we get Custom Shop Moderne reissues.
Or the 100th Anniversary Edition in 2058.
I've had Explorers, Flying V's and Modernes. The only one of the three I still have is the Moderne...it's a far superior guitar to the other two!
Sorry, but I'm saving that money for the Custom Shop 2017 Les Paul reissue with vintage accurate robo-tuners.
Lol
Most of you toddlers will be gone in the next 6 months to 3 years but the new "Americans" I hear have a huge appreciation for your culture. LOL
Keep your masks on white boys. Stay Safe!
I have a 76 Les Paul custom on the bench. Very yellowed and worn. Many hours on the fretboard. Really worn on sides with nail gouges in the rosewood. Real wear. It doesn't look anything like what you have. Some people like relicing a guitar, but, to me, it's like wearing a bad toupee...looks sort of real, but you can tell.
so true. And you will know you are playing a guitar with stories or a guitar with extra money paid for faking, feels different.
I have an Epiphone korina built last october. $913 w taxes. I love it!
Such a treat to see those two guitars together! Thanks for the commitment needed to bring these to your audience!
Typically, the tone demos aren't really too thrilling. This thing sounds amazing. Nice score!
Austin, Thank You for this review (even though we didn't hit 10K Likes).
Damnit TH-cam, not giving me notifications again 😅 I've been waiting extra hard for this one!
Greetings and well wishes from Utah man!
You’ve come a long way from a produce clerk, man. Just getting to jam out on one of these has got to be an amazing feeling! Thanks for showing us this thing!
He was a produce clerk? I'm a produce clerk! We should talk produce some time!
You live in a fantasy world and totally brainwashed by the propaganda. I do hope you are fully medicated up to date against the plague.
The next step would be getting hands on Hetfield's ESP MX-220 custom. I would love to see it dissected Trogly's style 😎
There's a dude that has had one for sell on Ebay and Reverb for years now. When I first saw it, he was selling it for $30,000. No one would buy it so he increased the price to $35,000 and now it's $40,000. He's obviously trolling and doesn't need the money. lol
@@tacoconch7678 There's a rich dude from Turkey who has/had several mx220 and mx250's. He is a fan and a guitarist, and he obviously took the opportunity and flipped some money on these rare pieces.
@@IcedFIame That's the same guy I'm talking about. lol
@@tacoconch7678 pretty sure its still up on reverb lol
All others bow down to the GREATEST GUITAR ever made....The 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer! Well done Trogly!
He’s right…
Smoke crack much?
Its ugly.
I agree, the single ring Kluson Tuners look great (Rad). It also looks like Gibson even used a Historically correct MOP logo on the headstock judging by the shape of the "G". The aging/relic job looks pretty convincing too (as near as I can tell).
LOL, most the '50s Gibson's I've played was back in the 1970s and none of them had aged that much!
This guitar truly sings in all ways. All clean settings as well as distortion. This one's a keeper!!
The gold height adjustment screws are at the very least period correct flat head type screws. Wouldn't have noticed that without the zoom in. For the price of this though, you could acquire all the tools for guitar building, and build like 15 - 20 of these things.
When I saw Ricky Medlock playing this for the first time , I was hooked . Just love this guitar, great job on the demo
Yeah Ricky's signature axe was an Explorer and Allen Collins too.. I'm guessing one turned the other on to em
Allan Collins played a 76 first in Skynard
Ricky used a 70s Ibanez destroyer when he was in Blackfoot.
@@darrylcole5575 And a black Les Paul custom
@@samright4661 Allen may have had a 76 but his original one is a real 58 he started stage playing mid to late 76.
18:16
Correct me if I'm wrong but...
$30,000 and they can't get the control route right? I could do a better job most of the time. Shameful.
I think they are just about overpriced on every guitar they sell. Ffs the other day he got a 3k guitar without a functional jack
Stop making a clown out of yourself man. these are 1:1 replicas of the original and are made to look and feel like the pre c&c hand made guitars that's why they have little imperfections. you want perfect go get yourself a prs privet stock.
@@bazitube390 I can't believe I'm going to grace this with a reply, but here goes:
I don't have a C+C machine. I could do a better job by hand, and I am... let's put it generously... a fast improving novice. There are luthiers and woodworkers around the world that can hand craft things to within millimeter tolerances, and you would think for over $10,000 a pop, Gibson would be able to hire some of those people to make flawless instruments. Were the originals flawless? By no means, absolutely not, but something like this would have been considered a minor defect even in the 50s. However, these guitars are worth a staggering amount of money compared to the inflation adjusted original prices, and as such, should be a reproduction of the IDEAL 59 explorer, not some could-have-been-B-stock one. The only reason they're valuable is the limited edition rarity/novelty factor and the name brand, and in that sense, Gibson really is becoming the Supreme of boomer guitarists.
