rct

No man, you don't want to do that. I remember them. It's worth a few grand, 4.5, 5k tops. If you found a guy that has every Explorer but that one well sure, you'd get 10 or 12k maybe. It's just an Explorer, Korina is just mahogany, it doesn't matter how many they made or didn't. I've had more than my share of rare, hard-to-find, they only made a few of these guitars in my life. It's just a guitar. That's how I look at it, including my own. Good luck with it. I hope you get an appraisal for a decent price. rct

If you only want insurance purpose estimates you can pick whatever number you'd like and insure it for that much and pay for it. Otherwise you'll need an actual appraisal from Gruhn or another big name shop. The insurance company won't take the word of a bunch of internet Gibson goofballs as your value. rct

Necks are scale lengths and radius. Fender is long scale length, Gibson is short. It can make a noticeable difference if you use one more than the other, and you switch guitars between sets. Gibson is 12" radius, the average garden variety Fender neck is 9.5 or 7.25 if it is "vintage" spec'd. There are 12" Fenders, I have one, and it is bound, but it is not at all like a Les Paul neck. But the reverse is the problem, Gibson doesn't put 9.5s or 7.25s o their guitars. The short answer is NONE. rct

I'm old too and I do agree with that, but it doesn't work in a bar or any other venue I am used to being in when using my guitars. rct

I have one of the original VS-1s, easily 20 odd years old, and I have a Strobe stomp on the board. I wouldn't use anything else. Well, I do, I have a Boss clip on for the acoustics but if it ever exploded I'd get a Peterson. rct

Yeah, you are right. I apologize. Enjoy your guitars, let the kids enjoy your guitars. My cats have always enjoyed my guitars, and I wouldn't let them near anything that would harm them. Ignore us guitar curmudgeons and rock on with it. rct

I don't know when the alleged "rarity" of a guitar made it something fabulous. They just didn't make that many, that's all. It could be rare because it sucked. It's not like that hasn't ever happened with all kinds of things, not just guitars. rct

Hoo boy. A new problem in need of a solution looking for a problem. Nitro Cover, something like that. Protect everyone in the bar from your toxic guitar. rct

Send it back. rct

While at the same time, decent, civilized conversation has gone the way of the dodo bird. There was a time when you did not talk about politics, salary, or religion, to people you barely knew. The internet put an end to those conventions. It goes both ways. rct

Definitely less squeaky and yes, that is good. The squeak has never bothered me much, even on acoustics. Recording can be a pain though. rct

Jesus H. I had not thought about that place since the last time I ate in one, somewhere south of the Mason Dixon! rct

Dude. Some Champanges you don't even see in some of the finest dumps we've ever been in, the only one we can compare it to is Victoria and Alberts. Oh Hellz Yes. Napa Rose one night, Marche Moderne the next. We'll both be broke but MAN we will feel good. rct EDIT: Le Bec Fin. That one had similar wine list. Georges Perrier brought us dinner, our 20th anniversary. This place would be similar, slightly less pretentious because, well, California.

I remember it at Philly Phall guitar show many many years ago. It was a hoot! rct

Denny's was for bands that had money. rct

They were for after 3am when most of the other joints were closed and you didn't feel like the local Puke 'n 'Bort, or, diner. Which is another thing young people will never know in this area, a good diner. Every town had one. They all blow now. Terrible. rct

Gino's was an east coast burger joint. It was where we were introduced to KFC actually. Gino Giant. Sirloiner. Lots of folks found them better tasting and better quality than McDonalds. Not quite as good as Roy Rogers, but almost. rct

Everybody goes to Gino's... rct

NJ ended smoking in bars around the turn of the century, none of my guitars has had a burn since before then. It was a different world, full of bars full of adults doing adult things, not feeding their toddlers greasy bar "food". rct

I gigged my Explorer a lot. It was a great guitar. All neck though, when you are flailing around up there. I never got used to the feeling of all that neck. Mine had the stock 490 whatevers in it. rct

She saw Dark Side Of The Moon, Philly Spectrum. rct

Close To The Edge was my mom's record! rct

They'll never know a time when Fender, Martin, and Gibson were the only real guitars out there. Everything that they covet now, that they have been told is all vintage lawsuit better-than-fill-in-the-blank was all crap that none of us wanted to play and we couldn't wait to get a real guitar. They'll never know, for the most part, a time when your first mouthful of SM-58 could have been fatal. A cigarette burn by up on the headstock by the the low E. Pants flapping volume, that thing that made "tone", that thing they don't understand because we haven't been able to play that way for a long time. For non-guitar stuff, well, there's just too much gone by that you can't really go there without sounding like a maudlin old man. rct

It could be as simple as just having not payed their tusq supplier and having to move to something else they can get. It certainly happened to them quite a bit in recent years. rct

As a Les Paul Deluxe it is, well, worthless, they had minis. As a Les Paul it is probably fantastic. rct