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Help me identify my 1984 Explorer...


bbrupbacher

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First off, this is my first post to the Gibson forum. Can't wait to get involved. I play a 1978 SG, 1980 LP Custom, and my 1984 Explorer. I've owned my Explorer for about 4 years and have always wondered exactly what it is. I know Explorers can be a bit tricky to identify, so hopefully the experts around here can help. It has an eight-digit serial number that dates it to March 1984, made in Nashville. I'm wondering if it is Korina maybe... It weighs 8.4 lbs, so its pretty light weight. I bought it from Chicago music exchange for a great price. The finish is severely yellowed and checked and has faded lines similar to the design of the Scorpions guitarist. Maybe it was his, lol. The knobs are in the straight layout, but are not the gold ones that Korina models came with, but they could have been changed I guess. I linked a couple pics. Any help would be appreciated

 

 

 

dscf2139l.th.jpg

dscf2138j.th.jpg

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a serial number would be helpful and bigger pics.

"I bought it from Chicago music exchange for a great price. " The CME is a great place, but I highly doubt they had a great price on a guitar.

___

Well anyways from what I can tell, that's a great explorer you have, I think it is simply mahogany, not korina.

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Serial number is 80654541, and you should be able to click those pictures and see them in high-def on the imageshack site. They were too big to attach here. Yeah, I bought this when CME was doing regular eBay auctions for just over $650 with the original case. I thought that was pretty cheap

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Serial number is 80654541, and you should be able to click those pictures and see them in high-def on the imageshack site. They were too big to attach here. Yeah, I bought this when CME was doing regular eBay auctions for just over $650 with the original case. I thought that was pretty cheap

 

Yes that was a good price, and I am now sure, your guitar is mahogany, look in the bottom right corner at the character mark. That color is definitely not korina. Your guitar was made on march 6th by the way and its production number is 41.

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Thanks for the help. I had figured out all of the production dates and location from the serial number, but now that you say that it is definitely mahogany I am even more confused. This is what is confusing me:

 

http://vintage-guitars.blogspot.com/2005/11/gibson-explorer-guitars.html

 

That is just one of many sites that lists the different Explorer models that were produced throughout the years and If mine is in fact mahogany, then it doesn't fit any of the descriptions. Mahogany body standard explorers were made from '76-'82... Most '84s I see have no pickguard and triangle knob layout.

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It may not be mahogany, I am no explorer afficionado, but it is definitely not korina.

Hell maybe it is korina, do you think you could get a good shot of the bare wood? Maybe theres some inside the pickup cavities?

Or inside the control cavity? Can you turn the guitar over and remove the control cover plate, then get a flash photo of the inside?

The walls of the cavity can give us clues....

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  • 1 month later...

Did you try asking customer service via phone? I definitely couldn't afford explorer's in 84, I htink I was more concerned with action figures and cap guns at the time. Those fade lines could be maybe someone had stripes taped on it for a long time to mimic the design of the "Designer" series models or maybe they jsut really liked that style and the sun faded the tint unevenly.

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It looks to me like the previous owner put some tape stripes on to make it look like the Scorpions' Matthias Jabs' Explorer (see second picture down here: http://www.80srockphotos.com/fcWebApp/index.php?page=shop&func=arlista&af=1&id=1&lgt=Arlista&typid=384) and the next owner removed them, but not before the finish had faded unevenly...I did the same thing with some black electrical tape to a Cort Explorer copy I had in high school. (Needless to say I won't subject my real Explorer to that now...) Regardless, it's still a nice Explorer you've got there [thumbup]

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Thanks for the reply. I know all of that stuff about the lines. Most of that info is in my original post. I am wondering what model of explorer I have. It was made in 1984, but does not conform to any of the descriptions of explorers produced that year.

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Hallo

Conrats for the guitar....it's so cool! ;)

Most of the Explorer from the early '80s are CMTs or the triangular knobs/no pickguard model. I'm pretty sure the "standard" Explorers with in line knobs, ecc, were still in production in 1983 and maybe in the very early 1984 (look to this, this, and this). Maybe your guitar is one of the last few made with that configuration in those years.

