About Bill Ruxton Expertise What kind of old guitar do I have? Is it valuable? How old is it? Where was it made? Is it worth repairing? Advice on buying new or used guitars, accessories, etc. [Note: While I can give some general info on approximate values of types of instruments, neither I nor anyone else can do an "appraisal" without actually seeing and handling the instrument] I have almost 40 years` experience as a player and afficianado. If I don`t have an answer myself, I can often refer people to other authoritative sources.
John wrote at 2006-06-18 16:43:38
Unfortunately,
Bill in incorrect in His assumptions.
Orville Guitars were not "A cheap knockoff" but actually were made in Japan's best factory for a limited number of years ( late 80-s-mid 90's by Gibson ( yes Gibgon! ) with Gibson parts and premium woods. It is because of their superior quality, playability and sound ( sometimes exceeding that of USA gibsons ) that they have become so collectable and desireable in the last few years - commanding prices almost or equal to their USA counterparts. You owe it to yourself to try one. ( if you can find one ) I have several Gibson Les Pauls and Juniors of various vintages and love my Orville's.
-John
steve wrote at 2006-07-06 02:04:42
Oriville Les Paul guitars are were made in Japan and are as good if not better than US made Gibons. They are deffinately not cheep Asian copies. They are so good that Gibon licenced them in Japan under the Orville by Gibson name. I have two of them, they are both 59 LP copies with the medium neck, PAF pick ups and the long neck tenon like the $5,000 Gibson Historic series, they are amazing. I will put them up against any Gibson Les Paul for workmanship, sound and playability. They are great guitars and you can still pick them up under $800 on Ebay.
Joe wrote at 2006-08-17 11:47:40
The orville guitars are a guitar made in japan. Highly regarded among collectors and musicians, it is a real alternative if you can't afford a real Gibson.
Gibson actually own's Orville despite what the person before me said, who obviously knows nothing about japanese guitars.
If in doubt just do a google of japanese guitars and you will find information about the 'lawsuit' guitars which gibson tried to sue due to their accurate reproductions of hte 59' les pauls from the high quality of construction and tone.
guitarbuyer wrote at 2006-08-19 12:59:54
Not sure where you get your info Bill, but you may want to take a look around the internet. Orville is made by Gibson. This is their Japan subsidiary. These are very nicely crafted guitars.
Raymond wrote at 2006-12-02 04:20:21
Hi, I felt I had to respond to this.
I recently bought an Orville Les Paul off ebay.
It sounds far superior and plays much better than my 2004 USA Gibson Les Paul Standard. The only thing that lets it down is that the finish on the top is cracking (but that adds to the vibe). They are a bargain. Some say the nearest rival to the Orville les-paul is the USA Gibson Les Paul 1958 re-issue. The choice is to pay either $500 or $5000. The real irritation for me is that my Orville Also dounds far superior to my 2004 PRS custom 24 (It honestly does!)
If you see one, buy it quick. With the cash saving you can even afford a pro re-fret if it needs it (mine only needed a lite fret dress.
sara ford wrote at 2006-12-29 00:27:38
Hi thanks for the question!
Orville started making high quality gibson copies in japan, a few decades ago. Because of this, gibson decided to buy the brand. Many of the guitars made were high quality, for a low price. The quality occasionally exceded that of the gibson.
However... orvilles are extremely rare, and it is hard to find them.
Good luck if you want to get one, and i seriously reccomend this guitar!
michael
Howlinblind wrote at 2007-03-02 17:58:19
Orville guitars are owned by Gibson and made in Japan, The name Gibson could not be used so instead they used the first name of the founder Orville. These guitars are in most cases better than the American counter part, Gibson did this back in the late 70's when Tokia was putting out such beautiful quality instruments that Gibson wanted a way to compete in that market. Early 80's Epiphones built there even had the Gibson Headstock. Orvilles will usually say Orville By Gibson,
These are top quality guitars.
martin.ca wrote at 2007-06-22 04:20:09
Well, my goodness that's the wrong answer. Orville guitars were made in Japan under license to Gibson. The Trademark Gibson was already used in Japan, so they decided to use Orville (for all the obvious reasons). The making of the guitars was done by Fujigen-Gakki and Terada-Gakki. "Orville" and "Orville by Gibson" are both fully entitled to have the open-book headstock and "Les Paul" script.
