japanstrat
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I'm pretty sure that I've solved the G and J Orville serial number prefix letters.
At the start of the Orville by Gibsons in 1988 FujiGen wasn't involved because they didn't want to do set necks and were doing bolt on necks for Fender and Ibanez.
Some other factory had the contract and it looks like it was Terada.
FujiGen then joins Terada in 1992/1993 and FujiGen takes over most of the solid body production.
Terada are using the G and J prefix letters and FujiGen are using no serial number prefixes.
From the table below you can see that at the start the Orville by Gibsons are all using the G prefix then it starts disappearing in the later years.
Also FujiGen starts in 1992/1993 making mostly the Orville models with no serial prefix but then takes over the Orville by Gibsons (using no prefix) in their final years.
I've got some more serials that aren't in the table that back this up.
From 1995 the J prefix is mostly on Firebirds and Explorers and Semi Acoustics and the LP's SG's have no prefix except for an occasional J.
The Terada custom LP headstocks have a different shape and the split diamond inlay has wider spacing.
I've got a LP custom from 1996 with a Terada J601136 serial and the headstock and split diamond look exactly like a G prefix Orville by Gibson from 1988 when Terada was making them.
If I compare the Terada J601136 1996 headstock and split diamond with a FujiGen 712164 1997 model the headstock and split diamond are different.
Also if you compare a 1990 K Orville Custom LP headstock and split diamond inlay to a 1990 Terada G prefix Orville by Gibson.the headstock and split diamonds are identical suggesting that both the 1990 Orville by Gibson and K Orville were made by Terada.
So Terada are making the G and J serial number prefix Orville by Gibsons and Orvilles and FujiGen are making the no serial number prefix Orvilles.
The Acoustics have a AG and AC prefix and I would say Terada are making the AG Acoustics and some other factory is making the AC Acoustics which was probably Iida.
As I said above from 1995 the J prefix is mostly on Firebirds and Explorers and Semi Acoustics and the LP's SG's have no prefix except for an occasional J.
With the Epiphone Japan serial numbers from 1998 onwards it's exactly the same with Terada using a T prefix and FujiGen using a F prefix and Terada is making the same models (Semis,Firebirds etc, and mostly not the LP's and SG's) for Epiphone Japan with the T prefix as it was with the Orvilles from 1995-1998 using the J prefix.
Same thing for FujiGen with the Epiphone Japan F prefix models being the LP's and SG's and with the Orvilles from 1995-1998 FujiGen is using no prefix on the LP's and SG's.
Terada use odd letter prefixes sometimes.
They used a H for no particular reason on Ibanez models in the late 1980's.
Terada use a G prefix on the OBG's and Orville basses and then when the OBG's stop Terada switches to a J prefix for no particular reason.
And the Orville serial number format is not set by FujiGen or Terada it's set by Yamano.
FujiGen or Terada can add their own factory prefix but the serial number format they both use is the same and it's from Yamano.
Same with the Epiphone Japan models post 1998 where it's clearer.
F=FujiGen T=Terada and all the Epiphone Japan guitars with a F or T prefix have the same serial number format.
So it's pretty hard to believe that Yamano would let the factory set the K Orville serial format.
It would likely be set by the orderer/distributor.
"Orville by Gibson" guitars:
1988: G887012, G887138, G887399, G887500, G889057
1989: G893090, G894479, G894879, G895319, G897017, G897162, G897841, G897923, G899441, J899511?, G899544, G895793, G897134, G894172, G897826.
1989 or 1990: G903415, G904271, 907019, G908478, G909947
1990: G007101, G007300, G007456, G008119, G008296, G009685, G010820, G011213, G012248, G012503, G012515
1991: G104576, G104578, G107030, G107604, G108722, G109600, G112075, G112094, G112540
1992: G206136, G208032, 209044, G212245
1993: G302012, G306227, G306270
1994: 410311
1995: 501051 501049
"Orville" guitars:
1989: G894107 EB-3
1990: G004154 EB-3
1993: 302168, 305647
1994: 401110, 405256, 406317, 406530, 411037, 412246
1995: 502130, 502372, 503046, 506052, 506628, 507091, 507329, 510138, 511394, J512071
1996: J601136 LP 601273, 601314, 604073, 604135, 606562, J607006, 608305, J610035, 610251, 610545, 611306, 611334, 612290
1997: 701216, J701032, 702003, 703046, 703096, 703394, 704075, 704076, 705106, 705248, J706034, 709038, 709290, J710085, 710109, 710179, 710455, J711038
1998: J802010, 802364, 803290, 804021, 805011, 805167, 805189, 806045, J806048, 806057, 806399
At the start of the Orville by Gibsons in 1988 FujiGen wasn't involved because they didn't want to do set necks and were doing bolt on necks for Fender and Ibanez.
