A possible production date
Supported formats may encode a year and sometimes a month. Similar formats can be reused, so the result shows competing interpretations when the number alone cannot decide.
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Every instrument has a story
Ibanez serial
number lookup.
Follow a serial to a possible year and manufacturing origin. Look up a separately marked model in 1,978 model identities. Compare the evidence, missing context and supported OpenStreetMap area.
Start with the complete marking
What’s on your instrument?
Enter a serial number, a model name, or both. Each tells a different part of the story.
Explore an example:
Or explore a model name:
Independent research tool. Ibanez states that it does not manage models by serial number or disclose serial-number information. A matching format gives a possible interpretation; it does not verify a model, authenticity or ownership.
Read the clues together
A useful result keeps
the uncertainty visible.
A place with the right precision
Where research supports a location, explore it on OpenStreetMap. A country or city view marks that area. It is not proof of the exact building where your instrument was made.
A sequence, with context
A final set of digits can be a production sequence within a numbering system. It does not establish how many instruments of your model were made or its present-day value.
Evidence before certainty
Research you can
check for yourself.
The lookup compares your number with researched Ibanez numbering formats and links the interpretation to its sources. It checks the whole format, including any supported month and year limits. Where several rules fit, you can review them together.
Published serial guides are useful research aids, with gaps and exceptions. Ibanez’s own FAQ says serial numbers do not provide a public model lookup. Compare the instrument’s construction, model markings, hardware and original catalog alongside a serial result.
What this tool can help with
- Date clues: supported year and month codes, including alternative interpretations.
- Manufacturing origin: country, factory attribution or broader location, to the level supported by the source.
- A visual place reference: OpenStreetMap views with the map’s precision stated.
- The next research step: compare the physical instrument and the linked reference.
What a serial does not prove
The exact model, originality, authenticity, ownership, condition and market value need more evidence. Missing or unmatched numbers are not proof of a counterfeit.
Supported serial systems and gaps
These are format families, not a complete instrument registry. The same shape can have more than one interpretation. In the table, Y is a year digit, MM is a two-digit month and # is a sequence digit.
| System / shape | Supported period and limits |
|---|---|
Japanese month letterA–L + YY#### | 1975–1988 in automatic mode. A later impressed headstock number can be checked with the matching serial-location context. The first letter is a month, not a factory. |
Japanese factory systemsF + Y#####F + YY##### | Short F: 1987–1996, including reused F7 labels. Longer F: 1997 onward; sequence-block months are optional allocation estimates, shown separately from the serial year and only inside the supported block range. Selected short H/I and 1994–1998 Historic-series H formats are also covered. |
Korean / Indonesian month codesC/S/E/SI + YMM####C/S/A/SQ/SI + YYMM#### | Selected 1990s and 2000s systems, with era-specific limits. A/S formats can overlap Chinese production. Short E and some C year digits do not establish a decade; short SI can have several year candidates. |
Later I, J and KI/J/K + YYMM##### | I: 2001 onward. J has conflicting Indonesian / Chinese attributions, and later J country claims remain unresolved. K country attribution remains unresolved. The shorter I + YMM#### system keeps its disputed decade visible. |
GS, SS and PWGS + YYMM#####SS/PW + YYMM#### | GS, SS and PW are research leads. Their proposed date fields are withheld by default; no corporate factory is verified here. GS + YYU###### covers 2008–2009 without inventing a month for U. |
World month-code systemW + month + Y#### | 1999–2008. Month codes are 1–9, then X/Y/Z for October–December. The month comes before the year digit; the researched origin is South Korea. |
Short Premium and Sugi#####A/B, A–L + ####B–FA–L + YY + model digit + ## | Short Indonesian Premium: 2010–2015, with the late-2011 transition qualified. Sugi has a separate month/year/model-code system from the documented mid-2000s period. Model-code clues are scoped to Sugi; they are not universal country or model codes. |
Additional Korean suppliersP/C/Y/A + Y#####Y/A/SQ + YMM####CP/Y + YYMM#### | Prefix-specific periods and limits are retained. Earlier C/Y/A yearly shapes differ from later month-bearing systems. A supplier letter alone does not establish one factory for every era. |
KR, PR and IGDCKR/PR + YYMM#####IG + YYMM## | KR, PR and IGDC are retained as research leads with no default date. Their reported periods and field meanings need confirmation. |
FC mixed componentsFC + YMM#### | Mid-1990s Korean components with Japanese assembly. The result retains both countries; it does not invent a single factory location or map. |
Korean numeric acoustic labelsYMM###, YMM####YY######, YYMM###### | These systems require both a South Korea marking and inside-body label placement supplied as context. Ordinary numeric plates are not dated by these rules. |
More Chinese formats4L + YYMM#####M + Y#####, Z + month + Y#### | 4L is physically observed; its YYMM date interpretation remains a hypothesis. M and Z retain tentative or conflicting date claims. A separate nine-digit Chinese running number can be recognized with country context; it does not encode a verified date. |
| Model-specific plates and signatures | JS, early JEM / Universe, USA Custom, JP20 and LR10 need the matching family selected above. JS running plates do not encode a date. An ordinary numeric plate is not assigned a year automatically. |
Gaps include unverified acoustic label combinations, supplier prefixes, unusual instruments and replacement components. Unconfirmed five-digit J Custom numbering remains guidance, rather than an automatic date. A number outside these rules stays unresolved. Check the Ibanez Rules specialist guide, the community serial reference and the sources attached to each result.
The model is a separate clue
Read a model name,
one part at a time.
A name such as RG3520Z HBK combines a series, model digits and suffix or finish codes. Their meaning depends on the family and period. The model lookup above applies the supported conventions and keeps unresolved parts visible.
