The new limited edition
Reverse Explorer—Gibson USA’s Guitar of the Month for September 2008—is a guitar ready for the 21st century. Last year’s
Reverse Flying V triggered an unprecedented response from both players and collectors.
Now, Gibson USA turns the guitar world upside down again by introducing the new limited edition Reverse Explorer. Once again, the engineers at Gibson USA have flipped the body of one their most iconic guitars, and—once again—the result is stunning.
The Reverse Explorer’s mahogany body is now inverted so that the small horn is on the upper bass-side bout extending upward, while the larger horn is now positioned on the lower treble-side bout, pointing downward. Highlighting the unique body outline is a carbon fiber-like pickguard shaped like a lightning bolt, extending the entire length of the body.
The neck is a hybrid between Gibson’s standard ’50s rounded contour and its ’60s slim-taper profile, topped by a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with carbon fiber-like inlays at the fifth and 12th fret.
The new Reverse Explorer also sports the rare, art deco-style Gibson logo—found among old drawings belonging to Gibson President Ted McCarty. The headstock is a McCarty era-inspired shape, equipped with Steinberger Gearless Tuners for unparalleled tuning accuracy. In the neck position is Gibson’s ’57 Classic, with a ’57 Classic Plus in the bridge. The pole pieces for both pickups are concealed by pickup covers that are copper-plated and powder-coated, designed just for the Reverse Explorer. The rest of the guitar’s hardware is gold-plated.
The new Reverse Explorer from Gibson USA comes only in an Antique Walnut finish, and comes housed in a custom Guitar of the Month case. Like all Guitars of the Month, production is limited to just 1,000 guitars.
Take a closer look at the Reverse Explorer
here.