Hi All
Just a general question regarding the EX kits, as I am thinking of taking the plunge. How does the shape of the explorer body offered by Pitbull, compare to Gibson, ESP etc?
Any pics I see of completed kits, the shape of the body seems a bit off, so does the headstock for that matter (although thats probably a bit easier to rectify). Has anyone ever compared the two side by side?
Cheers!
I'm not an EXplorer EXpert (or even a fan), but I will say that Gibson has become soooo litigious about their patents and shapes, I doubt you'll find any kit makers willing to step too close to the edge.
That said, based on available photos of each, I think the PBG EX's are pretty close body-wise. One obvious deviation is the toggle switch and controls layout. I'd say the extra drilling and routing to locate the selector switch to the lower front horn would have an impact on manufacturing costs enough to not do it.
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Both body and head stock have to be slightly different from Gibson's offerings due to legal issues. So long as it's recognisable as "Explorer like" it's still a groovy shape.I'm not a big fan of the hockey stick head stock, so I changed the shape on my EX-4. I guess I could have gone with the arrow head style of the bass used by John Entwhistle, but I kinda prefer a reverse inline for the the explorer shape.
Having owned a lawsuit era Ibanez Explorer the EX1 body shape is pretty damn close and I actually prefer the Pitbull control layout. Yes, the headstock shape is fatter on Pitbull guitars but a lot more pointy on the Basses.
For what it is worth both the Bass & Guitar bodies are identical external measurements with major differences being pickup routes, neck pocket width and depth, and rear control routes are in different positions.
Cheers Waz
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# 1 - EX-5 https://goo.gl/fQJMqh
# 2 - EX-1 https://goo.gl/KSY9W9
# 3 - Non PBG Tele https://goo.gl/W14G5g
# 4 - Non PBG J Bass https://goo.gl/FbBaFy
# 5 - TL-1AR GOTM Aug 2017 https://goo.gl/sUh14s
# 6 - MMB-4 Runner-up GOTM Oct 2018https://goo.gl/gvrPkp
# 7 - ES-1 Runner-up GOTM Aug 2018https://goo.gl/T9BEY8
From working on my mates Epi Explorer I can say with a degree of certainty that the scratch plates are not the same so there's bound to be some difference to the PB ones.
He wanted split coils and lots of switching options, it was a nightmare and I definitely don't like the shape
Left to right:
'Loughran' Pitbull EXA-1 Kit Guitar, Gibson 76' RI Explorer, Greco EX800H
Interestingly I did a recording comparison (Accept Balls to the Wall and just using bridge pickup) and the EXA-1 kit sounded best to my ears, then the Greco then the Gibson. They all sounded great and very close, but the EXA-1 had the edge for me.
EXA-1 has Seymour Duncan Custom TB-5. Gibson has 500T and Greco has Maxon U2000 (I think).
I think you need one more stack to even things out there!Originally Posted by GerardL
Left to right:
'Loughran' Pitbull EXA-1 Kit Guitar, Gibson 76' RI Explorer, Greco EX800H
Interestingly I did a recording comparison (Accept Balls to the Wall and just using bridge pickup) and the EXA-1 kit sounded best to my ears, then the Greco then the Gibson. They all sounded great and very close, but the EXA-1 had the edge for me.
EXA-1 has Seymour Duncan Custom TB-5. Gibson has 500T and Greco has Maxon U2000 (I think).
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Thats just the right side... I have 4 more cabs on the other side
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