Orville K serial reissue format code

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japanstrat

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9081900 ?

K095511
K095754
K097945
K098376
K098643
K009050
K015293
K015571
K016499
K017290
K019587
K028039
K028168
K029208
K038978


In the serials above I thought there was a good chance that the first 0 after the K that's always in the serial numbers could stand for 1990 since the email I got back nailed one K sticker Orville to 1990.

But I had my doubts about the 5 digit production number following the first 0, YNNNNN, Y=year=0=1990, NNNNN=production number.
A 5 digit production number is a bit too high.
Also in relation to the Orvilles not having a K serial there seems to be a lot of K serial Orvilles for just one year.

But looking at the serials above I noticed that the 3rd column includes 9, 0, 1, 2, 3 and no other numbers.
Why isn't there a 4, 5, 6 or 7 ?
Maybe because not enough serials have been collected or because the 3rd column is a year.

Take away the K0 from the start of the serial number and you have

9 5511
9 5754
9 7945
9 8376
9 8643
0 9050
1 5293
1 5571
1 6499
1 7290
1 9587
2 8039
2 8168
2 9208
3 8978

These numbers seem to be following the Gibson reissue format of Y NNNN Y=year, NNNN=production number.

The years range from 1988 to 1993.
8=1988, 9=1989, 0=1990, 1=1991, 2=1992, 3=1993.

So it might be that the K serial Orvilles are from 1988 to 1993 and follow the Gibson reissue serial number format.

"Orville" guitars:
1989: 907031
1990: G004154
1993: 302168, 305647
1994: 401110, 405256, 406317, 406530, 411037, 412246
1995: 502130, 502372, 503046, 506052, 506628, 507091, 507329, 510138, 511394, J512071
1996: 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

Looking at orvilleowners list there are fewer non K serial Orvilles from 1990 to 1994 with 1991/1992 having none.
Most of them are from 1993 onwards.
So if the K serial Orvilles are from 1989 to 1993 they fit in with orvilleowners list of non K serial Orvilles.

Here's some more K serial numbers

K 095754 SG
K 029208 SG
K 095511 SG
K 038643 SG
K 028039 Les Paul
K 038978 Les Paul
K 096088 Les Paul
K 015112 Les Paul
K 038123 Les Paul
K 098643 Les Paul
K 029047 Les Paul
K 019492 Les Paul
K 029247 Les Paul
K 038757 Les Paul
K 009225 Les Paul
K 038948 Les Paul
K 018603 Les Paul
K 019271 Les Paul
K 016329 Les Paul
K 017456 Les Paul
K 009599 Les Paul
K 008358 Les Paul
K 027168 Les Paul
K 009699 Les Paul Junior
K 009704 Les Paul Junior
 
Couldn't we keep all this in a single topic? It will make things more and more difficult for someone who is looking for informations about Orville Guitars... :-?
 
So taking the serial number of the person I emailed as an example which is K098376
it becomes 9 8376 so it's made in 1989 and he bought it in 1990.
The Orvilles with no K serial before 1993 might be odd ones with the majority of Orvilles before 1993 being the K serial numbered ones.
More serial numbers are needed before it can be worked out.
Most of the Orvilles I've found with no K serial seem to be from 1993 and above.
 
These are all the serials that orvilleowner and I have collected.
A few of them might be mistakes or errors at the factory like an Orville by Gibson with a J serial number because sometimes the serials are hard to read and sometimes a serial number destined for an Orville by Gibson might be given to an Orville like an Orville with a G serial number.

"Orville by Gibson" guitars:
1988: G887012, G887138, G887399, G887500, G889057
1989: G893090, G894479, G894879, G895319, G897017, G897162, G897841, G897923, G899441, J899511, G899544.
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: 907031
1990: G004154
1993: 302168, 305647
1994: 401110, 405256, 406317, 406530, 411037, 412246
1995: 502130, 502372, 503046, 506052, 506628, 507091, 507329, 510138, 511394, J512071
1996: 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

Orville K serials by year

1989:

9 5511
9 5754
9 7945
9 8376
9 8643
9 6088

1990:

0 9050
0 9225
0 9699
0 9599
0 8358
0 9704

1991:

1 5293
1 5571
1 6499
1 7290
1 9587
1 9492
1 5112
1 8603
1 9271
1 6329

1992:

2 8039
2 8168
2 9208
2 9047
2 9247
2 7168

1993:

3 8978
3 8123
3 8757
3 8948
3 8643
 

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