I received my olive drab Epiphone Explorer and was very pleased with the over all aesthetics of the guitar. Not a single blemish to be found. great job Epiphone! I immediately removed the factory strings and replaced with Ernie Ball .10’s. I had significant fret buzz on the first 3 to 4 frets across all strings. This clued me in that the neck needed some relief badly. Using the tap method I confirmed that the neck was dead straight with zero relief at all. I removed the truss rod cover and was pleased to see a neat, tidy area underneath. I was very perplexed to learn that the truss rod turned very freely when moved counter clockwise to loosen. I spun it it a few times and then it “caught” a thread and began impacting the relief, a dual action truss rod perhaps? ... MoreI received my olive drab Epiphone Explorer and was very pleased with the over all aesthetics of the guitar. Not a single blemish to be found. great job Epiphone! I immediately removed the factory strings and replaced with Ernie Ball .10’s. I had significant fret buzz on the first 3 to 4 frets across all strings. This clued me in that the neck needed some relief badly. Using the tap method I confirmed that the neck was dead straight with zero relief at all. I removed the truss rod cover and was pleased to see a neat, tidy area underneath. I was very perplexed to learn that the truss rod turned very freely when moved counter clockwise to loosen. I spun it it a few times and then it “caught” a thread and began impacting the relief, a dual action truss rod perhaps? Anyway, loosening it produced the desired results and corrected the fret buzz. I was able to get the action right where I like it (4/64 on low e)with minimal buzz when played hard and none with a light touch. The fret ends really need to be smoothed out on it as they are pretty rough. The nut was cut really well. It required only slight adjustment to the metric styled ABR bridge on the low e and g strings and intonation is perfect. The pickups and hardware are top notch. I am able to ride the volume knob to go from slightly overdriven tones to full on distortion. The tone knob is very responsive as well. Overall - I am very happy with this guitar. It looks awesome, plays great after some minor truss rod adjustments and sounds incredible. Rough fret ends are the only negative that I can list. Pick one up if you’ve ever wanted an Explorer !

This guitar is so beautiful. I consider the explorer to be in the "how can Gibson really make it better?" category along with the SG. Add the fact that the explorer is the only model that shares the same headstock with its Gibson counterpart and you have a real winner!The Explorer arrived well packed and out of the box it was just flat of Drop C, Perfect!. The neck is lovely, Sort of a soft D shape with plenty of access to the upper frets. Frets are narrower than my Epi les paul from 10 years ago. But no rough corners or filler anywhere to be seen on the fretboard. The laurel fretboard is a bit light in color, looks great with he olive but may not suit your taste. We'll see what happens when I oil it. Grover tuners are nice but a bit close together, I suppose ... MoreThis guitar is so beautiful. I consider the explorer to be in the "how can Gibson really make it better?" category along with the SG. Add the fact that the explorer is the only model that shares the same headstock with its Gibson counterpart and you have a real winner!The Explorer arrived well packed and out of the box it was just flat of Drop C, Perfect!. The neck is lovely, Sort of a soft D shape with plenty of access to the upper frets. Frets are narrower than my Epi les paul from 10 years ago. But no rough corners or filler anywhere to be seen on the fretboard. The laurel fretboard is a bit light in color, looks great with he olive but may not suit your taste. We'll see what happens when I oil it. Grover tuners are nice but a bit close together, I suppose that's an explorer thing.The Probucker pickups sound real nice, miles ahead of the old 490r/498t's Epiphone used to put on everything. They have a mellow, medium output tone to them that seems to sit nice in a mix. I'll probably swap the bridge pup out for a higher gain one but the neck pup is just fine. They definitely aren't the throwaway pickups Epiphone used to make.I firmly believe that the Explorer is the most comfy Gibson shape to play sitting down, prove me wrong! Its also more balanced standing up than any LP or SG. I'm totally in love with this thing!Go Ahead and get it, Throw it on a payment plan, plug it in and rock out to your favorite Metallica, Coheed & Cambria or whatever else. The Explorer truly is the unsung hero of all Gibson/Epiphone guitars

