Left handed "Explorer" (2007-2012)

For over 50 years Gibson did not make left handed Explorer guitars. As a lefty player myself, it was my own frustration and feelings of betrayal that drove me to build guitars in the first place. The absence of a lefty Explorer highly motivated me. 

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I produced a lefty Explorer style guitar to fill this void. That was in 2007. It was our flagship model. It was never a clone of the original, being slightly smaller and more rounder so as not to violate Gibson trademarks. From 2007 to 2012 this was a factory-made guitar and then from 2013 it became a full Custom Shop model, 100% made in Australia. In 2023 I reintroduced it as part of the Hybrid Series. 

 

Originally this was known as the Gaskell "Classic." From 2023 I renamed it to "X2." The "2" means two pickups. "X" is for two reasons. The shape is a bit like an "X" (if you really squint your eyes) and "X" is a symbol of many things, including "rebellion."

 

Surprisingly, this guitar did not take off in 2023. Are left handed guitarists these days so apathetic that they'll happily put up with the bland "arctic white" or "antique natural" left handed Explorer guitars made by Gibson today?

 

After what Gibson did to Dean Guitars in 2022 I am not willing to stick my neck out offering a guitar that no one is interested in, even if mine is different.

 

From 2024 the Gaskell X2 Hybrid Series goes back to being a Legacy model. I will still do left handed Explorers in Custom Shop.