Gear / Guitar
Gibson Explorer
On 3 sourced rigs at ToneLineage.
Who uses it
- Dave GrohlEarly Foo Fighters 1995–2000Signature gear (career overview) career
Gibson Explorer (black): The guitar fans picture from the formative years. Guitar World: Dave Grohl's guitars ↗
Named in the article's equipment section: “…during early foo fighters tours, grohl played two gibson les pauls, then relied primarily on a pair of black gibson explorers while touring for the colour and the shape , there is nothing left to lose , and one by one .…” Wikipedia: Dave Grohl ↗
- James HetfieldSignature gear (career overview) career
Named in the article's equipment section: “…ed with a seymour duncan invader (sh-8) pickup and used almost exclusively until 1984 when he switched to the gibson explorer model. during the mid-1990s, esp produced the first of his signature model guitars. to date, hetfield ha…” Wikipedia: James Hetfield ↗
- The EdgeBoy / October / War 1980–1983
GW: U2's early sound was made 'armed with just a Gibson Explorer and a Memory Man echo unit'; the only guitar on Boy. Guitar World: The Edge on the Memory Man and early U2 ↗
Affordable clones & alternatives
Affiliate links. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Approximate new prices from zZounds listings checked 2026-10-21; they change.
- Epiphone SG Special Electric Guitar~$199 new approx.
- Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Electric~$699 new approx.
Suggested alternative Clones are editorial suggestions, not claims about what any artist uses.
Buy the real thing
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