Gibson Explorer Question-Lend Me your Expertise Rig Talkers!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fartknocker
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Fartknocker

Fartknocker

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I always loved Explorers. Even before I saw Hetfield wielding the EET FUK Gibby, back in the Matthis Jabs 3 black stripes days. (I really had a Blackout, baby!)

Anyway, as much as I love Explorers I don't like the way they face the floor when I play standing up. What if I moved the neck strap button (actually the Straplock, but that's just a detail. Now back to my question:) to the top of the guitar, as it is on a Les Paul. Then, to counteract the neck dive (which I hate) I put a roll of pennies into the control cavity. This roll must weigh about a quarter of a pound or so.

Think this would work? Seems like a $1 fix, I don't permanently alter the guitar, and I get a balanced Explorer that I can actually see the fretboard. Is there a downside I'm not seeing?


jameshetfieldlq0.jpg
 
JKD":1a1ou3gt said:
Buy an Explorer that isn't neck heavy?
Click to expand...

Actually the Explorers I play at Guitar Center aren't neck heavy, but the strap button is behind the neck joint, like an SG or Flying V. What I want to do is move the button to the top, like a Les Paul, or the Explorer in the JH pic above. But I'm afraid if I move the button the guitar will become neck heavy. So I wonder if a weight in the control cavity will balance it up.
 
Fartknocker":mj0yk79j said:
JKD":mj0yk79j said:
Buy an Explorer that isn't neck heavy?
Click to expand...

Actually the Explorers I play at Guitar Center aren't neck heavy, but the strap button is behind the neck joint, like an SG or Flying V. What I want to do is move the button to the top, like a Les Paul, or the Explorer in the JH pic above. But I'm afraid if I move the button the guitar will become neck heavy. So I wonder if a weight in the control cavity will balance it up.
Click to expand...

Ah gotcha...I want someone to buy me this https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0278006425 :D
 
really doubt moving it to where you want will make it neck heavy?
 
are you talking about LTD explorers? they are notoriously neck heavy, there isn't really anything you can to to fix it. its really easy to get use to though.
 
I have a Gibson Explorer. I believe that the previous owner (actually, our esteemed administrator Sgt. Thump) moved the strap button to the top (where one would normally find it on most other guitars). The guitar is not neck heavy at all, though I can't say what it was like before, but I would suspect...

The worst one I've ever experienced was a big 'ol Mockingbird I used to have. If you took your hand off the neck, it would head to floor really fast!
 
my explorer wasn't neck heavy at all...in fact, I think explorers are one of the most comfortable guitars to play both sitting down and standing up :confused:
 
Gibson explorers arent neck heavy because they have the strap button behind the guitar by the neck joint. ESP or LTD explorers are neck heavy and do dive towards the ground because their strap button is on the side of the guitar, a quick fix to this is do the same thing the gibson explorers do, but the strap button on the back.

Trust me I have owned a couple of both...
 
FWIW I had a Iommi SG with the strap button on the back. Damn that guitar was neck heavy. I wish they would have put it on the horn. I would assume for the explorer that having it on the side of the body, not on the back would help. The SG I had was a great guitar, but being neck heavy ruined it for me, I couldn't get used to it....
 
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