Nice. Regarding the tuners. Remove one and see how they are affixed to the headstock. Some have two metal pegs that fit into mounting holes on the headstock. Since I don’t see mounting screws my first assumption might be right.Made from late '75 thru early '78, by Ibanez, before Gibson filed suit against the parent company,
Hoshino Corporation. This is a close copy (apparently too close for Gibson's taste) of a '58 Explorer,
with the exception that Japanese "Sen" Ash, a highly figured wood, was used in place of African Korina wood.
From playing this, I can say the tone of this wood is somewhere in the range between Alder and Korina.
I like it better than mahogany Gibson Explorers, sonically. Its got a more high-mid centered tone.
Besides being a true "Lawsuit" guitar, these guitars were put 'on the map' by none other than EVH.
As I understand it, Eddie's Destroyer was used for all the rhythm tracks on albums I & II.
Currently loaded with a Duncan '59'er in the neck and a vintage Bill Lawrence XL500 in the bridge.
I am considering setting this up, cosmetically, like a '58 Explorer, with all gold hardware. The original
tuners suck. The soft zinc bridge and stop tail, suck. Any suggestions for upgrades? I'd like not to have
to drill new holes in that virgin headstock, for machine head stabilizer screws. Not sure about the
existing pups, yet. The original "Super 70" pups are long gone.
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Love to know how on earth you managed to get a two piece 3/4 " maple top and a 2" thick Korina body . I can't find those things anywhere nobody offers them.SFG! I'm currently building a long scale Explorer (Spec'd from an original '58 Explorer that I was able to outline - Mike Parker's original '58 Explorer). It's a 2 piece body, and 1 piece neck (all Corina) at 25.5 scale. Body is near 2" thick with 3/4" two piece maple top. I just need to seal the body and finish it (light cherry back with sunburst top w/matching sunburst peg head). Explores are the best looking rock guitar bodies....
A JB isn't a bad suggestion! I've had a chance to play this with my band, and the Duncan '59'er neck sounded unexpectedly great, at least in this guitar. That's a pickup I would normally regard as, "plain vanilla". So maybe a JB would work well. I tend to regard JB's as a classic "one trick pony", but we'll see.
I was excited to try out the Lawrence XL500 (made famous by Dimebag Darrell and Nuno Bettencourt).
But my impression is (in this guitar, at least), that its a bit crude. All blasting power, no finesse. Lacking the touch sensitivity of some of the better, modern high gain'ers. These were one of the first very high gain pickups on the market. So, I'm sure it was a revelation for its time, but I need something I can control better with pick pressure.
This is true. Fortunately for me, Japanese-made Gotoh parts are easy to get here in Asia, and will retrofit the existing metric sized bridge/stoptail mounts exactly.OBTW, something to know about your bridge….. An ABR or Nashville style bridge will not work as a replacement on your guitar. Your guitars bridge has larger adjusting screws and mounting holes on the bridge that won’t work with an ABR or Nashville style bridge. Measure the center to center spacing between the two adjusting screws and determine the diameter of the adjusting screw holes on the bridge to know what to order. Foreign made guitars often use metric dimension parts so don’t be surprised if dimensions are shown in millimeters when researching a suitable replacement.
So sick. I'm a huge Explorer fan. HNGD!!
I think I'd love to try one of these some day if I'm ever ready to pull the trigger on an Explorer-style guitar.
Mind sharing what you paid?
Thank you for replying. My brother is going to be super envious when I tell him! He's been searching for the last 6-7yrs for one that was reasonably priced. A few years ago he was late on an all original for $2300. In the few minutes while he thought about it someone snagged it.The answer to your questions is in the post directly above yours.
Found - Voltage Guitars on "Guitar Row" in Hollywood.
Paid - $800
That was about 15 years ago. I have owned this guitar for years but it was sitting
in a recording studio in Portland, OR for 10 years, since I've been in Asia, and just got the studio
owner to return the guitar to me.
Well dang.I think the chances of finding a real Destroyer from the 70's at a somewhat affordable price is slim to none these days . The ones I've seen are listed at a minimum of 4K .
They skyrocketed in price after Eddie death , all Gibson Explorer models have also jumped . Used ones are listed at twice the price of brand new ones but you can't find any new Explorers these days backordered everywhere.
Well dang.
Guess I’ll just have to build one!
Good luck finding that magical Sen ash which in reality isn't ash or related to ash at all . Nothing quite has that specific tone that I could find . Sounds incredible with all types of pickups.
The answer to your questions is in the post directly above yours.
Found - Voltage Guitars on "Guitar Row" in Hollywood.
Paid - $800
That was about 15 years ago. I have owned this guitar for years but it was sitting
in a recording studio in Portland, OR for 10 years, since I've been in Asia, and just got the studio
owner to return the guitar to me.