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.
@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 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.
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.
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
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
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 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 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).
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
@@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'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.
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
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 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 👍
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
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.
I have 3 Burny LPC one black beauty MIJ and 2 others made in China but i absolutely love all of them next is an Orville by Gibson then an early Greco MIJ finally a MIA Gibson Les Paul Gold Top with P90s
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
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 !
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!
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
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
my first electric was a black electra LP, with no hump..all flat body, it was very thin, probably mohagony. I got it new around 1983 and I've never ever seen another one like it. I wish I still had it!
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.
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
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.
I have a 1988 Orville by Gibson Custom in Wine Red....with Bill Lawrence pickups....it is a Very Well made guitar and my fav. ( i also have a 16 Gibson Les Paul studio and a 15 Gibson Les Paul Jr )
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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’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 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 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).
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 have '93 LPC-57B - couldn't be happier. Ebony fingerboard, ABR-1, long neck tennon ... Gibson Classic 57s ... :)
Great vid! These always come up in my reverb searches so it’s great to learn more about them.
I think it sounds pretty good, pretty balanced. I like it. The pickups can get better.
Had a Japanese 05 Gibson SG great guitar
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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
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.
Really cool that this channel is now branching out into new territories ☺
I've just brought a 94 fujigen les paul custom and should be here next week. Can't wait to play it.
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
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
god I love your videoes man! I always get so excited when you post new videoes
I have been waiting for you to do something on these awesome semi well kept secrets. I have an 89 ObG Custom. Love it.
Awesome job Austin!!! Thank you so much!
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.
Thanks for filling us in!!!
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
thank you for all the time you do for us!!!!
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
Great info on the history of those guitars!
Quite a thorough run through mate. Good job
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
Just bought a 1991 Orville Firebird with a Maestro Vibrato - so hyped for it to show up from Japan!
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.
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.
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've had a three piece top on a Standard, and all good. Late 1970s....
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.
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
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!
Ive been eyeing these for years.
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 👍
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
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.
I heard of them but knew very little about them. I am now a little more informed thank you.
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.
Awesome review, learned a lot. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing I always wondered about these and the burneys
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.
There’s an Orville by Gibson J160-E as well.
And a J200.... I have one!
I have 3 Burny LPC one black beauty MIJ and 2 others made in China but i absolutely love all of them next is an Orville by Gibson then an early Greco MIJ finally a MIA Gibson Les Paul Gold Top with P90s
1:11 I got a similar looking epiphone but in red with glitters, with black hardware and no covers on the humbuckers.
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
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 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 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!
Orville makes me think of popcorn.
Popcorn is delicious 👍
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.
Great information. I really enjoy the lesson on what to look for.
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.
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.
That , was a hardcore and super thorough job you did on this, Thanks.
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.
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 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 !
I love Orvilles. Great guitars.
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!
I remember that Orville ebony acoustic with the butterfly on the soundboard.
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
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
Great thorough review. Thanks
Oh Emm Gee, I love that colour scheme! Stunning-looking instrument! Very cool! Thank you for the video! :-)
Great breakdown!
my first electric was a black electra LP, with no hump..all flat body, it was very thin, probably mohagony. I got it new around 1983 and I've never ever seen another one like it. I wish I still had it!
Very nice instrument! Thanks for the review!
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.
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
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.
Nice breakdown of info. Thanks a lot
I have a 1988 Orville by Gibson Custom in Wine Red....with Bill Lawrence pickups....it is a Very Well made guitar and my fav. ( i also have a 16 Gibson Les Paul studio and a 15 Gibson Les Paul Jr )
The clean sound is just so good! I would have kept this one for sure
I had a Burny and it was better than many Gibson's
Thanks for sharing the knowledge
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 like the brightness.
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.
Very interesting and informative!
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.
I just looked on eBay and reverb the Orville LPs sell for $1000-$1500 so not really a cheaper option lmao
Was Orville Gibsons entry level Squier line or were they just as good as Gibsons but made in their Japan factory?