Killer Explorer! Gotta love a Korina guitar. Always wanted one.
So happy for you Austin - to be a guy who owns and has owned such a variety of quality guitars but is still visibly and audibly excited and overjoyed to have the opportunity to be the owner of his ‘dream guitar’. Just goes to prove that it’s all about quality, not quantity. Rock on brother 🤘🏻
This is by far one of my favorite videos you've done, Trogly! I love all of your videos, but this one is special. The way you geek out over this Explorer (and rightfully so) is evident in how you talk about it and it comes out in your playing also in this one. Very cool! Keep rockin', dude!
The strap button on the bottom of my Explorer is much lower than yours. I also have my strap the same as Allen Collins. Helps for balance.
6:13 - That’s an actual photo of my 1986 Gibson Explorer 🤘🏼
Congrats Trogly on the Explorer!!!! Absolutely beautiful guitar 🎸
21:43
glad to see play the doobie brothers, long train running
Beautiful guitar, it’s awesome how much you enjoy these guitars!!!
Keep rocking
Re: Control Cavity Cover fit ... Gibson could have made a template for the cover that fit tightly in to the routed ledge surrounding the cavity, but remember they were trying to minimize small, inconsequential handwork items, so making the cover slightly smaller than the rout eliminated any potential fit issues and allowed them to quickly install the cover without any handwork involved. Just one small thing that they did to boost productivity and control production costs.
Holy crap, that looks way better than even in the photos!
Aw man, 5th of June is my birthday as well, a birthday or birthyear guitar is the ultimate end goal for me, enjoy the explorer man!
I normally don't like the odd shaped guitars but this explorer is nice and it sounds really good.
When I toured the United States playing guitar it was a chance of a lifetime and it was wonderful and to go to Europe with the band was absolutely fantastic I just want to say that you've become a very disciplined guitarist maybe you should break out of the norm
The grail is an original 50s Moderne or Futura…. If they exist at all outside of the patent drawings. (Norm’s Rare Guitars had an 80s Moderne in Korina that Orithani grabbed (thanks to a fan buying it for her). She really loved that example and played it like only she can.)
*Futura
The fan bought her a different guitar, not the Moderne. It was that huge old jazz box.
@@ZaneDalton ahh, autocorrect got me on that, fixed
An original 50s Moderne is a grail because it might not actually exist.
I've read that they brought a handful of Modernes to NAMM(?) I think Rick Nielsen has a Futura ( or was it a 58 with a forked headstock)
It's cool that they come with a cover to protect the case that's for protecting the guitar, but how are you supposed to protect the cover that protects the case that protects the guitar? For that kind of money I think they ought to solve this very important problem.
You protect the soft case with the cardboard box that it was shipped in. You protect the cardboard box with a special edition titanium case. The titanium case then goes into a specially designed vault, which in turn goes into a specially designed guarded building
@@laj043 and that building is protected by goblins and a kick-arse Dragon!
They went through great length to make the guitar look like it wasnt protected at all… just sayin
@@sunshipcpt3869 if I order a Murphy Lab LP and it has ONE scratch or ding that wasn't artisan crafted, I'm sending it back!
Im currently rebuilding a 70s Explorer into an Allen Collins tribute. Love this episode.
I’ve always dreamed of owning a korina explorer, even though it’s likely I’ll never come close to owning one. Nice video.
Nothing special about korina, Epiphone makes korina Vs and explorers.
@@srh361 Yes, although the early Gibson models always intrigued me. There isn’t anything bad about the epiphone ones, especially considering that epiphone is owned by Gibson. I just think it would be hard to get my hands on a Gibson korina explorer, considering the price point and quantity of the new model.
I have an Epiphone korina not the same but you can pretend just don't look at the headstock lol
People recently voted for chapman guitars to make a new model with korina bodies and ebony fretboards. We may soon see what they can do
@@krazyaxe69 it's definitely not the same guitar wise but there's nothing special about korina.
These Murphy Labs 58 recreations remind me of old school desks. Same color, same kind of staining on the knicks and dings.
Needs old chewing gum on the back!
Holy crap, you're right! I knew it reminded me of something familiar.
