Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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tammyw
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by tammyw » Sat Sep 03, 2022 6:03 am

As much as I like natural woodgrain finishes, Explorers just look too plain as a giant slab of wood. Instead I've got some Dean Z, pretty hot stuff.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by rbrcbr » Sat Sep 03, 2022 9:05 am

The answer is yes, despite not being someone who'll ever own one of either. I've always wanted an Explorer ever since seeing Andy Summers play one in a Police music video as a kid. I've tried to find that video, and maybe it's a false memory because I can only find a video of him playing a Hamer Explorer in the Can't Stand Losing You video. Regardless, always thought Explorers were super cool.

Here's some great recent use of an Explorer and a V in the same session: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Infest the Rat's Nest" live on KEXP

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sun Sep 04, 2022 6:34 pm

rbrcbr wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 9:05 am
The answer is yes, despite not being someone who'll ever own one of either. I've always wanted an Explorer ever since seeing Andy Summers play one in a Police music video as a kid. I've tried to find that video, and maybe it's a false memory because I can only find a video of him playing a Hamer Explorer in the Can't Stand Losing You video. Regardless, always thought Explorers were super cool.

Here's some great recent use of an Explorer and a V in the same session: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Infest the Rat's Nest" live on KEXP
Andy Summer’s had a Hamer endorsement, and played a couple of Hamer guitars, including an Explorer. Both were cherry sunburst.

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by mekhem » Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:44 pm

I like them or at least the looks of them- never had a V. I did have an explorer and a reverse firebird and it just felt sooooo llllooooooonnnnnngggggg....

Like the illustration, the play position on both the exloprer and firebird (reverse) is way forward and takes a while to get used to and i never fully adapted to it. The way that the guitar hangs on a strap - doesn't seem to adjust the play area back to a 'normal' area either - although - maybe wearing it very low on a strap may fix that.

That said - the hot red Lizzy hale explorer with the Firebird Headstock is a looker

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Chippertheripper » Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:47 am

I went and pulled my V out of the archives to give it a few quick strums and confirm: yes, they’re still cool.

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Kinx » Fri Sep 09, 2022 3:43 am

One of my main guitars is a beat up 2010 Gibson faded Flying V with couple of mods (Seymour duncan SH4 & SH1 pickups, grover tuners, bone nut) - it is pretty incredible. Lightest solidbody I've ever had my hands on (around 2kgs on my personal scale), super fat sound with really long sustain. I've never played a gig without it since 2014. It is the perfect tonal opposite to my 70s Jazzmasters. I bought it on a whim, I've always wanted a flying V because of Hendrix etc and then this popped up locally for sale for something like 600 euros. I jumped on it immediately and here we are.

Image

For some reason, Flying Vs tend to sound different to any SG I've had my hands on, despite construction similarities.

Yes, in my book, the Flying Vs are awesome.

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Embenny » Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:09 am

Kinx wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 3:43 am
For some reason, Flying Vs tend to sound different to any SG I've had my hands on, despite construction similarities.
The pickups are placed differently. SGs have the neck pickup closer to the bridge, which completely changes the neck and middle positions, even if everything else (woods, pickups, scale length) is the same.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Arthon » Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:41 am

mbene085 wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:09 am
Kinx wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 3:43 am
For some reason, Flying Vs tend to sound different to any SG I've had my hands on, despite construction similarities.
The pickups are placed differently. SGs have the neck pickup closer to the bridge, which completely changes the neck and middle positions, even if everything else (woods, pickups, scale length) is the same.
Didn't know that. Alway's taught it was the same guitar with a different shape.
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(sorry for the spelling, I speak french)

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by JSett » Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:11 am

Do V's have the same tendency to bend out of tune with every body movement like an SG or are they more stable?
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Embenny » Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:43 am

Arthon wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:41 am
Didn't know that. Alway's taught it was the same guitar with a different shape.
Yep, I thought that too until I got my hands on one and looked at it side by side with another Gibson.

As far as I can tell, it's the same spacing as a Les Paul, though the woods and weight are different. SGs are the big outliers though, because of the pickup positioning. I've come to appreciate that pickup placement makes a far bigger difference than the pickup itself - you can put a brighter humbucker in a darker guitar or vice versa, but you can never make a pickup sound like it's a centimeter away from where it is.
johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:11 am
Do V's have the same tendency to bend out of tune with every body movement like an SG or are they more stable?
In my experience, absolutely not. My Vs feel totally rock-solid despite being lightweight, and have none of that "neck whammy" thing going on. Despite having fret access all the way up, the neck joint seems beefier than my SG.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Arthon » Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:51 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:11 am
Do V's have the same tendency to bend out of tune with every body movement like an SG or are they more stable?
Not at all. Very stable guitar
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by BoringPostcards » Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:57 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:11 am
Do V's have the same tendency to bend out of tune with every body movement like an SG or are they more stable?
Yea, I definitely have to stay still and not thrash around when playing the SG. I use it as a feature to get some vibrato here and there. It doesn’t bother me enough to move the guitar on, but I am glad it’s not my only electric.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by JSett » Fri Sep 09, 2022 9:42 am

These answers are not helping the GAS
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Chippertheripper » Fri Sep 09, 2022 9:45 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:11 am
Do V's have the same tendency to bend out of tune with every body movement like an SG or are they more stable?
It’s all in the workmanship of the nut, IME.
Either with a properly cut and filed nut, to include the break over angle will be pretty stable.

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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Embenny » Fri Sep 09, 2022 10:31 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Sep 09, 2022 9:42 am
These answers are not helping the GAS
Welcome to the dark side.

Honestly, I'd never have guessed that I'd love the V as much as I do. I bought mine on a lark as a flip because it was local and the price was great, but it totally caught me off guard (other than the stock bridge pickup...yikes).
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