ESP CUSTOM EXPLORER (1996 Model)

[Andycreep11]

that guitar belongs too JAMEZ

[hmcg020]

Ability>Guitar>Amp. Fuck pedals, fuck digital processors. The thing one thing a guitar should do (besides make you look cool), is create a relationship between you and music; something to motivate you to develop your skills and understanding of music. I have a goth 81/85 explorer, the second i saw it i knew i had to have it. I got a loan from the bank and spent a year paying it off; i was 16. 8 years later, I still think it ws the best choice of my life. Music gives living a clear purpose.

[Wintersun93]

88,888 views :D

[HearGear]

I think this is a China made fake ESP Explorer.. the logo is not where it should be.. and the neck is bolt on... it should be neck thru on all ESP Explorers....

[Depthsreflection]

@HearGear i think its Set neck on the explorer series dunno why thou...

[ssqad5]

@diagn0stik tell that to kerry king

[Rush3D1]

how is this headstock called ?

[kane916]

@Rush3D1 banana

[wikichris]

These may be alright but when I was 16 and naiive I bought a Grass Roots Explorer...totally fucking shit on a scary level.

[moyersshred]

emgs are terrible imo. i'm glad that you use them.

that's why there are different kinds of pickups, for different people.

[SR91Aurora]

Appart from the pickups, there is nothing very "custom" on this guitar...

[munchy040]

agreed fuck gibson

[VulgarOwner]

What I noticed when I compared sorts of explorers is that you pay WAY TOO much for the name & lawsuit shape. In my book; these EXP's & MX's are not worth more than 1500 - 1900$ depending on it's condition. Hamer's & Gibson's are lighter, constructed better & have a thin body compared to these ESP/LTD EXP's..

And stop bashing the guitar just because I don't use EMG's..

I'm not Hetfield, neither are you.

[6Mega6Man6]

@VulgarOwner Do you still have this guitar?

[Tombking2]

@VulgarOwner I suppose it depends, there has been lawsuit guitars known to be extremely good quality and better than the originals. but of course it all differs, you know ESPS neck/headstock design came from Kramer at the start? ESP was a company working for kramer in the 80s which was the biggest brand back then. But then their economics went quite bad and ESP started to make their own guitars. Kinda cool!

[bestdrummerever1234]

@VulgarOwner i dont know why people bash humbuckers because in the 80's james used them

[HazardousSaint]

@VulgarOwner How much would you sell this guitar for?

[CrushedJustice]

@VulgarOwner Gibsons aren't worth their hefty price either... coming from me and my friends experience with them their quality has become crap over the past couple years. Paying full price I would expect better quality in construction...

[VulgarOwner]

This is not an MX series Explorer.

It's from a Custom EXP batch released around 1996, the Bolt-On construction depends on the player's taste. I liked it, don't know why it created such fuss. When you pay thousands for let's say; a Fender, you're bound to get a Bolt-On too? So what.. It's you that matters & the other 50% of the sound you obtain depends on your amp! The neck joint doesn't affect your "tone" that drastically.. you'll get "better tone" with a fresh set of strings!

[HarvesterBob]

@VulgarOwner 70% of your sound depends on hoe you play your instrument!

[dusted04]

@VulgarOwner the exp series was the american version of the mx 250

it had rosewood fingerboard and bolt on neck

the mx 250 was for the japan market and was a custom order only it has set neck and ebony fretboard

with sperzels as an upgrade

check out my vids of my mx 250 !

[joey1364]

dam lawsuits these are awsome

[Cairah2013]

THANK ALOT GIBSON!!!!!!

[RoxxorBidoune]

Gibson must think that by prohibiting ESP to produce those, people will buy theirs...

WE WANT ESP EXPLORER !

[tkdman45]

It'd be awesome if they could bring them back, because the original ESP explorers looked fucking awesome, and Gibson's quality control is just shit now. There was a big ass lawsuit between Gibson + ESP for the shape of the body, that's why they don't sell them any more.

[ben10sk8r]

WHY DID THEY STOP MAKING THESE?!!!?

[306741lock]

@ben10sk8r Because gibson sued ESP for copying their design.

