Gibson Serial Number Lookup: Guitar Dating

Eight-digit transfer/decal on the back of the headstock.

The prefix identifies the year. The remaining digits are a sequence, not a calendar day or an exact model. Confirm that the number is on a transfer; later impressed numbers can share a prefix.

Standard eight-digit impressed headstock serial; excludes carved-top and special reissue systems.

The first and fifth digits encode the year, and the middle three encode the ordinal day. This is the serial-stamping date, which can differ from final assembly or sale. The ranking does not identify an exact model or a production total.

Standard eight-digit impressed headstock serial; excludes carved-top and special reissue systems.

The first and fifth digits encode the year, and the middle three encode the ordinal day. This is the serial-stamping date, which can differ from final assembly or sale. The ranking does not identify an exact model or a production total.

Standard eight-digit impressed headstock serial; excludes carved-top and special reissue systems.

The first and fifth digits encode the year, and the middle three encode the ordinal day. This is the serial-stamping date, which can differ from final assembly or sale. The ranking does not identify an exact model or a production total. A low ranking by itself does not establish a factory in this period; model type and label are needed.

Standard eight-digit impressed headstock serial; excludes carved-top and special reissue systems.

The first and fifth digits encode the year, and the middle three encode the ordinal day. This is the serial-stamping date, which can differ from final assembly or sale. The ranking does not identify an exact model or a production total. A low ranking by itself does not establish a factory in this period; model type and label are needed.

Gibson Acoustic instruments confirmed to use the standard eight-digit scheme.

Gibson identifies Bozeman as its acoustic-production location from 1989. This location depends on confirmed acoustic context, rather than treating every low-ranked electric serial as Bozeman.

Nine-digit Gibson USA impressed serial with a separate batch digit.

This Gibson USA scheme uses year digits in positions 1 and 5, an ordinal day, a batch digit, and a daily ranking. The batch starts at 0 and changes after rank 699; the ranking is not the total number of guitars made. Gibson Acoustic and Custom Shop formats need separate context. Gibson dates introduction to July 2005; ordinal dates before July do not fit this first-year rule.

Nine-digit Gibson USA impressed serial with a separate batch digit.

This Gibson USA scheme uses year digits in positions 1 and 5, an ordinal day, a batch digit, and a daily ranking. The batch starts at 0 and changes after rank 699; the ranking is not the total number of guitars made. Gibson Acoustic and Custom Shop formats need separate context. Both daily and model-year schemes occur around the 2014 changeover; where both fit, both interpretations should be checked.

Nine-digit Gibson USA impressed serial with a separate batch digit.

This Gibson USA scheme uses year digits in positions 1 and 5, an ordinal day, a batch digit, and a daily ranking. The batch starts at 0 and changes after rank 699; the ranking is not the total number of guitars made. Gibson Acoustic and Custom Shop formats need separate context. Gibson says this system resumed in mid-2019 without publishing an exact cutover day. Confirm this system from the instrument; an early-2019 ordinal interpretation requires manufacturer confirmation.

Nine-digit Gibson USA impressed serial with a separate batch digit.

This Gibson USA scheme uses year digits in positions 1 and 5, an ordinal day, a batch digit, and a daily ranking. The batch starts at 0 and changes after rank 699; the ranking is not the total number of guitars made. Gibson Acoustic and Custom Shop formats need separate context.

Nine-digit Gibson USA number with a two-digit model-year prefix.

This system does not encode a month or day. The prefix identifies the model-year/production-year designation used in the numbering system. A new model year could start in the previous fall, so this is not proof of a calendar build date. The 2014 and 2019 transitions overlap other schemes.

The eight-digit 94-prefix system used on many 1994 instruments.

The 94 prefix denotes 1994. The remaining six digits are a production sequence, not a calendar date. The number does not establish the guitar model.

Confirmed Les Paul Classic, with the reissue-style ink-stamped number.

The first digit is the last digit of the production year. A 9 can mean 1989 or 1999. Similar numbers also occur on vintage guitars and Historic reissues, so the Les Paul Classic identity must be confirmed.

Confirmed Les Paul Classic with a six-digit reissue-style serial.

The first two digits denote the year. Similar six-digit numbers appear in much older impressed systems and on Custom Shop instruments; the model context is essential. Gibson says the Made in USA stamp was added to these Classics beginning in 2007.

Modern Custom Shop CS-prefix numbering.

CS identifies the Custom Shop and the next digit is the last digit of the year. The decade must be supplied or checked against model features and documentation. Extended ranking lengths occur; the ranking is not a model code or a production total. The broad Custom Shop era in the cited guide starts in 1993; that lower bound does not determine a unique decade.

Confirmed Custom/Historic reissue with the ink-stamped M YRRR or MYRRRR format.

The first digit is the reissued design year (4=1954 through 9=1959, 0=1960), while the next digit is the last digit of the actual production year. A reissue design year is not the build year. Several models can share one reissue code; these are model-family candidates, not an exact variant. Confirm this is a reissue before applying this system. The specialist reference places the broad modern reissue/Custom group from 1982 onward. This is an eligibility floor, not a claim that every model or particular format began in 1982.

