The Best Les Paul Custom copy ???

Lewy0 · 10-24-2008, 10:12 AM

Hi. For long time I really would like to have Gibson LP Custom but since I can't afford one I was searching for some infos about japaneese copys and I'm wondering which are the best. Orvilles by Gibson, Greco, Burny, Epiphones? At the moment I have Orville LP Custom and its REALLY good guitar (mayby Im not 100% satisfied with sound but im also 1000% sure its because of old electronic and crapy japaneese pickups) but I would like to have the best and the closest guitar to real Gibson, upgrade it if needed and stick to it for loong time. I never had oportunity to compare my Orville to other japanesee copies. Any1 can help?

Leo · 10-25-2008, 11:11 AM

also look into guitars like
navigator (esp's high end )
tokai ls 120 and up seem to be awesome and alot of people say that the reborn tokais have that special vibe.

the higher end if 'history' guitars (those i think are made in the fuji gen factory these days and the supposedly use wood that was extracted from i think a lake in michigan from old logging companies and its supposed to be very very old wood,.... they claim that the preservation of the wood at the bottom of the lake protected it & is supposed to be great for making guitars .

i myself am a fan of bacchus gtrs the vintage series gtrs and the duke lp gtrs are pretty damn good.

higher end of 'FGN' again another fuji gen factory gtr

i'm sure there alot more,...i'm a big fan of the mij made gtr's wish i knew about these mij's years ago.

kherman · 10-26-2008, 11:09 AM

Look at the ESP Edwards.
Those will have an ebony fretboard like a real LP Custom.
Most (not all) MIJ LP Customs tend to have a rosewood board.

singlecut · 10-26-2008, 11:48 AM

i had a 70's aria pro 2, a very nice copy, although it had a RWB,not ebony

nwobhm · 10-26-2008, 10:07 PM

A good copy of a CUSTOM. Lots of good ones but, my favorite is my 83' burny 57' copy. It's actually one of the best customs I've ever owned, including orginals. It's also one of the closest, spec wise to 50's models as far as all mahgony body.

lp_junkie · 10-26-2008, 11:31 PM

Orville by Gibson, same specs even Gibson USA hardware and pickups.

vivalaking · 10-27-2008, 05:17 AM

electra, burny, tokai, edwards, ibanez are the decent quality ones that i remember off the top of my head.

Respole · 11-03-2008, 05:15 AM

I love my 2 Orville by Gibson LPC 57B reissue Les Paul Customs!

Everyone who's played it has commented on how great the sound is.

That all-mahogany body is surprising responsive and lively!

I loaned one to a friend who gigs regularly, hands down awesome!

Everything is on par with Gibson USA sans inlays, they use plastic pearloids, not the real deal

Rafał · 11-03-2008, 11:02 AM

Orville by Gibson and Epiphone Elitist (they are from the same facotory, and i think, they are the same guitars, only with another logo and pickup names (but pickups are the same I think).

sitarsrule · 11-03-2008, 08:10 PM

The Best Copy I've played is the Old Memphis in the picture. I refinished it only because I thought it would look better than black paint! The action is fast, I've compared it to the Les Paul Standard at Guitar center, And I can't tell any difference, except the price. Hope you can find a set neck !

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/members/sitarsrule-albums-pictures-my-instrument-picture3409-another-full-back-shot.jpg

sitarsrule · 11-03-2008, 08:13 PM

Sky · 11-03-2008, 11:40 PM

Its personal opinion...
Everyone has a different taste

Sky · 11-03-2008, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwobhm

A good copy of a CUSTOM. Lots of good ones but, my favorite is my 83' burny 57' copy. It's actually one of the best customs I've ever owned, including orginals. It's also one of the closest, spec wise to 50's models as far as all mahgony body.

