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)
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.
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.
TERU
The guitarist TERU, known for his work with the visual kei metal bands Versailles and Jupiter, plays a signature model made by ESP.
It features a distinctive design that looks like a more sinister take on the Explorer shape.
Bill Kelliher
Bill Kelliher, the vocalist/guitarist of the American band Mastodon, has long been a Gibson user, and the Explorer was one of his favorites.
He says he decided to buy one after seeing James Hetfield of Metallica play an Explorer in the ’80s.
This video features him introducing his own signature model.
However, in 2016 he abruptly left Gibson and signed with ESP, effectively cutting ties with Gibson, whose reputation had declined in recent years due to poor management and perceived drops in build quality.