Explorer Guitars,  Explorer Shapes

Explorer Shaped Guitars

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Fabulous Fakes

Picture of My Explorer Collection in 1995
 Kramer, Dean, Alembic, Moonstone, Hamer, BC Rich, Ibanez, Aria, Spector
Jackson, Charvel

I have been collecting Explorer shaped guitars for 15 years or so. I like the way they look, I like the way they feel & most of all I like the way they balance, Currently I have about 22 in my collection, They are all pretty special.

Over the years I have had about 200 of them, I have sold off a few of them that I wish I hadn't most notably my Koa BC Rich that I got directly from Bernie Rico for $400.00 in 1995 (Dead center above).

I also had a super low serial number Jackson exact explorer (Not A Kelly) but it had a big stupid Washburn Wonderbar tremolo on it so I let it go.
My Favorites are my own custom models, My 1978 Dean, my dead mint 70's Ibanez & my 79 Moonstone.
My Hamer Explorer sounds real good but it's a bit big for me.  I think I will probably sell it next.
I used to collect pairs of Explorers and V's but the V's are not as comfortable for me and my collection was starting to require me to move to a bigger house so I sold off 90% of the V's.
 

The 3 guitars to the right are 3 that I have built. I am building myself one like the black one but with a reverse headstock and no Floyd Rose. The red one is the larger body like the Hamer and the one on the left is the first one I ever built.

The funny story here is I built the one with the lightning bolts on it back in 1993 or so. I never sold it and it has been in my possession all these years. 10 years ago it popped up on Harmony Central with a really bad review on it. Obviously the review was totally false because I still had the guitar but it never ceases to amaze me to what length people will go to trash someone on the internet.

Ed Roman

2009

 

 

The Famous PRS Explorer Made For Billy Gibbons
This Is Probably The Nicest PRS Guitar I Have Ever Played !!!!
Notice It Has The Tune O Matic Bridge That PRS Never Uses

We Are Replicating These Guitars
We Start With A PRS Custom Or Classic & We Make A Body Exactly Like The Photo
The Original Guitar Can Be Bought For $150,000.00
Because Ed Roman's Shop Is One Of The Few Shops That Is Capable of Painting a Fingerboard.
We Are One Of The Few Builders Who Can Truly Replicate This Super Rare PRS 
The Guitar Looks Amazing With Gold Hardware & Gold Frets !!!!

Ed Roman

 

See The Quicksilver Wanderer It Is Essentially The Same Thing For 1/3 of the price
We Also Offer This In A Neck Thru Version on our Abstract Page

 

 

 

Quicksilver Wanderer 
The Best Sounding Guitar Of This Style On The Market !!!
This Guitar Is The Exact Same Guitar As Our Classic Quicksilver But With A Custom Body

The Quicksilver Is Now Available With any Type Of Custom Body You Want. 

We can build your custom guitar in any shape you want,
Currently we are Building a Jupiter Thunderbird Body Shape For Billy Gibbons (See The Excelero)

The Guitar Above Was Built For Arthur Busch.

This Guitar Features A Very Light Honduras Mahogany Body With A Jet Black ebony 24 Fret Fingerboard.
This Guitar Plays Sounds & Generally Behaves Just Like Our Original Standard Quicksilver.
The Neck & Body is Completely Interchangeable With Any PRS 24 Fret Guitar Or Any Quicksilver Guitar.
This Guitar Comes In 42 Different Types Of Wood & Is also Available with Custom Graphic Paintjobs.
We Also Make this Guitar with An Aluminum Chrome Plated Body.
This Guitar Comes With Any Pickups Or Electronics You Desire.

 

CC Deville's BC Rich Explorer
BC Rich never put this in their catalog but they made hundreds of these guitars
This guitar is available in a Neck Thru or a bolt On, Both New & Used
Call Ed Roman

 

Another Jackson Explorer  That Is No Longer Manufactured
They Don't Make This Anymore Because Now They Are Owned By Fender
I Really Like The Sharp Lines On This
Contact Ed Roman If You Want A Custom One Made !!!
 


Van Halen Third Album Using A Cut Down Ibanez Explorer
These Are Available In A Neck Thru Version From Ed Roman.

