Up for sale, a 1996 Orville Les Paul Special in 100% original and in perfect working order. Made exclusively for the Japanese market and rarely seen outside its country of origin, this rare Orville is an official Gibson licensed guitar and a result of a partnership between Gibson USA and their Japanese distributor Yamano Gakki. Named after Gibson's founder, Orville Gibson, this discontinued Orville was crafted at the famed Fujigen factory.
This guitar truly delivers everything you want in a good Special, with a solid mahogany body, glued in neck joint, and a pair of P-90 pickups which are faithfully wound to '50s Gibson spec. Essentially identically made to Greco's "Hot Lick" P-90s, the pickups in this Orville translate the instrument's clear and commanding acoustic voice into a great array of snarling P-90 tones. The bridge pickup has the growl and midrange cut you expect, with rich harmonic content and plenty of snap and sparkle as well. The neck pickup is girthy and thick while still retaining enough clarity and definition. The pickups clean up very well when backing off the volume a touch, and the tone controls are equally as responsive. The instrument weighs 8lbs 6oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar and strung with 9-42 strings, this Greco is ready for stage and studio work.
The mahogany neck has a nice full 50s C-shaped profile with a bound rosewood fretboard and pearl dot inlay. The profile depth measures .881" at the 1st fret, graduating to an impressive 1.040" at the 12th fret. The medium jumbo frets show moderate wear on frets 1-2, extending beneath the plain strings until fret 12. The guitar plays well in every register, and the neck is straight with a responsive truss rod. The nut measures 1 11/16" in width, matching vintage spec. The original nickel Kluson-style tuners are intact on the headstock, which has the correct "open book" shape and Orville gold silkscreen logo.
All of the electronics work as they should, with individual Volume and Tone controls for each pickup, wired to a three-way pickup selector toggle. The hardware includes black bell knobs, three-ply pickguard, and in one welcome deviation from vintage spec for many players, the guitar boasts an ABR-1 bridge and stoptail combo, providing great stability and optimal intonation. The instrument shows light, uniform patina on the hardware with lots of small nicks and minor scuffs on the gloss Tobacco Sunburst finish, mostly relegated to the back and body edges. The neck profile is quite clean, exhibiting only a few small shallow nicks on the smooth gloss. The guitar is structurally sound with zero repairs, plays very well, and is 100% stock!
