Gibson Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer Electric Guitar
As the resident death metal merchants on Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, Dethklok epitomizes no-hold-barred rock excess; but as much as the band members on the TV show are fictional, the music itself is very real. As performed by Brendon Small in the studio, who also does the voice for Dethklok's Gibson Explorer-wielding lead guitarist Skwisgaar Skwigelf, the guitar playing behind this animated phenomenon is powerful and compelling, and has garnered enough fans to warrant two actual album releases—The Dethalbum (2007) and Dethalbum II (2009)—and a series of live tours, with Small and supporting musicians playing live, accompanying animated characters on the big screen.
In honor of this virtual/actual sensation, Gibson USA introduces the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer, a top-flight metal guitar that is very much real, and patterned after Skwisgaar Skwigelf's weapon of choice. Dressed in a stunning Silverburst finish, appointed with the finest electronics and hardware available, and rendered in the shape of the most radical electric guitar in the history of the instrument, the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer is a fitting tribute to the musical achievements of Small and his animated partners in rock, although the guitar—unlike its namesake—is entirely flesh and blood… or, wood and wire at least. It packs all the meat and muscle to lash out the most menacing metal, yet is capable of purring sweetly when desired, and naturally it offers the kind of stellar playability that you have come to expect from more than a century of Gibson guitars.
Animate Your Metal Mayhem, With an Actual Gibson Tone Machine
As a genuine Gibson Explorer-styled guitar—albeit one that honors an animated death metal sensation—the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer starts with the same select tonewoods that have brought countless great Gibson USA models to life. The body is crafted from solid mahogany, long exalted for its depth, balance and richness of tone, and is joined to a glued-in neck made from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior resonance and sustain.
A slim, fast neck profile with a thickness of .800" at the 1st fret and .850" at the 12th fret makes it easy to get your riff on with speed and agility, right up to the 22nd fret of the black ebony fingerboard, thanks to the Explorer's classic easy-access shape. A dense Corian nut, cut on the computerized PLEK for total precision, enhances the transfer of vibrational energy into the neck, while that classic pairing of ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece at the body end provide the perfect blend of adjustability and solidity—and all of these critical components work together to optimize the guitar's resonance and sustain.
To maximize all of this tonal splendor, the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer is equipped with a calibrated set of Gibson's popular BurstBucker humbucking pickups, which comprises a BurstBucker 1 in the neck position and a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge position, for the perfect output balance between the two pickup selections. Made with unpolished Alnico II magnets and unpotted coils that are wound to slightly different numbers of turns of 42-gauge plain enamel-coated wire, just like the originals, these are some of the finest reproduction PAF ("patent applied for") style humbuckers available today.
Wrap it all in Gibson's menacingly beautiful grain-textured Silverburst finish in nitrocellulose lacquer, which offers a tactile matt surface to the touch and a fast-feeling neck, and this tribute guitar has got the looks to play the part, too.
The Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer comes with a Gibson USA hardshell case and is covered by Gibson's famous Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 customer service.
Body and Finish
The Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer follows the iconic lines of the legendary Gibson Explorer, with its radical points and angles, and is crafted from solid mahogany—a classic tonewood for Gibson USA electric guitars—for a balanced tone and outstanding resonance. A grain-textured Silverburst finish completes a menacing yet beautiful package.
Pickups and Electronics
The Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer carries a BurstBucker 1 in the neck position and a slightly hotter BurstBucker 2 in the bridge. Two of the most accurate PAF reproductions available today, they offer plenty of shred power, with subtlety and nuance when required. They are routed through a traditional three-way switch, independent volume pots for each pickup, and a master tone control.
Neck, Fingerboard and Headstock
The Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer is crafted in classic Gibson USA style with a glued-in neck made from solid quarter-sawn mahogany with a fast, slim profile, and topped with an ebony fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets and acrylic swirl dot inlays. It has a back-angled "droopy" headstock in the six-a-side style of the original Explorer.
Hardware
The hardware set on the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer echoes the classic Gibson complement, with an ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece pairing at the body end, and a set of high-quality Mini-Grover™ Tuners on the headstock, all chrome plated. Together, these components offer outstanding performance and enhanced resonance and sustain.
