Orville by Gibson

Orville by Gibson was a Japanese-market electric guitar and bass brand associated with Gibson Guitar Corporation during the late 1980s and 1990s. The name referred to Orville Gibson, the founder of the Gibson company, but the instruments were not the same as Gibson's American-made products. Instead, they were manufactured in Japan through Gibson's relationship with Yamano Gakki, a major Japanese musical-instrument distributor and retailer that held Gibson's Japanese dealership from 1987. The brand emerged from a particular competitive situation in Japan. During the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese manufacturers such as Ibanez, Tokai, Burny, and Greco had developed instruments modeled on the designs of leading American brands, including Gibson and Fender. These Japanese instruments were often regarded as high-quality alternatives, and some were sold internationally. In response, Gibson and Fender developed Japan-focused arrangements rather than relying only on imports from the United States. Fender Japan began in 1982, while Gibson had previously worked with Aria on Epiphone Japan and had used Japanese production for selected Epiphone instruments. After Yamano Gakki obtained the Gibson and Epiphone dealership in Japan in 1987, the partners considered expanding the Japanese Epiphone range beyond semi-acoustic instruments. In 1988 they decided not to use the Epiphone name for the expanded solid-body range. The new name, Orville, was taken from Gibson founder Orville Gibson, and the longer form Orville by Gibson was used for a principal part of the range. The brand therefore served as a locally produced, Gibson-associated offering rather than as a separate independent guitar company. Orville by Gibson instruments occupied a price and positioning tier between American-made Gibson guitars and Korean-made Epiphone guitars sold in Japan. The range consisted of electric guitars and basses, with production taking place at Japanese factories, including Terada and FujiGen. The associated Orville range and the Orville by Gibson range changed over time, reflecting adjustments to model specifications and to Gibson and Yamano Gakki's Japan-market strategy. Instruments carrying the brand were primarily intended for Japan, while some related Japanese Epiphone products were exported under different headstock and branding arrangements. Production of Orville by Gibson instruments ended in 1998. Gibson and Yamano Gakki replaced the arrangement with a broader Epiphone Japan program that included both solid-body and semi-acoustic models. The wider Gibson-Yamano Gakki relationship continued until late 2006, but Orville by Gibson itself remained a discontinued historical brand. Its surviving instruments are associated with Japanese-made Gibson-style guitars and basses from the late twentieth century rather than with a current Gibson product line.

Orville by Gibson developed out of Gibson's effort to maintain a presence in Japan while responding to the strength of Japanese guitar manufacturing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese companies produced instruments closely influenced by established American guitar designs. Brands including Ibanez, Tokai, Burny, and Greco built reputations for well-made copies and alternatives, creating pressure for Gibson and Fender to establish structured local production and distribution arrangements. Fender created Fender Japan in 1982 through cooperation involving Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai. Gibson had an earlier Japanese relationship involving Epiphone. In the early 1970s, Epiphone Japan production and distribution were handled largely by Aria in cooperation with Gibson, with instruments made at the Matsumoku factory. In 1983, export production for Epiphone moved from Japan to Korea, while the Japanese market continued to receive locally produced and distributed instruments through changing arrangements. Yamano Gakki obtained the Gibson and Epiphone dealership in Japan in 1987. It distributed American Gibson guitars and Korean-made Epiphone instruments and also worked with Gibson on a limited range of Japanese Epiphone semi-acoustic models. In 1988, Yamano and Gibson sought to broaden the Japanese range to include solid-body guitars. They chose not to apply the Epiphone name to that expanded program and instead adopted Orville, the first name of Gibson founder Orville Gibson. The resulting Orville by Gibson instruments were marketed for Japan alongside other Gibson and Epiphone products. The brand's commercial role was defined by its intermediate position. American Gibson instruments represented the higher-priced, US-made part of the offering, while Korean Epiphone instruments occupied a lower-priced imported tier. Orville by Gibson filled a Japanese-made middle position, combining Gibson-associated designs and branding with local manufacturing. The products were electric guitars and basses, and the model range changed several times during the decade in which the brand was active. Japanese production involved the Terada and FujiGen factories. The available reference material associates Terada particularly with semi-acoustic production and FujiGen particularly with solid-body production in the broader Gibson-Yamano Gakki Japanese programs. These factories also made Orville instruments and later Gibson/Yamano Gakki Epiphone Elite and Epiphone Elitist instruments. Japanese-market instruments using Gibson-style open-book headstocks were distinct from certain export-oriented Epiphone Japan instruments, which used different headstock branding. The Orville by Gibson program ended in 1998. Gibson and Yamano Gakki chose to expand the Epiphone Japan range instead, bringing solid-body and semi-acoustic models under the Epiphone name. This change made Orville unnecessary as a separate Japan-market label. Gibson and Yamano Gakki maintained their broader business relationship until late 2006, when that relationship ended. Orville by Gibson consequently survives as a discontinued brand associated with a specific period of Japanese production and Gibson's Japan-market distribution strategy.

