 The EX series began as the MX Series in the mid to late 1980s, firstly producing a MX 220 based on a 1970s Gibson Explorer Body with the ‘famed’ banana headstock, then later with the MX 250 model (as shown in the pic above) with a smaller headstock and a 1980s Gibson body shape.Towards the late 1990s the range was renamed as "EXP" series (often simply called the "ESP Explorer"), which featured a design exactly like the Gibson Explorer, down to the same rounded body edges and headstock shape; the only differences being EMG pickups, two control knobs (versus the three on Gibson Explorers) and the ESP logo on the headstock.Soon after Gibson's decision to sue ESP, ESP discontinued the EXP series for international markets and began production of the current EX series, featuring a different design with more pointed edges and the usual ESP headstock shape, to avoid any lawsuit.