That guitar is beautiful man!

dynabite · 11-05-2008, 03:46 PM

sitarsrule - I have one similar to that , same shape neck with a 3-piece back only is a standard and don't know the name of it - I just fixed up and old Memphis strat for a friend , does the neck heel have a laminate ?

pawpek · 11-05-2008, 05:22 PM

I brought a Westfield LP and it wasn't too bad for the price. I'm sure if it got compaired with other makes, then things would show up. It has a nice bright accustic tone that I can feel resonate into my body. Plugged in, it's not too bad, just playing around with pickup heights to get a nice tone.

villager · 11-06-2008, 03:34 AM

orville by gibson 57 reissue..
Greco EG-1000 or EG57-100

Sky · 11-06-2008, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawpek

I brought a Westfield LP and it wasn't too bad for the price. I'm sure if it got compaired with other makes, then things would show up. It has a nice bright accustic tone that I can feel resonate into my body. Plugged in, it's not too bad, just playing around with pickup heights to get a nice tone.

Where did you buy it?

Superlead777 · 11-06-2008, 11:41 PM

Here's my baby,......

sitarsrule · 11-09-2008, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynabite

sitarsrule - I have one similar to that , same shape neck with a 3-piece back only is a standard and don't know the name of it - I just fixed up and old Memphis strat for a friend , does the neck heel have a laminate ?

No laminate, it's one piece

sitarsrule · 11-09-2008, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynabite

sitarsrule - I have one similar to that , same shape neck with a 3-piece back only is a standard and don't know the name of it - I just fixed up and old Memphis strat for a friend , does the neck heel have a laminate ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawpek

I brought a Westfield LP and it wasn't too bad for the price. I'm sure if it got compaired with other makes, then things would show up. It has a nice bright accustic tone that I can feel resonate into my body. Plugged in, it's not too bad, just playing around with pickup heights to get a nice tone.

I really like the abolony fret markers!

pawpek · 11-11-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky

Where did you buy it?

Brought it from a local music shop in the uk. Here is the website Welcome to Westfield Guitars

pawpek · 11-11-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sitarsrule

I really like the abolony fret markers!

Thanks, I was going to go for a black custom with Gold hardware but my daughter pointed out the Jonas Brothers play them

I saw this one and picked it up and played it. Can't wait for string changing time as I'm going to use some fretboard oil on her to hopefully darken it a little and swap the selector switch over to something less clicky. I may take the pup covers off to see what lies beneath!!

Lewy0 · 11-14-2008, 09:20 AM

Thx for all your's advises. My biggest attention takes ObG and Greco EG-1000 or EG57-100 but iI could'nt find any. Altought I found two new ObG on ebay but I'm not sure about their origin and quality..Take a look> RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST)
The serial number on the back of the headstock is pretty strange, it contains only 5 signs but doesn't have any letter in front and I think it should have letter 'G'. Second thing is that seller says that body is solid mahogony and as far as I know ObG are more accurate copies of Gibson and they should have flame maple top. The last thing is that it weights 7.93 lbs when all Orville and ObG LP Custom i saw weight over 9 lbs. Say what you think. And heres the second guitar : 1990 Orville By Gibson OBG Custom Black Beauty - eBay (item 250322071298 end time Nov-15-08 07:42:09 PST)
It looks like its original ObG(atleast it has good seriall number) but what you think about it, is it worth buying?

tonebone · 11-14-2008, 11:10 AM

YOUR FIRST CHOICE IS YOUR BEST BET !!!
[quote=Lewy0;405144]Take a look> RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST)
QUOTE]

Gibson Customs have an Ebony fretboard. IMO, if it doesn't have an ebony fretboard, it is not a Custom. The ObyGibson should have Gibson 57 classic p-ups at the very least.

this one,
1997 Orville Les Paul Custom Very Rare Ebony Japan - eBay (item 200275483445 end time Nov-16-08 14:46:18 PST)

It's now been relisted with a lower price. Ebony fretboard. BUT! It appears to have been refretted, and it doesn't have Gibson p-ups. You should inform him of the refret that can be seen in his pic and offer him $600 USD (or your equivalent). And it's not in mint condition. They are getting harder to find with the ebony boards, this seller has an excellent ebay rating. Perhaps it's worth what he's asking.

