Gibson Guitar Serial Number Lookup

DATING YOUR INSTRUMENT. The following chart details the Fender serial number schemes used from 1950 to 1964. You will notice that there is quite a bit of overlap of. Gibson introduced a new pattern when they began producing solid body guitars. An ink stamp on the back of the headstock which included either 5 or 6 digits. The first digit is the year and the other numbers are production numbers. This system is fairly reliable for guitars made from 1953 to 1961.

As one of the oldest and most widely recognized brands in music, has crafted some of the most cherished and valuable instruments of all time. Determining exactly when your Gibson specimen was made can have high stakes attached to it. A difference of only one year - sometimes even several months - can mean a four-figure difference in value. Our hope is to make the dating process and, in turn, the valuation as easy, accurate and transparent as possible. You should be able to use this guide to determine the year of your instrument and then consult the to find its value, all for free.

Methods For Dating a Gibson Instrument For many vintage instruments, determining the date of manufacture involves little more than running the serial number through a reference guide. Whereas Martin guitars have been using a single, consistent numbering system since the 19th century, Gibson has used several different serial number formats since its inception in 1902, meaning that some formats and numbers overlap across decades. This makes it especially important to first identify the general era during which your instrument was made before pinning down the exact date of manufacture with a serial number. If you know the backstory around when the instrument was purchased, this can provide some rough clues about its era.

The most general physical piece of evidence on the instrument, however, is going to be the logo on the headstock. Gibson Headstock Logos Through The Decades Here's a look at the different logos Gibson used during each major era of manufacturing. 1902 to Late 1920s.

1932 L-2 The script logo continues without the slant. Some flattop guitars of this era started to omit the word 'The' from the inlay. 1933 - 1947 By 1933 Gibson had dropped the 'The' from all of their logos while retaining the script 'Gibson.' The original thin script was replaced with a thicker font on higher-end models in the mid-’30s, and across the entire lineup by the end of the decade. Making Crack With Levamisole Dewormer there. From 1943 to 1947, the logo was a thick golden script, known as the banner logo. Some models (LG-2, J-45, SJ, select L-50s) included an actual banner reading 'Only a Gibson Is Good Enough' in the middle of the headstock.

1969 SG Custom Gibson stopped dotting the i in their logo on some of their instruments. Most models get a dotted i again in 1972, with the rest following suit from 1981 onward. Boldt Software Instruments For Logic Pro. Other Date-Linked Features Aside from the logos, each era of manufacturing included certain identifying traits such as the hardware (tuners, knobs, plates, etc.), the pickups, the type of finish, and the electronics inside that can give clues as to when an instrument was made. But not a final verdict. Many older instruments may have reproduction or other non-original parts, including a non-original finish. This makes relying entirely on the physical features of a guitar potentially misleading.

The thickness of the headstock, however, is not as vulnerable to modification or replacement. Before mid-1950, most Gibson headstocks were thinner at the top when looked at from a side profile.

After 1950, headstocks had uniform thickness. Dating a Gibson by Factory Order Number (FON) Gibson has historically used two different alpha-numerical formats to catalog its instruments: serial numbers and FONs (Factory Order Numbers).

Instruments will generally have one or both of these numbers stamped or written either inside the body (generally the case on earlier models) or on the back of the headstock. FONs were Gibson’s way of internally tracking batches of instruments throughout production. These will generally date an instrument earlier than the serial number, as they were typically applied in the early stages of assembly. Some earlier lower-end models had no serial number at all, making the FON the sole numerical identifier in those cases. A FON usually consisted of a 3-, 4-, or 5-digit batch number followed by one or two other numbers in most cases. 1902 to 1945 FON Overview.

Year FON Batch # Range 1902 - 1916 1 to 3650 1917 - 1923 11000 to - 1925 11000A to 11250A (suffix included) 1925 - 1931 8000 to 9999 1931 - 1933 1 to 890 1934 1 to 1500 1935 1A to 1520A 1936 1B to 1100B 1937 1C to 1400C 1938 1D to 1000D 1939 1E to 980E 1940 - 1945 1 to 7900 (some with letter, some without) From 1935 to 1942, the FON included a letter suffix. The consistency around this stopped during WWII and resumed in the early 1950s. To complicate matters further, there was sometimes a second letter from 1938 to 1941 indicating the brand (G for Gibson, K for Kalamazoo, W for Recording King) and sometimes even a third letter indicating 'Electric' (the letter E).