[ben10sk8r]

@306741lock FUCK GIBSON

[nurelkamash]

@BenjaminLOfficial maybe greenpeace should sue Gibson for using forbidden wood.... =D

[Vultures13]

Sounds like shit.

[ilikeheadcrabs]

@Vultures13 so do you

fucking awesome, heavy as hell

[SJP444]

Yet another awesome ESP ruined by a FR trem. I really hate those things. I know people will reply "you just don't know how to use it"... No... I know how to use it, they're just a pain in the ass! A graphite nut, locking tuners and some lube on the bridge and nut slots work just as good.

[xenorocker73]

What the hell is with that plastic guitar hero guitar?

[guitartutor8]

they got the explorer shape but not the headstock

[UACDOOM]

I love those banana headstocks. OVERKILL's rhythm guitar player in thanks for nothing has a beatiful explorer gibson with that headstock omg, amazing.

[EVER4METALLICA]

how could i get one :(( ???????

[munchy040]

@EVER4METALLICA i know where ! the question is do you have the cash

[Belleraphon100]

banana

[TheZombieRitual]

@Langtw

Neck joint type has nothing to do with quality.

[bloodybastard25]

@TheZombieRitual It determines sustainabilty. A neck thru has an ass load of sustain. While bolt ons, not so much.

[TheZombieRitual]

@bloodybastard25 Actually, yes that's very true. I still prefer bolt-on, even though I love neck throughs.

[Langtw]

EWWWW, Bolt on Neck. Something this High Quality should have like a neck thru.

[zaktan415]

hey its a black eet fuk!

[guitardude901]

they REALLY need tu put them back

[nailgore]

ningun modelo de ESP suena igual como suena la explorer ESP...por que mierda ya no la venden!

[Contreras1991]

@nailgore por que tuvo problemas legales con gibson

[thrash510]

you cant buy these any more right?

[Wojteo92]

@thrash510 yes you cant ; /

[HammerCOB]

Why doesnt esp make those explorers with this cool headstock?

[munchy040]

@HammerCOB you cant buy the old rounder style esp explorer anymore because gibson sued esp claiming that esp,s shape was to similar to the gibson explorer !

you can only buy 1 if you can find 1 on ebay or go to the custom shop in japan or if your like me and think outsied the box look up second hand or rare guitar stores in japan , i did this and i should be recieving my explorer in a few days but it cost $3100 U.S its a 96 esp mx 250 hope this essay helps :)

[arehormeus]

I love how on the esp custom website it says that they wont make any exp body shapes because of the lawsuit yet james hetfield can get one as he pleases. I love papa het, but thats fuckin annoying...I'd pay to get one, just as he would...

[metallicwwefan]

explorer with floyd rose is a shit

without it it's real cool but with it...

[SixxHundredSixtySixx]

at 0:43 theres an gap betwen the locking nut and the end of the fretboard..that is horrible!

[Kingddd333]

Probably 10000 times better than the Gibson with their quality control today

[psychaospath]

@Kingddd333 Gibson doesnt compete with ESP. They never could and never will. So they sued em XD

[n1njaglare]

If your looking for future sound tests or just to check out one of these beasts, check out my first video, many more to come later!

[MegaTallicaCovers]

Gibson sued Esp for the EXP body style because the EXP fucked the hell out the Explorer

[darkeagle551]

@MegaTallicaCovers they also sued for the Eclipse looked identical to the Les Paul lol

[Shink5]

To be honest I prefer The Ex More than the traditionnal shape cause the bottom of the EX is more comfortable for my style of playing

[guitarshreder91]

im not a big fan of the floyde rose on an explorer but whatever

[parry1611]

That neck is so dry

[Wojteo92]

@parry1611 t=yea

[NUR1317]

Here would you be able to tell me what year a ltd esp exp 300 explorer is man? Thanks.

[MrMetalhead1990]

I have the same guitar but it's a guitar hero controller I play air guitar with! BTW, I WANT THAT GUITAR

[riseagainstmeatloaf]

The reason they won't bring these back is because Gibson gives them heat because these guitars are more popular and less expensive than Gibsons. Just like they took out the Ibanez Destroyer. They could at least give some thought to the players who can't afford those 6,000 dollar explorers, or leave the companies who also have a vision of the more frugal players alone.

