* 1991 C. F. Martin & Co. begins using one set of serial numbers for guitars & mandolins. Chart Number 1 – Numbers only no spaces. With the help of the serial number decoder, tables and instructions are the year and … The Gibson Serial Number Decoder currently supports 6 formats from 4 Factories. Questions? Serial numbers can be useful in determining the year of manufacture of a guitar or amp. Need to look up a serial number? 1. The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formats from 25 factories. From 1977 to 2013 Gibson have used an eight or nine digit serial number on all of their guitars that can be easily decoded to show the exact day that the guitar was manufactured along with the location of the Gibson factory. All of our guitars have a serial number on the back of the headstock (or the neck plate on older guitars). Start here if your serial number starts with only numbers, no letters. Email us at info@bourgeoisguitars.net. The number is above 230095 so it was built after 1967 but it’s less than 241925 so it was built before the end of 1968 – so it was built in 1968. well-known brands. Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported. The Martin serial number sequence starts at 8348 which is how many guitars the firm had estimated it had produced from its inception to when they started the serial sequence at the end of the 19th century. There is no way to tell the year or the month it was made in the MIRC serial 2. Currently, we are working on getting our guitar dater lookup and search tool fleshed out. The reason for this is that there is no reliable documentation from this time period. MIRC specs can often be different from stock specs Electrics | Archtops | Acoustics | Basses | Bluegrass | Amplifiers | Promotional Guitars This new function will try to match the serial number against older formats. First, narrow it down by the country of origin. When a guitar is produced commercially, the serial numbers that are used on the guitar can go overlapping. Understanding these numbers can be difficult, because they seem to hold no information about the guitar. Serial numbers for Sigma guitars built in Korea and Taiwan are perhaps meaningless, though again some seem to indicate the year of manufacture (e.g. There are some exceptions. 82176xxx for the 217 th day of the year of 1986 (August 5, 1986) 00027xxx for the 2 nd day of the year of 2007 (January 2, 2007) The remaining characters (RRR) can indicate the order of instruments created that day, as well as which factory the instrument was made in. Test it out next time you are checking out a friend's guitar and collection share the knowledge! A serial number not only confirms the authenticity of your guitar but can impact the value. On some acoustic guitars, the serial number is on the inside of the sound hole. Sometimes the word "2nd" is stamped on back of headstock 5. 1994-2002 Mandolins are … 81232560. The serial number for each year shows the serial number of the last guitar that was built in that year. Select all options that best discribe your guitar. This is an 8 digit system and follows the format YDDDYPPP. Here's a brief rundown of how to do it, plus resources for more information. The PPP represents the factory the guitar was made in and the number of production So, for example, let’s take the serial number 80351045. For US instruments, the serial number will start with a letter. YY = last two digits of year (e.g. Enter Serial Number eg. 1979 models: VLP Spirit: six digit ser.nos. Western companies have outsourced their production. 08=2008) 3. That number indicates the specific year. In most cases**, the first two numbers of the serial number are the year of manufacture. Gibson. Here's how: Gibsons have this pattern stamped onto the back of their headstocks: The remaining characters (RRR) can indicate the order of instruments created that day, as well as which factory the instrument was made in. For 1995 and 1996, Guild returned to the system which used a separate serial number prefix for each guitar model, and also the first and last serial number produced for each model in each given year. Serial numbers starting with '311xxxx' on a golden sticker are 'refurbished' guitars sold by MIRC(Musical Instrument Reclamation Center) 1. Please note that most of this information relates to serial numbers used from 1975 to present. All acoustic serial numbers begin with the … At the top of the neck plate, on the front or at the back of the headstock or on the cover plate of the vibrato (Stratocasters), or at the end of the heel of the neck. VANTAGE serial numbers (electric guitars/basses) 1978?/79: V-100 model: “V-100”-sticker, no serial. The prefix ‘S’ at the beginning of a serial number stands for the decade of the seventies. This guitar was built in 1981 – 80351045 – remember in the format that the year is the 1st and 5th 2. 10-Digit Serial Numbers . Registration list is limited to USA made Ovation guitars only. Serial number coding for Mexican-made instruments is largely the same, except they will start with an M. Gibson serial numbers are even more interesting, because you can find out the specific date that your instrument was completed! This number can be used to date a guitar and in some cases tell where it was made. You sort of remember when you got it, but you want to really know its history, especially if you're not the first owner. These pencilled-in numbers often fade and become illegible, or even disappear. 1. Z512345. Our current 10-digit serial numbering format that started in November of 2009 identifies where the guitar was built, the start date, and the assigned number of the guitar on that day's production schedule. Finally, in 1977 a much more logical serial number system was introduced. The DDD is the day of the year that the guitar was made 3. Manufacturers sometimes want to change their serial number format, especially in Asian countries to which many For example, the serial number for the first guitar built in the El Cajon (USA) factory on July 6, 2014 is 1107064001. The remaining digits are important for product identification, but the first few characters are all you need to determine the instruments age. Where to find the serial number. Date a Gibson guitar by serial number. Enter a Serial Number here to search for a guitar. In the beginning, Gretsch simply wrote serial numbers inside the guitar in pencil. The serial numbers have been placed on or in the guitar in different places over the years. Step #2 Match your serial number with the correct date. Required information is your screen name or nickname, guitar model name, model number and serial number. RRR (R) indicates the guitar's place production for that year. The prefix ‘E’ stands for the decade of the eighties. American Made. Country of Manufacture. ##### = consecutive production number for the yearIt's unclear whether this numbering convention is rigidly enforced, that is, each month actually starts out with the number prescribed above, or if this is just a way to estimate the production month. NOTE: This number includes all models for a particular reissue year - so, for example, a 1958 Reissue serial number may include '58 Reissue LP Standard and '58 Explorer production. If you have letters in your serial number, skip to Chart number 3. 