What's strange is the wood used for the body. Those model had usually a mahogany body. As far as i know most of the Explorer produced between 1984 and 1989 had alder bodyes (my '85 has a mahogany body) and your guitar seems to have an alder body too. Don' t know...maybe they used that wood also for your guitar?!?!

 

PS: You sure it's not a custom shop edition? :-k

 

Bye!

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  • 2 weeks later...

That is definitely not Mahogany, Mahog is a VERY dark wood. It is also not Korina because its too light in color. The only other woods they used for the Explorer were Maple and Alder. I am thinking from what I can see in the picture you provided that its Alder, it's light enough and doesn't really appear to show a grain, quilting or flaming which are all signatures of Maple. Hope this helps you get one step closer to your answer!

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  • 4 years later...

First off, this is my first post to the Gibson forum. Can't wait to get involved. I play a 1978 SG, 1980 LP Custom, and my 1984 Explorer. I've owned my Explorer for about 4 years and have always wondered exactly what it is. I know Explorers can be a bit tricky to identify, so hopefully the experts around here can help. It has an eight-digit serial number that dates it to March 1984, made in Nashville. I'm wondering if it is Korina maybe... It weighs 8.4 lbs, so its pretty light weight. I bought it from Chicago music exchange for a great price. The finish is severely yellowed and checked and has faded lines similar to the design of the Scorpions guitarist. Maybe it was his, lol. The knobs are in the straight layout, but are not the gold ones that Korina models came with, but they could have been changed I guess. I linked a couple pics. Any help would be appreciated

 

 

 

dscf2139l.th.jpg

dscf2138j.th.jpg

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Hello guys!

I apologize for this and I know this is a very old thread, but I am having the EXACT same issue with my '84 Explorer ( SN 80164506). I know from the SN the date, the production number, etc and I also know that some '84 Korina Explorers were painted an ivory color as well as other colors.

Has anyone ever had any success in determining what exactly these Explorers are?? It sounds as though mine is identical to the one in this thread....minus the faded stripes ;)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!!

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Hello guys!

I apologize for this and I know this is a very old thread, but I am having the EXACT same issue with my '84 Explorer ( SN 80164506). I know from the SN the date, the production number, etc and I also know that some '84 Korina Explorers were painted an ivory color as well as other colors.

Has anyone ever had any success in determining what exactly these Explorers are?? It sounds as though mine is identical to the one in this thread....minus the faded stripes ;)

Thanks in advance for any assistance!!

I believe that the korina explorers were almost exclusively the ones in the heritage series. All those had an inked serial number that was a letter and three numbers. They also came with covered Shaw pups. The regular explorers around 1984 probably came with uncovered ceramic, black, high-output pups. Check the resistance of your pups.

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Thanks for the response.

The guitar has original Shaw-era Dirty Fingers that were covered but I removed the covers. The pots and solders look "untampered", but I noticed two numbers ink-stamped in the control cavity....a large 23 between the tone and bridge volume and a 10 between the bridge volume and the neck volume. Some visible wood grain in the cavity as well but not enough to decipher between mahogany or korina. I know korina is a stretch, but they are out there!! Volume controls are three in a line...not the usual triangle configuration

Thanks :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Newbie,

 

What you have there is a 1984 Gibson Explorer "83" in Alpine White.

 

 

Here are the specs:

Body: alder,

Neck: maple

Fretboard: ebony

Frets: 22 jumbos,

PickUps: 2x orig. Gibson humbuckers,

Tailpiece: Gibson Stopbar (Floyd Rose tremolo's could be factory ordered)

Controls: 2x Volumen, 1x Tone, 3-way toggle,

Pickguard: single layer white

 

The previous owner may have taped stripes across the rear and bottom (a Scorpion's Mattias fan?) and also had a circular sticker on it at one point. Its a nice relic'd guitar.

 

I hope this helped.

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