any advice?

[leif]

I really love the shape of the explorer.I thought that it could be a good Idea to find one with a kahler,since there are some,or even a floyd,but some told me that the sound and sustain will never be the same,whatever the quality and type of tremolo.Also,it may not be a "real" explorer.

I also never figured out that there was so many models,and lernead recently about the E2,that looks very nice to me and I like the idea of how it's made.So I just think it's gona be my next guitar,I just wonder if it would be better a "sandwich" one,or flamed top one,even if I already have and idea/preference about it.

[Hydra26]

Any sort of tremolo system is going to reduce your sustain a bit. To what extent, will depend on how the rest of the guitar is built; how hot are the pickups, what kind of neck joint, is there enough mass coupled to the bridge (tremolo block) to give it some intertia, and those kinds of things. I have a floyd on a very solidly built guitar, for example that sustains incredibly-more than it has any right to. I attribute this to it's neck through construction.

 

E2's are very nice, I wouldn't mind one myself, but they are not made anymore so any you find will be used (not really an issue if thye were taken care of) and will cost more than a new explorer unless they are in some sort of deplorable condition. Flame tops are very pretty looking. I'd go for it if you can find one, it'll be a joy to look at and play every day.

 

Really all of the other stuff comes down to personal preference. What do YOU like? You know, like what color, what size, a more radical interpretation like one of the competitors or the more classic shape of the original, what kind of pickups, etc etc etc. My own preferences have led me to generally require individual volume knobs on any guitar I play just out of preference which means not every one on the market is suitable for my enjoyment.

 

GO play a bunch of gutiars in a store, they don't even have to be explorers, but the point is to get your hands on some to figure out what you do and don't like. Something as small as a difference in scale length or fretboard radius between two otherwise similar looking guitars can make them feel VERY different from one another, and when you're talking about something that has some hand steps in it like a gibson, two guitars that are identical on paper (same model, etc) might feel very different in your hands as well.

 

Happy hunting!

[leif]

yet an E2 in good condition is available for 2000 dollars or less here.I've been playing several guitars,and came to that the gibson's scal is yhe one for me,and I want a masterpiecennothing bolt on.To me this is what really matters since it would take me less than one hour to change the pickups and make a custom circuitry.