In 1984 I purchased a new 1983 Custom Shop Edition Gibson Explorer. To my eyes, it has a "yellow" finish with a black pickguard, a black faced headstock with the Gibson logo inlaid in pearl and the "Custom Shop Edition" label on the back of the headstock above the "Pressed" serial number and directly below the tuning pegs. It has all gold hardware (including gold "soap bar" pickups), inline "gold" knobs with white numbering, a three position selector switch on the "horn" with a white "cap", a rosewood fretboard with pearl dot inlays, and an 8 digit serial number showing it was made on March 10th, 1983 in Nashville, TN. Although I have not been able to find another one just like it in person or online, I think it is a "Korina", and not a 1983 Heritage, (based on the gold hardware and Custom Shop Edition marking.) It is completely original, and is by far the best playing/sounding (tone/versatility) guitar I have ever played. (Every professional/semi professional guitar player that has played it says the same, and each one wants to buy it from me.). I have spent years trying to determine exactly what it is and what it may be worth, (I currently have it insured at $10,000, which may be too much, but I would rather pay a few dollars more each year in premiums rather than under valuing it.) I have been told that only 500 Explorer Korinas were made between 1981-1984. If true, I assume not all were "Custom Shop Editions", and obviously not all were set up like mine. (I also heard that in 1983, at the Nashville Gibson shop, each Explorer had a unique woman's name carved into the body of the guitar beneath the "neck" pickup. As I have never removed the pickups in mine, I cannot attest to this. If true, I don't know if this was just a 1983 thing in Nashville with the Explorers made there, but I would love to find out the truth.) I would love to post a pick of this guitar here, but import file size is only 500kb. Can anyone help educate me about my guitar and help me separate fact from fiction?? I would love any idea of value for insurance purposes only, as I will never sell it.