• 2006

  Gibson-Yamano Gakki relationship ends

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  The broader business relationship between Gibson and Yamano Gakki ended in late 2006, several years after the Orville brand had been discontinued.

• 1998

  Production discontinued

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Orville by Gibson production ceased as Gibson and Yamano Gakki expanded the Epiphone Japan range to cover both solid-body and semi-acoustic instruments.

• 1988

  Orville by Gibson launched

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Gibson and Yamano Gakki introduced the Orville by Gibson range for the Japanese market, using the founder's first name for an expanded line that included solid-body models.

• 1987

  Yamano Gakki obtains Gibson dealership

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Yamano Gakki obtained the Gibson and Epiphone dealership in Japan and became Gibson's principal local distribution and production partner.

• 1983

  Epiphone export production moves to Korea

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Production of Epiphone guitars intended for export moved from Japan to Korea, while Gibson's Japanese arrangements continued to evolve.

• 1982

  Fender Japan established

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Fender created a Japanese production and distribution arrangement involving Yamano Gakki and Kanda Shokai, forming part of the broader market context in which Gibson later developed Orville.

• 1970

  Early Epiphone Japan arrangement

  [1]Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org

  Gibson established an Epiphone Japan relationship in the early 1970s, with Aria managing much of the dealership and production using the Matsumoku factory.

A Japan-market, Japanese-made Gibson-associated range positioned between American-made Gibson instruments and Korean-made Epiphone instruments.

• Electric guitars · 1988

  Orville by Gibson electric guitars

  The principal Orville by Gibson line consisted of Japanese-made electric guitars intended for the domestic Japanese market. The range included solid-body instruments and changed over the period from its 1988 introduction to the end of production in 1998. The instruments occupied a middle position between American-made Gibson guitars and Korean-made Epiphone products, giving Gibson a locally produced offering without placing the range in the same tier as its US-made instruments.

• Electric basses · 1988

  Orville by Gibson electric basses

  Electric basses were also manufactured under the Orville by Gibson name. Like the guitar models, these instruments were part of Gibson's Japan-market program managed with Yamano Gakki and were produced in Japan. The available reference material identifies the category but does not provide a complete model list or individual launch dates.

• 1998

  Replace Orville with an expanded Epiphone Japan rangeStrategy

  Background

  Gibson and Yamano Gakki had maintained separate Orville and Epiphone-related Japanese programs, while the Orville range had served as a Gibson-associated middle tier.

  Action taken

  They ended Orville by Gibson production and expanded Epiphone Japan to include both solid-body and semi-acoustic models.

  Aftermath

  Orville by Gibson became a discontinued historical brand, while the Gibson-Yamano Gakki relationship continued until late 2006.

  Source

• 1988

  Create a separate name for the expanded Japanese rangeStrategy

  Background

  Gibson and Yamano Gakki wanted to extend their Japanese Epiphone program beyond semi-acoustic instruments to include solid-body models.

  Action taken

  They selected the Orville name, taken from Gibson founder Orville Gibson, rather than using Epiphone for the expanded range. The resulting Orville by Gibson products were positioned between US-made Gibson and Korean-made Epiphone instruments.

  Aftermath

  The decision created a distinct Japan-market brand that remained in production until 1998.

  Source

1. 1Orville by Gibsonen.wikipedia.org