I own an Orville (not by Gibson) LP Custom and I'm pretty happy with it. The sustain is unreal. I've modded it significantly - SD pickups, bigger pots, TUSQ nut, sanded neck - but I think that's what these are best for. I do wish I had an ebony fretboard but that's my only complaint. Steal for roughly $500. Good luck to anyone looking to pick one up.
I just bought a 91 Custom just like this. It absolutely rocks. I haven’t checked what pups are in it but they scream. It is definitely better than any Gibson I’ve owned. I must say every Gibson I’ve bought (new) has sounded great but has had major issues. This Orville By Gibson is a Killer.
@Remley, It's in Malone, NY right next to his town of birth. There I changed my thumbnail pic to his gravestone so you can see how modest it really is. It's messed up what the company did to Orville. The investors he trusted and allowed to buy into his business wanted to oust him the moment they bought in. And they got their wishes and basically booted Orville to the curb. It's messed up but the Gibson company is not what Orville imagined.
I briefly owned a wine red Orville by Gibson LP Custom that looked very similar to the model in this video. Awesome guitar. Paid $900 USD in 2004(ish). It was a late 80’s model and showed its age beautifully, its gold hardware was wonderfully worn and the neck was well played but in very good condition. It had Gibson US-made pick ups and a typical LP Custom sound: thick as a brick, responsive and dark. I made some excellent recordings with it that still sound great. Unfortunately it was stolen from me in 2006. I still dream of it! Great video, thanks Trogly
In my experiences, the Fujigen factory has always churned out great quality instruments. I have a few, including a 1997 Epiphone LP. As good or better than some Gibsons I own. No shame in Japan 🇯🇵!
@@JC-11111 In mid/late 1992 FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FgN guitars.
@@mattryan2489 ,Right on Bro, I have a Few Epi Elitist's Two SG Standard,and Two EB-3's. Just as Good if not better then Gibson made ones.In Fact that is the reason Gibson stopped making the Elitist series because that Gibson thought that they where better that their own brand.And they didn't like that. Yup.
That's the timeline I've just been visiting. Orville was left-handed and so am I, making it a nice visit. I'm sure you can imagine a "Fender by Fender" alternate time-line, so let me challenge you here. I was thinking about Orville Gibson and Gibson Guitars and Jimi Hendrix and Fender Stratocasters. Can you imagine taking the best qualities of a 1957 Gibson Les Paul and a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, and building one guitar? I just did that, using a mail-order guitar, still doing some decorative finishing. See if you agree. I saw Jimi Hendrix, got a '64 Stratocaster in 1970, sawed the righty scallop and put a humbucker on it. Stratocaster body shape, Stratocaster tremolo unit, Gibson neck, three tuners per side, Gibson inlays. A smaller pick-guard, looking centered, body silhouette, ending before the tremolo plate, has a big Gibson humbucker at the neck with middle and bridge Fender single coils. The Gibson toggle switch is for the humbucker and the two single coils wired on at the same time. All pickups are aligned, no slanted pickup. Moving the pickup forward allows a bigger picking space. It was Jaco Pastorius who used the bridge pickup on full so he could get finger scratch sounds, and no electric guitar has been made that accented this use of the bridge pickup. When the bridge pickup is moved forward it doesn't need to be slanted to lose extraneous treble sounds. It all adds up. The guitar cord input is on the side of the body, Gibson style. One volume knob, Gibson style. There is a G-B-E fret on the middle pickup for fourth octave notes. This is a musical instrument with an electric signal, one for rhythm, for lead, all on for finger-picking. john@johnwatt.ca
Fantastic video, thank you for making it. That LPC is gorgeous! I have an Orville ES335 (not By Gibson) from the Terada factory. Mine came with 57 Classics and is faultless everywhere. I wish it had nitro rather than poly, but it ended my 35 year search for a 335, and cost about half of a Gibson
I had a real nice early 70’s Ibanez set neck SG a few years ago and it was so much better than any early 70’s Gibson SG. Actually traded it for a late 80’s Edwards LP with a sustainer and that guitar was absolutely amazing quality and sound. Some of those Japanese manufacturers really got it right
Edwards LP are really good guitars , I have played them , but I really would love to get my hands on a Epi Japan , the only thing holding me back is the rosewood fretboard , just wish it was a bit darker .
I have collected and used Orville by Gibson ,Tokai etc and the best workhorse was my Orville by Gibson 1988 as the one your showing here,I miss it so much!!!!
I’m a new subscriber and have always had an interest in guitars and when I found your channel I was pleasantly surprised by all the information you provide and how you do the unboxing lol and the reviews . I wanna get into collecting and selling Les Paul’s and found your channel provides the best info for doing so . Long story short keep up the good work you are doing a great job.
I wonder what the original price point on the Orville's was. All I remember is that when Fender introduced their Squier series in the early 1980s, Telecasters were EVERYwhere in my area. Even the local guitar snobs were using and, almost, endorsing them. Gibson had to counteract with something, and these definitely are beautiful. However, this is the first time I've heard of them. Thank you Trogly, once again.
75,000 yen. Around $750 in 1990s money or about 1500 dollars today, so Bob Murphy is right. Guitar models in Japan have the price in their model name a lot of the time. So rbx500 is equivalent to a $500 dollar bass, and ae1200 a $1200 archtop (when they were made, not counting inflation and currency exchange).
I can't believe you haven't checked out the Gothic Explorer by Gibson, it's got Orville Gibson's photo on the back of the head stock, very cool. Keep up the good work.
Great vid, and thank you for covering Orville guitars! I have a '97 Orville black LP Custom with ebony 'board and it's one of my favourite feeling guitars to play. It has a '57 classic in the neck and Burstbucker 2 in the bridge, so sounds great too!
Late reply, but I have a Feb ‘98 black Custom with an ebony board. Not a “by Gibson,” and no nitro, but it is and all mahogany body with a long tenon neck, so a pretty solid attempt at a correct ‘57
I'm real happy with mine. It is interesting that many of these have seen hardware changes from previous owners. Kinda like you would expect people upgrade their Fender Squires. On Reverb you can see the tuners and bridge pieces are swapped out for better hardware.
Thanks for playing it accoustically for us.I have a1980 Gibson L.P. Custom and it sounds awesome unplugged in a quite room,plays like a dream and rocks through my Marshall.
Several years ago Gibson had factory in Singapore. They make amazing high end acoustic guitars. They also made Les Paul's that are really nice. Saw them on Reverb and got one new for around $200. Took it to my tech he didn't know what kind of wood it was, but it's weighs over ten pounds. He also said that everything on it was high quality, and it's as close to a real LP as he's ever seen. It has Gibson truss rod cover. I haven't see another one since my purchase. They still make LP Juniors and flying Vs they are labeled Maestro.
I don't usually like long reviews like this one but it was excellent. Very informative on the "Orville", great looking guitar. I thought Epiphones were the only licensed Les Paul.
