Music
The Explorer
The Gibson company created several futuristic looking guitars in the late fifties, such as the Flying Vee and the Explorer – both of which became hugely popular in the eighties.
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One of the most popular design motifs of the 1980s involved the use of angular, asymmetrical shapes – often produced in glowing neon!
This “space age” style can be traced back to the 1950s, and reflected our desire to break free from the bounds of the past and soar into the future. The theme permeated every aspect of design, including fashion, furniture, architecture …even guitars.
The Gibson company created several futuristic looking guitars in the late fifties, such as the Flying Vee and the Explorer – both of which became hugely popular in the eighties. If you wanted your audience to know you were wild and edgy, you wielded an Explorer or a Flying Vee.
ZZ Top grabbed the bull by the horns when it came to stage style, and both Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons rocked Explorer guitars in concert as well as in their iconic music videos.
On offer now at Julien’s Auctions, from the Collection of Dusty Hill, are a number of rare Explorer bass guitars – including one covered in fur!