[punkDARYLpunk]

mine is more or less the same other than mine is an epiphone which cost 389...i have a gothic explorer

[omgomglame]

ah...I remember those pre-lawsuit guitars

[gotti2159]

sorda reminds me of roopes from cob

[The13thTomb]

i got big hands, what do you think is better for me a dean x series ml or an esp explorer ?

[2346]

@The13thTomb um the esp explorer you have to get through custom shop and can get pricey but there is the esp ex which is a similar explorer shape but more pointy i recommend the esp ex-401 unless you have 4-7k you can get a esp exp

[coldmon11]

ive had both so i can say that the ml is better for big hands cause it has a wider neck, but the esps play alot better lol

[8400Nvidia]

wow i didnt know that it has floyd rose

[slantyrock]

usually it has a fixed bridge, this is a custom esp.

[TruckyNiggets]

@metallicafan921, you are a colossal douche.

ESP makes awesome guitars, and the Randall RX120D is one of the best solid state amps I have ever played. Nice cleans, and the gain ripped. if I ever had to go back to solid state, this would be the amp I'd go to.

[metallicafan921]

Bolt on is for pussy, no explorer should have a bolt-on neck.! Set Neck is the only way. And this is not the right MX, thats a copie

Mx-250 and Mx-220 ftw and Ken Lawrence Explorer!!

[DeadlyDictator]

yea you could say that, and an opinion is something that you probably cant change, so you cant change mine, this guitar sucks ass. its really cheap made, and the nut is high, and the frets arent level, ive seen this on a few different esp guitars.

[GodspeedGen]

@EyeHateEmos eww ESP ftw there amazing guitars but pricey

[narutoguy56]

no offense dude gibson reissued explorer's sucks ass . ESP ftw

[2346]

yea the original 48 explorer and the esp exp were the best the pickguards made is suck

[narutoguy56]

right now gibson is kinda overrated

[DeadlyDictator]

my bc rich is better than this. i would know, they had this guitar at musiciansfriend, set up and everything and it was terrible

[munkeefork69]

bc rich= badass body shapes, shit pickups and tone.

[DeadlyDictator]

thats why you dont get a piece of shit bronze warlock or something. and you get new pickups

[2346]

fucking gibson is stupid they are the ones that stopped selling the explorer then they fucking realize that every other company is having sucess from it they decide to sue them all and re issue theirs when theirs fucking sucks balls

[knightoftheroundpunk]

i thought u couldnt get these explorers anymore.

[OosGuitar]

@knightoftheroundpunk

it is a custom shop guitar

[Stashitquick]

that definitely does not look like a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge.

[sirstepan]

with tremolo???

[StaulkHolm]

thats not copying anyone. *cough*

[vicente321]

lol, ill just stick with Gibson's/Epiphone's explorer....

[StaulkHolm]

same here.

[assphinktersaiswhat]

why? they are overpriced peices of shit!

[metallMartin]

Woow , awesome with tremolo Floyd Rose !!!

[333SlayerCFH]

ESP and BC Rich are the best IMO

[danceforest69]

dude, dont compare ESP to B.C. Bitch.

[333SlayerCFH]

I'm not comparing the two. -.-

[DeadlyDictator]

read the newer comments. my opinion is there. bitch.

[TheNumetal95]

they should bring these back to the market !!!

[themodernguitarist]

@TheNumetal95

They are, only outside N.A. I think though, as the MX series.

[2346]

@TheNumetal95 yea the only way to get them now is from custom shop and it cost alot

[guitarshreder91]

@2346 you can still find old ones

[XpcrewX]

@TheNumetal95 but then gibson would have a fit,

and we can't have that can we? : /

[88fanforlife]

@TheNumetal95 it would be awesome but gibson sued them for the explorer and the eclipse cause it looked to much like their explorer and les paul, and im not sure if they sued tham because of the viper guitar, but i know gibson sued them because of those two models

[n1njaglare]

@88fanforlife And the Firebird, and the V.



