Gibson Explorer Electric Guitar Flame with Short Vibrola

Feature:
I got this cause it has everything I'd want in an Explorer. The ebony fretboard is a nice touch and brightens up the sound a bit. I've only had it a day or so and haven't used the vibrato all that much but I haven't had any problems with it going out of tune (and I played it for a few hours the first day)... We'll see how it goes.

Quality:
I got a "blemished" one but I'll tell you there's nothing wrong with it! I checked it out and couldn't find a scratch on it. Guitar has an interesting pattern in the wood on the front (kind of a darker grain at one point) but it is obviously just part of the wood, not a crack, and is not at a point where the wood pieces were matched (by the way, grain matching is great on mine). Blemished, hah, I'm only buying blemished from now on if this is how they all look! I bet the guy who got it in the first place just didn't like the look, but I think it's hot. Wood's a natural thing folks and has different grain... if you don't like that, buy a solid color.

Value:
Blah blah, Gibsons are expensive. I know it, you know it, get over it. I think this is a very good value for a great guitar!

Sound:
I find this to be the perfect Explorer for what I play - the 57's aren't super hot like the ones that come on the X-plorer but they sure do hold their own in virtually all styles of music. Maybe you'd be out of luck for super heavy stuff but they sound great for music up to and as heavy as Metallica or early punk. I've found that they also work great for blues and fantastically for classic rock.

Ease of Use:
It's an Explorer. You either love or hate the shape. I think it's super comfortable and well balanced.

Support:
Guy on the phone when I ordered it was very nice and helpful.

Feature:
I think the short tremolo makes all the difference in this Explorer for playability. I know a lot of people love the stop bar and say that the guitar goes out of tune when using the tremolo but the truth is the Explorer I have with the tremolo goes out of tune just as much as the stop tail Explorer I have. When I hear comments about the tremolo causing the guitar to go out of tune I think to my self, “what is the person doing with the tremolo?”

Quality:
No issues. Great looking guitar. Trans Amber is nice to look at.

Value:
You get what you pay for and more.

Desirability:
Great looking guitar.

Sound:
I have had this Explorer for about 6 months now and put in a couple hours a night with it playing music I make up and classic rock. The ability for this guitar to go from clean and I do mean clean to snarl like any of those 70s & 80s classic rock sounds is right on. I play it through the Mesa Boogie 5:50 express and I get an incredible match. Those pickups really do give it that vintage sound

Ease of Use:
I have had Explores in the past so slipping into this one was seamless. One recommendation I would make is buy a strap that will slip over your shoulder so you can move around and get better usage out of the tremolo.

Support:
Never needed any for this Explorer but I have called Gibson for support for my other Explorer and it was excellent dealing with them.

Overall:
I will own and play this guitar till my last day and then I will give it to my daughter so she can rock into the future.