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1988 Orville By Gibson Les Paul Custom Wine Red w/ Bigsby, Bill Lawrence Pickups & Case

$2,399.99

+ shipping

Up for sale, a 1988 Orville by Gibson Les Paul Custom in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and outfitted a Bigsby B3 vibrato. Differentiated from the standard Orville-branded instruments, the "Orville by Gibson" guitars represented the highest tier of Japanese construction, outfitted from the factory with USA Gibson pickups (in this case, a pair of Bill Lawrence-designed Super Humbuckers). Made exclusively for the Japanese market and uncommon outside its country of origin, this 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 long-since discontinued Orville model was crafted at the Terada factory.

Weighing 10lbs 7oz, this Les Paul Custom features the a mahogany body and neck, carved maple top, long tenon neck joint, and rosewood fretboard. The Bill Lawrence-designed Super Humbuckers, known colloquially as Gibson's "circuit board" pickups, appear in sparingly few early Orville by Gibson examples. These short-lived medium output pickups handle gain extremely well, delivering a detailed array of tones that can be bright and growly or thick and punchy with the flip of a switch. This Les Paul Custom has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany
-Shape: Medium C, measuring 830” 1st fret, .965” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood, block inlay
-Frets: Medium jumbo, no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone (replacement)
-Tuners: Gotoh, tulip buttons
-Serialization: G88-prefix (1988 production)

Body Specs:

-Wood: Maple, Mahogany
-Pickups: Bill Lawrence-designed “circuit board” Super Humbucker x2
-Harness: Full-size Japanese pots date to June, 1988
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, Three-way pickup selector
-Hardware: Nashville bridge, Bigsby B3 vibrato (upgraded, gold-plated)
-Plastics: Four-ply black pickguard, black speed knobs, “Custom Made” plaque

The gloss Wine Red finish shows buckle rash central to the back, some finish scratches on top, and minor dings on the back and body perimeter. The gloss on the neck profile is smooth and clean, with a few shallow marks behind fret 7.

The original black tolex hardshell case is included.