Beautiful guitar great sound too, a young 17 year old Irishman on holidays in New York in 1978 walked into a guitar store while on holidays. He had 250 dollars planning to buy a Gibson les Paul, a lot of money back then but saw the newly released 1978 Gibson explorer and bought it for around his budget. His name is the edge of U2 there was only 118 made, he sold it in a charity auction for the victims of Katrina for 300,000 dollars, I think he and his guitar tech bought a replacement
Too bad that money went to corrupt politicians and not the victims.
I don't know if I could let go of that back panel not fitting perfectly unless it was intentional. That is the best I've ever heard you play by the way brother!
The first explorer I ever played was a legit 58, owned by a friends father. I'll never forget it
Way to go Trogly. Congratulations, that is one fine guitar, plays and sounds sweet. Really really a great guitar.
I got to hear one of these in person for the first time at the Gibson Garage, there's something special about these
I have been a fan of explorers ever since I was a kid and saw The Scorpions Matthias Jabs play one...the white one with black stripes...that guitar was so badass!!!
🤘
@larry dickman - Ohhh! Yes, me too! Thank you for reminding me, Larry! 😀 I was trying to figure out only a moment ago where I'd seen an Explorer for the first time, and I was sure it must've been waaay before The Edge's in '83! Indeed, the Scorpions! I had a poster on my wall from one of my big sister's teenie mags, in which Matthias had that exact same Explorer! 😀
That's true for me too.
Matthias sold his second Explorer, the white one without the iconic black stripes (a design even cooler than the Van Halen striping) some years ago and I still hate myself for not bying. Stupid!
@@holgermartinius2521 - Are you referring to EVH's modified Ibanez Explorer copy here, which had originally looked a lot like the one in this video, before it was first refinished all-white and eventually got the VH-typical paint job plus the 'shark' cutout at the back of the body? 😀
One possible but trivial reason I can speculate as to why Gibson used both black pick guards originally (& didn't include both for the Explorer) is maybe bc they thought if they did em in white, they'd have to match the anti-slip leg rest on the treble side of the V as well & if that were white it may get dirtier more quickly compared to a black version of it. Just a thought
IIRC, even on the original (like ORIGINAL original) white guard ones, the leg strip was still black. I think its because there were SO many players on the OG V that swapped for a blackguard, whereas the most notable players of Explorers (The Edge comes to mind) tend to keep em white. Marketing above all. Just speculation though
I have an original '76, it's my absolute favorite guitar. When I got it the tuners were already replaced with Schaller minis, and the pickups were changed to early 90s Gibson Custom Shop '59 PAF reissues. . I also have an '84 alder one with 3 P90s 😋
Oh, didn't Epiphone do a korina Explorer?
Damn! You could get a very good 50s gold top for that kind of money
You could get a 64 gibson sg and still have some money left over
You could get a nice vintage guitar and amp for $30K.
"Guitar wear should come honesty"
Some old guy
Guitar wear is earned, not bought. This old guy.
I agree 100%. I cringe when I dent one of my guitars, these guys do it on purpose. Just another old guy.
If you bought a Les Paul new in 1959 and played it in smokey bars and clubs for the past 60+ years, then your guitar has "honest" aging. But if you bought a real '59 in 2029 you had nothing more to DO with the aging on your guitar than the guy with the relic.
I mean, most of my guitars have visible "relicing" after about 6 months of actual playing, but that's what happens when you're always wearing a guitar when you go from room to room.
I am that old guy. Own it 1,000%.
Small heads up, '83 series Explorers also come in mahogany body versions, still with maple necks and ebony boards.
Heh, my Explorer is also made on June 5th but in 1985
Having an argument while watching this. I'm saying the V's aging looks somewhat acceptable but this one looks fake and sad for its price. Meanwhile my girlfriend has been watching your every move and she says there is no way your voice is recorded as you're unboxing and it must be dubbed later because it is so clean and pristine and does not change one bit even when you are moving the shipping boxed around.
Huh, I wonder why Murphy Labs hasn't done a neck break?
That must be the “heavy” relic job, 😂 (fake headstock repair, fake SG heel separation repair)
They have. There are a few Artist model ‘59 Relic Les Pauls that clearly show a neck repair. I have no idea if it I only cosmetic or a real break, but they have already done that.
Had a chance to pick up an Epiphone Korina Explorer but went for the regular Gibson iteration instead. It's a standard one, black with white pickguard, 2 or 3 piece mahogany body and regular everything else. Still...love it to bits!! Thanks to Trogly for bringing us the ultimate reissue 😍
Nice job...your playing is even getting better
The Edge (U2) uses a nice explorer
Trogly you should work on getting a Allen Collins explorer so go head to head because those were aged by Murphy too!!!!!!!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Beautiful guitar, sounds great too. I have just managed to get the new Epiphone edition and am very happy with it.
