A guitarist who uses an Explorer-type (guitar)
From among Gibson’s electric guitars, I’ve compiled a list of guitarists who use the Explorer type.
Its avant-garde design reportedly didn’t make it very popular at first, but these days it’s a well-loved guitar used by many famous musicians.
Guitarists who use Explorer-type guitars (1–10)
TAKUMA
10-FEET is a three-piece melodic hardcore punk band from Kyoto.
They’re also well known for hosting the annual Kyoto Daisakusen festival.
When it comes to guitarist-vocalist TAKUMA’s trademark, it’s got to be his Gibson Explorer.
TAKUMA handles not only blistering fast riffs but also sweet, gritty guitar solos, calling to mind Metallica’s James Hetfield!
James Hetfield
James Hetfield, Metallica’s vocalist and guitarist, is also famous as an Explorer-shaped guitar player.
He’s released his Snakebyte signature model through ESP.
He might be the only one who can sling his guitar that low and still pull off blazing-fast downpicking on an Explorer!
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl, the frontman of Foo Fighters, uses a variety of guitars, but he often plays an Explorer.
In particular, during the early years, he frequently used a black Explorer in live performances.
Ayapeta
Dizzy Sunfist is a three-piece melodic hardcore band from Osaka.
Ayapeta, the young band’s guitarist-vocalist who’s taking the melocore scene by storm, is also an Explorer user.
She started playing an Explorer because she admired big names in the scene—Hazawa from THUMB and TAKA from BURL.
PATA
PATA, the guitarist of X Japan and a legend of Japan’s visual kei scene, also uses an Explorer-type guitar.
While he usually plays a Les Paul, he sometimes uses a Bunny-made Explorer-type depending on the song.
Billy Gibbons
ZZ Top is a blues-rock band from Texas.
They put a lot of emphasis on their visual impact, using various unusual guitars and the like.
In their live shows, for the classic song “Legs,” they always use this Explorer-type guitar with fur on it.
Billy Gibbons
Doesn’t the Explorer’s shape look like the letter “Z”? ZZ TOP, a trio that has been active since the 1960s, sometimes uses Explorer-style guitars—perhaps in reference to their band name.
In this live footage, both the guitar and the bass are Explorer-types, making for an incredibly striking impact.