Guitars by serial number

Until , the format used was a six-character sequence indicating model, type, last digit of year, and production number.

In and up until , Rickenbacker went to a letter-to-number system for year and month. The serial number was stamped on the jack plate. Fast-forward to models made since and things get a little easier with dating. The last two digits of the year can be found at the top of the jack plate and the number will be at the bottom portion of the jack plate.

For everything in between and all of the date-coding information, check out this resource from Reverb. The Gretsch guitar serial number, depending on age, can be found on the inside back of the guitar, the top edge of the headstock, or on a label inside the guitar. Those made from to simply had sequential numbering.

The serial number for an ESP guitar can found on the back of the headstock, on the neck plate, or under the pickups. A resource you can use for an approximate dating method can be found here. The first letter or two would be the factory code, followed by a two-digit year, two-digit week, day of the week, and a production number. Godin serial numbers can be found either on the back of the headstock or in the soundhole.

This was a two-digit year where the production year starts in August, followed by production week, day of the week, and weekly rank. If the serial number is 7 digits, the guitar was made in the s and the first digit indicates the year. In , the very last number used was Therefore, was the first guitar made in Taylor guitars will either have a 9, 10, or digit number located on the label inside the soundhole.

This was the year, month, day, series code, and production number. Professional Musician and Instructor. I have been playing guitar for over 25 years with 20 years experience on stage and coaching other musicians. An excellent overdrive tone is the sort of thing guitar players dream about. Ideally, an overdrive pedal should mimic the sound of a tube amplifier pushed to saturation.

Of course, The ProCo Rat defined the sound of many classic hard rock and metal records. What Does It Mean? Gibson The serial number of Gibson guitars can be found on the back of the headstock with a particular dating pattern. It can be a little nuanced, right? Well, Gibson is not finished yet! There are some exceptions to these systems.

In , four digits were used beginning with the number 9. From to , a five-digit number was used with the first number indicating the year 0 for , 1 for , and so on. Gibson USA to present cannot be dated to a specific day of the year. Epiphone Epiphone serial numbers are located on the back of the headstock, the top F-hole for semi-hollow bodies, or inside the soundhole of an acoustic.

In an example from the Gibson website, S was issued in Feb. Fender Fender serial numbers, like Gibson, can get complex and will vary based on model and age. In order to effectively date an ESP model built from to , ESP's technical support staff will need the serial number of the guitar but, more important, pictures of the front and back of the headstock, neck and body.

The serial number is stamped on the back of the headstock, punched on the neck plate or on semi acoustic guitars on the bottom inside the body. If you want to know the production year of your ESP guitar,you can decipher it with the serial number decoder, or find it in explanation about the dating system below. ESP serial number date decoder. Looking up the year of manufacture of a guitar or amplifier Fender is based on the format of the serial number of that brand.

Each brand has its own coding method that has changed regularly over the years. As a result, certain brands have the same serial numbers, but with a different coding method, which creates overlaps.

There are also brands that repeat a serial number every decade. The beginning of the 30s was a tussle in sales between Gibson and Epiphone. By the mids the Epiphone name was considered to be one of the best instrument manufacturers around. The electric steel guitar was a success with its unique adjustable pole piece on the master pickup. Showing off the skill of innovative ability of their craftsmanship. In Epiphone starting producing amplifiers. A friend of Les Paul by the name of Nat Daniel was an electronics expert.

Nat went on to start production of the Danelectro line of guitars and amps in the 50s. World War II hit Epiphone hard. At the beginning of the war, Epiphone was the leader in the industry. Epaminondas Stathopoulos, unfortunately, suffered from leukemia and passed away. The shares and total control of the business were handed over to the younger brothers, Orphie and Frixo.

There would be a downturn in the Epiphone dynasty. The brothers would disagree on the direction of the company. Ending in Frixo selling his shares to Orphie. This is turn took its toll on sales.

Les Paul, now a successful radio and TV star suggested to Gibson president Ted McCarthy should look into investing in the popular Epiphone upright bass division. This was the end of the instrument manufacturing business for the Stathopoulo family. Thus giving the successful dealers a chance to sell the hotly contested and popular Gibson range.

At this point, the entire Epiphone organization was switched to the world-famous Kalamazoo MI factory. Gibson now owned the Epiphone name and most of its staff. And because of this the old Epiphone classics in the shadow to Gibson for a long. The Emperor, Deluxe, Triumph were back. The newer Sheraton and solid body Moderne black were also a huge success.

Flat-top acoustics like the Frontier was a match for any instrument currently on the Gibson line. The s saw the eruption of folk music. Epiphone models were already a perfect fit for that genre.

Due to stiff competition from overseas, Epiphone moved its manufacturing to Japan in Aria oversaw the production. The traditional popular designs of the past were ceased in place of cheaper models with unspecified wood types. The older models were losing its value and continuity.

Samick was licenced by Gibson to make more affordable models of Gibson classics. Giving Epiphone a boost it needed. Plastic nuts, less expensive hardware and bridge was also added. Qingdao, China is the most recent factory where Epiphones are now produced.