After watching this video, I found an '89 Orville by Gibson SG for sale online. It arrived 2 days ago, and it may very well be the best guitar I've ever played. The thing is marvelous and actually beats out the two Gibson SGs I had before.
if you had cheap,lower end gibson sg's that was an incredibly easy feat(ive owned 3 of them,i dont own any of them any longer) .my korean epiphone les paul customs stomp the crap out of cheap gibsons with relative ease,i would never sell either one of my korean les paul customs.ps:i owned a 1969-1971 gibson les paul custom for 18 years as well,very delicate necks on those
The comments you did about the pickups and the reaction of your amp are exactly what I think about these Gibson original. I have a 89 Les Paul curly maple top (pre-historic) which came with bill lawrence pickups and found them being very compressed and often almost distorted, especially the bridge pickup. It is something common on many bill lawrence pickups in my experience. Great video btw
Very cool guitar. A refret might be in order. But the “brightness “ trogly talks about can easily be eq’d out with an eq pedal. One of my Gibson USA’s had this issue. It has the “cryogenic “ frets Gibson did for a couple of years. And the burstbucker pros made it a bit screechy. I just swapped out to Seymour Duncan pups and it balanced it out. But very cool guitar you have. At least it had its own personality and not like the thousands of Gibson’s that all look and sound the same. And Trogly is of the opinion that it’s not a “real” Gibson. I would disagree. It’s subcontracted by Gibson and says “by Gibson “ right on it. So I’d say it’s a Gibson licensed product at the very least. Nonetheless, very cool.
The economy in USA now is great.Everyone is working.Its a great time to be an American..Many company’s are returning.Gibson is making a come back..And it’s about time.God bless guitars and America
The main reason Orvilles were made was due to the currency exchange rates of the early 80's. At that time, the rate was more than 300 yen to the dollar, which meant that an imported Gibson was ungodly expensive. In the late 80's, things were reversed, suddenly the rate was under 80 yen to the dollar, and USA Gibsons and Fenders became a better deal in Japan than they were in America, and at this time, the Japanese imported vast amounts of foreign goods, like guitars, classic cars, and cameras.
Yes!!! Very interested in this episode. I saw the unboxing of this guitar and was very curious at the mentioning of the 'Japanese feel' as a happy owner of a MIJ les paul, I have definitely been waiting for this episode!!
I love my Orville Les Paul STANDARD. It has 2 Seymour Duncan JB pickups,and I find myself using the Orville and being perfect for metasl,Hard Rock and crystal clear pop and classical !
The Gibson Les Paul Book from Tony Bacon and Paul Day has 3 ads for Orville Gibson's,, one for Customs (one a gold top) another for 3 more Customs and one with 'a besotted' Les Paul . Yes, he gave the neck a kiss (sort of). They don't delve beyond photo captions. Never knew a full line up was involved. Great offering here.
This is a great review. Thank you so much. I own and have owned a few ObG guitars, and I have to say all of them are outstanding. At the same time, we all know how different two guitars even from the very same run can feel and sound. So it is next to impossible to judge a brand by picking out just one guitar. On the other hand I find it legit to do such an in depth review. Because I also think every time hype is involved, in come the fan boys. And they do worship their saviour no matter what. So thanks again for this as objective as it gets review of one of my favorite brands based on one guitar 🙃 To share my personal experiences: I owned (now sold) a ES 335. I bought it maybe 7 or 8 years ago and sold it half a year ago. I almost could not let it go, but I had to: I needed to refinance an original Gibson ES 335 I had bought 2 years ago. A guy who was interested in buying it came by my house, tested it and was almost, but not quite convinced. He wanted to check out other guitars first before spending this kind of cash. Since both he and his wife seemed honest persons I offered him to take the guitar to a huge guitar store to compare it to their stock. He came back saying that, after testing tons of guitars, all between I think he said 4-7k€, the clerk from the shop said: well, I hate to say it, but compared to all the guitars tested, you should go with the ObG." On his way back to my place he found yet another one that he finally decided on buying. But given this information, I felt really happy. Now, as Imentioned earlier: I had this original 70s ES 335. and when you plugged that one in, doing a one on one comparisson, the Original Gibson made the Orville sound like some cheapo. Incredible. Now maybe that comparisson is not fair, and I paid a lot! more for the Gibson than I did for the ObG. But I guess this just states the over all quality of even 70s Gibsons compared to their newer instruments. I own (and will not sell) 2 more ObGs: a Firebird V, and a Thunderbird IV. They both have their issues. But: the sound and feel of both of them is just so good. So I absolutely can recommend trying one out if you get a chance. Plus, like the Gibsons, the ObGs go up in value year after year.
@@aguynamedben +1 to the idea of a review. For the money your LS-50 really is much better than an early 1980s Gibson Les Paul. Yeah, the early 1980s Tokai guitars my friend has are every bit real Les Paul guitars too. Long Neck Tenon, true ABR-1 Bridge/Installation and real nitrocellulose Lacquer. Only changes he made were Lollar Humbuckers in one and a new set of Fralin P90s in the other.
I bought a aria out of a pawn shop in the 80s that was every bit as good as a Gibson custom and I bought a brand new Electra in 1978 that had leaves carved into the body it was really awesome
I've run into a few of these over the years, these are really great playin Les Pauls. I usually stick to a more purist mind set concerning a Les Paul, but some of these guitars are fantastic, this gets a huge pass. This is a gorgeous Les Paul. The guy who own this is a lucky man
Thanks for the coverage and the research. I know several people that love their Orville Les Pauls. In spite of the hype, the fit, finish and sounds reminds me a lot of higher-end Epiphones.
I have never seen one in the flesh over here 🇬🇧 . Saw photos in Bacon & Days Les Paul book but wasn't aware until now that they branded them "by Gibson" . Great stuff Austin 👍
Wow I want one, but for that price I'll get a Jackson single cut, Solar single, or even the Harley Benton with the real Floyd rose. Hell I could buy the Solar with everyone bridge and the Harley Benton for about the exact same price as one of these used according to the reverb post you put up. Great video love your content, I learn something new every video you make Trogly. Keep up the great work maybe one day I can trade you a guitar.
Keith Gray yes I had a Squier cv strat that was a great guitar but I sold it and found an e series Squier strat for a good price. And yes it's a far better guitar. The way it vibrates as you are playing it feels really alive compared to the cv strat.
In 1972 to 1974, Fender fired up the original Stratocaster assembly line to build original designs. They were meant to be "low-budget' guitars and were called "Squire Stratocasters". In the late 90s, I visited a new friend who had one, and we took apart my '64 Strat and his '72 and they were exactly the same. We could have swapped necks. Keep your eye out for one of those.
I have an '85 E series Squier Strat with an FS1 Floyd Rose style bridge in excellent condition. My best friend bought it new and gave it to me 17 years ago. It's awesome.
