Epiphone celebrates the return of a rock classic with its limited-edition 1958 Epiphone Korina Explorer solid-body electric guitar, a modern revival of one of the most iconic axes in the history of amplified music.
When it blasted onto the music scene in the late 50s, the Explorer was like nothing the guitar world had ever witnessed. A Space Age amalgam of an asymmetrical body and razor-edge headstock, it challenged expectations of how guitars could look and feel while setting a course for the rise of hard rock and heavy metal.
Own a piece of rock history!
During its original production run, only a handful of Explorers were produced. Today, the few surviving models fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars on the auction block, putting them out of reach for all but the wealthiest collectors. Luckily for the rest of us, Epiphone was moved to bring back this one-of-a-kind guitar in all its former glory—at a very affordable price point.
Back to the future
1958 was a banner year in solid-body electric guitar history, witnessing the rise of both the Gibson Flying V and Explorer model guitars, instruments whose aesthetics were so far ahead of their time that they shocked the establishment and immediately found a home with some of the era’s most innovative musicians. The Explorer body style has been embraced by some of the biggest names in rock, from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Allen Collins and Pete Willis of Def Leppard to the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and The Edge from U2.
A big factor in the allure of those early Gibsons was their solid bodies made from korina wood (also known as African mahogany, “super” mahogany and limba). Rare, beautiful, and notoriously hard to work with, korina nevertheless produces a warm tone and powerful resonance for a sonic footprint like no other. Epiphone has revived the use of korina for its limited-edition 1958 Epiphone Korina Explorer and given each guitar a natural finish that puts the wood’s delicate, luminous grain front and center. A black-and-white pickguard closely follows the guitar’s body outline, also calling to mind the first generation of Explorers.
The use of korina extends to the guitar’s neck, which retains the Explorer’s classic 1960s Slim Taper D-Profile and 24.75” scale, for faster playing and less hand fatigue. The Pau Ferro fingerboard has a 12” radius, traditional pearloid dot inlays, a 1-11/16” synthetic bone nut and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The Explorer’s signature headstock is emblazoned with a stylized script logo and appointed with Grover Mini-Rotomatic machine heads with a 14:1 ratio for fast, dependable tuning.
Classic tone in a thoroughly modern package
For that classic sound, the limited-edition 1958 Epiphone Korina Explorer solid-body electric guitar features high-output Alnico humbucker pickups that emulate the tone delivered by the original Explorers’ PAF-style humbuckers. An Alnico Classic humbucker pickup is placed near the neck, while an overwound, slightly hotter Alnico Classic Plus humbucker is installed at the bridge position. The pickups are carefully wound to reveal the full tonal range of the korina body, bringing exceptional power and detail to every note. Controls include individual volume knobs for each pickup and a master tone knob, all with a vintage Gibson-inspired “top hat” silhouette.
Every limited-edition Epiphone 1958 Korina Explorer comes with Epiphone’s Limited Lifetime Guarantee and Gibson’s 24/7/365 customer service.
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm -
www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.