orville by gibson

[vtpcnk]

anybody owns an orville?

there is an orville vee on sale - except it doesn't say orville anywhere on the guitar!

while with les pauls or sgs, the company name is printed on the headstock, with Vees it seems like most of them had the company name on the truss rod cover.

in this particular guitar the truss rod cover has been changed to gibson!

but the guitar looks very much like an orville model release in the mid 90s - but apparently it is in mint condition (even with the second owner who bought it a year and half back)!

i am scared it might be a chinese fake. but would counterfeiters target such remote models as Orville Vees that too from the mid 90s?

appreciate any insights on this issue.

 

[vtpcnk]

btw i sent pics of the guitar to both gibson japan and gibson usa. gibson japan flatly said they dont have any information at all. gibson usa has not come back in two days after the initial request for pics.

 

[Lucky #7]

If you haven't already, register on this board and post it.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/

There is a whole cult of people who love the non-Gibson LPs and somebody on there will know something about it more than likely even if it is a V.

 

[vtpcnk]

i just did my weekly "firebird guitar" search on ebay, on now i come across 3 tokai fbs selling for under $500 - and all of them in mint condition! likewise some attractively priced 'almost new' gibson fbs as well!

on the lespaul forum that lucky007 referred to in this thread, somebody is trying to sell an "almost new" (and held in strorage by a collecter)15 years old orville by gibson les paul for $1500 (some poor guy from australia seems very interested in buying that).

what's happening? chinese counterfeits flooding the market?

today we can be wary due to the newness of these "old" guitars - but something tells me the counterfeithers will soon start relicing their products for a more genuine feel.

the days of safely buying from sources other than guitar center, warmoth etc are over i guess.