Mickey G. wrote at 2007-07-23 17:37:31
He starts his answer with "Im`e not familiar with Orvilles" then goes on to give the poor punter the biggest load of nonsense youve ever heard.Before he spouts off he should get aquainted with his subject, go and search for info, it`s out there. Buy one, you wont be dissapointed.
seanydon wrote at 2007-07-24 00:49:02
Actually, contrary to that, Orville IS a Gibson. You see, when Gibson wanted to establish a branch in Japan to cater to the Japanese market, they couldn't do it under the name "Gibson" as there was already an existing company with that name in Japan, therefore, it was established as "Orville", the first name of the starter of the company. Orville guitars are highly esteemed by collectors because of their top-notch wormkanship and quality (some say even exceeding the "real" Gibsons themselves!). Sadly they are OUT OF PRODUCTION. Why so you might ask? The brand name of Orville was absorbed under the Epiphone umbrella and now your Epiphones versions of Gibson guitars are pretty much "decendants" of Orvilles, only not as half as good.
Mark wrote at 2007-07-30 04:27:58
Not quite a cheap knock-off Andrew..."Orville by Gibsons" are Gibsons to exact specs... liscenced by Gibson for Gibson to compete in the Japan market against Greco Tokai etc.. the company wanted the brabd Gibson to be strictly associated to being american made so they used his first name Orville... I own one and it's a very far cry from cheap and as good (I've been playing for 25 years). African mahagony, ebony fretboard, nitro finish and gibson american pickups were stock. They are also as quite collectible these days as they were discontinued in the early 90's later to become Epiphone. Just for the record I also believe there is something special about owning an american hand made Les Paul, but I also give credit where credit is due... this is not a beginner's guitar.
Andy wrote at 2007-08-24 03:56:44
I don't belive this reply. I own 4 Gibsons a '59,'65,'77&a '82, I also own a '95 Orville I can honestly say the '95 Orville is as good as the early Gibsons & better than the later ones,It is better by far than the '82.. The best all rounder .. But not as good as my '59 or '65 (for Blues only IMHO).. Thank's Andy...
Perico wrote at 2007-11-21 17:24:53
you have no idea, Orville guitars are manufactured in Japan by Gibson, and are very good guitars... only play one and then talk about it, not before
Bruce Wilson wrote at 2008-01-09 14:02:02
I have been playing guitar for 35 years and in that time I have owned many famous makes and models of guitars including a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, 1962 Gibson J160E, Rickenbacker, Gibson ES335, Ibanez Artist, Ibanez Jem, Ibanez RG350, Yamaha SG1000, Takamine and many others. About 6 months ago, having read all the buzz about Orvilles, I took the plunge and bought an Orville Les Paul Standard (1996) with sunburst flame maple top on ebay for £345. it cost £65 to have it shipped from Japan to the UK and when it arrived I took it to a professional luthier who adjusted the truss rod, intonation and dressed the frets at a cost of £120. That's a total of £530 and I now own what I consider to be the best guitar I have ever played. It is nothing short of stunning, in looks, build quality, playability and sound and it sustains like nothing else. I would put it up against any custom shop, classic series or vintage les paul any day and my money would be on the Orville. Buy yourself one now before it's too late!
Ann wrote at 2008-03-12 09:04:12
The Orville is a Gibson!
Gibson authorised a Japanese company back in the 1970s to make the Orville to counter the many copies by companies like Ibanez etc.
It's priced mid-range between the Gibson LP and the Epiphone LP.
Wikipedia have a page dedicated to the Orville. Check it out.
bcat wrote at 2008-04-27 23:05:10
Plenty of passion here from Orville lovers! Partly from researching through this forum and partly through others I took the plunge and bought an Orville Les Paul Standard just last month (K series, 1990). I'm a long-time acoustic guitar player but have never owned an electric - I'm quite fussy with my guitars and I know a good one, but as I didn't want to spend a fortune I did my online research and came up with Orville. Some people are a little diffident about the Orville K series compared with other Orvilles, but I can tell you it's one hell of a guitar, solid as a rock with magnificent tone, and it's very hard to see how a Gibson or another Orville by Gibson could be superior, except maybe in some minor details in the finish. So I'm one happy customer, a real electric guitar at barely more than rock bottom entry level price (fyi around $700, delivered).
annoyedwithignorance wrote at 2008-05-01 14:50:15
Ummm, obviously you are completely ignorant of the true origin and history of Orvillle guitars and should not have answered this question. Orville was a brand authorized and created by Gibson USA in Japan to create and sell instruments there in competition with the VERY high quality makers hiring out of the Fuji Gen and Terada factories for such names as Greco, Burny, and Aria. There is nothing cheap about Orvilles. They were built with Gibson parts, save Japanese Gotoh pickups and tuners. They are actually in most cases made with a superior true 1959 Gibson neck joint, not the truncated neck joint Gibson USA uses since the 80's in mas production. The only other difference is that Unless its an "Orville by Gibson" branded guitar, the finish is a polyurethane based finish, not a nitrocellulose lacquer. U should not be so quick to jump on the Gibson bandwagon, play one and then write about it.
