“I can’t wait to throw it through a Marshall”: Richie Sambora reunites with long-lost Gibson Explorer after 40 years
After nearly four decades out of sight, Richie Sambora’s original 1976 Gibson Explorer – the very guitar behind some of Bon Jovi’s earliest riffs – has finally resurfaced and made its way back to him.
Sambora bought the guitar as a teenager, and like many young players, had to take his time making it his own. The guitarist reportedly spent around three years customising the instrument piece by piece, working within a tight budget and upgrading it as he could afford to. In 1985, while Bon Jovi were touring overseas, the Explorer was stolen from a warehouse and effectively disappeared.
For years, it was assumed to be gone for good – until it turned up in the hands of Paris-based vintage dealer Matthieu Lucas, who runs Matt’s Guitar Shop.
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Speaking to Guitar World, Lucas reveals that he came across the instrument while going about his usual business, but something about this Explorer stood out straight away.
“I bought this guitar from somebody who said he was from Michigan and sold it as Richie’s original Explorer,” he says. “It’s the first time I have been offered such a Bon Jovi guitar as [typically], the early Bon Jovi guitars never come up for sale.”
After securing the deal, Lucas did his due diligence, sending photos to Sambora’s team to help verify the instrument.
“What I learned then was that it was stolen, and I immediately called Richie’s team to give Richie his sword back,” he says.
A few weeks later, Lucas and his team flew to New Jersey with the guitar, ready for the handover.
“We opened the case, and I gave [Sambora] the guitar. He grabbed the neck and said, ‘Oh yes, that’s mine!’ Lucas recalls. “I had to make it right and make sure Richie got this guitar back.”
Beyond the emotional moment, Lucas says the guitar is set to return to active duty.
“It will be the first guitar he will use on stage when he gets back to it,” he adds. “Richie played everything on this guitar and composed the majority of Bon Jovi’s hit songs on it, so I am so glad he got it back now.”
Meanwhile, Sambora has also spoken about how the Explorer had shaped his early years as a player. Influenced by artists like Eric Clapton – who also favoured the model – he set out to get one of his own.
“I just wanted to be like Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton was playing Explorers,” he says, recalling how he eventually spotted one in a music shop he was dealing with. “I didn’t have the money for it. Like I didn’t have the money for the Les Paul either.”
Instead, he worked out a payment plan – the guitar cost around $250 – and began using the axe while still paying it off.
“I was already working with this when I was in debt for the rest of the money,” Sambora explains.
And now that it’s back in his hands? He’s not exactly planning to stow it under glass.
“I’m keeping this forever. However long that is for me,” he adds. “I can’t wait to throw it through a Marshall.”
The post “I can’t wait to throw it through a Marshall”: Richie Sambora reunites with long-lost Gibson Explorer after 40 years appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
