Features

The Gibson Logo

The most innovative and revolutionary stringed instruments of all time have bared the name Gibson—the Les Paul, the ES-335, the Explorer, the Flying V, the SG. The list goes on and on. There is no mistaking the classic, hand-cut mother of pearl logo, inlayed into a pressed fiber-head veneer that is then glued to the face of the mahogany headstock. A thin coat of lacquer finishes the process. It is the most recognizable logo in all of music, representing more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.

• The Gibson Logo
  Angled Headstock

  The angular headstock of the Holy Explorer is the same as on the original model, patterned in a slightly "drooping" shape. The headstock itself is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.

• Angled Headstock
  Adjustable Truss Rod

  The adjustable truss rod is a Gibson innovation that revolutionized the guitar. Before this ground-breaking discovery in the early 1930s, the truss rod was used only to strengthen and stabilize the neck. By making it adjustable, the truss rod now allows a guitar to be set up using a variety of string gauges, as well as string heights. This easily accommodates any style of playing, and allows a limitless range of set-up options. And by placing it at the base of the headstock, the adjustable nut is easily accessible, even while the strings are still on the guitar.

• Adjustable Truss Rod
  The Explorer Neck Profile

  No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional '50s neck profile is the thicker, more rounded contour, emulating the neck shapes of Gibson's iconic models of the late 1950s. The '60s neck profile is considered the more modern, slim-tapered contour most commonly associated with the Gibson models of the early 1960s. The neck on Holy Explorer has the best of both worlds — it is a hybrid between the '50s rounded contour and the '60s slim-taper profile. As with all Gibson necks, it is machined in Gibson's rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. Once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest — including the final sanding — is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

• The Explorer Neck Profile
  Rosewood Fingerboard

  Rosewood has always graced the fingerboards of the world's finest stringed instruments, including the Holy Explorer from Gibson USA. The fingerboards on these guitars are constructed from the highest grade rosewood on the planet, and are personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before they enter the factories. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes each fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates "dead" or "choked out" notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.

• Rosewood Fingerboard
  Nickel and Silver Alloy Fret Wire

  The fret wire on most Gibson guitars is a combination nickel and silver alloy (approximately 80 percent nickel and 20 percent silver) specifically designed for long life and superior wear. Gibson's traditional "medium/jumbo" fret wire is first shaped by hand then cut to an exact 12-inch radius. After hand pressing it into the fingerboard, a machine press finishes the job to eliminate the gap between the bottom of the fret wire and the fingerboard.

• Nickel and Silver Alloy Fret Wire
  Dot Inlays

  The classic dot inlays is one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the ES-335, Les Paul Junior and now the Holy Explorer. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that classic "pearl" look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers.

• Dot Inlays
  Set-Neck Construction

  The necks on most Gibson guitars are distinguished by one of the more traditional features that have always set them apart — a glued neck joint. Gluing the neck to the body of the guitar insures a "wood-to-wood" contact, no air space in the neck cavity, and maximum contact between the neck and body, allowing the neck and body to function as a single unit. The result? Better tone, better sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks.

• Set-Neck Construction
  "Holy" Mahogany Body with Satin Heritage Cherry Finish

  Clearly the most identifiable part of the original Explorer is its striking, angular shaped solid mahogany body. On the new Holy Explorer, the body has been carved with carefully vented openings to give the guitar its unique, sleek look, and make it one of Gibson's lightest guitars. The Satin Heritage Cherry finish makes it one of the most eye-catching Explorers Gibson has ever made. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson's woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories. Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This insures all woods are dried to a level of "equilibrium," where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, and helps control the shrinkage and warping of the woods, in addition to helping reduce the weight. It also helps with improving the woods' machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that a Gibson guitar will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

• "Holy" Mahogany Body with Satin Heritage Cherry Finish
  Gibson’s 496R and 500T Pickups

  No event is more responsible for dramatically influencing the evolution of popular music than Gibson's introduction of the double-coil "humbucking" pickup in 1955. From the warm jazz tones of Charlie Christian, to the world-shaking rockabilly of Scotty Moore, and the crunching rock of Jimmy Page, countless players around the world explored the limitless possibilities of the tonal spectrum through Gibson pickups and guitars. As the musical landscape changed, so did the development of the humbucker pickup. Introduced in the early 1970s, Gibson's 496R and 500T pickups filled the need for more powerful humbuckers and energized the emergence of hard rock and heavy metal. The 496R produces incredible sustain and cutting power with its ceramic magnet, adding more highs with increased definition and no muddiness at all. The 500T is one of Gibson's most powerful pickups, containing a three ceramic magnet structure, which enables a no-holds-barred rock and roll crunch that never loses its rich combination of enhanced lows and crystal clear highs. This is one of Gibson's most potent pickup combinations.

• Gibson’s 496R and 500T Pickups
  Tune-O-Matic Bridge

  The Tune-o-matic bridge, also known as the ABR-1, was the brainchild of legendary Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954. At the time, it was a true revelation in intonation, and set a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. This pioneering piece of hardware provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. It is combined with a separate "stopbar" tailpiece, essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge. To this day, the Tune-o-matic remains the industry standard. It is the epitome of form and function in electric guitar bridge design, and is one of the most revered and copied pieces of guitar hardware ever developed.

• Tune-O-Matic Bridge
  Nitrocellulose Finish

  Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can't do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not "seal" wood in an airtight shell—as a poly finish does—and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

• Nitrocellulose Finish