I received my Epiphone Explorer in Olive Drab Green last week, and I was absolutely blown away with the quality of it. I own a Gibson SG and I would say the quality is comparable to it. I’ve always wanted an Explorer, and after seeing good things about the new “Inspired by Gibson” line, I decided to get this Explorer the moment they became available. The color is fantastic, and a welcome change from the usual black/korina models that you usually see with Epiphone. While not a dealbreaker, the only thing I’m not completely sold on is the Indian Laurel fretboard. I have a Jazzmaster with it as well, and while it is not bad, I definitely prefer the feel of rosewood. Overall, if you have ever thought about getting an Explorer, I would not hesitate to pick one of these up.

These guitars seem solid and the necks feel very “Gibson-y”.But terrible packing and shipping.The guitar was labeled in a fashion that it was shipped with the neck down, And the bubble wrap inside the inner box was all flat so the guitar was it secure inside… And absolutely no packing in the outer box… so when you open this guitar it was sitting upside down with the inner box open and the guitar just flopping around… It arrived with broken pots and the switch broken off… And what bothers me the most is this company used to be so good at taking care of its customers and productsI’ve sent three emails with pictures attached… with no response.

For me, I like the bigger body guitars. A little heavier than some, but I base my likes on how a guitar feels when I strap it on. The playability is equally important. This one is easy to play with streamline neck, and moving across the fretboard effortlessly. Everything is in the right places as far as I'm concerned. All knobs for tone and volume and the selector switch are easy to get to. I also like having just 2 pickups, which is why Im not really a Strat guy! This particular color Drab Olive Green was just the icing on the cake. I absolutely love this color! Overall thumbs up!

Epiphone is the new Epiphone

I was looking for something a little different from my usual les paul or strat guitars and this spoke to me. I've heard good things about how epiphones past QC issues are well..in the past. My Explorer needed a small set up but I've done this many times before with high end instruments so it didn't phase me.A small tweek of the truss rod and dropping the bridge a small amount made this more acceptable to my fingers.The pickups sounded nice and no crackling of the pots, I also had a little look under the bonnet and these come with CTS pots and quick-connect wiring (if you wanted to swap out the pickups) and this was done nice and neatly. The frets were nicely done with no sharp edges.The overall finish is really well done.When playing sat down it was quite ... MoreI was looking for something a little different from my usual les paul or strat guitars and this spoke to me. I've heard good things about how epiphones past QC issues are well..in the past. My Explorer needed a small set up but I've done this many times before with high end instruments so it didn't phase me.A small tweek of the truss rod and dropping the bridge a small amount made this more acceptable to my fingers.The pickups sounded nice and no crackling of the pots, I also had a little look under the bonnet and these come with CTS pots and quick-connect wiring (if you wanted to swap out the pickups) and this was done nice and neatly. The frets were nicely done with no sharp edges.The overall finish is really well done.When playing sat down it was quite comfortable but when stood with a strap the neck dives to level out but that's just the fun of the design.Plugged in i tried it clean and the pickups were nice and clear (not very powerful but adequate for the job but then again I'm use to hearing my seymour duncan Antiquities in my lp)I gave this a 4 out of 5 but that was purely down to the setup but once that was done I fail to find fault with this rock machine and for the money its very good value.Cheers to Ringo at Nottinghams PMT for a faultless buying experience 👍

Neck problems .

Overall:I spent a lot of time on setting this guitar up the best I could . Plastic nut needs filed on g string . Putting a true bar or straight end show the neck had a concaved area around 6th fret , messed with the truss bar a bit still no hope . The guitar had several high frets . Tons of filing. For guitar that cost 700 dollars it seem like a lot of work to get it close to playable . I won't be buying another Epiphone . I stick with ESP LTD's .