Made In Ed Roman's Custom Shop Using Ibanez Destroyer


Also Available As A Neck Thru Body Guitar From Ed Roman
If You Ever Buy A Non Bolt On Neck Guitar !!!
It Is Highly Recommended That You Make Sure The Neck Goes All The Way Through The Body
Never Accept Something Where The Neck Is Simply Glued On
Not Only Does The Glue Kill The Resonance From The Neck
The Guitar Will Usually Be Somewhat Unstable
Glue Joints Break But Neck Thru's Never Break
We Guarantee Ours For Life Even If You Drop The Guitar



Custom Ibanez Destroyer Bolt On Version
 This is a bolt on model but it has an incredibly good sound.

We Are Now Producing The Guitar As The Original Phil Collen Model Was Made
  We Are Making Them Neck Thru With Ebony Boards & Custom Inlays

Ed Roman Version 2010
Choice Of Floyd Or Hardtail  Choice Of Pickup Configuration



Mattias Jabs With His German Made Dommenget Explorer
Ed Roman Is One Of The Few Dommenget Dealers In The USA

Boris Dommenget has been Ghostbuilding guitars for The Scorpions for 20 plus years.
Many people thought they played Gibson's & Deans simply because that's what they said on them.



Dean Baby Explorer


 

Dean Zelinsky With His 2 Most Famous Explorers
20 companies made them for ZZ Top
Dean made them at least 4 sets of them
They used the Dean's the most during the 80's!!!


 

 

2 Ed Roman LSR Headless Wanderer Models From The 90's
Played by Buck Dharma


Explorer Style Meets Steinberger
Made For Lenny Hayden In New York  2004



Mick Mars With Hamer Blitz Explorer


Paul Stanley With Hamer Custom Made PS Explorer
These & 30 Other Paul Stanley Guitars Available


 

Charvel Explorer 
Charvel Made Many Explorer/Wanderer Shaped Guitars But People Who Own Them Rarely Sell Them !!!!



  Made In Ed Roman's Custom Shop For Rudy Seanez 2003
This guitar was a super sweet guitar !!!!!



Custom Explorer

 

 

Made In Ed Roman's Custom Shop For Rich Olivier New Jersey

Notice the volume knob on top of the guitar, No controls on the face

That type of option is no extra charge.  After all we hand make them all anyway !!!!!


 


 We try to keep 10 of these in stock

They Are The Best Low Cost Deal On An Explorer/Wanderer Shaped Body
Once we purchased 100 of these at a time

 


Dusty & Billy In The 80's

With Their Custom Made Dean Explorers



James Hetfield With Boris Dommenget Ghostbuilt Explorer


James Hetfield With Ken Lawrence Explorer


The Neon Dean Explorer in this photo was almost 40 feet long


Built By Ed Roman in 1995


 

Ed Roman Custom Paint Job On This Hamer Explorer


 

Awesomely Cool "Bolt On" Custom Guitar Built By Rick Benegbi
We especially like the maple fingerboard & what appears to be a Hamer sustainer bridge.
We originally thought this guitar was a Hamer because of the logo.
 Rick used a Hamer neck from one of those Hamer T series models.
Ed Roman has the last available original Hamer sustainer adjustable bridges.
If you want one of these Ed Roman will build you one neck thru or bolt on.
 We can use any headstock style you like !!!!

 Another Ed Roman Custom Made Wanderer Guitar


Alembic Exploiter Guitar


Custom Made In Ed Roman's Shop 2004


Talk About Yer Cool Looking Explorer Shape
This Is A Copy Of The John Entwistle Bass Now Available From Ed Roman


 

Hamer Blitz Explorer Bass


Michael Angelo Batio With A Gorgeous Custom Made Explorer


No Doubt This Hamer Looks Cool !!!!!!!



BC Rich Made Hundreds Of Explorers
They Are Really Hard To Find
When People Get Them They Don't Sell Them.


 

Another BC Rich Explorer


 

Original Real Kramer Condor (Explorer) With BC Rich Neck.  Pretty Cool  !!!
  Kramers Guitars Are Only Considered Real If They Were Made Before Gibson Bought The Name.
They Never Bought The Company, They Just Bought The Name !!!!


