Epiphone Gothic Series Explorer Electric Guitar

Feature:
This guitar is perfect for me. No Floyd Rose? Fine with me. It just gets in the way (thats why I got rid of my Schecter) and I don't play the kind of music that would benefit from whammy bar shenanagins. No string locks? Thats cool too. Learn to string the guitar correctly and you will never need string locks. No active pickups? Hey, that means no worries of a battery dying mid performance.

Quality:
For the price, I couldn't be happier. I mean, its a $400 guitar that feels and plays like a million bucks. Mine came set up perfectly out of the box and has held up to being lugged around without a case with no issues so far.

Value:
If you want an Explorer and don't want to shell out over a grand, this guitar is perfect. Its just as good as any Gibson Explorer (and better in some cases) but for less than half the price. You'd be crazy not to jump on one.

Desirability:
There's nothing more metal than flat black. Its gorgeoes. And the glossy black pickguard accents it so well, as do the knobs, bridge, and tuners. And I like the neck. I've always though dots to be tacky,so I really like the clean look of the fretboard. The XII inlay is also a nice touch. I really wish it had an ebony fretboard, but then it wouldn't be priced at only $400. This guitar with my camo strap is pure sex.

Sound:
Sound is really nothing more than personal preferance, and for me, it responds great to my Peavy Vypyr. I've also played it on a Peavy 6505 and it still kicked ass. I don't have the "too muddy" problem some folks do. All I can say to them is tweak the amp some more because mine doesn't sound muddy at all. Just good HEAVY crunch. I also play primarily in drop-C tuning, so I guess you can't complain when its that heavy.

Ease of Use:
To me, the guitar couldn't be any more comfortable. The neck's shape and size is perfect. Same with the frets, they're spaced just right for my hands. The knobs are also smooth as silk and easy to use, though I only use the tone knob (all the way up) and only use the bridge pickup, which is good because the switch is kind of awkwardly placed out of the way for manipulating while playing. Also, I've also played $1400 Gibson Explorers that felt like crap, so I suppose there is a variation from guitar to guitar. Seems like I got a ringer- put together with all the right parts.

Support:
I haven't needed it, so couldn't tell you.

Overall:
As far as I'm concerned, this guitar will remain in my arsenal until I die. I will never sell or trade it, rather I will buy it new siblings and always consider it my favorite. It will be spoiled. Its my drop-C king, as others will be tuned in drop-D and drop-B accordingly, and I primarily play in drop-C.

Feature:
I wouldn't say that the Goth Explorer has the greatest accessories but it does have some pretty good ones like for instance, it has the all black chrome gear like the groover tuning keys and the roman numerals on the 12th fret to add a certain feel to it which is kinda cool to have. I'd say that you would still need a switch pedal and either a Marshall or Crate amp to make it really perform, but that just in general. For a certain type of music you may need for gear then just a switch pedal and amp.

Quality:
Qualtiy wise I'd say it is pretty good. Like it does have good tuners and stuff like that but I'd say it still needs to get some active pickups in it for it really be amazing.

Value:
Id say the price is pretty good.

Desirability:
Depending on what kind of music you are playing this guitar can be good. Like if you are playing Metal/Hardcore it is good because of its all black finish but other than that I'd say it really wouldnt be that great.

Sound:
In my opinion i believe that the Epiphone Goth Explorer is a pretty decent guitar for guitarist who are looking at playing two different styles of music. Such as either a Metal/Hardcore feel or a Blues feel because of this guitars ability to pickup and produce suck a great sound when the guitarist is performing shredding solos or just getting in the mood and jamming with a Blues/Jazz band. This guitar sound pretty good on its own but is great when used in cooperation with other instruments a.k.a a band. The only way for this guitar to be fully appreciated is for it to be put to the test and used in a band that is playing what this guitar was made to play. Otherwise you are merely wasting your money in my personal opinion. I have never used this guitar for recording so I can't help any of you on that category but from how it performs when not being used to record i'd say that i must be pretty good for recording. When i used this guitar, it was on a Fender amp which wasnt the greatest but never the less the guitar still perform to my excpectations. In my opinion I'd say that for this guitar to get its true sound heard that it should be played on either a Crate or Marshall meaning that you need to spend a little bit more money then you thought but if you are buying a guitar like this odds are you are not afraid of spending a little money to get what you want.

Ease of Use:
With any guitar you need have some skill to get a good sound out of a guitar and the Epiphone Goth Explorer is no exception. Although, in general, I'd say it is pretty easy to do.

Support:
I've never dealt with the company so I cant coment on that.

Overall:
I'd say I'd always keep this guitar but I cant say how long it would be before I got bored of it.