Confirmed six-digit impressed Custom reissue system; final digit identifies the reissued design.

The first digit is the production year ending; it does not supply a decade. The last digit denotes the reissued design: 1=1961, 2=1962, 3=1963, 4=1964, 5=1965, 7=1967, 8=1968. Multiple models share some codes. This pattern overlaps vintage and Les Paul Classic numbers. The specialist reference places the broad modern reissue/Custom group from 1982 onward. This is an eligibility floor, not a claim that every model or particular format began in 1982.

Custom ES reissues with both an impressed headstock number and ink-stamped F-hole label.

The leading 1 identifies the 1961/1964 ES reissue system. The second digit is the production year ending, and the remaining digits are a sequence. The number alone does not distinguish the two reissued years or an exact ES model. The specialist reference places the broad modern reissue/Custom group from 1982 onward. This is an eligibility floor, not a claim that every model or particular format began in 1982.

Custom ES reissue with ink stamp on the F-hole label and no headstock serial stamp.

A8 denotes a 1958 ES-335 reissue; A9 denotes the 1959 ES reissue family. The next digit is the production year ending. Confirm the reissue label format; the reissued design year is not the build year. The specialist reference places the broad modern reissue/Custom group from 1982 onward. This is an eligibility floor, not a claim that every model or particular format began in 1982.

Confirmed carved-top Custom instrument using the convention whose first digit became 2 in 2000.

Gibson specifically notes that the first digit became 2 for this carved-top system in 2000. It must not automatically be treated as the standard two-digit modern year. Without a documented decade, the fifth digit is retained only as the production year ending.

Early higher-grade Gibson instrument with the original paper label; not a Factory Order Number.

These are approximate year boundaries from the manufacturer-hosted Blue Book reference, not surviving individual build records. Early boundaries differ in later specialist charts, and a production start, label assignment and sale can occur in different years. Confirm the label and compare instrument features and any FON. The earliest interval may include 1902.

Original hollowbody/Artist-series label bearing A- or A before a number, 1947–February 1961.

Year assignments follow the later specialist chart with dated reference points. These are label/serialization-year estimates. A18751–A20000 was unused in this series. Epiphone hollowbodies used a different A-series; the brand matters. A8/A9 Custom reissue labels use another format.

Original 1950s/early-1961 solidbody ink stamp, confirmed from the instrument rather than a modern reissue.

The first digit denotes the production year ending. Most 1952 and very early 1953 instruments had no serial. A small number of 1961 instruments retained this style. Six-digit overflow and occasional exceptions require checking features; a four-digit late-1958 exception has no encoded year and is not dated by this rule.

Confirmed 1960s Gibson-made instrument with impressed headstock number, before the regular Made in USA mark.

These approximate ranges were reused and can yield several years. All matching ranges are retained. Leading zeroes must be entered. Missing ranges are not filled by interpolation. Some later specialist corrections differ; construction details, pot codes and any FON/label should be checked before selecting one year. A Made in USA mark or a modern reissue requires another system.

Confirmed 1960s Gibson-made instrument with impressed headstock number, before the regular Made in USA mark.

These approximate ranges were reused and can yield several years. All matching ranges are retained. Leading zeroes must be entered. Missing ranges are not filled by interpolation. Some later specialist corrections differ; construction details, pot codes and any FON/label should be checked before selecting one year. A Made in USA mark or a modern reissue requires another system.

Confirmed early-1970s impressed number with the regular Made in USA stamp.

Numbers were applied out of order and reused. The result is a set of possible years, not one exact build date. Higher-grade Kalamazoo carved instruments can retain an older six-digit format into the late 1970s; this broad chart should not overrule model features.

1970s impressed letter-prefix system, confirmed from Made in USA marking and instrument features.

A-prefix numbers occur in 1973–1975; B–F prefixes occur in 1974–1975. This system does not encode a month, day or exact model.

Confirmed vintage Gibson with the six-digits-plus-A system.

The specialist reference associates the A-suffix six-digit system with 1970. The digits themselves do not encode a date or exact model.

Confirmed vintage FON with a year letter following the batch digits.

A Factory Order Number tracks a batch and is not the same identifier as a serial number. It normally marks an earlier manufacturing stage; a separate label/serial may date completion later. These rules need confirmed FON context and must not be used to infer a production total. E can indicate 1939 or 1941 in observed examples; a following brand letter helps distinguish them. The listed years remain alternatives when the surviving stamp does not settle the distinction.

Confirmed high-grade/lap-steel FON with DA, EA or FA prefix.

A Factory Order Number tracks a batch and is not the same identifier as a serial number. It normally marks an earlier manufacturing stage; a separate label/serial may date completion later. These rules need confirmed FON context and must not be used to infer a production total. Later labels are known on some EA-marked instruments; completion year may be later than the FON batch year.

Confirmed FON beginning with a year letter, on an interior neck block or through the F-hole.

A Factory Order Number tracks a batch and is not the same identifier as a serial number. It normally marks an earlier manufacturing stage; a separate label/serial may date completion later. These rules need confirmed FON context and must not be used to infer a production total.