I personally wouldn't get a Custom without an Ebony fretboard.

tonebone · 11-14-2008, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewy0

. And heres the second guitar : 1990 Orville By Gibson OBG Custom Black Beauty - eBay (item 250322071298 end time Nov-15-08 07:42:09 PST)
It looks like its original ObG(atleast it has good seriall number) but what you think about it, is it worth buying?

Ask him if it has Ebony fretboard. He must answer YES or NO. No "maybe" or "might be". It looks like stained rosewood from the crappy photo he's got there.

tonebone · 11-14-2008, 11:20 AM

The "real deal" vintage 1957 Gibson Custom was an all mahogany guitar, pretty sure.

from wiki:
Custom (1954-1960)

"The second issue of the Les Paul guitar was introduced to the public in 1954.[4] Called the Gibson Les Paul Custom[5], this entirely black guitar was an expertly decorated work of art, and dubbed the Black Beauty. The Les Paul Custom featured a mahogany top to differentiate the instrument from its Goldtop predecessor's maple top. It also featured the new Tune-o-Matic bridge design and a pickup with an alnico-5 magnet in the neck position. In addition, since 1957, the Custom was fitted with Gibson's new humbucker pickups,[6] and later became available with three pickups instead of the more usual two. The three pickup model retained the standard Gibson 3-way switch so not all pickup combinations were possible. The neck and bridge-only settings were retained, but the middle was changed to switch in the middle and bridge pickups.[7] A common modification was to restore the standard neck/both/bridge switching combination and add a switch to enable the middle pickup on its own.[citation needed]"

tonebone · 11-14-2008, 11:37 AM

Your first choice is the one. The one you are looking for,

RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST)

If you don't buy it, someone else will. Katana is the gold standard in MIJ guitar ebay sellers. Check his feedback. He sells very close to what the guitar is worth - consistently.

10-24-2008, 10:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Lewy0 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Poland Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Hi. For long time I really would like to have Gibson LP Custom but since I can't afford one I was searching for some infos about japaneese copys and I'm wondering which are the best. Orvilles by Gibson, Greco, Burny, Epiphones? At the moment I have Orville LP Custom and its REALLY good guitar (mayby Im not 100% satisfied with sound but im also 1000% sure its because of old electronic and crapy japaneese pickups) but I would like to have the best and the closest guitar to real Gibson, upgrade it if needed and stick to it for loong time. I never had oportunity to compare my Orville to other japanesee copies. Any1 can help?

10-25-2008, 11:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
Leo Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: new york Posts: 175 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? also look into guitars like navigator (esp's high end ) tokai ls 120 and up seem to be awesome and alot of people say that the reborn tokais have that special vibe. the higher end if 'history' guitars (those i think are made in the fuji gen factory these days and the supposedly use wood that was extracted from i think a lake in michigan from old logging companies and its supposed to be very very old wood,.... they claim that the preservation of the wood at the bottom of the lake protected it & is supposed to be great for making guitars . i myself am a fan of bacchus gtrs the vintage series gtrs and the duke lp gtrs are pretty damn good. higher end of 'FGN' again another fuji gen factory gtr i'm sure there alot more,...i'm a big fan of the mij made gtr's wish i knew about these mij's years ago. __________________ BACCHUS BFT-58V NA FUTURA EXPLORER BLC-95 'WINE RED' BACCHUS VINTAGE SERIES CUSTOM BLC-140 'BLACK' BACCHUS VINTAGE SERIES CUSTOM 2008 BACCHUS DUKE 1979 BC RICH KOA MOCKINGBIRD 1979 GRECO JEFF BECK ARTIST SERIES TELE-GIB 1983 KRAMER PACER USA BEAKHEAD 1966/67 SG MELODY MAKER D 'PELHAM BLUE' 2004 FENDER DELUXE STRAT 50TH ANN 1984 FODERA MONARCH BASS 1987 MUSICMAN STINGRAY BASS THD UNIVALVE COMBO W NOS TUBES

10-26-2008, 11:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
kherman Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 84 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Look at the ESP Edwards. Those will have an ebony fretboard like a real LP Custom. Most (not all) MIJ LP Customs tend to have a rosewood board.