Andreas wrote at 2008-09-21 20:25:12
I'm sure there wasn't as much information online back in 2006 as there is now, but I'll be brief and say that Orville guitars are as good as, or better than many of the newer Gibson guitars, where the quality control has gotten quite poor. "Orville by Gibson" guitars tend to be a little better, due to better pickups and lacquer. Look up Orville by Gibson on wikipedia and Harmony Central for reviews.
In short Orville guitars, be it "Orville" or "Orville by Gibson" are about as good value as you're going to find in terms of guitars.
Erick McPot wrote at 2008-10-24 17:52:01
Actually Orville Guitar and Orville by Gibson are just as good if not better than the originals (due to their lower price) the were manufactured by Gibson Authorized Japanese Manufacturers in Terada,Fujigen to name a few between 1988-1998 the company is now owend and operated by Epiphone Inc. a subsidiary of Gibson USA corp. i have 2 of these les pauls a 1993 standard and a 1996 custom, as well as a 2005 Gibson SG standard and a 2000 Gibson
LP standard, my Orvilles give my Gibson a run for its money, that is for sure. also since Orvilles are
discontinued they are quickly becoming collectors items, so if you find one for under 600.00 they will gain
value with time, granted you take very good care of them
arnel wrote at 2009-04-20 10:49:14
Among all of those (Greco,Burny,Tokai,ect.)MIJ Lespauls,OBG is the best with regards to construction wise.Slim neck,not that much heavy, premium wood,with good tonality using Gibson p/up 490R/489T.Compared to my Gibson LP Std.,& LP Special, my "K serial" Orville LPC 1990 posessed good wood tonality.The downside are, MIJ p/up, tarnished hardwares in which I decided to change & send it for re-fretting, & paint.Upon completion of upgrades, WOW!!!Considering the wood construciton & tonality, I never regret it spending some bucks to satisfy my taste.Would u imagine $600cost + $350upgrade beats my $1800 Gibson???? If I have the chance to buy another Orville, I will....
jagg11 wrote at 2009-05-26 13:56:39
Obviously Bill here doesn't know to much about the history of Orville or that of Gibson. The Orville brand is A knock off per se. But they were Gibson's first attempt at trying o make a high quality guitar overseas. the Orville name is named after Orville Gibson. There was actually two different models offered the made by gibson which is the most rare and just as high quality or higher than most gibsons at the time and the orville. which has the same quality body as the gibson endorsed ones just has japanese pick ups versus actual gibson ones. if you can get your hands on one they are a rare part of history and guitar building. these and among other lawsuit ere guitars are more or less what got the epiphone lp line started over seas. Oh and Bill you shouldn't knock japanese vintage guitars, some of the Tokai and greco's which are still available today, are of the highest quality and standards and match gibsons some even selling for more.
BDaws wrote at 2009-08-20 12:51:39
Actually, Bill's answer is completely inaccurate. Orville was Gibson in Japan. The Gibson name was already taken, so they used "Orville" (the founder's first name). Some Orville's are actually called Orville by Gibson. Quality-wise, Orville's are known as being better than Epiphones. However, many people believe Orville's are better than most contemporary Gibsons. Orville was discontinued in the late 90s. It was "replaced" by the Epiphone Elite series as well as Gibson proper. Nowadays these guitars are scarce and becoming scarcer. Due to their quality and demand, they are almost as expensive as Gibsons.
Giuseppe wrote at 2009-10-20 04:46:12
Bill is indeed incorrect. These were Gibson's fully-authorized Japanese market guitars starting from the 1970s and ending production in 1998, with the brand absorbed by Epiphone in Japan. Main productions were by Terada and FujiGen (if you are not familiar with at least FujiGen, you shouldn't be answering the question). Ones with serials starting with G actually have Gibson USA '57 pickups, 490s or the original Bill Lawrence HB-R/HB-L. Quality of these were highly regarded, especially in the late 70s to 80s, when US guitar quality was perceieved to have dropped. For more EXPERT info, the 'guitarsjapan' website is a must-see.
watson214 wrote at 2009-11-17 02:38:31
I think Giuseppe meant that quality is highly regarded when compared with 70s and some 80s American guitars which sometimes were a hit and miss. Orville and Orville by Gibson guitars were only around between 1988-1998 so they aren't in the same initial period as the other Japanese copies (Burny, Tokai, Greco...etc). But Fujigen had Terada been making guitars prior to that. There are differences between the Orvilles and Orville by Gibsons in the electronics I think, where the latter has USA instead of Japanese pickups.
