Help dating an Orville Les Paul Standard

[polifemo]

Today I bought an Orville Les Paul Standard :-)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/orville-flame-close_11485062.jpg

The serial number is G10286 and I´m a bit confused regarding which year this was produced...

This is quoted from Wikipedia:

Reissue Serial Number Format: Late 1992-1995.
The Orville by Gibson 1957 and 1959 Les Paul reissue models (LPS-57C, LPC-57B, LPS-59R) and the Orville by Gibson 1961 SG reissue model (SG-61R) had two different serial number formats.
The first reissue serial number format was a YMMPPP format.
Y is the production year, 3=1993, 4=1994 etc.
MM is the production month.
PPP is the production number.

The second reissue serial number format was a YPPPP format.
Y is the production year, 3=1993, 4=1994 etc.
PPPP is the production number.
For example G3 6942 is dated 1993 and was made by Terada, 4 7345 is dated 1994 and was made by Fuji-Gen, G306385 is dated June 1993 and was made by Terada, 412562 is dated December 1994 and was made by Fuji-Gen.

The YPPPP Orville by Gibson reissue serial number format is the same format as the Gibson reissue serial number format. The reissue year is in the model number (LPS-57C = 1957) and the 1957 and 1959 Les Paul and 1961 SG reissue models were made from late 1992-1995 with some guitars having limited production runs.

OK "G" then means "Made by Terada"
The first digit "1" should then mean 1991, but the text claims that these serial numbers where used from late 1992- 1995...

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Regardsless of which year of production the guitar is very nice!
The neck is more like a 60´s neck and the guitar is rather lightweight (for an LP) Exactly the type of Les Paul that I - beeing a Strat type of player - prefer!!!


Any help will be most welcome.

[whitehall]

It's a 1991. That's a nice std. you got. You know that model has the veneer top. But they are very pretty and play well. Enjoy.

[polifemo]

It's a 1991. That's a nice std. you got. You know that model has the veneer top. But they are very pretty and play well. Enjoy.

No I did not know that :o

I looked inside the cavity for the pickups and I could not see that, but I´m NOT an expert on this!

But as you say it´s a nice guitar, and the price was very good.

[polifemo]

New questions:

If what I thought to be a "G" - in the beginning of the serial number - instead is a "6" the serial number would be 610286.

Did Orville use serial numbers without a letter in front of them?
If so when was this guitar made?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010004-3.jpg

Regarding the veneer top:
When looking into the pickup cavity the (well here I can´t find the English word...) "woodpattern" seem to correspond with the top.

Is it really veneer?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/Topp-1.jpg


Regardless of these things, the guitar is FANTASTIC :-)


http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010001-5.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010002-3.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010003-4.jpg


http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010006-2.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c109/prof2915/P1010005-3.jpg

[Michael T]

That is no veneer

[polifemo]

That is no veneer

Thank you Sir!

[stevieboy]

I have this site bookmarked as I own an O by G ES335

http://www.guitarsjapan.com/orvillegibsoninfopage.html

If i read this correctly, and if it's correct, (no guarantees of either!) your guitar was made in the FujiGen factory in October of 1996.

[Ziggy Stardust]

That is no veneer
I've always thought that Orvilles had veeners, but Orville By Gibson had the real thing.

[whitehall]

All the info you seek is on the Japanaxe forum. And yes that is a veneer. Your guitar was made in 96 There are a few of the patterns that were veneers. They are easy enough to spot. If you go on the yahoo japan sites and even on ebay will see them from time to time. They all have the exact same line by line top.