Really enjoy learning about the Orville by Gibson Brand! I’m looking for a Gibson Les Paul alternative. Thinking about Tokai , Edwards and Burny. And now MAYBE Orville but that fret grabbing noise was unbelievable!
I’ve got 4 Orville (by Gibson) Guitars. ObG Standard Sunburst, ObG R9, Orville Joe Perry, Orville LP Custom white. I’m not a great fan about the ObG Standard, the Nashville Bridge an the Bill Lawrence PUs aren’t very good. But, the R9 is fantastic. Also the normal Orville are great guitars. Because they are closer to the original bursts specs: long tenon neck, ABR1 Bridge wired directly in the cap and the Gotoh PAF clones. Very nice PUs. Combined with the bone nuts... perfect les Paul’s. Not all ObG have nitro lacquer. Who knows why. So, you have to tray the Orville LPS/ LPC and the ObG Reissue. These guitars don’t play between Gibson and Epiphone. They are playing between Gibson USA und Gibson Custom shop. No Gibson USA from the 80s till now has the quality, like these MIJ Guitars. And, I had an Orville SG ‘62 Reissue - amazing. Greetings from Germany
This is a friend from Switzerland who sells a few Orvilles and Epiphone Japan, wich are the same guitars. www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-bestandsliste.html?userId=13811225
Always wondered about the Orville brand by gibson trogly never seen or heard one before until this video. Great documentary. Probably wouldn't buy one myself un less it was real cheap.
I found my left-handed MIJ Tokai SG about 10 years ago on Craigslist and have never looked back on these awesome MIJ built guitars. I currently own a '74 Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul too! I've also owned a Greco ec500 Les Paul, and Edwards FV120 Flying V...they were all very good guitars. These MIJ guitars are just as good as GIBSON guitars I've owned, they just don't command as much resale value.
I got a Orville LPC75 in wine red for $800 a few years ago and I’m happy I don’t need to give up my arm and leg to buy one in today’s market. It’s definitely selling close to $1,500 now
Austin please write a book/guide on LPs. As a fairly knowledgeable collector it'd be helpful to have something that outlines the subtleties like Lawrence pups having bigger screw heads. The videos are the ultimate reference but I'd love access to all your knowledge.
There's a lot of other cool Japanese made guitars out there. Deviser makes some cool stuff under the Bacchus and Momose brand names. These things really get slept on over here in the US but they present really good value especially on the used market.
I have a Fujigen made Les Paul. Made in 98, which was the last year of Orville, before switching to Epiphone Japan. I will say, the stock Japanese Pafs are very good, mine were just microphonic. I’d like to say that the pickups were made my Maxon, I’m unclear, though.
I had this exact model in white...I upgraded all of the hardware and electronics, then put a pair of early 1980's Dirty Fingers pickups in it. Was my favorite workhorse for quite a while until it developed one hell of a neck twist. Mine didn't have GOTOH-branded hardware when I got it, didn't have that rubber bumper and had green chicklet caps.
As someone who owns a Japanese Univox Rickenbacker copy, hell yes the lawsuit guitars and basses are oft overlooked gems. I'm keeping my eyes open for more Japanese basses
The Orville by Gibson brand was also made by the terrada factory. The fujigen build Orville's have the long neck tenon too and the build quality on those is fantastic. The terrada 'plain' Orville's are ok, cool but not great. If you're going to buy one: get a Orville by Gibson or a fujigen Orville, either one is great. Don't go for the "K serial" terrada ones. The polyurethane finish is perfect; very thin and feels identical to the "nitro" Gibson uses now a days.
Ive got an Orville (not By Gibson) 58 plain top and its spectacular. I do seriously think you shouldn't judge the brand on this example as this one doesn't seem to be one of the 'better quality' ones. You really have to know what you are doing when navigating these and almost treat them as all 'one offs' at this point... Its also quite unusual for a 'By Gibson' to have a poly finish and the frets usually have the nibs... Also my Orville has a deep neck tennon... sooo..yada yada yada... The specs of these Orvilles seemed to be quite fluid, but yes they certainly had a closer eye on what Gibson were doing in the 50's and the vast majority of the ones that have survived to this day seem to be of very high quality... And imho (if you get a good one) they are better playing and sounding instruments than the vast majority of the Gibson catalogue. Personally I think it comes down to the wood stock that they were using at the time which appears to be far more mature than what is normally used in the production of Gibbys.. But who really knows!?!?!!? I do hope you try one of these again as I was looking forward to this vid, but the example that you have found is really not something most would want without some pretty major work done on it. - Try a 59 re-issue and tell me it doesn't rock your world. They are quite unbelievable for the $.
I have a 91 fujigen orville and it's a killer guitar. I went to Tokyo this year and bought it back. There's a place called ochanomizu which loosely translates to 'guitar street' and I tried loads. Mine has a long neck tenon. Some were a lot better than others I thought mine played better than some orville by Gibson that I tried
I have an early 90's Orville Led Paul Standard. Looks just like a USA made '58 reissue, and it has a long tenon. I threw Burstbucker Pro's and new old stock caps in it. It's an awesome guitar!
I have a MIJ 1983 Greco “Les Paul” custom. It’s a actually a black beauty copy with three pickups. I have yet to pick up any modern Gibson that comes close to the fit and finish.
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 I have yet to find one. I have a 90's Les Paul trad that comes close. I have bought and sold 3 customs. I have also played several modern production Gibsons that have issues out of the box, like bad fret work, incorrect neck angle, etc.
On the subject of cheap spin offs: I have an Applause Strat copy, made by Ovation. Apart from the crappy name it is an excellent guitar. I was given it. When I saw the name on the headstock I was ready to take it to the pawn shop and leave it there. My granddaughter loves it and prefers it to her Vintage Strat copy.
Hi Trogly, I think one reason why this guitar might be on the bright side is because a lot of the import guitars use African mahogany instead of Honduran mahogany. African mahogany is snappier and brighter sounding than the Honduran mahogany that Gibson uses. This was a really cool detailed video of the Orville by Gibson, really enjoyed it.
15:35 I have an early "Elitist" series Epiphone lp that was stamped "elite" on the back of the headstock and says Gibson on the truss cover. Has a crazy flame top and all the gibson specs. Such a monster of a guitar
I have quite an interesting Edwards guitar, from what I can tell it's a 89 ELP-80 prototype. It even has over fret edge binding and it has aged beautifully. It's rumored to be somehow related to Navigator guitars (old Navigator kits to kickstart the Edwards brand). Keep an eye out for those!
