1983 Gibson Explorer Cardinal Red Custom Color Vintage Guitar w/ Dirty Fingers, Case

Up for sale, a 1983 Gibson Explorer in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. While most Explorers from the '80s reflect Gibson's redesign of the model (altered switch and knob layout, no pickguard, etc.), this model retains '50s aesthetics, including a 3-in-line knob configuration, single-ply pickguard, and pickup selector located on the treble-side body point. Finished in custom color Cardinal Red nitro lacquer, this Explorer comes from one of Gibson’s most celebrated eras, loaded with the original pair of “Dirty Fingers” humbuckers.

Tonewoods include an alder body and a maple neck capped by a rosewood fingerboard, and this guitar delivers a balanced tonal platform ideal for the aggressive Dirty Fingers pickup pair. Metering at ~15k ohms, these pickups were designed specifically for high gain situations with smooth compression and thick, churning drive. Aggressive and full-sounding, these high output humbuckers produce plenty of power, punch, and attack. This Explorer weighs 8lbs 10oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Shape: Slender C, measuring .785” 1st fret, .960” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Rosewood, pearloid dot inlays
• Frets: Medium jumbo, light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-7
• Scale Length: 24 ¾”
• Nut: 1 11/16”
• Tuners: Schaller, Gibson-branded
• Serialization: Eight-digit stamp dates to 1983

Body Specs:

• Wood: Alder
• Pickups: Dirty Fingers humbucker x2 (1983 date stamps on baseplates)
• Controls: Volume x2, Tone, Three-way pickup selector
• Harness: Untouched solder, CTS pots
• Hardware: ABR-1 bridge (modern, Gibson-branded with foundry stamp) & stopbar
• Plastics: One-ply white pickguard, black bonnet knobs, pickup surrounds

The gloss custom color Cardinal Red nitro lacquer finish presents very well, with light scuffing in the clear coat across the back, and some additional minor marks and finish scratches from use, particularly concentrated on the bass-side body point. The smooth nitro gloss on the neck profile exhibits some shallow marks on the treble-side shoulder from frets 11-16, along with light finish chipping at the edges of the heel.

The original Gibson-branded hardshell case is included.