(SOLD) Orville SG-65 Heritage Cherry 1994
Orville SG-65, cherry, made in Japan 1994. Orville was the first name of the esteemed Mr Gibson, and the Orville brand was Gibson's foray into licensed Japanese manufacturing, launching in the late 80s and wrapping up around 1998. The guitars were generally made at the always-excellent Terada plant, who made the pricey and collectable 1970s Epiphone models and make the high end Gretsch guitars today. This is a great take on the SG. At 2.9kg it's super light, but it still balances nicely and doesn't neck dive. It's very resonant in the hands: loud and lively unplugged, with a generous attack and plenty of natural sustain. Plug it in, and the party is on. It's barky and aggressive, but with a warmth and width through the mids and plenty of sizzle on the top end. The neck is pretty wide, and interestingly, it's carved to a very soft V profile. That means it sits in the palm quite nicely and doesn't feel so much like a tree trunk, although it still has the traditional wide taper of a 60s SG. This one appears to have played plenty of tunes and taken a few knocks, which I feel to be the good and proper course of action for an SG... it looks how it ought, I feel. This is very enjoyable indeed, and at less than you'd pay for the newest '61 style Epiphone model, I reckon it's a certified deal.
Model: Orville SG-65
Made: Japan, 1994, Terada plant (serial 409066)
Finish: heritage cherry, gloss poly
Body: mahogany
Neck: mahogany, rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, '61 style taper, 44mm nut, 54mm wide at 12th, very soft V
Weight: 2.850kg
Mods: some finish removed from the elbow area, minor repairs to the binding on the bottom side of the neck
Pickups: Orville humbucker x2
Case: Epiphone padded bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has scuffs and dimples on the end and edges and some scuffs on the front. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, although there's a bunch of dimples and scuffs on the back. The back has widespread dimples, scuffs and surface scratches all over the back, but no major marks. The sides have minor dimples and scuffs around the whole body, as well as a few dents and chips in the elbow area and near the jack. The front has a bald patch in the elbow area, which felt a little rough on arrival so we had our tech smooth it out so it feels fine to play now. There's also dimples and surface scratches all around the body, as well as scuffs on the back edge, chips on the bottom horn and play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: good condition (6.5/10).
Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have some normal wear but they're pretty even with plenty of height left; 7/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.