Some other factory had the contract and it looks like it was Terada.
FujiGen then joins Terada in 1992/1993 and FujiGen takes over most of the solid body production.
Terada are using the G and J prefix letters and FujiGen are using no serial number prefixes.
From the table below you can see that at the start the Orville by Gibsons are all using the G prefix then it starts disappearing in the later years.
Also FujiGen starts in 1992/1993 making mostly the Orville models with no serial prefix but then takes over the Orville by Gibsons (using no prefix) in their final years.
I've got some more serials that aren't in the table that back this up.
From 1995 the J prefix is mostly on Firebirds and Explorers and Semi Acoustics and the LP's SG's have no prefix except for an occasional J.
The Terada custom LP headstocks have a different shape and the split diamond inlay has wider spacing.
I've got a LP custom from 1996 with a Terada J601136 serial and the headstock and split diamond look exactly like a G prefix Orville by Gibson from 1988 when Terada was making them.
If I compare the Terada J601136 1996 headstock and split diamond with a FujiGen 712164 1997 model the headstock and split diamond are different.
Also if you compare a 1990 K Orville Custom LP headstock and split diamond inlay to a 1990 Terada G prefix Orville by Gibson.the headstock and split diamonds are identical suggesting that both the 1990 Orville by Gibson and K Orville were made by Terada.
So Terada are making the G and J serial number prefix Orville by Gibsons and Orvilles and FujiGen are making the no serial number prefix Orvilles.
The Acoustics have a AG and AC prefix and I would say Terada are making the AG Acoustics and some other factory is making the AC Acoustics which was probably Iida.
As I said above from 1995 the J prefix is mostly on Firebirds and Explorers and Semi Acoustics and the LP's SG's have no prefix except for an occasional J.
With the Epiphone Japan serial numbers from 1998 onwards it's exactly the same with Terada using a T prefix and FujiGen using a F prefix and Terada is making the same models (Semis,Firebirds etc, and mostly not the LP's and SG's) for Epiphone Japan with the T prefix as it was with the Orvilles from 1995-1998 using the J prefix.
Same thing for FujiGen with the Epiphone Japan F prefix models being the LP's and SG's and with the Orvilles from 1995-1998 FujiGen is using no prefix on the LP's and SG's.
Terada use odd letter prefixes sometimes.
They used a H for no particular reason on Ibanez models in the late 1980's.
Terada use a G prefix on the OBG's and Orville basses and then when the OBG's stop Terada switches to a J prefix for no particular reason.
And the Orville serial number format is not set by FujiGen or Terada it's set by Yamano.
FujiGen or Terada can add their own factory prefix but the serial number format they both use is the same and it's from Yamano.
Same with the Epiphone Japan models post 1998 where it's clearer.
F=FujiGen T=Terada and all the Epiphone Japan guitars with a F or T prefix have the same serial number format.
So it's pretty hard to believe that Yamano would let the factory set the K Orville serial format.
It would likely be set by the orderer/distributor.
"Orville by Gibson" guitars:
1988: G887012, G887138, G887399, G887500, G889057
1989: G893090, G894479, G894879, G895319, G897017, G897162, G897841, G897923, G899441, J899511?, G899544, G895793, G897134, G894172, G897826.
1989 or 1990: G903415, G904271, 907019, G908478, G909947
1990: G007101, G007300, G007456, G008119, G008296, G009685, G010820, G011213, G012248, G012503, G012515
1991: G104576, G104578, G107030, G107604, G108722, G109600, G112075, G112094, G112540
1992: G206136, G208032, 209044, G212245
1993: G302012, G306227, G306270
1994: 410311
1995: 501051 501049
"Orville" guitars:
1989: G894107 EB-3
1990: G004154 EB-3
1993: 302168, 305647
1994: 401110, 405256, 406317, 406530, 411037, 412246
1995: 502130, 502372, 503046, 506052, 506628, 507091, 507329, 510138, 511394, J512071
1996: J601136 LP 601273, 601314, 604073, 604135, 606562, J607006, 608305, J610035, 610251, 610545, 611306, 611334, 612290
1997: 701216, J701032, 702003, 703046, 703096, 703394, 704075, 704076, 705106, 705248, J706034, 709038, 709290, J710085, 710109, 710179, 710455, J711038
1998: J802010, 802364, 803290, 804021, 805011, 805167, 805189, 806045, J806048, 806057, 806399
