Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

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

Post by cmatthes » Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:13 pm

DesmondWafers wrote:
Thu Sep 01, 2022 12:02 pm
sal paradise wrote:
Thu Sep 01, 2022 10:15 am
I just can’t believe they were designed in the 50s.

I don’t remember seeing many 60s bands using explorers?
I believe somewhere around 50 total were produced in the initial run. They didn't really take off until much, much later.
Actually, they made 25 in the '50s.

There were maybe a dozen or so that were assembled and sold in the early '60s out of leftover parts, but they were slightly different from the original run. In all, there are less than 40 original Korina Explorers out there, and at least two have met with untimely ends...

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

Post by VPO » Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:01 am

I have always loved the Flying Vs. Really good looking guitars. I would love to have one.

I love Gibson RD but that's offtopic.

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

Post by Embenny » Mon Oct 10, 2022 8:52 am

VPO wrote:
Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:01 am
I have always loved the Flying Vs. Really good looking guitars. I would love to have one.

I love Gibson RD but that's offtopic.
One of those popped up locally for a good price. I'm really tempted, but my guitar budget is tight unless I sell something. It's the Standard, without the crazy active electronics.

On the subject of Flying Vs and acceptability, my wife shocked me the other day by casually commenting that she thinks, based purely on looks, that my Vs suit me better than my Offsets.

Considering how long I've obsessed over the looks of my Offsets (2 full decades at this point) and how many I've built/modded/refinished, I was slightly offended. My Vs are boring black and white, stock-looking instruments.

I guess the thing about a V is that even the most basic of models has quite a visual flair to it.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by BlixaFan » Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:28 pm

i have a Jackson Rhoads V and it is fucking AMAZING 8) so comfortable, great neck, sounds great (Lundgren M6 in the bridge), excellent weight, no neck dive, killer guitar. i love offsets, I love my Mustang, and I love the look of Jaguars, but this Jackson is a much better player than my Jaguar ever was

so... yes! to the original question

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

Post by mackerelmint » Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:44 pm

Vs and explorers are both hot shit. Love 'em.

Honestly, it's a lot of fun to imagine the late 50s and those things coming out and people just not knowing what to make of them whatsoever. Totally ahead of their time, both of them. Or maybe people (guitarists especially, the same cavemen who screeched at Gibson for making their headstocks not snap off) just weren't there yet is all it was. But they came out not long after Sputnik came flying overhead with its pointy ends, so in a design language kind of way (along with the finned cars and such), they were very much of their time.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by sal paradise » Mon Oct 10, 2022 11:08 pm

mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:44 pm
Vs and explorers are both hot shit. Love 'em.

Honestly, it's a lot of fun to imagine the late 50s and those things coming out and people just not knowing what to make of them whatsoever. Totally ahead of their time, both of them. Or maybe people (guitarists especially, the same cavemen who screeched at Gibson for making their headstocks not snap off) just weren't there yet is all it was. But they came out not long after Sputnik came flying overhead with its pointy ends, so in a design language kind of way (along with the finned cars and such), they were very much of their time.
Yeah, you’re so right. It’s funny how I think of 50s American guitars as strats & LPs- totally forgetting the fashions, burgers, cars with fins, geometric prints & pastel colours… all precursors of 60s design styles.

Mid century furniture design, too. Sexy wood stuff that’s all lines- not dissimilar to the V & explorer.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by ThePearDream » Tue Oct 11, 2022 6:12 am

It's not just pastels and chrome, though. Blonde finishes were extremely popular on furniture in the 50s. Gibson TV yellow was a standard "limed" furniture finish at the time. As was the Limba wood used for the V and Explorer. Then you have things like hairpin legs, and boomerang and satellite motifs on textiles and plastic laminates. They are absolutely of their time and that era of futuristic design.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Pacafeliz » Tue Oct 11, 2022 6:46 am

VPO wrote:
Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:01 am
I have always loved the Flying Vs. Really good looking guitars. I would love to have one.

I love Gibson RD but that's offtopic.
Love mine. But don't consider it a "metal/poser axe" ::)
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Chippertheripper » Tue Oct 11, 2022 7:22 am

I can’t exactly recall if I said it here or not, but my band mate said it best, I think: “the Flying V demands respect.”

I liken it too to that mid century modern type furniture that I also love, and not as much towards pointy, Jackson-esque Kerry King type vibes.

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

Post by sal paradise » Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:58 am

Reading Dave Davies’ autobiography & there’s a little story how he got his V.

They were touring in 1965 & Guild had loaned him a guitar originally built for George Harrison. The airline lost the guitar en-route to LA after a poorly attended gig in Stockton.

They were due to play Shindig that day, so someone from the studio took him a to a local shop where he saw the guitar. He knew about them as Hendrix had been given a specially made one in the 60s. $200 for a 50s Gibson Futuristic.

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

Post by Candy Cane » Fri Oct 21, 2022 3:45 pm

I think Vs are great. Had a Greco once. I think Explorers are even better. Hope to have one someday. Modernes are beautiful as well.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Maggieo » Sat Oct 29, 2022 3:31 pm

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

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:10 pm

Dave Davies has more or less always been cool, but shit, I've seen U2 go from cool to not cool dozens of times but I don't think I'll see them be cool again.
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Re: Are Explorers and Flying Vs acceptable or even cool?

Post by Embenny » Sat Oct 29, 2022 5:30 pm

Well, if we want to go with Explorer players who used to be with it, before they changed what it was, and now what they're with isn't it, and what's it is strange and scary to them...

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

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:15 pm

I think I'm lucky that I never was into Weezer because it seems like a lot of people that do or did like them a lot are fairly traumatized at what they've had to endure from that band.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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