10-26-2008, 11:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
singlecut Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: in the land of dial up Posts: 1,006 Thanks: 1 Thanked 36 Times in 7 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? i had a 70's aria pro 2, a very nice copy, although it had a RWB,not ebony __________________ "work like you don't need the money love like you've never been hurt dance like nobodys watching"

10-26-2008, 10:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
nwobhm Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NC Posts: 209 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? A good copy of a CUSTOM. Lots of good ones but, my favorite is my 83' burny 57' copy. It's actually one of the best customs I've ever owned, including orginals. It's also one of the closest, spec wise to 50's models as far as all mahgony body. Last edited by nwobhm; 10-26-2008 at 11:25 PM.

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10-26-2008, 11:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
lp_junkie Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 1,482 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Orville by Gibson, same specs even Gibson USA hardware and pickups. __________________ LP_Junkie now on MySpace _____________________________________________ Les Pauls and Marshalls- Hammer of the Gods. EPI/MIJ Modders (Orville-Tokai-Burny-Greco-etc.)

10-27-2008, 05:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
vivalaking Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: riverside ca Posts: 209 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? electra, burny, tokai, edwards, ibanez are the decent quality ones that i remember off the top of my head.

11-03-2008, 05:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
Respole Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Australia, Malaysia Posts: 38 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? I love my 2 Orville by Gibson LPC 57B reissue Les Paul Customs! Everyone who's played it has commented on how great the sound is. That all-mahogany body is surprising responsive and lively! I loaned one to a friend who gigs regularly, hands down awesome! Everything is on par with Gibson USA sans inlays, they use plastic pearloids, not the real deal __________________ What is a Les Paul? Anything thats sounds like one regardless of headstock name.

11-03-2008, 11:02 AM	#9 (permalink)
Rafał Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rzeszów, Poland Posts: 91 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Orville by Gibson and Epiphone Elitist (they are from the same facotory, and i think, they are the same guitars, only with another logo and pickup names (but pickups are the same I think). __________________ My Les Paul Projects: http://img229.imageshack.us/slidesho...650379r44.smil If you see my nick as 'Rafa", write Rafal, cause you dont see some polish fonts o something else. Can i change my nickname?

11-03-2008, 08:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
sitarsrule Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Redondo Beach, Calif Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? The Best Copy I've played is the Old Memphis in the picture. I refinished it only because I thought it would look better than black paint! The action is fast, I've compared it to the Les Paul Standard at Guitar center, And I can't tell any difference, except the price. Hope you can find a set neck !http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/members/sitarsrule-albums-pictures-my-instrument-picture3409-another-full-back-shot.jpg

11-03-2008, 08:13 PM	#11 (permalink)
sitarsrule Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Redondo Beach, Calif Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ???

11-03-2008, 11:40 PM	#12 (permalink)
Sky Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Posts: 1,220 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4 Times in 2 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Its personal opinion... Everyone has a different taste

11-05-2008, 03:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
dynabite Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: halifax - canada Posts: 56 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? sitarsrule - I have one similar to that , same shape neck with a 3-piece back only is a standard and don't know the name of it - I just fixed up and old Memphis strat for a friend , does the neck heel have a laminate ?

11-05-2008, 05:22 PM	#15 (permalink)
pawpek Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Stoke on Trent U.K. Posts: 162 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? I brought a Westfield LP and it wasn't too bad for the price. I'm sure if it got compaired with other makes, then things would show up. It has a nice bright accustic tone that I can feel resonate into my body. Plugged in, it's not too bad, just playing around with pickup heights to get a nice tone.

11-06-2008, 03:34 AM	#16 (permalink)
villager Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 18 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? orville by gibson 57 reissue.. Greco EG-1000 or EG57-100 __________________ www.japanguitars.co.uk

11-06-2008, 11:41 PM	#18 (permalink)
Superlead777 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Here's my baby,......