1976 Serial numbers 259996-260020 were also used. EE04091253. The YY represent the year the guitar was made 2. However, in rare instances there are guitars which began with “B0” and basses which began with “G0” on neck plates as the factory may have run out of the appropriate plates. Each type of Washburn guitar has a model number, which is used to identify the guitar on websites and in catalogs. F = manufactured by FujiGen Gakki in Nagano 2. Well, good news it's very easy to figure out the age of Fender and Gibson instruments from the last 30 years. Guild Guitar Serial # lookup : 10% complete It should be noted that many manufactures don't have complete records themselves so any progress given here are based on what we know we still have to complete for a given manufacturer and may still be missing serial numbers after '100% complete'. Has 'Crafted In Japan' Printed on Headstock. The serial number can be found in the sound hole of the acoustic or on the back of the headstock on electrics. Serial numbers tend to be stamped or written somewhere on the headstock or neck joint of the guitar. 81XXXXXX.) You can look up the 1994 page, and locate your model number. 1965-1969 From 1965 to 1969 (inclusive), Guild used a separate serial numbering system for each guitar model. Looking for Gibson Guitars? Korean Made. Most guitar manufacturers put a serial number on each instrument they produce. There are many exceptions, and of course many other brands out there, but now you can tell how old most Fenders or Gibsons are within seconds. There you have it! Gibson Serial Numbers 1975-Present This section is designed to assist in dating and/or identifying instruments manufactured or distributed by Gibson Guitar Corp. Guitar Dater Search » Click HERE. The first step is to find the serial number—a combination of letters and/or numbers— and the "Made in..." label (Japan, Taiwan, or Indonesia) on the guitar. 1. Original serial numbers are usually defaced 3. Original warranty void 4. But due to incomplete registrations and illogical serial numbers, its history is often unclear. A fake serial number is usually in white. A serial number ending in 501 could be the first instrument made at factory #5 that day, or it could be the 501. Understanding how to read Gibson serial numbers is a little confusing at first, but it doesn’t take long to identify when your guitar was made. Example of a Gibson serial number:A real serial number is stamped dark on the back of theheadstock. Enter Serial Number eg. You should be The U.S. Vintage Series (launched in 1982) uses ‘V’ as a prefix for the serial number. Example: 7 5123 is … Serial numbersfrom 70' and 80's era Epiphone guitars made in Japan are not supported. Acoustic Serial Numbers. 05xxxx Despite being static and given figures, the serial numbers are not always correct when it comes to dating a guitar. The serial number of an acoustic is located on the label inside the sound hole of the guitar. After World War II, some guitars had a serial number embossed on the head, but reliable numbers didn't really appear until the advent of the first labels, around 1949. The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formatsfrom 25 factories. Since we know these instruments were manufactured from 1984 through 2007 in these two countries, it is safe to assume that a serial number beginning with 81XXXXXX was not produced in 1981. The prefix ‘L’ at the beginning of a serial number indicates a guitar from the early ’60s. For the year 1994, ONLY the model prefix and last serial number for each model produced is available. Serial dating is easiest for instruments made in the USA or Mexico, but is also possible for those made in Japan, Korea, China, and Indonesia. This chart details the year, model and beginning/ending serial numbers for each instrument during that period. Japanese Made. 8xxx6xxx for 1986. So, if your serial number is 240121 for example then your Martin guitar was built in 1968. Serial numbers from 70' and 80's era Epiphone guitars made in Japan are not supported. From 2014 onwards Gibson changed the serial number format to a simplified nine digit number which can still be used to find the year of … For guitars made prior to 1977 use the extended search function. With the help of the serial number decoder, tables and instructions are the year and locationof the largest This guitar was built on th… Washburn Guitars has a storied history that started in Chicago in 1883. The second character will usually be a number. That letter indicates the decade. Again, this is due to their modular production. Enter your serial number and we'll look up the date of manufacture using our lightning fast engine. The serial numbers for guitars began with “G0” (G zero) and basses began with “B0” (B zero). Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported. Ever wonder exactly when your favorite guitar was made? Serial Number Chart for Acoustic and Classical Guitars In the following charts, you can determine the year of manufacture for a Yamaha acoustic or classical guitar. Serial numbers can be useful in determining the year of manufacture of a guitar or amp. Furthermore, I have to remind y… But due to incomplete registrations and illogical serial numbers, its history is often unclear. The serial number represents the date and time your guitar was built, in a specific format. If, for example, you have a Gibson Explorer that was made from 1958 to 1959, you have one of the few models produced in that period. Getting started - Guitar Dater, Decoder and Serial Number Search Lookup Tool . For example, if your guitar’s serial number is 94000000, your guitar was made in 1994. … Mexican Made. However, it is still an accepted fact that using serial numbers and combining them with the dates that are found on the guitar is the best way you can identify the original manufacturing dates.