Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

Tell us what gauge strings came on it. The one I demoed had 12's on it, which could be a signature part of it - Mastadon.

I put 11's on Gibsons, so maybe the nut slots are already nice and wide? I doubt I'll be buying one, but it is a cool guitar. I will say that I wasn't impressed with the Lace pickups, but I'm more into PAF to medium output traditional pickups. That's just my preference though.

 

[Chad]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

The guitar arrived. Can't give a full review right now, but I'll just say that it is beautiful, resonates well, plays great, and sounds great. Appears to be a winner! Need more time, but right now I'm thinking the Lace pickups are probably gonna stay. Here are some answers to a few of the things brought up in this thread:

1. Truss rod cover with the "Golden Axe" stamping has to go. I will be ordering a standard Gibson one to replace it.

2. The logo is indeed burned into the pickgaurd. It is there to stay. Only option would be to try to cover it with something or replace the pickguard. I'm probably just gonna live with it.

3. Not sure on the factory string gauge because I had the dealer setup the guitar with D'Addario EXL 9-46.

4. Pickup rings: they are probably gonna be replaced. I held some black ones up to the guitar and think they look better in my opinion. Even if I wanted cream pickup rings, I'd probably still switch these out because they are that pink-ish cream that Gibson likes to use. So is the binding. Thankfully, the pickguard and toggle switch are more traditional cream color.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

Pics Dammit!!!

'Grats!

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

a friend of mine has one. Nice guitar.

I am glad that Gibson has discontinued a lot of these sig models after short runs....makes their value stable

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

a friend of mine has one. Nice guitar.

I am glad that Gibson has discontinued a lot of these sig models after short runs....makes their value stable

I think the guitar companies are using this tactic to adapt to the economy. It seems like it works, when you know you've got a limited amount of time to buy new, and the market will never be flooded with used ones.
People are more likely to buy immediately when they know they only get one chance.

Your Grace Potter V is already climbing in value because they're all gone.

 

[Chad]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

Yeah, I think it ended up looking better with black pickup rings and a standard truss rod cover.

 

[DeathALT.]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

Congrats!

My local music store has one. I went in to try it, and one of my friends came by and said I had a huge goofy grin on my face while playing it.

 

[Skwisgaar]

Re: Gibson Explorer Golden Axe Bill Kelliher signature already discontinued?

I got one about two weeks ago and it's quickly becoming my favorite guitar. I wasn't sure about the Lace pickups at first, but I loved them right from the start. They are what I would call "brutal" without all the noise you would expect. They also clean up very well and are extremely responsive to pot adjustments. The coil taps are a huge bonus, too. It's really an incredibly versatile guitar... compared to what Gibson has traditionally offered with their Explorer model, I would call this guitar a bargain.

If it makes a difference, it's probably 2lbs heavier than a "normal" Explorer. The tone the mahogany gives makes every ounce worth it.








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