Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $3,500
High-end/Boutique
$400
$1001+
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Description
Designed in collaboration with Brendon Small, the Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer is a testament to both distinctive style and powerful performance. This solid body electric guitar marries the iconic Explorer shape with modern enhancements, perfect for musicians who demand both aesthetics and functionality. Whether you're shredding solos or holding down rhythm sections, the Thunderhorse delivers with its crisp, clear tone and robust build quality.
The guitar is equipped with a pair of Gibson BurstBucker pickups, offering a versatile range of tones from warm and mellow to bright and piercing. The mahogany body provides a rich resonance, while the SlimTaper neck ensures fast playability, catering to both aggressive and subtle playing styles. The rosewood fingerboard adds a touch of smoothness to your playing experience. Known for its distinctive body shape, the Thunderhorse Explorer is not just a guitar; it's a statement piece, blending classic design with contemporary flair.
Key Features:
- Solid mahogany body for rich resonance
- Gibson BurstBucker pickups for versatile tone options
- SlimTaper neck for fast and comfortable playability
- Rosewood fingerboard for smooth fretting
- Unique Explorer body shape for a standout appearance
- Designed in collaboration with Brendon Small for a signature sound
Product specs
| Brand | Gibson |
| Model | Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer |
| Finish | Silverburst |
| Year | 2010s |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Artist | Brendon Small |
| Body Shape | X-Style |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Stop-Bar |
| Color Family | Silver |
| Finish Pattern | Sunburst |
| Fretboard Material | Ebony |
| Model Family | Gibson Explorer |
| Neck Construction | Set-Neck |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Offset Body | Offset Body |
| Pickup Configuration | HH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Series | Gibson Artist Collection |
FAQs
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What type of pickups does the Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer use?
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The Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer features a dual humbucker (HH) pickup configuration, which provides a powerful and versatile tone suitable for a variety of music styles, especially rock and metal.
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How does the neck profile of the Thunderhorse Explorer affect playability?
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The Thunderhorse Explorer features a set-neck construction with an ebony fretboard, offering smooth playability and easy access to higher frets, making it ideal for fast playing and complex solos.
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Is the Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer suitable for metal music?
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Yes, with its HH pickup configuration and solid body design, the Thunderhorse Explorer is well-suited for metal music, delivering powerful tones and sustain needed for heavy riffs and solos.
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What is the body shape of the Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer?
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This model features the iconic X-style body shape, known for its distinctive look and balanced weight distribution, enhancing both stage presence and comfort during long performances.
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Does the Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer come with a hard case?
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While specific packaging details can vary, Gibson typically includes a hard case with their high-end models like the Thunderhorse Explorer to ensure safe transportation and storage.
Videos
The Trogly's Guitar Show
How A Thunder Horse is Born... | 2011 Gibson Thunderhorse Explorer Silverburst - Review + Demo
How A Thunder Horse is Born... | 2011 Gibson Thunderhorse Explorer Silverburst - Review + Demo
The Trogly's Guitar Show
One of 400 ever made! 2012 Gibson Thunderhorse Brendon Small Review
George V Guitars
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer.
Comparisons
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Owners note the Gibson version is significantly pricier than the Epiphone, nearly $1700 compared to $700, with minimal difference in quality aside from brand prestige.
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The Thunderhorse is much lighter than a Les Paul Custom, weighing approximately 8.25 lbs compared to 11.25 lbs for the Les Paul.
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User experience
Features and functionality
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The standard scale of the Gibson Thunderhorse differs from the baritone model, which has a white binding on the pickguard and typically uses a wound G string.
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The neck profile is a Gibson slim/fast, comparable to new-model Les Paul Customs, offering a medium to thin feel.
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Burstbucker I and II pickups provide a darker, less bright sound, suitable for chug-style down-tuned music and blues, but not for high-gain styles.
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The active EMG Super 77 pickups negate concerns about "tone woods," offering a consistent, clean sound favored by some jazz players.
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Setup and maintenance
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Factory setups may need adjustments; one owner noted the low E-string popped out of the nut and required luthier intervention for an ultra low-action setup.
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Build quality
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The nut material is a brilliant white, contrasting with the cream binding, which some may find aesthetically jarring.
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Mods and upgrades
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Owners recommend replacing the stock Burstbucker 2 pickups with EMG Super 77s for a sound closer to Dimarzio Super Distortion, adding a low battery circuit for enhanced performance.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 1 Rating
40997
and you look just like Toki Wartooth playing it
Artist usage
Add artist
Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer For fierce riffs, eviscerating tones, and all-out metal mayhem, there's no one heavier than Dethklok... or, in the imaginations of their creators, at least. 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.
Check out the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer now at your authorized Gibson dealer, and prepare to animate your own metal mayhem.
FOINT: GIBSOM.COM
He is seen using the standard ebony black Gibson Explorer. He switches to the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer/Brendon Small "Thunderhorse" Explorer , which becomes his signature guitar for the rest of the series. He also has been seen using the all-white Dethklok "Snowhorse" Explorer version of the Thunderhorse, a guitar that matches Toki's all white Brendon Small "Snow Falcon" Flying V
Album Usage
The Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Gibson Brendon Small Thunderhorse Explorer, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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