Rock and Roll

Have a few Gibsons but i am not good enough to spend what a gibby explorer would cost. My son's Epi LP studio special (alpine with gold) is impressive to where id buy this iconic design as an epi. No disappointments with condition, fret ends, nor pickups. Setup nice and rocks. Would not deduct a star but needs top of (pretty mini) frets smoothed out, oil the dryish fretboard, and put my ernie ball regular slinkys on. I expect to really enjoy this piece being part of the collection

Smoking Hot axe!

Overall:First off, thank you zZounds for everything yall do. Always excellent service. My guitar came out of tune, but that doesn't matter. Sometimes a guitar comes in in tune. I tuned up and got plugged in. My rig is slightly complicated. I plug into my Ibanez Demon Wah to my BOSS Metal Zone Distortion into my DOD 7band EQ to my Sonicake Black Hammer multi FX with delay, chorus, boost and a Distortion I don't use. After that I can choose from a very old CRATE G120 2X12 120 watt combo or my Randall RG80. Through either amp my effects are brutal. My new Explorer sounded amazing and passed the distortion test with flying colors. I used my Randall for the clean test as it sounds great clean. On the next k pickup I could play anything clean. I was mostly playing some ... MoreOverall:First off, thank you zZounds for everything yall do. Always excellent service. My guitar came out of tune, but that doesn't matter. Sometimes a guitar comes in in tune. I tuned up and got plugged in. My rig is slightly complicated. I plug into my Ibanez Demon Wah to my BOSS Metal Zone Distortion into my DOD 7band EQ to my Sonicake Black Hammer multi FX with delay, chorus, boost and a Distortion I don't use. After that I can choose from a very old CRATE G120 2X12 120 watt combo or my Randall RG80. Through either amp my effects are brutal. My new Explorer sounded amazing and passed the distortion test with flying colors. I used my Randall for the clean test as it sounds great clean. On the next k pickup I could play anything clean. I was mostly playing some Sanitarium by Metallica. It killed it. Sounded amazing. The feel of the neck is very comfortable for my smallish hands and the feet work is superb. There are no defects and everything works as it should. I usually swap out pickups, but the stock pickups hold their own and I love the sound of them so they are staying right where they belong. The fit and finish is top notch. Beautiful deep black finish with no visible flaws. It's not heavy at all. It's a comfortable weight. Does not neck dive. I had to check myself out in the mirror and this guitar is sexy. This all based on my experience and gear. I'm sure it will fit in with any rig. I'll let you be the judge. I recommend that if your on the fence to go ahead and buy one. You won't regret it. It can be upgraded , different pick guard or pickups. The hardware is great. I bet it would look great with all black hardware and pickups. It gives me that Hetfield moko thang big time. Awesome guitar that is worth more than $599.

Very Impressed

Sound:The sound is robust and ballsy.Overall:I've always wanted an Explorer to play and add to my small arsenal of Gibson guitars. As I was browsing at different styles of explorers from various manufacturers, I happened across this black gloss Epiphone Explorer that was the exact style I was wanting. After looking at the specs and reviews and knowing Epiphone is a quality product and made and owned by Gibson, I knew I couldn't go wrong. When I received it I was impressed by the aesthetics and quality workmanship. I plugged it into my Line 6 amp and man I couldn't believe my ears. This is probably the best handling and best sounding guitar I've ever listened to and played. My friend a long time axe man was equally impressed and stunded by the sound, playability ... MoreSound:The sound is robust and ballsy.Overall:I've always wanted an Explorer to play and add to my small arsenal of Gibson guitars. As I was browsing at different styles of explorers from various manufacturers, I happened across this black gloss Epiphone Explorer that was the exact style I was wanting. After looking at the specs and reviews and knowing Epiphone is a quality product and made and owned by Gibson, I knew I couldn't go wrong. When I received it I was impressed by the aesthetics and quality workmanship. I plugged it into my Line 6 amp and man I couldn't believe my ears. This is probably the best handling and best sounding guitar I've ever listened to and played. My friend a long time axe man was equally impressed and stunded by the sound, playability and feel of this axe. The stock probuckers scream and has lots of balls. Totally satisfied and happy happy!!