The Explorer is not the most popular guitar that Gibson ever produced. It is eclipsed by models such as the Les Paul, the SG, and even the Flying V. However, what makes the guitar especially unique is the fact that when people conjure up images of it in their mind, they usually only think of it in the hands of one individual, and that person is David Evans, better known to the world as The Edge, lead guitarist for the Irish rock group U2.
The Explorer and its sister model the Flying V, was Gibson's attempt to introduce an eye-catching futuristic type of instrument into their line. To say that the effort was a flop is a huge understatement. During their first two years of production in 1958 and 1959, Gibson only managed to sell less than fifty of the so-called Korina Explorers. They were so-named due to the Korina type wood used in the body. Today these guitars are extremely rare and command astronomical prices in the vintage guitar market. Vintage Guitar Magazine has priced these guitars between $250,000 and $310,000.
After five years, Gibson decided to cut their losses with the failed line and in 1963, the last of the original line of Explorers left the Gibson factory. The most notable player of Gibson Explorers, in fact probably the only notable player of initial run Explorers was Eric Clapton who used a 1958 Explorer while recording his albums first solo albums Eric Clapton and 461 Ocean Boulevard. The line remained dormant until 1976, when Gibson, hoping to capitalize on the guitar's now legendary status, decided to re-issue the instrument in a second line.
In 1978, a seventeen year old Irishman went on a vacation to New York City with his family. He had just recently joined a new music group and on the trip had his eyes open for any guitar stores in the city where he might acquire a new instrument with which to play in the band. He had a certain guitar in mind, but upon entering Stuyvesant Music Inc he happened upon something that caught his eye, "I just picked it up in the store and it felt so great, this is it. I actually went in to buy, I think I was going to buy a Les Paul, but I just fell in love with this guitar."
It was of course a second run model 1976 Gibson Explorer, and the young man was none other than The Edge. Once he played it, he knew he had to have it, and though it cost him a small fortune $248.40, he gladly plunked it down on the counter and made his way out of the store. Once he made it back to Ireland, his bandmates were a bit bewildered by the site of his latest acquisition as he was to recall, " I brought it back and I was slightly like...it's a little strange looking...are the guys in the band gonna look at it and go 'what?'...there's a few strange looks for the first day, but everyone just loved the sound of it. I think it became like a signature look, no one else was playing Explorers at that point, and so quite soon it became the thing we were famous for. Apart from a few other things obviously."
From 1978 on, The Edge used the Explorer on every studio recording the U2 did, and it The Edge used it for nearly every tour the band embarked upon. After so much use, the guitar obviously has its share of wear and tear as The Edge was to later state, "It's had a few accidents over the years. This happened in Radio City about the mid eighties. We were playing a show and the bouncers were particularly heavy in the venue, and there were some kids in the front getting pummeled. So I actually threw the guitar off, sort of to intervene, and stopped it. Bono stopped the show and we got it sorted out, but I came back, picked the guitar up and the head was hanging off. It was totally broken...We got it repaired. I'm not sure it has affected the sound, I couldn't tell the difference when I got it back."
As the years wore on, and the guitar's value increased - not just in dollars but also in terms of sentimental attachment - The Edge decided to leave the instrument behind when he went on out on tour. "We finally retired it." says The Edge's guitar tech Dallas Schoo. "It's such an important guitar for recording that I finally convinced him to leave it home. Nothing serious ever happened to it, but it's spent years in the sun, getting rained on - outdoor shows do that. I wanted to nip things in the bud while I could."
Finding a replacement for The Edge's beloved Explorer was no easy task however as Schoo would recall, "The right ones are hard to find because Gibson had two different Explorers in production that year. The ones that were produced from June through December had a thin neck, but the models that were produced during the first part of that year had a thick baseball bat neck. Those are the ones Edge prefers. Gibson didn't make many of them, only about 1800 of them or so, and people hang on to them."
In 2008, The Edge, ever the philanthropist, decided to put up his Gibson Explorer up for auction to benefit Music Rising, a non-profit organization that helped to replace damaged or destroyed instruments in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The sale ultimately netted $240,000 far exceeding the pre-auction estimate price of $80,000. The Edge was to remark of the sale, "No one could ever come close to repaying the debt to those who have established this form of music that we all take totally for granted, this hybrid of European melody and African-American rhythm that's given us jazz and R&B and rock 'n' roll," said the Edge. "There's something powerful about musicians giving instruments they own to an auction to aid musicians who are going through a particularly difficult time."
There is something to be said for someone who would part with something so clearly dear to them for the betterment of so many hundreds of people. Ultimately, guitars are just material possessions, and the fact that The Edge would decide to recognize this fact and do something truly good with it should be a lesson to us all.
Despite no longer owning his first and most recognized Explorer, The Edge continues to play them to this day, and in people's minds around the world to this day, when they think of either the guitar or the player, they are unable to divorce the one from the other.
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