My oldest brother bought an Electra when he was in the air force through the base store. I played it often learning but not long because it was a heavy beast. Even with a comfort strap. He ended up pilutting Dimarzios in place of the stock chrome plated humbucker. It was already a good guitar without the new pickups. The only problem was the weight
I know! I was listening to some of my favotite old records, and I was like , MAN! listen to those fret nibs! lol Those pickup rings and mother of pearl inlays were really singing.. I cant believe any serious enthusiast cant hear the difference of a true ABR bridge. It was just last year, I couldnt figure out why my guitar sounded lousy , when i noticed i had a mix of philips and slot head screws on my tuners and i was like... ok, ok, just having fun. I get all moist and husky when i see a Gibson logo on a headstock, but sometimes I gotta laugh at ourselves with the "purist" attitude we can get. These videos teach SO much, Im really grateful for them! I just caught myself halfway thru, mentally getting on my high-Gibson-horse , and it made me wonder..when i bought my Gibsons, how much of that was for me, and how much to impress bandmates and guitar guys i run into at gigs? I know this, somewhere theres a kid (or thousands of them) one third my age, playing a chinese $300 copy that could run rings around me. So on second thought, I could so get into one of these Orvilles for the cool vibe and history of them. Outstanding videos, man. You do a great service to the field by documenting so many different guitars. Thank you!
Trogly: this is the third time in the last couple of years that I've heard a reference to the degree of carve on the top of a Gibson 80's LP not being very pronounced. I bought my black LP custom new, a late 87 (82947550). It has a three-piece top (over time, the lines can be seen through the finish - is this a common issue?) and has a very pronounced carve to it. At the armrest position, the top cuts down just below the level of the top of the binding by a few mm then curves back up to the middle. Without a guitar to compare side-by-side it's hard to be precise but the carve in this video looks very much like mine. Keep up the good work!
A friend of mine, who collects vintage guitars, was discussing Les Paul pickups a few years ago, and he mentioned Gibson had in the late 80s, tried electronic pickups? And he said they sucked? I think the pickups in this guitar are the ones he must have been talking about? Do you have any information?
My 'Les Paul' is Pearl branded. Paid $217 Canadian in 1978. Cherry sunburst plays like the real thing, and is the closest, I have seen personally to an actual les paul. The one in this video is a great looking guitar.
Nice indept review! I would advise to check out a Fujigen made (serial no. has no letter G) LP 59R or 57 LP Custom Reissue from late 92 to early 95. Those were the high end Reissue guitars with Gibson 57 Classic PUs, fret nibs and a real ABR bridge. The 57 LPC also had an ebony fretboard. These high end models also had the serial numbers the way the original 57 and 59 guitars had so for example a number like 2 4159 with a space between the year indicator and the serial number. In my example it would be 2 =1992, 4 = month (April) guitar number 159 of that month. That is how you know you're dealing with a real Reissue model. In short, those guitars are much nicer and more true to the real 57 Les Paul Custom and 59 Les Paul than the one you reviewed, IMHO. Fujigen made Orville and Orville by Gibson Les Pauls and some ES-335 models only as far as I know. All the firebirds, explorers, flying V's etc. came from the Terrada factory. SG's I don't know who made those. FYI, ObG did put out OHSC's with those true reissue models, that were marked Orville by Gibson and have yellow/pink interiors.. All guitars that were made in the Terada factory had a serial number that starts with a G. The G does not mean that it had Gibson pickups, sorry Trogly. So, next time please one of the high end, Fujigen made, ObG's please.
Hey Austin.......2016 Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Standard Limited Edition.....only 300 made, 100 of each colour.......see if you can do a review on that....
I like 70's Gibson's as well. You did need to go to a store and play one. I say that still, you could buy a LP Custom(not shop) and if you didn't play it may not be 'your guitar' no matter how good it is.
I own an Orville (not by Gibson) LP Custom and I'm pretty happy with it. The sustain is unreal. I've modded it significantly - SD pickups, bigger pots, TUSQ nut, sanded neck - but I think that's what these are best for. I do wish I had an ebony fretboard but that's my only complaint. Steal for roughly $500. Good luck to anyone looking to pick one up.
SUSTYNE
A FUN NOTE: Joe Perry of Aerosmith played many a show using an Orville by Gibson Les Paul!
@@mC_DiDiDiDiDi no,they arent....an orville is not better than a gibson
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 yeah, but not every USA Gibson had proper QC - that`s the point
@@modestoney1577 there great gits
@@scottykingdavid of course there are. from the US as well as from Japan.
I just bought a 91 Custom just like this. It absolutely rocks. I haven’t checked what pups are in it but they scream. It is definitely better than any Gibson I’ve owned. I must say every Gibson I’ve bought (new) has sounded great but has had major issues. This Orville By Gibson is a Killer.
He's currently buried at Morningside Cemetery in my hometown. He has the smallest most humble ground stone beside his wife.
@Remley, It's in Malone, NY right next to his town of birth. There I changed my thumbnail pic to his gravestone so you can see how modest it really is. It's messed up what the company did to Orville. The investors he trusted and allowed to buy into his business wanted to oust him the moment they bought in. And they got their wishes and basically booted Orville to the curb. It's messed up but the Gibson company is not what Orville imagined.
@@wiseguy9202 thanks for the gravestone pic!
But his name has been carved in history. His headstone is at the top of every Gibson guitar.
I saw one of these at a pawn shop like 25 years ago, and I thought it was a counterfeit. Stupid me.
Why would they put a different brand name on the headstock if it's counterfeit
imax digital pretty sure he just meant he thought it was a knock-off
Most of us knew what he meant but there's always one...
Hindsight is a wonderful thing eh? I feel bad for yer.
counterfeit 25 years ago? it wasn't a thing 25 years ago,there were lawsuit guitars but definitely no counterfiets
I briefly owned a wine red Orville by Gibson LP Custom that looked very similar to the model in this video. Awesome guitar. Paid $900 USD in 2004(ish). It was a late 80’s model and showed its age beautifully, its gold hardware was wonderfully worn and the neck was well played but in very good condition. It had Gibson US-made pick ups and a typical LP Custom sound: thick as a brick, responsive and dark. I made some excellent recordings with it that still sound great. Unfortunately it was stolen from me in 2006. I still dream of it! Great video, thanks Trogly
In my experiences, the Fujigen factory has always churned out great quality instruments. I have a few, including a 1997 Epiphone LP. As good or better than some Gibsons I own. No shame in Japan 🇯🇵!
@@JC-11111 In mid/late 1992 FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FgN guitars.
The Epiphone elitist series was made there. I have a few of them and they are incredible guitars for the price I bought them for.
@@mattryan2489 ,Right on Bro, I have a Few Epi Elitist's Two SG Standard,and Two EB-3's. Just as Good if not better then Gibson made ones.In Fact that is the reason Gibson stopped making the Elitist series because that Gibson thought that they where better that their own brand.And they didn't like that. Yup.
Sweet guitar. My friend has an Orville by Gibson SG . Best SG I've ever played. In my 50 years of playing, I've played and owned a few.