Your guitar playing for the demos has really improved quite a lot Trogly, that thing sounds great.
I wonder what Trog would have to do to be classified a dealer...he would be on the cutting edge of new guitars and special runs. I think he's the best of the unboxing/reviewing blogs.
A real vintage guitar with its wear,bumps , and dings, all tell a story. Not into the reliced guitars. But everybody’s different.
I thought I would like a relic guitar.
Went in to local guitar store and played some fender relic teles and strats.
Sounded great, but wow I was surprised at how much I hated the relic look in person- the guitars seemed just ‘dirty’ and not something id want to spend money on
Felt like picking up a dirty pawnshop guitar lol
The large amount of Metallica stuff really pleased me as a Hetfield fanboy. Really makes me wanna pick up my Explorer and just jam.
Indeed.Soon as this vid is over I'm going to play mine.(with headphones of course,getn kinda late)
@Kaze - Do it! 😀
I believe that Allen Collins’ explorer was an original ‘58, but I could be mistaken because he started using it in 1976 which coincides with Gibson releasing it again.
I could feel your enjoyment of this great guitar in your playing demo. It really does have a wonderful tone clean or overdriven. Thanks for documenting it. ☺
It's great you get and demo these guitars as most of us would never get to see them otherwise.
That's a beautiful explorer with a cool Brazilian fingerboard.sounds fantastic!
trogly playing metallica riffs? instant like.
I’d love Trogly to reach out to someone with vintage originals and compare these super high end to an original!
wow thanks for showing us that Beauty.. You have no idea how much i enjoy this stuff... and im learning alot too lol. Thanks again and hopefully we will be in touch soon, im about to start looking for my first Gibson les Paul.
I'll never understand why people want Kluson tuners. In the 70s if we could afford it, we ripped off the Klusons and installed Grover Rotomatics or Schallers, because the Klusons were always getting bent and were not very smooth.
And don't forget the backs popping off lol. I think it's about aesthetics more than functionality, I guess.
I think the aging job is amazing on those! Looks really authentic!
I really like and want a Flying V, a Korina would be the bomb.
Epiphone still makes a Korina Explorer and Flying V last time I checked. I may go that route. Thanks for the review and opportunity to drool ! 🤤
The Epiphone Explorer might not be 'vintage correct' according to vintage police requirements, but it is a really nice guitar that plays fantastic.
Ain’t nothing wrong with those Epiphone’s and don’t let anybody tell ya otherwise.
The natural clean tones sound awesome.
Man, really happy for you, most of us dream it, you have it, big congrats!
Nice job! Playing was awesome!!
I believe that on the 76 and more recent explorer bodies are slightly extended at the horn and end of the body.
I have a 69 SG Special. The pickup height adjustment screws are still shiny and clean, all the pickguard screws are completely rusted. I suppose the height adjustment screws have better quality plating. It does indeed look a little funny.
As far as I'm aware, James Hetfield never really played Gibson Explorer's outside of a few live shows and I believe one or two tracks from St. Anger. He mostly used ESP MX220's and MX250's, until they stopped making them after Gibson sued them. In fact, it was ESP's take on the Explorer that lead to the Gibson '84 reissues that had a different control layout and no pick guard just like the ESP, despite the fact that Gibson had never actually made an Explorer in that configuration. It is kind of funny how James Hetfield essentially popularised the Gibson Explorer in the metal community, without actually playing one.
Also, according to Ron McGovney (the original bassist), Hetfields Flying V from Kill 'em All was allegedly an Epiphone with a Gibson truss rod cover on it as well.
It's so good to hear Trogly shred!
When did that happen? I've not ever once heard him shred.. Ever.
This is my dream guitar
Got to see a real one. In a museum on guitars, it was Clapton’s. They are really quite beautiful to see in person, especially given their rarity
Just beautiful. I love that you covered so much of Metallica for the review. Greetings from Berlin
Deitschland Fuhrer Bratwurst
George Gruhn who is a revered expert in vintage stuff once said the Explorer was the best sounding Gibson electric!
The Explorer sounds killer! Glad you were able to get one!
