Orville by Gibson Serial numbers

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The Letter in the serial numbers of Orville by Gibsons and Orvilles may indicate the factory, but it's certainly not in the way it was used on other Asian guitars. Clearly, G J A & K are NOT the first letter of the name of the factory; none of them are. I believe the factories marked the guitars according to how Gibson Japan asked them to mark them (but of course stamping mistakes were probably made too).

I wish definitive answers were possible.

I believe that the idea that "Korean Orvilles were made in 1996" came about because that's when they appeared on the market!
 
japanstrat said:
The quality of the K serial number Orvilles seems to be about the same quality as the usual serial number Orvilles from 1995 onwards.
I think the quality of the early Orvilles is better than the quality of the later Orvilles.
Click to expand...

Well, I didn't tried all the "normal " ORville and all the K orville but from what I tried, it was definitely not the same quality. :-?

On some models, it's so evident that, by looking at the picture on yahoo.auctions, you can tell without looking at the serial ( well, not on every models) if it's a K or not.

japanstrat said:
I found an Epiphone using an Orville J 1998 serial number at

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GIBSON-ORVILLE-EPIPHONE-ES-335-ES335-JAPAN-RARE_W0QQitemZ160002039171QQihZ006QQcategoryZ33040QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...
Because it's a continuity, They were made in the same factories by the same distributors... The serials change a little later. Read the Faq about those points on Gibson.jp. :)
japanstrat said:
At http://guitarmellow.main.jp
there are quite a few K serial (stickers have come off) Orvilles and looking at them and the usual serial number Orvilles there is not much difference.
The K serial Orvilles he's got use "Made in Japan" tuners (and probably the pickups bridges etc) and so do the usual serial number Orvilles.

The K serial number Orvilles seem to be Les Paul and SG models only.
The J usual serial number Orvilles seem to be for Flying V's and other models rather than for the Les Paul and SG models.
Click to expand...
It's possible that they dispatch the models between the factories, that's what Kanda does for the Gretsch guitars. But I think I saw some K 335 on ebay ( not 100% sure, I'm getting old).
 
Up until today I've never played any Orville but I received my Orville SG with no serial number today.
Obviously the K sticker has come off.
I'm usually a Fender player.
I have a MIJ strat and 2 USA Fender Leads and I was after a Gibson sort of sound for some songs I've written.
My Orville really surprised me with it's tone.
It has a sort of sweet thick sort of sound that even comes through on high gain lead playing.
The Japanese pickups sound great to my ears.
If these K Orvilles are Korean they are the best Korean guitars I've seen.
I really think they are Japanese and maybe have a minor flaw in them so they don't get the usual Orville serial number.
I removed the neck humbucker to check for a long tenon neck and it does have a long tenon neck.
Seeing that my K serial SG has a long tenon neck then I really doubt Korea was involved in any way.
I've compared my Orville to an Orville by Gibson SG and I can't see many differences.
I paid about a third of what the used Gibson SG's are going for and I think it's a bargain.
 

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