

The Epiphone Explorer is the ideal choice if you are dead-set on a spec for spec copy of the original Epiphone. What better place to start your search for the ideal Explorer copy than from Gibson’s sister company, Epiphone? In this guide, we’ll share our top picks for the best Explorer style copy guitars to help you decide on the best fit for you. Whether you want this style of guitar on a budget or with modern features, there is an Explorer alternative out there for you. Thanks to the Explorer’s memorable and influential aesthetic, there are a wide variety of Explorer style alternatives worth considering. However, brand new Explorers can run you anywhere from 1.6K-5K. Thankfully, Gibson has re-released the Explorer over the years. Because of this, original 1958 Gibson Explorers are worth well over $1 Million, making them even more valuable than the fabled Gibson “Burst” Les Pauls of the same time.


Only 22 Explorers were made in the original production series. In an effort to challenge this notion and Fender at large, Gibson creates three wild new electric guitar designs – the Moderne (which never saw the light of day), the Flying V, and the Explorer. Let’s take a quick trip to 1958… Fender is the leading force in solid-body electric guitars after having recently released the Stratocaster and there are whispers that Gibson is “stuck in the past”.
