Tokai v's Orville

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PHANTOMLORD

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I'm about to take the plung on buying a Pauly/Loverock type guitar and wonder if anyone has tried/owned an Orville Les Paul as a comparison to a mid range Loverock
 
PHANTOMLORD said:
Yep I'm in the UK - I imagine i'll have to look to USA or Japan for Orvilles?

Orville's were made in Japan for the Japan market only.
Check out Ebay. You see many on there. Sellers do ship to other countries.

also, Orville is just pre - Epi Elite. Both manufactured in the same plant (Fuji Gen Gakki ?).

Kent
 
Just noticed this Orville Custom Replica on Ebay.co.uk, sounds interesting

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2553943401&category=2384
 
kherman said:
PHANTOMLORD said:
Yep I'm in the UK - I imagine i'll have to look to USA or Japan for Orvilles?

Orville's were made in Japan for the Japan market only.
Check out Ebay. You see many on there. Sellers do ship to other countries.

also, Orville is just pre - Epi Elite. Both manufactured in the same plant (Fuji Gen Gakki ?).

Kent
You can't reduce Orville to pre-epiphone elite :eek: :eek: :evil:
Orville has made some vintage gibson replica with the nitro finish! Most orville guitars are better than the present gibson and some are better than the vintage ones!!!
 
Well, of the several Orville by Gibsons (ObG) LP's I've owned, they are pretty much the same as their american made counterpart. If you took the blind "taste-test" i'd put money you couldnt tell the difference (compared to a USA Gibby LP). The ObG's have the same "Made in USA" electronics so sound wise they are similiar. So far, the Japanese eye to detail has been 1 up on the USA versions. Feel is the same as I have found several nitro finished ObG's (not sure they all are nitro). Also real maple tops. The problem is getting it to you and still making the overall purchase decent.

The regular Orville's have the same quality construction, but the electronics just have to go. Microphonic like a Sonuvabitch. A swap of electronics and again, you probably couldnt tell the difference. I do believe all Orville's are poly finished. Usually a veneer top on them. Again, getting it to you may sour the deal.

The midrange Tokai's that are made in Japan are great guitars as well. You could many specifics on them here in a search depending on what model # you are looking at.

At the moment, the ObG, Orville's and Tokai's have gone up a lot in price on ebay.


If it were between a regular Orville and a midrange Japanese Tokai, I'd go with the Tokai unless you could find a really nice Orville for $350-400-ish used (original case and all original hardware, etc.).

Dana
 
Dana said:
At the moment, the ObG, Orville's and Tokai's have gone up a lot in price on ebay.


If it were between a regular Orville and a midrange Japanese Tokai, I'd go with the Tokai unless you could find a really nice Orville for $350-400-ish used (original case and all original hardware, etc.).

Dana

You rarely see an Orville or Japan Tokai used in that price range anymore.
The Burny's, Greco's, and Edward's can be had in that range. But, they even seem to be moving up.

With actual Gibson's being so high in price, and used Gibson's going for over a grand, people are looking for less expensive alternatives.
Thus, there's a larger demand for the Japan replica's. Thus, the price is going up on them as well. But, as soon as more and more people realize that they can order a new Tokai for the same price as some of the used ones on Ebay. Used prices may eventually come back down.

Tokai is trying to get back into selling in the US.
I just think they have to put the body design back to original LP style before they will ever take off. The extra bump in the new openbook headstocks I don't think will be as big an issue. The Epi Elite style headstock was though.
People wont by the US version if they know they can just order a Replica from Japan now. Price comes out about the same.

Kent
 
Tokai is trying to get back into selling in the US.
I just think they have to put the body design back to original LP style before they will ever take off. The extra bump in the new openbook headstocks I don't think will be as big an issue. The Epi Elite style headstock was though.
People wont by the US version if they know they can just order a Replica from Japan now. Price comes out about the same.

Kent[/quote]

How can you get one from Japan and come out at about the same price? I'm very interested in knowing where to go to do this. I am in the States.

Thanks
 
20 century boy said:
[You can't reduce Orville to pre-epiphone elite :eek: :eek: :evil:
Orville has made some vintage gibson replica with the nitro finish! Most orville guitars are better than the present gibson and some are better than the vintage ones!!!

Your talking Orville by Gibson. Which is on par with higher end tokai, navigator, etc..
Just plain Orville was the lesser model. On par with the Burny's, Tokai, Edwards, etc.. of the same price range. Epi Elite falls in that catagory.
 
livedistortion said:
.


How can you get one from Japan and come out at about the same price? I'm very interested in knowing where to go to do this. I am in the States.

Thanks

Check out many of the places listed. On the links section of the tokairegistry.
http://www.tokairegistry.com/links.html

Guitar shop Universe and Ken's guitars both ship to the USA.
Example is a LS85Q. Around $650, then add case, shipping , etc.. Ends up between $800 to $900.
In the USA you have The Guitar Cellar. They sell Japan made Tokai's. But, they have the modified headstock and horn for the US market.
Prices range about the same $800 to $900.

Most used Japan Tokai's I've seen being sold on Ebay have been selling around the same price. Some maybe in the $700 to $800 range, but then why not just save an extra $100 for a new one. Plus, You still have to pay shipping from Japan.
And guys like Guitar Gai who have them in the US already, have the shipping cost built into the reserve price. Thus, they usually start thier bids higher or have a higher reserve.

Another thought is Pete's Trading post. Which sells the Diodati line of Japan made LP type guitars sold for the US market. Prices range from $750 to $1300 depending on model.
Pete's also coming out with 2 new models.
59Fl - Korina body and neck with actual carved flame maple top (not plain maple with figured veneer).
57BBC - 3 pu lp custom style. All mahogany. But, will have a modified wiring skeem and tone pot coil taps for more versatility.
As well as options like piezo bridge and active electronics.
Diodati starts production again in late spring. Not sure on pricing of new models.
 
:D there are a few nice Orvilles at Songbird in Toronto and a nice refine Tokai lp at Capsules, check them out! Victor
 
:lol:

Hi I just bought an 80's Burny Randy Rhodes, White LP Custom off Ebay for $259, about ?180. UK.
Total outlay, Japan to UK was ?300+ & it's the best buy I've ever had on a guitar.
Keep an open mind on pre Fernandes Burny's. They are awsome.
Check out a couple of Ebay regulars selling from Japan.
They are 100%
 
goddardo said:
:lol:

Keep an open mind on pre Fernandes Burny's. They are awsome.
Check out a couple of Ebay regulars selling from Japan.
They are 100%

????? :eek:

Burny has always been a Fernandes Brand.
Burny name was the Gibson replicas while the Fernandes was the Fender replica's.
Nowadays you do see crossing over between brand names.
But,that's how it originally started.

What is getting harder to find is newer Japan made Burny's. Fernandes has pretty much switched a good majority of it's production to Korea and China.

Kent
 
in Japan we see a wide variety of Burny`s . Some cost quite a bit while others are enrty level models. I think you`re right about the manufacturing being done outside Japan. I`ve read a lot of good things about early Burnys though the newer models don`t inspire me. But thats just me. Whatever guitar a player plays is fine in my opinion.
 
By Burny/pre Fernandes etc, I meant that, For eg, I remember the Burny logo on the LP's before they stuck Fernandes on them. Like you say, Fernandes did apply more to the Fender copies, but they were all great from that period. :roll:
 
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