Epiphone Korina Explorer Bass 4-string Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI own a black finished model that dates probably from 2001. It had a pair of two beefy humbuckers, a 22-fret set-neck with rosewood fingerboard and standard abalone inlays and gorgeous gold-plated hardware.
Like most mid-priced electric basses, the Epi Korina Explorer is probably an excellent instrument to purchase, due effectively to the almost good construction and the fairly flawless quality. Among the particular features found to the Explorers, you will noticed that these guitars had the "drooped" pointy headstock, a classic headstock design popularized by other American guitar manufacturers, such as Grover Jackson, Paul Hamer, George Washburn, Gary Kramer, Carvin, Mike Stevens, Robin Guitars and Bernard Chávez Rico. The "drooped" headstock was actually featured on the superstrats since the early '80s, after Grover Jackson had the intention to include the typical Gibson design to his gorgeous guitars and basses. But I'm sure that Epiphone can also make an Explorer Bass with the unusual "split" V-shaped head! Although the Explorers were actually available with the "drooped" headstock, however, the first models featured the rare "split" head. The "split" V-shaped headstocks was now featured on Dean guitars and basses. A notable artist who used the Explorer bass through his successful carreer was the late John Entwistle, recently found dead at Las Vegas, due probably to a heart stroke.
This gorgeous bass had nice features, but sonically, the passive configuration and the three-way pickup selector is the only feature I'd disliked from that instrument. It's almost preferable to slightly modify the control config and install a Bart or EMG active preamp to get a wider palette of tones: a master volume and a powerful active 2-band EQ matches perfectly the 3-way pickup switch, rather than the standard layout of the two individual volumes per pickup and the master tone control. Although this tiny weakness, the Explorer Bass still remained an excellent instrument.
Gorgeous construction and excellent quality, but sonically, it's much better with an active preamp installed at the back of the body and a slightly altered electronic scheme, because the active electronics offers tons of tonal variations.
Epiphone had making an excellent instrument and along with the Flying V, Thunderbird and Les Paul basses, the Explorer Bass still remained the favorite instrument of many players. These four classic basses can also be available as fretless versions, the fact that John Entwistle also used fretless Explorers and Thunderbirds on most Who records.
John D. Constantinides rated this unit
on
2002-12-18.
