Allen Collins Explorer

[goodvibes]

I was wondering if anyone has any idea what one of these would be worth in today's msrket. Any proud owners out there?

Thanks

[delawaregold]

Oct 21, 2003

Gibson Guitar's Custom Division has launched a new signature model dedicated
to the late Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, Allen Collins. The new model is made to the
specifications of the 1958 Gibson Explorer once used by the legendary musician
and guitarist.
Like Collins' guitar, the new signature model features a body and neck of Korina wood
(African limba wood), a modified bridge and a Maestro vibrola. From the aged antique
finish to the '57 Classic humbucking pickups, it replicates the look and the spirit of the
original.
Collins was a founding member of the band that carried the flag of southern rock
music in the 1970s with such classic recordings as "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama".
After a plane crash in 1977 took the lives of several band members, Collins carried
on the distinctive Skynyrd guitar in the Rossington-Collins band. An automobile crash
in 1986 left Collins paralyzed, and he died in 1990 of respiratory failure.
The Allen Collins Explorer is available in a limited edition of only 100, and it comes
with a black anvil case, certificate of authenticity and reissue care kit.
MSRP is $11,716

[RAG7890]

...................................

Sorry Keith, you just knew I was going to do this...............didn't you.

"Smart Ass"...................every Forum has one.

But seriously guys, someone out there in Forum land must know.

Rudi

[dangerdog]

Today's market seems to be total crap....but I have sold at least one for about 10k each in the last few years. That value may have gone down with the market or it may have gone up with time...or they may have balanced out each other out, or maybe more people want them now or maybe less....or maybe I am rambling.

but ball park I would say 10k.

[goodvibes]

Thanks gents. Thanks for the Allen Collins tribute Artie.

[CurtisLoew]

I've still got my set but have not got a clue what they are now worth - not that I'm selling them soon!







All the best.

[kaiserthegreat]

Wow...

[SGMM]

Damn cool collection Mr Loew....oh & you're the finest damn picker to ever play the blues!!

[Thunder Dump]

Grinning Elks have one on their site right now. Asking $15K.

2003*Gibson Custom Shop*Allen Collins Explorer # 22 : Vintage Rare Collectible Guitar Sales from the Grinning Elk Music Company

[Dougie]

Mr. Loew that sure is a nice batch of geetars you got there, but since Gibson doesn't appear to be interested in issuing a proper Allen Collins Firebird, and I couldn't nowhere near afford one of the Explorers, I had to do my own custom Allen Collins Firebird I.

[SiriusAbbott]

astonishing collection..........but,do you ever play them?














....a guitar unplayed,is a guitar unknown !

[CurtisLoew]

Thanks for the comments folks!


Most of them get played, they tend to rotate in and out of my cupboard. The ones that seem to stay at the back are the Korina PRS, the Angus Young SG, the Flying V and the 58 custom shop Lester with the P90's.
I'm a Skynyrd nut (as you may have guessed!) so I've always got my Korina Explorer and a Les Paul out.

Nice Firebird Dougie! I agree - Gibson should do a Allen Collins one and maybe a nice Steve Gaines custom Les Paul! (mind you, the way they are pricing them nowadays it would be cheaper to buy a real one)

Glad to see you have good taste in music SGMM ! "oh & you're the finest damn picker to ever play the blues!! " lol. If that was only the case! I'd be able to give up the day job and become a Honky Tonk Night Time Man!

My wife got me a Ronnie Van Zant hat from Texas Hatters for a birthday to finish of my collection so an excuse for another pic.



Cheers folks

[kaiserthegreat]

That's awesome. I wish I had established myself as a hat guy early in life. Too late now.

[icantbuyafender]

skynyrd defined my fascination with texas/country/rock/blues style

what kind of bridge is that on Mr. Collins explorer?

how well does that vibrato piece measure up against a bigsby?

[Dougie]

Originally Posted by icantbuyafender

skynyrd defined my fascination with texas/country/rock/blues style

what kind of bridge is that on Mr. Collins explorer?

how well does that vibrato piece measure up against a bigsby?

That is a Maestro Vibrola on the AC Explorer, they came stock on tons of Gibsons, even though they were never fitted to the Explorer by the Gibson factory. Allen added the vibrola to his Explorer. The bridge, on Allen's '58, was one of the squared off "harmonica" bridges that came on 70s SG guitars, it changed over the years and went to an aftermarket Schaller model during the Rossington Collins days. He also changed the vibrola on the Explorer a few times as rust and very hard use took it's toll on his guitars. You can see on the Knebworth footage him jerking the tremolo bar clean off the vibrola during Free Bird and it goes flying. Allen also favored the strat-like white tipped Hopf tremolo arm, he used those on most of his guitars all the way through his career whether the vibrato was a hopf or a vibrola.

Oddly enough, the Firebirds came stock with the vibrola, but Allen's main #1 Firebird used a German made tremolo taken off an early '60s Hopf jazz guitar. This is the same exact tremolo I have on my black Firebird. Both the Hopf tremolo and the Maestro work very well, and stay in tune remarkably well due to the fact that they have no axles in them like the Bigsby trems have. That axle design, as much as you can perfect it, still has some friction inherent in the design, and will stay in tune for the most part but they aren't nearly as accurate as returning to pitch as the vibrola, which has no pivot point at all, or the hopf which is a precision machined knifedge pivot.

Tonewise, there is a certain "warbly" sound associated with the Bigsby, the Maestro, and also the Hopf, it's not a huge pitch drop like a strat trem, a kahler, or a floyd rose, it's real liquidy sounding, listen to Skynyrd and you will hear Allen use his quite often, that's what a vibrola and the hopf sound like, listen to Brian Setzer if you want to hear a Bigsby out front and aggresively. Neil Young has a Bigsby on his "Old Black" Les Paul, you can hear it easily on his early albums.

[kingmidas3]

Originally Posted by goodvibes

I was wondering if anyone has any idea what one of these would be worth in today's msrket. Any proud owners out there?

Thanks

I have a low digit one with all of the paperwork, strap, Anvil case.
Murphy aged and it resonates like crazy!
I'm keeping mine for a long time; someday Korina will be hard to get as well. Only a Gibson is good enough so I hear...

[AllenCollinsExplorer]

Originally Posted by CurtisLoew

I've still got my set but have not got a clue what they are now worth - not that I'm selling them soon!







All the best.

I couldn't afford the Custom Shop one, so I made my own one actually. I bought a 76' Gibson Explorer and added golden pickup covers, vintage knobs and the vibrola to it. Check my thread if you want to see it. Hope you like it.

Cheers,

Allen