Gibson Pelham Blue - Question...

dc10bass · July 20, 2008, 11:26:44 AM

One thing I have noticed with the Orville's...
Is it me or does the raised center section taper off and blend into the body sides by the fret board?
I wasn't sure if it was due to "oversanding" when striping off the old finish, or if this was by design?

...anyone know?

Thanks again... these posts and pictures have been more than helpful!!!!

Curt

Bass VI · July 20, 2008, 04:43:04 PM

Quote from: dc10bass on July 20, 2008, 11:26:44 AM
One thing I have noticed with the Orville's...
Is it me or does the raised center section taper off and blend into the body sides by the fret board?
I wasn't sure if it was due to "oversanding" when striping off the old finish, or if this was by design?

...anyone know?

Thanks again... these posts and pictures have been more than helpful!!!!

Curt

By design, since the Orvs are set neck instead of neck through, the body to neck joint is a little different ( the neck angle is at the neck tenon as opposed to being built in to the neck itself ) .........hmmm....that makes perfect sense to me, but I realize it's probably a terrible explanation.
I tried to " oversand " the wings on mine to make it appear a little more like the Gibson. The center section pretty much disappears about a half-inch from the edge on my black Orville.

S.

dc10bass · July 20, 2008, 06:29:01 PM

Check this picture...

I circled the area I'm talking about... you can see where the pickguard is higher than the center section on this bass near the fretboard.
Is this true to all Orville's or an example of oversanding?

THANKS!!!

Bass VI · July 20, 2008, 11:36:40 PM

All three of mine are that way, if you look at most other Gibsons with set necks you will see that the body at the neck joint has a little "fall-away" like that. It's easy to spot on a set neck 'Bird because of the raised center section.

999 · May 22, 2011, 03:08:37 AM

Sorry to resurrect a near dead thread (though always nice to look at Phelham Blue examples IMO...),

The question about how "the raised center section taper off and blend into the body sides by the fret board" got me thinking, I've seen '60s reverse birds both ways (with taper and without) that looked legit in all other regards (including finish).
Anyone know what the straight story is on that? One way on the early ones and the other on the later ones?

dadagoboi · May 22, 2011, 07:12:03 AM

My '64 (refin) and '65 (original fin) both blend into the body at the neck edge, the '65 a little more than the '64.

999 · May 22, 2011, 10:04:03 AM

Thanks, Carlo,

that's the same as on my '64. I had another '64 which I think was the same (but sold it in the mid '90s so don't recall exactly) and that was unbroken and the finish original.

TBird1958 · May 23, 2011, 03:07:07 PM

An interesting re-read on this thread, I had to go back and check the dates, I'm pretty sure that this is the Orville that I bought from Curt (unless he had two that he was refinning) and it ended up being a much more Surf Green color.
It was on the road with me this past weekend and as you can see I had every intention of playing it, after one song tho, one of the pup screws was loose ( like falling out loose) and I couldn't quickly fix it onstage between songs so I defaulted to my backup, the beater "Fenderbird" that I'd brought along just for laughs.

dc10bass · May 23, 2011, 05:52:48 PM

Quote from: TBird1958 on May 23, 2011, 03:07:07 PM

An interesting re-read on this thread, I had to go back and check the dates, I'm pretty sure that this is the Orville that I bought from Curt (unless he had two that he was refinning) and it ended up being a much more Surf Green color.
It was on the road with me this past weekend and as you can see I had every intention of playing it, after one song tho, one of the pup screws was loose ( like falling out loose) and I couldn't quickly fix it onstage between songs so I defaulted to my backup, the beater "Fenderbird" that I'd brought along just for laughs.

Yup... that was my Orville.
Hot, and the bass looks good as well.

TBird1958 · May 23, 2011, 06:14:46 PM

Curt,

That's a fantastic bass! Everything that Baz Cooper says about the pickups is certainly true, growly wonderful tone with a pick

jumbodbassman · May 24, 2011, 12:21:31 PM

Quote from: TBird1958 on May 23, 2011, 03:07:07 PM

An interesting re-read on this thread, I had to go back and check the dates, I'm pretty sure that this is the Orville that I bought from Curt (unless he had two that he was refinning) and it ended up being a much more Surf Green color.
It was on the road with me this past weekend and as you can see I had every intention of playing it, after one song tho, one of the pup screws was loose ( like falling out loose) and I couldn't quickly fix it onstage between songs so I defaulted to my backup, the beater "Fenderbird" that I'd brought along just for laughs.

noticed the GK. What happened to the traynor tube amp??

TBird1958 · May 24, 2011, 01:22:04 PM

"noticed the GK. What happened to the traynor tube amp??"

I still have it, but don't take it to shows/venues that don't have a good FOH, much as I love how it sounds up to about half volume it honestly runs out of breath and gets way too "furry" for my taste when I push it a bit hard - and strangly so, it doesn't really make my 2 pup basses sound all that good either. However at larger venues I can run it at a relaxed volume with a single pup bass ( My Bach's, Lull and Greco) and just get a really nice tight, creamy vintage growl that I love. So I use the GK at smaller venues with no P.A. support, lots of headroom and good tone with all of my basses.

Bionic-Joe · May 24, 2011, 04:59:18 PM

GK's are awesome. But....have you ever considered a ....HIWATT?

or even a Sound City?

TBird1958 · May 24, 2011, 05:23:30 PM

Quote from: Baz Cooper on May 24, 2011, 04:59:18 PM
GK's are awesome. But....have you ever considered a ....HIWATT? or even a Sound City?

I did have Mike Lull's Hiwatt DR103 for about three weeks and really liked it, no questions there, great amp, better than my Traynor, and he's thinking of selling it - I'm only sorry I can't afford it!
But the GK gets silly loud (mind you at half volume it's painful ) and can work a small to medium venue without any FOH support, and of course it works well at bigger places too.