11-14-2008, 09:20 AM	#23 (permalink)
Lewy0 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Poland Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Thx for all your's advises. My biggest attention takes ObG and Greco EG-1000 or EG57-100 but iI could'nt find any. Altought I found two new ObG on ebay but I'm not sure about their origin and quality..Take a look> RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST) The serial number on the back of the headstock is pretty strange, it contains only 5 signs but doesn't have any letter in front and I think it should have letter 'G'. Second thing is that seller says that body is solid mahogony and as far as I know ObG are more accurate copies of Gibson and they should have flame maple top. The last thing is that it weights 7.93 lbs when all Orville and ObG LP Custom i saw weight over 9 lbs. Say what you think. And heres the second guitar : 1990 Orville By Gibson OBG Custom Black Beauty - eBay (item 250322071298 end time Nov-15-08 07:42:09 PST) It looks like its original ObG(atleast it has good seriall number) but what you think about it, is it worth buying?

11-14-2008, 11:10 AM	#24 (permalink)
tonebone Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: West Coast Posts: 528 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? YOUR FIRST CHOICE IS YOUR BEST BET !!! [quote=Lewy0;405144]Take a look> RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST) QUOTE] Gibson Customs have an Ebony fretboard. IMO, if it doesn't have an ebony fretboard, it is not a Custom. The ObyGibson should have Gibson 57 classic p-ups at the very least. this one, 1997 Orville Les Paul Custom Very Rare Ebony Japan - eBay (item 200275483445 end time Nov-16-08 14:46:18 PST) It's now been relisted with a lower price. Ebony fretboard. BUT! It appears to have been refretted, and it doesn't have Gibson p-ups. You should inform him of the refret that can be seen in his pic and offer him $600 USD (or your equivalent). And it's not in mint condition. They are getting harder to find with the ebony boards, this seller has an excellent ebay rating. Perhaps it's worth what he's asking. I personally wouldn't get a Custom without an Ebony fretboard. __________________ there's something about seeing a bone-thin Page making love to that Gibson, sweat-soaked, scraggly hair flying, after all, in the end, it's only the music that matters... Last edited by tonebone; 11-14-2008 at 11:47 AM.

11-14-2008, 11:20 AM	#26 (permalink)
tonebone Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: West Coast Posts: 528 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? The "real deal" vintage 1957 Gibson Custom was an all mahogany guitar, pretty sure. from wiki: Custom (1954-1960) "The second issue of the Les Paul guitar was introduced to the public in 1954.[4] Called the Gibson Les Paul Custom[5], this entirely black guitar was an expertly decorated work of art, and dubbed the Black Beauty. The Les Paul Custom featured a mahogany top to differentiate the instrument from its Goldtop predecessor's maple top. It also featured the new Tune-o-Matic bridge design and a pickup with an alnico-5 magnet in the neck position. In addition, since 1957, the Custom was fitted with Gibson's new humbucker pickups,[6] and later became available with three pickups instead of the more usual two. The three pickup model retained the standard Gibson 3-way switch so not all pickup combinations were possible. The neck and bridge-only settings were retained, but the middle was changed to switch in the middle and bridge pickups.[7] A common modification was to restore the standard neck/both/bridge switching combination and add a switch to enable the middle pickup on its own.[citation needed]" __________________ there's something about seeing a bone-thin Page making love to that Gibson, sweat-soaked, scraggly hair flying, after all, in the end, it's only the music that matters...

11-14-2008, 11:37 AM	#27 (permalink)
tonebone Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: West Coast Posts: 528 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The Best Les Paul Custom copy ??? Your first choice is the one. The one you are looking for, RARE 1994 Orville by Gibson Les Paul CTM `57RIS W/HSC - eBay (item 150309853618 end time Nov-20-08 11:40:27 PST) If you don't buy it, someone else will. Katana is the gold standard in MIJ guitar ebay sellers. Check his feedback. He sells very close to what the guitar is worth - consistently.