Gibson Explorer Shred-X Guitar Review

The Gibson Explorer brand has been known among hard rock and metal players for decades. Its sharp look and feel, combined with a very rough and tumble sound make it perfect for the genres. Today, in an effort to make the Explorer even more suited to these genres, Gibson offers the Shred-X guitar. It's an Explorer with a few key differences tailored toward the shredder. Let's take a closer look to see just what those differences are.

Features: The body of the Shred-X, like nearly every Gibson on the market, is made of mahogany wood. This helps with the thick, powerful tone they are known for. There is just one finish available with the Shred-X, and that is glossed ebony. It's very sharp looking, and even a little menacing. The neck is set into the body, and is also made of mahogany wood. The fretboard, meanwhile, is made of ebony, has twenty two frets, and black dot inlays to further enhance the dark look. The hardware on the Shred-X is certainly a separating factor from more traditional Gibsons. Instead of normal plastic tuning heads, there are locking Grover tuners. These locking tuners complement the Kahler brand tremolo bridge well. Electronically, the Gibson Shred-X has two EMG active humbucker pickups, two volume and one tone control knobs, and a three way selector switch.

Playability: The Shred-X clearly shows an earnest effort by Gibson to improve the playability of the traditional Explorer for metal guitarists. The locking tuners and tremolo bridge are features that allow for more tricks and sound effects with high distortion. Also, the fret access is tough for any guitar to beat. The body, however, naturally takes some getting used to to be able to avoid the sharp extension on top.

Sound: The active EMG humbuckers combined with the mahogany build on the Gibson Shred-X for a sound nothing short of meaty. The player has to know how to use it, but in the right hands the Shred-X can replicate the best of metal tones, from classic metal, to black metal, to shred.

Overall: For the serious metal musician with pockets deep enough, the Gibson Shred-X is hard to beat in its genre. It has updated looks and features, and a sound that is absolutely killer. Production is very limited, so if you're looking to get one, don't hesitate once it's found. You can find the Shred-X in music stores for about $1,700.