There's an alternate timeline where its "gibson by orville" instead
@@IrisGalaxis fender by squier
Nice profile picture
That's the timeline I've just been visiting. Orville was left-handed and so am I, making it a nice visit.
I'm sure you can imagine a "Fender by Fender" alternate time-line, so let me challenge you here.
I was thinking about Orville Gibson and Gibson Guitars and Jimi Hendrix and Fender Stratocasters.
Can you imagine taking the best qualities of a 1957 Gibson Les Paul and a 1964 Fender Stratocaster,
and building one guitar? I just did that, using a mail-order guitar, still doing some decorative finishing.
See if you agree.
I saw Jimi Hendrix, got a '64 Stratocaster in 1970, sawed the righty scallop and put a humbucker on it.
Stratocaster body shape, Stratocaster tremolo unit, Gibson neck, three tuners per side, Gibson inlays.
A smaller pick-guard, looking centered, body silhouette, ending before the tremolo plate,
has a big Gibson humbucker at the neck with middle and bridge Fender single coils.
The Gibson toggle switch is for the humbucker and the two single coils wired on at the same time.
All pickups are aligned, no slanted pickup. Moving the pickup forward allows a bigger picking space.
It was Jaco Pastorius who used the bridge pickup on full so he could get finger scratch sounds,
and no electric guitar has been made that accented this use of the bridge pickup. When the bridge
pickup is moved forward it doesn't need to be slanted to lose extraneous treble sounds. It all adds up.
The guitar cord input is on the side of the body, Gibson style. One volume knob, Gibson style.
There is a G-B-E fret on the middle pickup for fourth octave notes.
This is a musical instrument with an electric signal, one for rhythm, for lead, all on for finger-picking.
john@johnwatt.ca
Nick E. Just a choice of first or last name. Probably 50/50 across multiverses
Parallel universe
I Love your videos and I appreciate you taking the time to make these videos for us subscribers Thanks again friend!
Fantastic video, thank you for making it. That LPC is gorgeous! I have an Orville ES335 (not By Gibson) from the Terada factory. Mine came with 57 Classics and is faultless everywhere. I wish it had nitro rather than poly, but it ended my 35 year search for a 335, and cost about half of a Gibson
I had a real nice early 70’s Ibanez set neck SG a few years ago and it was so much better than any early 70’s Gibson SG. Actually traded it for a late 80’s Edwards LP with a sustainer and that guitar was absolutely amazing quality and sound. Some of those Japanese manufacturers really got it right
Edwards LP are really good guitars , I have played them , but I really would love to get my hands on a Epi Japan , the only thing holding me back is the rosewood fretboard , just wish it was a bit darker .
I have collected and used Orville by Gibson ,Tokai etc and the best workhorse was my Orville by Gibson 1988 as the one your showing here,I miss it so much!!!!
My 1988 Orville by Gibson Custom in Wine Red is my #1......just an awesome guitar.
I’m a new subscriber and have always had an interest in guitars and when I found your channel I was pleasantly surprised by all the information you provide and how you do the unboxing lol and the reviews . I wanna get into collecting and selling Les Paul’s and found your channel provides the best info for doing so . Long story short keep up the good work you are doing a great job.
Anyway, my Orville had a 10" radius fretboard and I refretted and re-radiused to 12", it's a beautiful guitar.
I wonder what the original price point on the Orville's was. All I remember is that when Fender introduced their Squier series in the early 1980s, Telecasters were EVERYwhere in my area. Even the local guitar snobs were using and, almost, endorsing them. Gibson had to counteract with something, and these definitely are beautiful. However, this is the first time I've heard of them. Thank you Trogly, once again.
75,000 yen. Around $750 in 1990s money or about 1500 dollars today, so Bob Murphy is right. Guitar models in Japan have the price in their model name a lot of the time. So rbx500 is equivalent to a $500 dollar bass, and ae1200 a $1200 archtop (when they were made, not counting inflation and currency exchange).
I can't believe you haven't checked out the Gothic Explorer by Gibson, it's got Orville Gibson's photo on the back of the head stock, very cool. Keep up the good work.
And the SG and the Les Paul Gothic
Those guitars sure did shoot up in value they were the cheapest Gibson available when they were new
I have '93 LPC-57B - couldn't be happier. Ebony fingerboard, ABR-1, long neck tennon ... Gibson Classic 57s ... :)
I think it sounds pretty good, pretty balanced. I like it. The pickups can get better.
Great vid, and thank you for covering Orville guitars! I have a '97 Orville black LP Custom with ebony 'board and it's one of my favourite feeling guitars to play. It has a '57 classic in the neck and Burstbucker 2 in the bridge, so sounds great too!
Late reply, but I have a Feb ‘98 black Custom with an ebony board. Not a “by Gibson,” and no nitro, but it is and all mahogany body with a long tenon neck, so a pretty solid attempt at a correct ‘57
I'm real happy with mine. It is interesting that many of these have seen hardware changes from previous owners.
Kinda like you would expect people upgrade their Fender Squires. On Reverb you can see the tuners and bridge pieces are swapped out for better hardware.
Great vid! These always come up in my reverb searches so it’s great to learn more about them.
I can tell there was a thrasher skateboard magazine sticker on that backplate at one point haha
Mattatron 9666 haha fellow skater and musician
Likewise
I have both Tokai and Greco high end Customs, great guitars, never gonna get rid of them.
Thanks for playing it accoustically for us.I have a1980 Gibson L.P. Custom and it sounds awesome unplugged in a quite room,plays like a dream and rocks through my Marshall.
Several years ago Gibson had factory in Singapore. They make amazing high end acoustic guitars. They also made Les Paul's that are really nice. Saw them on Reverb and got one new for around $200. Took it to my tech he didn't know what kind of wood it was, but it's weighs over ten pounds. He also said that everything on it was high quality, and it's as close to a real LP as he's ever seen. It has Gibson truss rod cover. I haven't see another one since my purchase. They still make LP Juniors and flying Vs they are labeled Maestro.
I don't usually like long reviews like this one but it was excellent. Very informative on the "Orville", great looking guitar. I thought Epiphones were the only licensed Les Paul.
Really cool that this channel is now branching out into new territories ☺
After watching this video, I found an '89 Orville by Gibson SG for sale online. It arrived 2 days ago, and it may very well be the best guitar I've ever played. The thing is marvelous and actually beats out the two Gibson SGs I had before.
if you had cheap,lower end gibson sg's that was an incredibly easy feat(ive owned 3 of them,i dont own any of them any longer)
.my korean epiphone les paul customs stomp the crap out of cheap gibsons with relative ease,i would never sell either one of my
korean les paul customs.ps:i owned a 1969-1971 gibson les paul custom for 18 years as well,very delicate necks on those
The comments you did about the pickups and the reaction of your amp are exactly what I think about these Gibson original. I have a 89 Les Paul curly maple top (pre-historic) which came with bill lawrence pickups and found them being very compressed and often almost distorted, especially the bridge pickup. It is something common on many bill lawrence pickups in my experience. Great video btw
Gorgeous Tobacco flamed one for sale near me. Guy has switched some parts out. $900 isnt too bad I reckon.