I'll never be able to afford a 30k guitar so I'm perfectly Happy with my 2018 Explorer Electric Guitar (with Case) in (New, Antique Natural) I can pretend - Charles
Wow! You played a St. Anger riff and I didn't see any complaints 😅
At this price, most of these will just go into collections never to be played, only to be investments which I get but it’s kind of sad considering they are meant to be played
I don't think they're meant to be played, atleast I don't think that was Gibson's intention
agreed, but there's so many explorer style guitars out there just save 29k and play the heck out of that one :)
Gay
That’s definitely a keeper! I’d gig it too. Just never take your eyes off of it, and place a hidden gps tracker inside somewhere , and also in the case. A dirty sneaky thief would steal it in seconds.
I got a red 82 reissue and a black 2017. I love them both
Certainly one of thee nicest sounding axes I've ever heard 👂👍
Hetfield is the reason I play guitar, and the Explorer shape to me is my all time favorite guitar shape, I own a 2020 Gibson Explorer and an ESP Snakebyte and they are my babies. would love to own a Korina Explorer one day!
I love your channel so much! I wish more people would watch you
I hope you continue to get views, likes and more subscribers Austin!! Because you go above and beyond to make these impossible reviews!!!
That last Strat was a 'leaf foil', gold or copper glued to the body then sprayed over
Dude the guys at Gibson definitely owe you a tour of the factory
I personally prefer the RD shape out of the Explorer, Moderne, and Firebird, but the 50s Korinas are sick forsure, so far ahead of their time back then. I just don't know how I feel about the relicing on this... I'd rather have a brand new looking one that I could naturally age over the next 65 years for $30K.. the artificial aging to make someone feel like they own the real deal just seems kinda corny to me. It's not the real, but the next best thing from Gibson themselves, and it aint cheap. Relic it yourself.
i wish they'd reissue the RD shape
I totally understand what you're saying. The only aspect of a relic I'd argue for would be the neck/fingerboard wear. The rolled/worn edges of the fingerboard as well as the finish worn off the back really does make for a nice playing experience. As for the rest of it, the checking and all the body dings, I can take it or leave it. Too bad they don't develop a relic category for neck/fingerboard only and leave the rest of the instrument alone.
@@neagoat I have a Epi Lee Malia RD Artisan and it's hands down the best guitar I've ever owned, even over my Gibsons. They were Indonesian made with Gibson USA Custom Shop pups and nitro finish back in 2017. It's such a killer guitar man. It has the Les Paul Artisan inlays and stuff too you should look one up It's beautiful.
@@hkguitar1984 I agree, a worn neck and fretboard is great. Fender does something similar to that on alot of their MIM guitars and they'll finish the neck in nitro too. I'm all for the rolled fretboard edges but man idk.. $30K is alot and I like the relicing, I just don't know if I could put that type of money out on something that's brand new to look like that. Buying an actual vintage guitar with wear is different, just cause you can't really get past it aside from a re finish. It's kinda ironic too bc 99% of the time a collectors grade instrument is in mint condition with like no wear at all. But these on the other hand are immediate collector level and look like they've been beatin on for 70 years 😂
oh yeah those are pretty, ill have to get my hands on one of them eventually!
That thing sounds awesome
I'm curious. So when selling a relic, do you disclose the nicks and dings when trying to sell it on? Seems to me that honest wear gets your instrument devalued whereas a relic job adds value, bizarre. Imagine trying to sell a house this way. All of my guitars are kept in good nick and play great, they look fantastic and I'm very proud that I own them. A hilarious comment from Lee Anderton when talking about some 50s reissue relic that he has, he was really upset that he dinged his guitar DESPITEit already being a relic. Who the hell would know? Boggles me mind
lotsa people buy relics for that reason. Don't feel like they have to be Uber-careful with the guitar.
I always found it ironic that collectors pay substantially more for a vintage instrument in mint condition.
With reissues, reliving fetches more.
at 29:25 you are giving us the bird LOL
I wouldn' pay $30k for a REAL '58. Remember, it's two pieces of wood and some wire.
The real ones are closer to a 6 or 7 digit price tag, I’d rather buy a house for that money, you can’t live inside a guitar.
But theres a real business value. Wouldn't pay more than 300~ bucks for a guitar i don't plan to resell though
@@joermnyc "You can't live inside a guitar."
Bet..
money is just paper and ink lol
Exactly, if you’re into woodworking and amateur luthier stuff, these super-high prices start to seem more and more ridiculous, no matter what era or spec any guitar is, it was cranked out of the factory just like the rest.
I was wondering if you would mention Allen Collins and his Korina. Well done!
I honestly thought it looked like they put a very shallow scallop on the fingerboard. When I got a good look at the edge of the fb I could really see what he was talking about. But personally I would want a cosmetically pristine example for 30 grand. I don't care if Murphy did it or not.