Orville Les Paul Custom LPC-75 Wine Red 1990
Orville LP Custom, wine red, made in Japan 1990. Well, this looks nice, yes? Orville was Gibson's Japan-made spin-off brand, named after Orville Gibson himself. They were made from 1988-96 at Terada factory to a very high standard, and sold almost exclusively to the Japan domestic market. This one takes it's queues from the 1968 version of the LP Custom, so you get all the trimmings: split diamond headstock, block inlays, bound fretboard, seven ply double body binding, gold hardware... very snazzy. The wine red finish is a fun departure from the standard black, and with the faded gold hardware, it looks fantastic. This copped some headstock trauma en route, so we had our handy neighborhood pro luthier Paul Mineur repair the break. He did such a fine job you almost can't see the repair, it's extremely tidy work. We’ve priced the guitar accordingly, without the repair history this would fetch another $500A approximately. The neck is a slim 60s style shape, with a lovely dark rosewood board and tidy fretwork; it feels like home straight away. The tone is thick and chewy, with an expansive low end, warm and wide mids and a chirpy, tuneful treble. The higher end examples by Orville have Gibson 490 pickups, but just quietly… I reckon these sound better, they’re a whisker brighter and clearer. This is a classy, enjoyable guitar that’s sure to scratch your LP-cravings.
Model: Orville Les Paul Custom LPC-75
Made: Japan, 1990, Terada factory
Serial: K026978
Finish: wine red, gloss poly
Body: mahogany, maple cap
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fretboard, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, slim 60 shape
Weight: 4.855kg
Mods: tuners replaced (Gotoh kidney bean style, chrome)
Pickups: Orville humbucker x2
Accessories: basic gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has chips on the corners, scuffs on the end and both edges and some scuffs on the front around the posts. The neck to headstock join has had a repair, but you have to look closely to see it: running almost parallel to the board on both sides there are some filled and repaired cracks, they're basically invisible if you're more than a foot away. The neck is otherwise clean and smooth in the hands, there's a small dent behind the 7th fret and some dimples and rub wear, no major marks. The back has dimples on the back edge, elbow area, top horn and around the control cavity, as well as widespread minor scuffs around the whole body. The sides have minor dimples and scuffs around the whole body, as well as some minor dents in the elbow area and near the jack. The front has dimples around the knobs, surface scratches around the tailpiece and along the back edge, scuffs in the elbow area and up from the pickups and some play wear on the guard and horns.
Overall: good condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 10/52 strings.
Fret Life: 7/10, minor wear only, no major buzz issues