 

Several Charvel Explorers


Dean Explorer


 

Boris Dommenget Explorer
He Also Makes Killer Les Paul Style Guitars
They Are Used By Many Top Groups
Metallica, Scorpions etc etc


 


Reverse Explorer

 


 

Dean Explorer With Ed Roman Custom Paintjob


Lita Ford With Her Ibanez Explorer

She Switched To BC Rich in the Mid 80's



Ibanez Explorer From The 70's

We Have 3 in stock...  One of them could almost pass for brand new !!!!!!


 

 
Custom Made Cracked Mirror Explorer
But Still A Pretty Cool Guitar

We Offer Mirror Ball Guitars On Any Guitar You Want !!!!!!!!


 

Very Early Jackson Explorer/Wanderer Shape

Jackson # 136


 

Custom Explorer/Wanderer Shape

 

 

Group Shot Of Some Of My Personal Explorers, Wanderers & Kelly's

 Only 1 Gibson the green one That I refinished & completely rebuilt.
Ed


Fender Explorer/Wanderer Shaped Bass
Ed Roman Is Actively Seeking This Guitar or Bass
It Was Pretty Common In Europe
We Are Offering High Quality Copies Of This Instrument



Ibanez Destroyer Very Cool Paint Even If This Was A Lower End Ibanez



ZZ TOP used many different types of Explorer/ Wanderer Shaped Guitars



1978 Dean Explorer Quilt Top
Awesome Guitar  (Call For Info)


Ingrid With A Hollow Dean With Z Shaped F Hole


 

Takamine Explorer


 

2 of Rick Neilson's Awesome Hamer Explorer Standards
He must have 50 of these !!!!!


Moonstone Burlwood Exploder


Still Another Pair Of ZZ Top Custom Explorer/Wanderer Shaped Guitars


Cool Color Greenburst Tokai Explorer
Tokai Makes Far Better Les Paul's Than Gibson Ever Did
It's Very Hard To Get Them In This Country
Gibson Got A US Customs Injunction On Them


Billy Must Have 200 Custom Explorer/Wanderer Styled Guitars
He Even Has One With A Television In It.


Cool Jackson Explorer Style



Maker Unknown



Ed Roman's Company Stretch Limo
What Explorer Did I Decide To Use ???


 

2 of Paul Stanley's Custom Hamer Explorers
This Model Was Made For Paul Stanley Only
Ed Roman Is Recreating This Model Today
And the One Below Also

 

 

These Are Probably The Coolest Ones On This Page
I Am Proud To Say We Make Them Right Here In Our Shop
We Call It The Rockingbat.

The Back Is Carved Just Like The Front


 


Rick Derringer Back In The Day
He Had This Guitar Commissioned By Guitar Lab In New York in 1973.
Back Then Gibson Was The Only Game In Town.
 To Get Anything Really Good You Had To Go To A Luthier.



Ed Roman  Abstract Flatbat Supreme
A Poor Mans Rockingbat


 
Billy Gibbons Jellybean Guitar
Available From Ed Roman Guitars Exclusively

Built From Basswood & Chambered Weighs Less Than 6 Lbs
Call Ed Roman


Ed Roman Abstract Pharaoh Model


 

ACE FREHLEY CUSTOM MODEL

This One Is a Bit Of A Stretch For The Explorer Page But It Was Explorer Inspired
Neck Thru Body Premium High End Guitar
Built By Ed Roman



 
If You Ever Buy A Non Bolt On Neck Guitar !!!
It Is Highly Recommended That You Make Sure The Neck Goes All The Way Through The Body
Never Accept Something Where The Neck Is Simply Glued On
Not Only Does The Glue Kill The Resonance From The Neck
The Guitar Will Usually Be Somewhat Unstable
Glue Joints Break But Neck Thru's Never Break
We Guarantee Ours For Life Even If You Drop The Guitar




1 Rockingbat & 3 Flatbats Built By Ed Roman


 

Derringer Model Built In Ed Roman's Shop 2001
Originally designed by Rick Derringer
 We Offer This Guitar Today, We Call It The Ninja



Robin Guitars.. Cool Headstocks



O'Hagan Explorer


  

     

Ibanez Stylized Explorer
We Built A Headless One For Customer But We Forgot To Get A Picture  OOOPs


Radical Radical Radical
We Can Custom Build Any Guitar On This Page

 


 

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