[skaterboy5884]

@TheNumetal95 ESP Got sued by gibson so they cant :[

[CemetaryGatesML]

@skaterboy5884 well, esp still makes the explorer but it pointy. sux how you gotta order the "origonal" shape from the custom shop.. :( but i wanna be like james hetfield NNOOWWW lol

[WhiplashSeattle1989]

@TheNumetal95 they can't :( Gibson made them change the design because it looked too much like the Explorer

[rummy987]

@TheNumetal95 a gibson gothic explorer is almost identical

[mikey3335]

@TheNumetal95 they cant due to copying the gibson explorers

[IBZ93GRG250P]

the design is nothing unusual.. but nice, since they dont sell these anymore..

[xburninxthexremainsx]

since they dont make these anymore, i built my own with a zakk wylde style paint job. its fucking sick, mine has DiMarzios though, not EMG's. Explorer guitars are the fucking sex. Love them banana headstocks, they're the best thing about the old ESP Ex models. Everything's is too pointy now.

[longlivepantera]

I use Emgs, but im not in love with them like most guys, i like variation to a degree, Emgs's to me seem to be quite...sterile, the 18v mod helps out slightly, Emg's are always good if your into metal like Fear Factory & rhythm stuff like that where your picking hand is more of the driving force behind your playing, but you cant beat Duncans for organic tone imo, where lead playing is concerned at least.

[SoundOfAShark]

i love the emg 81 at neck

and blackout in bridge

changes you tone so dramtically

bass crunch crunch

(switch)

shred your fucking face off tone

[d22587]

the rhythm and lead dont really match.

[liamferg2309]

banana headstocks are teh br00talz

[FloroSapien]

Quite.

[MforceArts]

@liamferg2309

only deathcore fags say BrOOtalz

[laynefuller]

@liamferg2309 hells yah, i got a shitty b.c rich from like 20 years ago, that things a pos, but everyone that sees it wants it cuz it has a banana...

[dogstar1967]

@liamferg2309 is this english?

[HeadBang1212]

i currently have a rare fender guitar (costed about 750) and a marshall mg 30 amp. i want a more metal sound but i just bought my guitar two years ago and i wont be getting another one until im like 16. what should i do to make my guitar sound more metal.

[333SlayerCFH]

Get a distortion pedal

[HeadBang1212]

thanks

[BCRichGuitarsFTW]

sell it, and buy another one.

or get a distorion pedal

[HeadBang1212]

i wouldnt sell it because i really like it it just dosnt suit my playing style. i will get another guitar in a few years tho. in the meen time i will prob buy a disto pedal

[ibanezdudeck]

If I were you, I'd ditch the Marshall MG. Those things suck. Get a used Marshall Valvestate 2000 or something like that. Anything but an MG. Even a Raven amp would be better. Make sure you have your treble and bass almost all the way up and the mid about half way. If you still have problems, put a seymour duncan humbucker in the bridge of the guitar if it doesn't already have one. But wait, I'm not done yet. If you still have problems, get a Digitech RP250 pedal or one in that general line

[FatsMcClure]

turn down the tone nobs, play with the neck pickup/mid pickup, and turn up the distortion. Either that or just get a heavy distortion pedal and don't use the distortion built into the amp. Palm mute more. If its a "rare" fender don't screw with the hardware.

[HeadBang1212]

well actually, its the palm muting thats a problem. it dostnt sound like distorition when i palm mute. just kinda flat or something. i played it through my friends line 6 and it sounded awesome. almost better than his jackson....so i think im gonna buy a line 6. doe anybody have any suggestions on what amp i should check outbesides that one? thanks for the help by yhe way.

[OMGITSL33TGUY]

Getting other pickups also helps, for example emg 81 or 85 ones, the 81s are used by kirk hammet for example, so they're metal allright.

[ChadA23]

Different amp settings, try switching pich ups if you have to. Seriusly most of it is sitting down with your amp and finding YOUR TONE. Don't worry about other's tones find one you like and it takes a while but it's cool.

[N4o4N]

fuck you gibson. you bastards made it impossible to get one of these nowadays.

[guitarnick914]

Gibsons are better than these, definatly.

