An epic new Explorer designed for modern technical players
Born from countless hours at the workbench, the DES Series grew out of Master Luthier Jim DeCola and the skilled craftspeople in Gibson craftories working side by side with Gibson Artist Ambassador and Board member Cesar Gueikian. Countless feature combinations were explored and refined, ultimately converging on looks, feel, and sound destined to become instant classics. The result is the DES Series, a visually striking series of limited-run instruments defined by bold inlays, fresh finishes, and feature sets inspired by a mantra Cesar champions at Gibson: ”Do Epic Sh#t!” Created to spark inspiration and forge a lasting connection between player and instrument, the new DES models allow musicians to feel a measure of the same pride and craftsmanship that goes into every guitar built at Gibson. In keeping with the DES spirit, a portion of every Gibson.com and Gibson Garage purchase supports Gibson Gives, the Gibson 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.
The Explorer™ DES began with a real instrument that Cesar envisioned and built at the Gibson craftory in Nashville, Tennessee. It starts with an 80s Explorer mahogany body, capped with a multi-ply bound AAA figured maple top. The mahogany neck features a fast-playing SlimTaper™ profile. It has a bound ebony fretboard with a 10”-16” compound radius that delivers low action, easy chording, and smooth bends without fretting out. The fretboard is equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets and adorned with mother-of-pearl Super Split Block inlays similar to those found on the Gibson Supreme models and vintage Super 400 archtop.
The Explorer DES has the iconic Explorer headstock with three-ply binding around the perimeter and the Gibson logo inlaid in mother-of-pearl. A Graph Tech® nut paired with Grover® Mini Rotomatic® tuners ensures rock-solid tuning stability. The other ends of the strings pass over an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and anchor to an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece. All the hardware is black nickel, which perfectly fits the Explorer DES aesthetic.
A set of the all-new Gibson ELEV8 humbucker™ pickups powers the Explorer DES. For the first time, Gibson is using powerful Alnico 8 magnets in the construction of these new pickups, along with custom-gauge wire for a powerful, focused tone with tight low end that is ideal for high-gain and modern musical styles. They deliver powerful tones with an intensity that doesn’t sacrifice articulation, clarity, and dynamic control. The ELEV8 pickups in the Explorer DES are left uncovered and have zebra bobbins. The Explorer DES uses a simplified control layout with a master volume control, a master tone control, and a three-way pickup selector toggle switch.
Finished in a stunning Ghost Burst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer that highlights the figured maple top and complements the black nickel hardware and zebra pickup coils, the Explorer DES comes packed in a Gibson hardshell case for safe storage and transport. Take your playing to epic heights and do something epic for a worthy charity, and order your Explorer DES today. Handcrafted in very limited numbers, no more than 150 DES guitars will be produced in total, so act fast and get your favorite today while they’re still available.
