An Introduction...and my Maya Explore...

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Author Message Mbreinin Username: Mbreinin Registered: 05-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 2:47 pm:    Hello everyone, my name is Mike and I am from New Orleans. Let me say, great site! I have been reading posts here for a while, but this is my first time posting. I had been looking for a Destroyer for a while when a Maya Explorer popped up on E-bay last week. A nice BIN was added that same evening and I pounced before really doing any research. I know, through reading posts here, that Hoshino also built Mayas as well as Grecos and Ibanez...all three of which put out Explorer copies. Now this guitar is not 100% original. The pickups were GOTOHS and appeared to be aftermarket with double hex pole pieces and non-vintage style wiring (could be original though as GOTOHS seem to pop up in vintage Japanese guitars). The pickguard and switch appear to be non-original and the tuners are replacment Grover minis. I swapped in my favorite EVH style '59/Custom Hybrid into the bridge first thing, because the bridge PU sucked. Now, here is what I know about Destroyers from surfing and speaking with Strat78, who also posts here and is a fellow EVH nut. Explorers were made from SEN, most of it heavy weight stuff (sometimes the lighter version was used, like one of Phil's guitars) with bodies made from as many as 8 pieces put together. Destroyers had 3 piece maple necks, often with that hump in the neck/body joint. Now, this guitar is a featherweight. Somewhere around 7 pounds, which was a real shock. It weighs less than my dinky bodied Basswood Charvel! Also, the body is an obvious one piece affair..I could find no joints anywhere: [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya1.JPG[/img] [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya3.JPG[/img] The body, like I said, is very light. It does not exhibit SEN like grain (at least from what I have seen), but nor does it exhibit mahogany like grain, or color. In several places the finish, which is not a light "Korina" finish, but a darker honey/amber, has chipped to the bare wood...and it shows a very light colored wood...almost white: [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya2.JPG[/img] The neck appears to be a one piece mahogany job, with a scarf joint at the headstock. You can clearly see the difference in color between the body and the neck, also it has not hump in the heel junction: [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya5.JPG[/img] [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya4.JPG[/img] It has a very nice Brazilian rosewood board, with black streaks and MOP dot inlays: [img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-1/8541/Maya6.JPG[/img] Everything on this guitar seems like excellent quality...except the plastic nut, which I am not sure is original or not. Tonally the guitar is very open and airy...it is bright. Not what I would expect from a Mahogany body..more of what I would expect of Swamp Ash or even Basswood. I did some research on Sen and I discovered that it is NOT an Ash variety (like I thought), but related, apparently, to the Balsa family and similar to South American Basswood. I have also been told by another source that the Destroyers were not Sen, but Japanese Light Ash..confusing for sure. The neck is a chunky 50's style variety with vintage style frets. It is a great player though. So, I thought I would share this beauty with you guys and see if you had any ideas. I am stumped on the body wood on this guitar...but I like the guitar very much! Mike Dlmorley Username: Dlmorley Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 3:56 pm:    I love Maya guitars I have a Maya ES335 which is more a replica than a copy. Identical to a gibson except for the headstock. I have a Dimarzio in the bridge and a pat no Gibson pickup in the neck (the dimarzio was in when I got it and the neck pup was not that great). Superb guitar. Dlmorley Username: Dlmorley Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 - 3:58 pm:    PS: I have never seen a Maya Explorer before. Nice catch! Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 03-2004 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 7:49 am:    Welcome an congrats on the explorer and Dmorley on the ES. Just for future refercence the "Replica" topic is for Ibanez only replica's. All other brands should be in the Misc. section. Dlmorley Username: Dlmorley Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:19 pm:    Ok! Sorry !

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