Then, having a look at the guitar or photos, if you know what to look for, is also useful. Once decoded, the writing on the back or sides can be very informative in dating your guitar . Mine can be dated definitively to about May/June 1947 because of the early A-prefix serial number. For a complete ID, you want to find the maker, model, and the year made. Many specialty sites get in-depth at identifing guitars (mylespaul, lespaulforum). Thus, the older Gibson guitars may have a serial number and a F O N. The F O N may indicate the year, batch number, and the ranking (order of production within the batch of 40). Serial number coding for Mexican-made instruments is largely the same, except they will start with an M. MN2 for 1992 in Mexico; MZ8 for 2008 in Mexico; Shop our selection of Fender Guitars. It should also have "Made in USA" underneath the serial number. dmcowles. Guitar Dater is a just one tool you can use to see if the serial number might be valid. Please note that fender serial numbers tend to overlap by at least a year, and thereby the date of your guitar can only be approximated. The Yamano Gakki Epiphone Japan serial numbers from 1998 onwards are in a YMMPPP format. Gibson Serial Numbers 1975-Present This section is designed to assist in dating and/or identifying instruments manufactured or distributed by Gibson Guitar Corp. The manufacturers code has six (1950s) or seven digits, starting with 137 (CTS) or 134 (Centralab), and ending in format y/ww or yy/ww [where y is the year, and w is the week of the year]. The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. Locate the serial number on your Gibson. Product Registration Customer Service Repair and Restoration Report Counterfeits Serial Number FAQ Gibson Guitar Specs (2015-2019) Dealer Resource Center; Locate A Dealer; Looking for Something Specific? The neck block numbers follow some different pattern after the first four, which are often the same as … Other makers, however, changed the pattern, and even repeated serial numbers. Enter the Fender's serial number and select if your guitar was made in USA, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Indonesia or China. Pots usually have several identification numbers. During this time period, they ink stamped the digits on the back of the peghead and used the last number of the year as the first number in the serial sequence on their solid body models. For example, for serial number 0236758, the "02" indicates that the guitar was made in 2002; for serial number W10052743, the "10" indicates that the guitar was made in 2010. This. Please note that most of this information relates to serial numbers used from 1975 to present. Serial number is 27530. Power cord replaced with 3 prong. Gibson Custom 1952-1960 Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V, and Futura reissues (since late 1992): For acoustic instruments, the serial number is typically located inside the sound hole at the neck joint or on a piece of paper glued inside the guitar and visible through the sound hole. The internet is a good start. The number on the inside label is the one that counts. Serial numbers from 70' and 80's era Epiphone guitars made in Japan are not supported. Gibson Serial Numbers 1975-Present This Article is designed to assist in dating and/or identifying instruments manufactured or distributed by Gibson Guitar Corp. Gibson needs photos and the serial# for a proper ID. An ink stamp on the back of the headstock which included either 5 or 6 digits. An early 1960s pot from a Gibson guitar. In 1957, Epiphone, Inc. was purchased by Gibson and relocated from New York to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Epiphone is an American musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. Blueridge serial numbers. General Vintage Gibson Guitar Information and specs . Simply checking a serial number with Gibson yields just about the same result, becuase real numbers are showing up on fakes. Guitar Identification. These include the top of the neck plate, somewhere on the headstock, on the bridge plate or the back of the neck near the body. It did sound pretty good for an 8" speaker. A fake serial number is usually in white. Only the newer ones have the year on them so it's not necessarily a fake if it's not there. Higher grade models (such as the Super 400, L-5, J-200, etc.) Depending on the age of the guitar contacting Gibson might help. I have one of those Gibson Skylark amplifiers. General Gibson serial number information. which do not feature a paper label. Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported. The FON is the only identification number on Gibson’s lower grade models (like the ES-125, ES-140, J-160E, etc.) The Gibson Guitar Corporation manufactures both acoustic and electrical instruments, including banjos. Your logo may mean the guitar is a little earlier than mine. Find the current Blue Book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier. 8,355 77. It has been recapped. Example of a Gibson serial number: A real serial number is stamped dark on the back of the headstock. Modern numbers are 9 digits but older/vintage Gibson guitars are much shorter. If you've been reading articles about dating a vintage guitar, you may well have come across mention of pot codes, and the concept of using pot codes to date your guitar. The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formats from 25 factories. 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