Make sure that it not a photo flame top. You can see easily from pictures as they all have the same flame pattern ☺
Keep in mind......It's an Epi.
Austin I challenge you to pack it as well as I did.lol. Best episode ever btw!
Is that your guitar. Very nice 👌
Lucky you, that's a keeper!
Very cool guitar. A refret might be in order. But the “brightness “ trogly talks about can easily be eq’d out with an eq pedal. One of my Gibson USA’s had this issue. It has the “cryogenic “ frets Gibson did for a couple of years. And the burstbucker pros made it a bit screechy. I just swapped out to Seymour Duncan pups and it balanced it out. But very cool guitar you have. At least it had its own personality and not like the thousands of Gibson’s that all look and sound the same. And Trogly is of the opinion that it’s not a “real” Gibson. I would disagree. It’s subcontracted by Gibson and says “by Gibson “ right on it. So I’d say it’s a Gibson licensed product at the very least. Nonetheless, very cool.
god I love your videoes man! I always get so excited when you post new videoes
The economy in USA now is great.Everyone is working.Its a great time to be an American..Many company’s are returning.Gibson is making a come back..And it’s about time.God bless guitars and America
Lol
I sincerely hope that this is satire
The main reason Orvilles were made was due to the currency exchange rates of the early 80's. At that time, the rate was more than 300 yen to the dollar, which meant that an imported Gibson was ungodly expensive. In the late 80's, things were reversed, suddenly the rate was under 80 yen to the dollar, and USA Gibsons and Fenders became a better deal in Japan than they were in America, and at this time, the Japanese imported vast amounts of foreign goods, like guitars, classic cars, and cameras.
Awesome job Austin!!! Thank you so much!
I have been waiting for you to do something on these awesome semi well kept secrets. I have an 89 ObG Custom. Love it.
Yes!!! Very interested in this episode. I saw the unboxing of this guitar and was very curious at the mentioning of the 'Japanese feel' as a happy owner of a MIJ les paul, I have definitely been waiting for this episode!!
I love my Orville Les Paul STANDARD. It has 2 Seymour Duncan JB pickups,and I find myself using the Orville and being perfect for metasl,Hard Rock and crystal clear pop and classical !
The Gibson Les Paul Book from Tony Bacon and Paul Day has 3 ads for Orville Gibson's,, one for Customs (one a gold top) another for 3 more Customs and one with 'a besotted' Les Paul . Yes, he gave the neck a kiss (sort of). They don't delve beyond photo captions.
Never knew a full line up was involved.
Great offering here.
This is a great review. Thank you so much. I own and have owned a few ObG guitars, and I have to say all of them are outstanding. At the same time, we all know how different two guitars even from the very same run can feel and sound. So it is next to impossible to judge a brand by picking out just one guitar. On the other hand I find it legit to do such an in depth review. Because I also think every time hype is involved, in come the fan boys. And they do worship their saviour no matter what. So thanks again for this as objective as it gets review of one of my favorite brands based on one guitar 🙃
To share my personal experiences: I owned (now sold) a ES 335. I bought it maybe 7 or 8 years ago and sold it half a year ago. I almost could not let it go, but I had to: I needed to refinance an original Gibson ES 335 I had bought 2 years ago. A guy who was interested in buying it came by my house, tested it and was almost, but not quite convinced. He wanted to check out other guitars first before spending this kind of cash. Since both he and his wife seemed honest persons I offered him to take the guitar to a huge guitar store to compare it to their stock. He came back saying that, after testing tons of guitars, all between I think he said 4-7k€, the clerk from the shop said: well, I hate to say it, but compared to all the guitars tested, you should go with the ObG." On his way back to my place he found yet another one that he finally decided on buying. But given this information, I felt really happy. Now, as Imentioned earlier: I had this original 70s ES 335. and when you plugged that one in, doing a one on one comparisson, the Original Gibson made the Orville sound like some cheapo. Incredible. Now maybe that comparisson is not fair, and I paid a lot! more for the Gibson than I did for the ObG. But I guess this just states the over all quality of even 70s Gibsons compared to their newer instruments.
I own (and will not sell) 2 more ObGs: a Firebird V, and a Thunderbird IV. They both have their issues. But: the sound and feel of both of them is just so good. So I absolutely can recommend trying one out if you get a chance. Plus, like the Gibsons, the ObGs go up in value year after year.
I've just brought a 94 fujigen les paul custom and should be here next week. Can't wait to play it.
Japanese Fenders are better than some American models. So made in Japan is a definate plus. That guitar sounds good.
Cool guitar.
Now check out one of the high end Tokai Les Paul guitars.
@@guitarocd9984 You can do a search and find a photo of Billy Gibbons rocking out a live performance playing a Tokai Les Paul.
@@guitarocd9984 LOL
Yeah a late 70s or early 80s Tokai would be cool to document! I love my LS-50! Or a Greco Super Real!
The Tokai Love Rock are some of the greatest LPs made..
@@aguynamedben +1 to the idea of a review.
For the money your LS-50 really is much better than an early 1980s Gibson Les Paul.
Yeah, the early 1980s Tokai guitars my friend has are every bit real Les Paul guitars too. Long Neck Tenon, true ABR-1 Bridge/Installation and real nitrocellulose Lacquer. Only changes he made were Lollar Humbuckers in one and a new set of Fralin P90s in the other.
I bought a aria out of a pawn shop in the 80s that was every bit as good as a Gibson custom and I bought a brand new Electra in 1978 that had leaves carved into the body it was really awesome
I've run into a few of these over the years, these are really great playin Les Pauls. I usually stick to a more purist mind set concerning a Les Paul, but some of these guitars are fantastic, this gets a huge pass. This is a gorgeous Les Paul. The guy who own this is a lucky man
Thanks for the coverage and the research. I know several people that love their Orville Les Pauls. In spite of the hype, the fit, finish and sounds reminds me a lot of higher-end Epiphones.
I will disagree.... i have 3 Gibsons and 4 Epiphone Les Pauls and my 1988 Orville by Gibson Custom is closer to the Gibsons than the Epis
I have never seen one in the flesh over here 🇬🇧 . Saw photos in Bacon & Days Les Paul book but wasn't aware until now that they branded them "by Gibson" . Great stuff Austin 👍
Orville makes me think of popcorn.
Popcorn is delicious 👍
I owend 4 Orville Les Pauls, I love them My Orvilles had Long neck tennon
Yes, what he said wasn’t quite correct, my 95 Orville also has long neck tendon and thick two piece top.
I've had a three piece top on a Standard, and all good. Late 1970s....
There’s an Orville by Gibson J160-E as well.
And a J200.... I have one!
Thanks for filling us in!!!