The year is indicated by the first letter in any series of letters for these years. 1935 to 1942 FON Letter Suffixes. Early Gibson solidbody electrics received a serial stamp on the back of the headstock, with the first number indicating the year of production. The serial number on this Les Paul Junior indicates it was made in 1956. 1961-1969 Starting in 1961, Gibson implemented a new serialization system designed to cover its entire lineup. However, while the intent was to maintain a more organized catalog, this system in practice achieved the exact opposite.

Numbers from this era were flipped, reused, and in many cases can date an instrument to several non-sequential years. The general system was as follows, though with instruments from this era it’s important to consult key features to get a more accurate age approximation. Fortunately, Gibson was making more changes to its instruments during the ‘60s and ‘70s than any other period, so dating these instruments by features alone is relatively clear-cut in most cases. Year Approx Serial Range 1961 100- 0 1963 0 1964 0 1962 0 1963 9 1967 010 1967 000 1967 000 1967 000 1967 099 1967 010 19-0 099 1963, 1967 199 1963 100 1963, 19-1 149 1963, 1967 199 1963 199 1963, 1967 199 1963 199 1963, 1967 100 1963 104 1964 180 1963 100 1963 164 1964 191 1963 189 1964 122 1964, 1965 143 1964 199 1964 235 1965 200 1965 300 1965 383 1965, 1967 300 1965, 1967 385 1965, 1967 399 1965 349 1967 399. Year Approx Serial Range 1965 300 1965 300 1965 300 1965 379 1965, 1967 399 1965, 1900-3 390 1965 392 1966 300 1965 338 1966 390 1967 399 1966 309 1967 398 1901-4 485 1966 490 1966 450 1966 490 1966 480 1966 430 1966 425 1965-66, 1900-5 500 1968 502 1965, 1968 506 1968 510 1965, 1968 555 1968 556 1966, 1961-5-69 593 1969 599 1966, 1969 595 1969 509 1966 510 1969 500 1966 555 1969 599 1900-6 690 1969 690. Year Approximate Serial Range 1967 838 1968 899 1967 899 1968 899 1968 950 1968 999 1968 909 1968 900 1968 950 1968 900 1968 909 1968 964 1970-1975 Despite being purchased by the Norlin corporation in 1970, Gibson maintained the same confusing 6-digit serial system through 1975, meaning instruments with the same serial number could be from either the ‘60s or the ‘70s.

Fortunately, there were two notable changes to the entire lineup that occurred during the transition that make differentiating ‘60s and ‘70s Gibsons straightforward. ‘Made in USA’ Stamp: 1970-current 1973 Les Paul Custom Starting in 1970, ‘Made in USA’ was stamped on the headstock below the serial number. The serial numbers from this period are generally as follows: Number Year 000000S 1973 100000S 1970-1975 200000S 1973-1975 300000S 1974-1975 400000S 1974-1975 500000S 1974-1975 600000S 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975 700000S 1970, 1971, 1972 800000S 1973, 1974, 1975 900000S 1970, 1971, 1972 1975-1977 Number Year 99XXXXXX 1975 00XXXXXX 1976 06XXXXXX 1977 1977-Current Starting in 1977, Gibson adopted the current date-based serial system which codes for the year and day of production. The first number of the sequence indicates the decade of production, followed by the three digit day of the year, and finally the year. For example, the serial number 90237XXX corresponds to a production date of 1/23/97. The last three (or four as of 2005) digits signify the location of production and batch number, respectively, but this information isn’t necessary to accurately dating your instrument.

DIY Dating vs. Outside Appraisals Working with a potentially very valuable old Gibson can be intimidating, particularly for someone who doesn’t have experience with vintage instruments. If at any point you feel confused or just want a second set of eyes on your instrument, you can always chat live with a Reverb employee during normal business hours.

Menu • • • • • Dating Gibson Guitars from 1902 - 1947 The Early Years In the first 45 years of production the number system was pretty cut and dry. Unfortunately not all instruments were numbered and not all followed the number pattern so all dates are approximate. It's best when trying to evalute a collectible to contact Gibson for further information that is not as easily available.