[N4o4N]

yeah, but I'm lefty and they don't fucking make lefty explorers, so Gibson is full of assholes.

[guitarnick914]

Not really. They just made an explorer that's lefty but meant to be righty called reverse. Use that even though the headstock is different, it's good quality.

[N4o4N]

the headstock is shitty and it would decrease its value to change the nut and shit like that. Plus it costs a fortune. No way I'm going to do that. Fuck Gibson, the fact that they can make a lefty one as a righty, but they won't make me a lefty one is pure bullshit.

[guitarnick914]

Just did some research on ebay. This very moment there a 1985 Gibson Explorer lefty. Check it out, those were the only times when they made them. So fucking Gibson isn't really the way to go. It's just that now lefty players don't really call that much for explorers hurry and get to it. It's probably the only chance you'll get- don't miss it and regret in the future like many of my friends have about different guitars. Just trying to help out bro.

[N4o4N]

well, I guess when I get endorsed by ESP or some other company, I'll find some loop hole to get one. lol.

[guitarnick914]

Sounds good, but really dude check it out it's pretty kick ass.

[skullchick88]

I have read that u use Tortex picks. How long do they last ? Because whenever I use them they are done after about 2or 3 days.....

[alextzam]

anyone please help!can i chainge the pickups of the gibson explorer 76rissue to emg actives????

[skateflips410]

you can but you would have to cut out an area in the back of your guitar for a battery compartment (because they're actives)

[skullchick88]

Why not? I did it with my Dean ML.....you can find the measures of an EMG on their website-so you can prove if they fit without too much work. And Check where you can put in the battery. Schouldn´t be a problem...

[alextzam]

where can i find on of these???????????

[JacobKingOfTheOzone]

heaven.............

[carter20081985]

does esp still make explorer

[kirkhamstter]

no, that model no but they have a guitar with the shape

[wrmsnicket]

guys i am choosing between gibson and esp which is better for metallica metal thats what iam going for

[LordZOfOreoZ]

Definitely go with ESP. It's what they use.

Except for his special 1973 Gibson Les Paul...

[empreme]

Play both and decide for yourself!!

[gmanhell94]

A Gibson is good if you want the classic 80's metal sound, but the esp is good for modern metal

[moonsuga]

Esp Kh 2! Just bought one myself. It is the Kirk Hammet signature model, so I guess it's ideal for Metallica:)

[kirkhamstter]

what i dont like of it its that it have 81/81 (:/

[planetcaravan93]

bro if you want the best of both worlds get a Gibson RD reissue with the Dirty Fingers pickups you can get any sound out of that and a decent amp. Marshall, Randall, Orange, ext. but yeah man that is what I use and it is phenomenal.

[stewsupra98]

well the only gibson guitars that james and kirk use are worth twice maybe 3 times as much as the esp's that they use...unless ur that wealthy i would go with an esp. in my opinion u should defintely check out teh ESP LTD EX-400, thats a damn good guitar, james hetfield uses one and its got a damn good metal tone and sustain to it, its only 600$ too, 730$ if u want the floyd rose with it.

[kkevinC]

Thats a beast tone

[1jack369]

where the hell can i get the song! gimme a download! NOW!

[snowmenhunter]

You download vid, and convert to mp3...

[1jack369]

int that like eligle

[slipknotrokin]

that has to be the worst idea EVER a bolt on neck and a floyd rose WTF u lose about 70% of the sustain that u wud get with a set thru and for the price ud pay for that esp ud expect set thru

[Spocksbrother]

Well, you wouldn't necessarily lose the sustain . Some ibanez's ive seen with bolt ons and floyds have some of the best sustain ive ever heard.

[Ibik]

I wish they made LTD versions of these.

[P0Psyckle]

they probably do, but they cant retail in the USA becasue of gibson owning the rights to the explorer design. you'd need to get one in japan.

[DrowningFishMusic]

awsome!

[darkmanish]

cok güzel video

[gunstabber]

does ESP still make the Gibson shaped explorer for custom guitars?

[ch3if117]

yes they do.

[ShastaPwns]

NO. They make a similar shaped guitar. But i hate it. I would kill for one of these.