Gibson Explorer 1975 - 1979

1975 marked the Explorer's return to Gibson's production line, with a design largely similar to the original '50s models, with the exception of the body material changing from korina to mahogany. The initial re-release was actually a Limited Edition run in catalogs alongside Gibson's Bicentennial models, but the Explorers sold well enough Gibson expanded the finish options and kept the guitar in production through the end of the '70s, when it was replaced by the Explorer E2 (though versions of the original design would still leak out of the factory through the early '80s).