The Master Artisan Collection expands with the '58 Addiction Explorers, a series of heavily aged Korina guitars inspired by the legendary "Big Ed" vintage Explorer.
Los Angeles luthier Leo Scala has spent three decades building a reputation for inventive designs and flawless craftsmanship. Now he’s turned that obsessive attention to detail towards Gibson’s most angular icon, creating 10 individually unique Explorers for the brand’s prestigious Master Artisan Collection.
The ’58 Addiction Explorers take inspiration from a heavily worn vintage 1958 Explorer nicknamed “Big Ed”, expanding on custom builds Scala previously created for Slash and Jason Momoa. Each instrument in the series – including the Custom Addiction Explorer, Dark Addiction Explorer, four Heavy Addiction Explorers, Maestro Addiction Explorer, and three Ultra Addiction Explorers – stands alone as a singular creation with its own visual and sonic identity.
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Scala’s approach centres on hand-aging every detail to extreme levels. The Dark Addiction Explorer features an “Ultra Aging ++” finish that shifts from deep shadow to glowing amber under stage lights, whilst the Maestro Addiction Explorer pushes into radical territory with its aggressively aged “Rat Rod” natural finish, complete with deliberate corrosion, patina, and custom metal components including skull knobs and a switch washer marked “Hell / Back”. A customised Maestro Vibrola tailpiece adds functional attitude to match the aesthetics.
Construction across the series follows a consistent formula: Korina body and hide-glue-set Korina neck for warmth and resonance, Indian rosewood fretboard with 22 reissue frets, and the rounded-edge ’58 Vintage neck profile for a broken-in feel. The Dark Addiction Explorer even includes a subtle fourth-fret dent mirroring the original “Big Ed”.
Scala hand-winds custom Retrophonic humbuckers for each guitar, pairing different Alnico magnet configurations – from Alnico 2 through to Alnico 5 – with 50s-style hand wiring, VIPots vintage taper potentiometers, and phone book capacitors. The Custom Addiction Explorer features an Alnico 2 neck pickup reverse-mounted and wired out of phase alongside an Alnico 4 bridge pickup for expressive range and clarity.
Every guitar ships in a custom wine suede G&G hardshell case with hardware hand-aged by Scala, a Don Pepe leather strap from Spain (also hand-aged by Leo), and a custom Certificate of Authenticity bearing his signature. The series reflects what Scala calls his “addiction” to building – and assumes collectors share that same passion for rare, handcrafted instruments.
The Master Artisan Collection is available exclusively through Gibson Garage Nashville. Those wanting to explore custom builds can investigate Gibson Custom’s Made-to-Measure programme for fully bespoke creations.
