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.
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Guitarists using the Explorer type (21–30)
Nick Stewart
Representing Texas, Power Trip is a crossover thrash metal band formed in 2008.
Guitarist Nick Stewart has long been an avid Explorer user.
It seems ENGL amps pair perfectly with the Explorer! This is from a house show they played in 2018.
The band is known for tight, chugging riffs in standard tuning and massive breakdowns!
Ace Frehley
Is this also unexpected? Ace Frehley, known as the guitarist of KISS, actually used an Explorer too! Do Les Paul devotees inevitably try an Explorer or a Flying V at least once? Owning an Explorer is uncommon, but it doesn’t feel out of place at all.
Syu
Through his activities with GALNERYUS, Syu has firmly established himself as one of Japan’s leading metal guitarists.
While his guitars are now strongly associated with ESP signature models, in the early stages of his career his trademark was an Explorer-type guitar with a mirror pickguard.
At the time of this Animetal live performance in the video, he was still only 22 years old, yet his playing was already remarkably solid.
Jason Hook
Jason Hook is one of the guitarists of the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.
He favors an Explorer with a design reminiscent of Ultraman.
Epiphone also released a signature model featuring this design.
Edward Van Halen
In the 1980s, Ibanez released the Destroyer as their Explorer-style guitar.
Edward Van Halen’s guitar known as the “Shark” was created by heavily modifying one of these.
Many fans have recreated this guitar, so if you’re interested, definitely look it up—but it hardly resembles the original anymore.
Phil Collen
Phil Collen, the guitarist of the British hard rock band Def Leppard, uses an Explorer.
The band became a global sensation in the 1980s, selling over 50 million records worldwide.
While Phil takes on a solid role within the band, he shows off some wild, over-the-top shredding in his solo parts (lol).
Eric Peterson
Eric Peterson, one of the guitarists of TESTAMENT, a quintessential American thrash metal band, uses DEAN guitars.
In addition to Flying V-type models, he also plays Explorer-type guitars.
As classics among unconventional guitar shapes, they naturally pair perfectly with metal.