Wow I want one, but for that price I'll get a Jackson single cut, Solar single, or even the Harley Benton with the real Floyd rose. Hell I could buy the Solar with everyone bridge and the Harley Benton for about the exact same price as one of these used according to the reverb post you put up. Great video love your content, I learn something new every video you make Trogly. Keep up the great work maybe one day I can trade you a guitar.
Great info on the history of those guitars!
The Fender Japan Squire guitars from the 80s are amazing....better than some USA models of the same year....you should review one ..
Keith Gray yes I had a Squier cv strat that was a great guitar but I sold it and found an e series Squier strat for a good price. And yes it's a far better guitar. The way it vibrates as you are playing it feels really alive compared to the cv strat.
In 1972 to 1974, Fender fired up the original Stratocaster assembly line to build original designs.
They were meant to be "low-budget' guitars and were called "Squire Stratocasters". In the late 90s,
I visited a new friend who had one, and we took apart my '64 Strat and his '72 and they were exactly
the same. We could have swapped necks. Keep your eye out for one of those.
John Watt you must mean the JV series Squiers from 1982 to 84. 😕
@@malcolmhardwick4258 Or the SQ's
I have an '85 E series Squier Strat with an FS1 Floyd Rose style bridge in excellent condition. My best friend bought it new and gave it to me 17 years ago. It's awesome.
Just bought a 1991 Orville Firebird with a Maestro Vibrato - so hyped for it to show up from Japan!
Really enjoy learning about the Orville by Gibson Brand! I’m looking for a Gibson Les Paul alternative. Thinking about Tokai , Edwards and Burny. And now MAYBE Orville but that fret grabbing noise was unbelievable!
Played one Orville in my life and it was way better than any Gibson I had played, or even HAVE played. I love those guitars so much.
I’ve got 4 Orville (by Gibson) Guitars. ObG Standard Sunburst, ObG R9, Orville Joe Perry, Orville LP Custom white. I’m not a great fan about the ObG Standard, the Nashville Bridge an the Bill Lawrence PUs aren’t very good. But, the R9 is fantastic. Also the normal Orville are great guitars. Because they are closer to the original bursts specs: long tenon neck, ABR1 Bridge wired directly in the cap and the Gotoh PAF clones. Very nice PUs. Combined with the bone nuts... perfect les Paul’s. Not all ObG have nitro lacquer. Who knows why. So, you have to tray the Orville LPS/ LPC and the ObG Reissue. These guitars don’t play between Gibson and Epiphone. They are playing between Gibson USA und Gibson Custom shop. No Gibson USA from the 80s till now has the quality, like these MIJ Guitars. And, I had an Orville SG ‘62 Reissue - amazing. Greetings from Germany
Hello fellow German,I grew up in Umm.This is my guitar and I'm curious of the quality of the Orvilles, not by Gibson.Any chance I could see pics?
Hi, yes.... give my your email addy
This is a friend from Switzerland who sells a few Orvilles and Epiphone Japan, wich are the same guitars.
www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-bestandsliste.html?userId=13811225
I have a white Orville Custom and it's a beautiful guitar and plays fantastic. The carve is perfect. I have a Greco and it's phenomenal.
Always wondered about the Orville brand by gibson trogly never seen or heard one before until this video. Great documentary. Probably wouldn't buy one myself un less it was real cheap.
I found my left-handed MIJ Tokai SG about 10 years ago on Craigslist and have never looked back on these awesome MIJ built guitars. I currently own a '74 Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul too!
I've also owned a Greco ec500 Les Paul, and Edwards FV120 Flying V...they were all very good guitars.
These MIJ guitars are just as good as GIBSON guitars I've owned, they just don't command as much resale value.
I got a Orville LPC75 in wine red for $800 a few years ago and I’m happy I don’t need to give up my arm and leg to buy one in today’s market. It’s definitely selling close to $1,500 now
thank you for all the time you do for us!!!!
Austin please write a book/guide on LPs. As a fairly knowledgeable collector it'd be helpful to have something that outlines the subtleties like Lawrence pups having bigger screw heads. The videos are the ultimate reference but I'd love access to all your knowledge.
There's a lot of other cool Japanese made guitars out there. Deviser makes some cool stuff under the Bacchus and Momose brand names. These things really get slept on over here in the US but they present really good value especially on the used market.
Quite a thorough run through mate. Good job
That 59’ reissue one looks like Slash’s AFD guitar.
Thanks for sharing I always wondered about these and the burneys
I have a Fujigen made Les Paul. Made in 98, which was the last year of Orville, before switching to Epiphone Japan. I will say, the stock Japanese Pafs are very good, mine were just microphonic. I’d like to say that the pickups were made my Maxon, I’m unclear, though.
I had this exact model in white...I upgraded all of the hardware and electronics, then put a pair of early 1980's Dirty Fingers pickups in it. Was my favorite workhorse for quite a while until it developed one hell of a neck twist. Mine didn't have GOTOH-branded hardware when I got it, didn't have that rubber bumper and had green chicklet caps.
As someone who owns a Japanese Univox Rickenbacker copy, hell yes the lawsuit guitars and basses are oft overlooked gems. I'm keeping my eyes open for more Japanese basses
I had a Burny and it was better than many Gibson's
The Orville by Gibson brand was also made by the terrada factory. The fujigen build Orville's have the long neck tenon too and the build quality on those is fantastic. The terrada 'plain' Orville's are ok, cool but not great. If you're going to buy one: get a Orville by Gibson or a fujigen Orville, either one is great. Don't go for the "K serial" terrada ones. The polyurethane finish is perfect; very thin and feels identical to the "nitro" Gibson uses now a days.
Hello,
What is wrong with the K series please ?
Yeah I would like to hear more about why not go for the K terrada ones
That , was a hardcore and super thorough job you did on this, Thanks.
This is basically a Gibson Player Series
Ive got an Orville (not By Gibson) 58 plain top and its spectacular.
I do seriously think you shouldn't judge the brand on this example as this one doesn't seem to be one of the 'better quality' ones.
You really have to know what you are doing when navigating these and almost treat them as all 'one offs' at this point... Its also quite unusual for a 'By Gibson' to have a poly finish and the frets usually have the nibs... Also my Orville has a deep neck tennon... sooo..yada yada yada...
The specs of these Orvilles seemed to be quite fluid, but yes they certainly had a closer eye on what Gibson were doing in the 50's and the vast majority of the ones that have survived to this day seem to be of very high quality... And imho (if you get a good one) they are better playing and sounding instruments than the vast majority of the Gibson catalogue. Personally I think it comes down to the wood stock that they were using at the time which appears to be far more mature than what is normally used in the production of Gibbys.. But who really knows!?!?!!?
I do hope you try one of these again as I was looking forward to this vid, but the example that you have found is really not something most would want without some pretty major work done on it. - Try a 59 re-issue and tell me it doesn't rock your world. They are quite unbelievable for the $.
