This is a hands-on review and video demo of the Gibson Explorer in Antique Natural — the regular mahogany production model with a nitro finish, slim neck, and BurstBucker 2 and 3 pickups. In the video below, you’ll hear it played live on camera and get a close look at the feel and fretwork that might make it the best-playing guitar I own. If you’re curious what makes this radical shape so playable, start here, then read on for the backstory.

The Gibson Explorer is an iconic guitar. After flopping with its 1958 release, this guitar gained notoriety decades later with the metal movement. However, I don’t play metal (as mentioned with the Epiphone Prophecy SG video), so why did I need to have this in my collection? Well, with the Explorer was created, it wasn’t meant for metal- it was meant for rock’n’roll! And it came in a very plain package- just some korina mahogany and an unbound fretboard.

Feel and Specs

Fast-forward years later and we have the regular mahogany version finished in “antique natural”. This guitar looks the part of a vintage instrument and the nitro finish feels great. The guitar is so easy to play- the slim neck is what does it for me. And the sound from the BurstBucker 2 and 3 pickups? Unreal. It’s one of those guitars that makes you a better player when you pick it up. It just exudes cool…even when I play it!

Check out the video for all the details to see what this checked off the guitar bucket list!

The Demo

The Verdict

For a non-metal player, the Explorer turned out to be a perfect fit — easy-playing, great-feeling, and full of unreal humbucker tones. It earned its place on the list.

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Gibson Explorer demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more related reviews: the Epiphone Prophecy SG (mentioned in the video) and the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.