Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Jason Hook M-4 Explorer Outfit

Epiphone Ltd. Ed. Jason Hook M-4 Explorer Outfit

The Golden Era returns with the Original Collection. Paying tribute to our iconic past, the Original Collection brings back the classic guitars that shaped sound across all generations and genres of music.

Many know Jason Hook as a session guitarist who earned his stripes on the LA circuit. Nowadays, however, he's better known as the guitarist for chart-crashing metalheads Five Finger Death Punch.

Hook has teamed up with Epiphone to create a full-tilt metal machine worthy of FFDP's gnarliest riffs and heaviest grooves: the result is the M-4 Explorer.

The Explorer shape is as striking now as it was when it was first released in the '50s. Popular among alternative guitarists, including everyone from U2's the Edge to Metallica's James Hetfield, it oozes rock 'n' roll mojo and never fails to turn heads.

Epiphone opted to use the classic Mahogany body and neck combination. This combo is more common on the Les Paul models, providing weighty sustain and a brilliant low-mid response; this makes it perfect for Hook's metallic playing style. They've also included a deeper upper-body cutaway, making high-fret access way easier - perfect for the shredder within!

There's the Granadillo fingerboard. This particular wood is becoming a more common substitute for Rosewood in light of CITES restrictions, and has proved a hit among guitarists across the spectrum. It offers a surprisingly snappy tone with a rich harmonic ring to it. It also colours brilliantly, much like Rosewood.

Hook chose a set of Seymour Duncan pickups for his first signature model: an SH-4 JB Humbucker in the bridge and an SH-1 Vintage '59 humbucker in the neck. These pickups are both inspired by classic PAF pickups, but with a few tweaks in the midrange to provide a more direct, precise output. The result is a killer metal tone with serious rock 'n' roll undertones, perfect for FFDP's hot-rodded sound.