I have a 91 fujigen orville and it's a killer guitar. I went to Tokyo this year and bought it back. There's a place called ochanomizu which loosely translates to 'guitar street' and I tried loads. Mine has a long neck tenon. Some were a lot better than others I thought mine played better than some orville by Gibson that I tried
You might as well buy a Gibson because Orville's cost just as much as a new Gibson used on reverb
Some of them are better made though. The name on the headstock is more important to some though.
I have an early 90's Orville Led Paul Standard. Looks just like a USA made '58 reissue, and it has a long tenon. I threw Burstbucker Pro's and new old stock caps in it. It's an awesome guitar!
I have a MIJ 1983 Greco “Les Paul” custom. It’s a actually a black beauty copy with three pickups. I have yet to pick up any modern Gibson that comes close to the fit and finish.
lots of modern gibsons match or exceed that guitar,you have a keeper though.they are great sub $1000 guitars
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 I have yet to find one. I have a 90's Les Paul trad that comes close. I have bought and sold 3 customs. I have also played several modern production Gibsons that have issues out of the box, like bad fret work, incorrect neck angle, etc.
On the subject of cheap spin offs:
I have an Applause Strat copy, made by Ovation. Apart from the crappy name it is an excellent guitar. I was given it. When I saw the name on the headstock I was ready to take it to the pawn shop and leave it there. My granddaughter loves it and prefers it to her Vintage Strat copy.
Hi Trogly, I think one reason why this guitar might be on the bright side is because a lot of the import guitars use African mahogany instead of Honduran mahogany. African mahogany is snappier and brighter sounding than the Honduran mahogany that Gibson uses. This was a really cool detailed video of the Orville by Gibson, really enjoyed it.
This.
wood in drums sound different,wood in acoustic guitars gives you a different tone.solid body electric guitars,not so much.....
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 the tone is in the idiot that believes he'll sound better with expensive equipment 😉😂
I heard of them but knew very little about them. I am now a little more informed thank you.
Great information. I really enjoy the lesson on what to look for.
15:35 I have an early "Elitist" series Epiphone lp that was stamped "elite" on the back of the headstock and says Gibson on the truss cover. Has a crazy flame top and all the gibson specs. Such a monster of a guitar
Oh Emm Gee, I love that colour scheme! Stunning-looking instrument! Very cool! Thank you for the video! :-)
I have quite an interesting Edwards guitar, from what I can tell it's a 89 ELP-80 prototype. It even has over fret edge binding and it has aged beautifully. It's rumored to be somehow related to Navigator guitars (old Navigator kits to kickstart the Edwards brand). Keep an eye out for those!
Friend of mine has one and loves it.
My oldest brother bought an Electra when he was in the air force through the base store. I played it often learning but not long because it was a heavy beast. Even with a comfort strap. He ended up pilutting Dimarzios in place of the stock chrome plated humbucker. It was already a good guitar without the new pickups. The only problem was the weight
I know! I was listening to some of my favotite old records, and I was like , MAN! listen to those fret nibs! lol Those pickup rings and mother of pearl inlays were really singing.. I cant believe any serious enthusiast cant hear the difference of a true ABR bridge. It was just last year, I couldnt figure out why my guitar sounded lousy , when i noticed i had a mix of philips and slot head screws on my tuners and i was like...
ok, ok, just having fun. I get all moist and husky when i see a Gibson logo on a headstock, but sometimes I gotta laugh at ourselves with the "purist" attitude we can get. These videos teach SO much, Im really grateful for them! I just caught myself halfway thru, mentally getting on my high-Gibson-horse , and it made me wonder..when i bought my Gibsons, how much of that was for me, and how much to impress bandmates and guitar guys i run into at gigs?
I know this, somewhere theres a kid (or thousands of them) one third my age, playing a chinese $300 copy that could run rings around me. So on second thought, I could so get into one of these Orvilles for the cool vibe and history of them.
Outstanding videos, man. You do a great service to the field by documenting so many different guitars. Thank you!
Trogly: this is the third time in the last couple of years that I've heard a reference to the degree of carve on the top of a Gibson 80's LP not being very pronounced. I bought my black LP custom new, a late 87 (82947550). It has a three-piece top (over time, the lines can be seen through the finish - is this a common issue?) and has a very pronounced carve to it. At the armrest position, the top cuts down just below the level of the top of the binding by a few mm then curves back up to the middle. Without a guitar to compare side-by-side it's hard to be precise but the carve in this video looks very much like mine.
Keep up the good work!
A friend of mine, who collects vintage guitars, was discussing Les Paul pickups a few years ago, and he mentioned Gibson had in the late 80s, tried electronic pickups? And he said they sucked? I think the pickups in this guitar are the ones he must have been talking about? Do you have any information?
Surely he didn’t mean the Bill Lawrence pickups?
My 'Les Paul' is Pearl branded. Paid $217 Canadian in 1978. Cherry sunburst plays like the real thing, and is the closest, I have seen personally to an actual les paul. The one in this video is a great looking guitar.
I love Orvilles. Great guitars.
The clean sound is just so good! I would have kept this one for sure
Nice indept review! I would advise to check out a Fujigen made (serial no. has no letter G) LP 59R or 57 LP Custom Reissue from late 92 to early 95. Those were the high end Reissue guitars with Gibson 57 Classic PUs, fret nibs and a real ABR bridge. The 57 LPC also had an ebony fretboard. These high end models also had the serial numbers the way the original 57 and 59 guitars had so for example a number like 2 4159 with a space between the year indicator and the serial number. In my example it would be 2 =1992, 4 = month (April) guitar number 159 of that month. That is how you know you're dealing with a real Reissue model.
In short, those guitars are much nicer and more true to the real 57 Les Paul Custom and 59 Les Paul than the one you reviewed, IMHO.
Fujigen made Orville and Orville by Gibson Les Pauls and some ES-335 models only as far as I know. All the firebirds, explorers, flying V's etc. came from the Terrada factory. SG's I don't know who made those.
FYI, ObG did put out OHSC's with those true reissue models, that were marked Orville by Gibson and have yellow/pink interiors..
All guitars that were made in the Terada factory had a serial number that starts with a G. The G does not mean that it had Gibson pickups, sorry Trogly.
So, next time please one of the high end, Fujigen made, ObG's please.
Was Orville Gibsons entry level Squier line or were they just as good as Gibsons but made in their Japan factory?
Hey Austin.......2016 Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Standard Limited Edition.....only 300 made, 100 of each colour.......see if you can do a review on that....
Very nice instrument! Thanks for the review!
I like 70's Gibson's as well. You did need to go to a store and play one. I say that still, you could buy a LP Custom(not shop) and if you didn't play it may not be 'your guitar' no matter how good it is.
I never liked Gibson Les Paul s until I Played a 2008 LP studio. I bought that one!!.