Gibson.com: Gibson Tribal Xplorer

USA: 1-800-4GIBSON
Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1

Products

Store

News-Lifestyle

Lessons

Community

24/7 Support

Explorer Gibson USA

Gibson USA Limited Run Series Tribal Explorer

Ever since its introduction in 1958, the Gibson Explorer has been one of rock and roll’s most defining symbols. In fact, so radical a concept was its design that the Explorer lasted only a few years before succumbing to the other, more popular Gibson models of the day. But all of this changed when hard rock and heavy metal hit the scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and the Explorer became the ultimate guitar to be seen with. Since then, the Explorer has been a total declaration of crushing rock action. It has also become the beloved instrument to a wide range of guitar stars from all genres, including Eric Clapton and U2’s The Edge. Gibson is now proud to introduce the latest chapter in the life of the Explorer – the Tribal Explorer, part of Gibson USA’s 2009 Limited Run Series of guitars. Available April 1, 2009, the Tribal Explorer takes the classic Explorer format to the next level. It is an instrument honed for the contemporary rock and shred player, and it will only be produced in a strictly limited run of 350 guitars. It is destined to appeal to the collector just as much as the player.

A New Look For A Legend

The original Explorer is a tough act to follow, but the Tribal Explorer meets the challenge and passes the test with added edge and attitude. A solid mahogany body and neck are dressed in a custom white finish. On the body is the Tribal Explorer’s signature design – an exclusive black Tribal pattern outline that sets it apart from any Explorer before it. Its unbound ebony fingerboard with acrylic dot inlays provides an austere contrast, while black chrome hardware and white pickup mounting rings complete the package.

Hardware To Match The Look

The Tribal Explorer updates the original Explorer’s iconic lines with a sizzling new power train designed to offer the muscle and versatility demanded by the 21st century rocker. A pair of Gibson’s own uncovered ceramic-magnet humbucking pickups — a 496R in the neck and a 500T in the bridge — maximize output and sustain while retaining clarity and string definition. Through a clean channel, they offer thumping lows and sweet highs. Plugged into a high-gain amp, however, the pickups really come into their own, yielding eviscerating midrange and sizzling lead tones, and nearly endless sustain when desired.

A Little Added Hardware

The Tribal Explorer adds an extra dimension to the Explorer’s ability to rock with a factory mounted Kahler Tremolo system. The ultimate tailpiece for anything from deep divebombing to subtle vibrato effects, the Kahler is partnered with a black graphite nut and locking Grover kidney tuners to get it all right back to pitch, however extreme your action.

A Very Limited Run

Whether you’re a player seeking a professional rock and roll guitar that’s totally uncompromised in both looks and performance, or a collector in search of that ultimate trophy piece, the new 2009 Limited Run Series Tribal Explorer from Gibson USA is an axe worth grinding. And be to get one quick, because they won’t last long. Remember, each 2009 Limited Run Series model is restricted to just 350 guitars, so contact your authorized Gibson dealer today. Each comes with a black Gibson hardshell case and a special Limited Run Series certificate of authenticity.

Features

The Gibson Logo
Angled Headstock with Locking Grover Mini Tuners
Gibson’s angled headstock is a small, subtle engineering marvel. Angled at exactly 14 degrees, the Gibson headstock increases pressure on the strings to help them stay in the nut slots, which means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, equaling better sustain. In addition, each Gibson headstock is carved out of the same piece of wood as the neck, ensuring solid alignment and excellent tonal qualities. The new Tribal Explorer headstock also comes with a set of locking Grover mini tuners, that helps keep it in tune when using the Kahler 2215K tremolo system.
Angled Headstock with Locking Grover Mini Tuners
Adjustable Truss Rod
A Gibson innovation that revolutionized the guitar, the adjustable truss rod — which moves a neck forward and back — makes it possible for guitars to be set up using a variety of string gauges and string heights, which can accommodate any style of playing. Before its invention in the early 1930s, the truss rod was used only to strengthen and stabilize the neck. It has become a fundamental part of the guitar, and another example of Gibson’s commitment to developing the instrument.
Adjustable Truss Rod
The Tribal 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 Gibson’s new Tribal 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 Tribal Explorer Neck Profile
22-Fret Ebony Fingerboard
Ebony has always graced the fingerboards of the world’s finest stringed instruments, including the new Tribal Explorer from Gibson USA. The fingerboards on these guitars are constructed from the highest grade ebony on the planet, all of which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before entering the factories. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes each Tribal Explorer 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.
22-Fret Ebony 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
Figured Acrylic Dot Inlays
The classic dot inlays is one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the ES-335, the Les Paul Junior, and now the new Tribal Explorer from Gibson USA. 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.
Figured Acrylic 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
Solid Mahogany Body
The most central feature of any Explorer is its mahogany body, which provides players a well-balanced, weight-reduced guitar alternative with absolutely no compromises in tone, sustain, or performance. The new Tribal Explorer’s solid mahogany body comes in the classic style of the 1976 Explorer, and features a special Tribal Pattern design as its signature guise. The mahogany, of course, 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 and temperature are carefully controlled, which ensures 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 controls the shrinkage and warping of the woods, in addition to reducing the weight. It also improves 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.
Solid Mahogany Body
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 cruching 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. As with all Gibson pickups, every part is precisely manufactured at Gibson USA in Nashville, Tennessee, insuring tight, seamless fittings, and superior workmanship.
Gibson’s 496R and 500T Pickups
Kahler 2215K Tremolo System in Black Chrome
For those wanting the ultimate in tremolo systems, look no further than the Kahler 2215K from Kahler USA. This black chrome stud mount tremolo system features individual fine tuners, and a 360HH brass cam. It also has stainless steel saddles that can be adjusted six different ways: side to side for string spacing, front to back to intonation, and up and down to adjust action and match the radius of the fingerboard. The brass cam and stainless steel saddles also deliver enhanced sustain and harmonics and a warmer, rich tone.
Kahler 2215K Tremolo System in Black Chrome
Nitrocellulose Finish
Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar — including the new Tribal Explorer from Gibson USA — 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