- RG
- Series or model family
- 3520
- Model digits; conventions vary by era
- Z
- A model suffix with a scoped meaning
- HBK
- A separate finish abbreviation
Older RG and S naming conventions differ from the Prestige strategy introduced in 2014. The same letter can also have different meanings in different models. A decoded name describes a naming convention; compare the actual instrument and its catalog for the specification.
Series and signature families · 15 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
ARZ | ARZ series |
AX | AX series |
AZ | AZ series |
AZS | AZS series |
JEM | Steve Vai JEM signature series |
JS | Joe Satriani signature series |
PGM | Paul Gilbert signature series |
RG | RG series |
RGA | RGA series |
RGD | RGD series |
RT | RT series |
RX | RX series |
S | S series |
SA | SA series |
UV | Steve Vai Universe series |
Product-line prefixes · 3 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
G | GIO line GIO entry-level line prefix. |
JC | J Custom line J Custom line prefix. |
US | USA Custom line USA Custom line prefix. This name alone does not establish the origin of every component. |
Retailer and special-run prefixes · 8 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
H | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Ikebe Gakki retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
I | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Ishibashi retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
K | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Musicland Key retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
M | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Kurosawa Gakki retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
R | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Rock Inn retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
S | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Shimamura Gakki retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
W | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Watanabe Gakki retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
Y | Japanese retailer spot-model prefix Yamano retailer-specific Japanese spot-model prefix; it does not identify a factory. |
Series modifiers · 11 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
B | Body binding Body-binding modifier. |
IB | Iron Label baritone Iron Label baritone identifier. |
IF | Iron Label fanned frets Iron Label fanned-fret / multiscale identifier. |
IM | Iron Label multiscale Iron Label multiscale / fanned-fret identifier. |
IR | Iron Label rosewood Iron Label rosewood-fingerboard identifier. |
IT | Iron Label neck-through Iron Label neck-through identifier. |
IX | Iron Label ebony/binding Iron Label identifier associated with an ebony fingerboard and abalone body binding in the source examples; confirm the specific catalog year. |
M | miKro Short-scale miKro line modifier. |
R | Reversed headstock Reversed-headstock modifier. |
S | Set-in neck Set-in neck-construction modifier. |
T | Neck-through construction Neck-through construction modifier. |
Model suffixes · 46 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
A | Top / regional code Ash or puma-ash top in some models / A regional GIO designation with unresolved meaning |
AH | Ash / anniversary code Ash body or top in some models / Australis–Hoshino anniversary designation in RG40AH |
AL | Axion Label Axion Label line |
B | Hardware / top / signature code Black hardware / A model-specific burl top / Bad Horsie in JEM77B |
BKP | Bare Knuckle pickups |
D | Pickup / inlay / deluxe code Dot inlays in some JEM models / Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio pickups in certain models / A shortened deluxe designation in some models |
DX | Deluxe trim Deluxe cosmetic treatment; exact inlay and binding vary |
E | Pickup / fingerboard / trim code EMG pickups in some models / A shortened EX designation in others / Ebony fingerboard in some models |
ET | EverTune bridge |
EX | Extreme trim Extreme styling / specification variant; this does not guarantee a particular pickup brand |
F | Bridge / top / pickup code Fixed bridge in some models / Flamed-maple top or veneer in others / Floating pickups or roasted flame-maple fingerboard in certain models |
FA | Flamed ash Flamed-ash top |
FM | Flamed maple Flamed-maple top or veneer; thickness and construction require the catalog specification |
FX | Fixed bridge |
G | Hardware / electronics code Gold hardware in some models / Roland GK-compatible electronics in other models |
GB | Gig bag Gig bag supplied with certain models |
GK | Roland GK Roland GK electronics |
H | Body / hardware code Mahogany body in some models / Semi-hollow construction in others / Hipshot D-tuner in certain models |
HAM | Hoshino anniversary Hoshino company 90th-anniversary model |
HH | HH pickups Two humbucking pickups |
L | Left-handed Left-handed version |
LTD | Limited / higher-tier variant Limited edition in some model names / A higher-tier version in other model names; quantity is not encoded |
M | Maple fingerboard Maple or roasted-maple fingerboard; confirm the model year |
MH | Mahogany body |
MS | Multiscale Multiscale fingerboard |
P | Inlay / Premium / pickguard code Pyramid inlays in some JEM / Universe models / Premium line in certain other models / Pearloid pickguard in some Talman models |
PB | Poplar burl Poplar-burl top or veneer |
Q | Quilted maple Quilted-maple top or veneer |
QM | Quilted maple Quilted-maple top or veneer |
R | Fingerboard / reissue code Rosewood fingerboard in some models / Reissue designation in others |
RE | Reissue Reissue designation |
S | Several model-specific meanings Solid top, soapbar pickups, stainless frets, short scale, special production, Sustainiac, or a particular wood/graphic depending on the model |
SH | SH pickups Single-coil and humbucking pickup configuration |
SM | Spalted maple Spalted-maple top |
SP | Special / spalted code Special edition in some models / Spalted-maple top in others |
T | Tremolo / vibrato Tremolo bridge or vibrato tailpiece; exact system varies |
TH | Anniversary Anniversary designation following the anniversary number |
TL | Tree of Life inlays Tree of Life fingerboard inlays |
UC | Prestige Uppercut Prestige Uppercut line |
V | Inlay / scale code Vine inlays in JEM models / Volo short-scale designation in certain bass models |
X | Piezo / extended scale Double Edge-family piezo system in some models / Extended scale length in other models |
XH | 27 frets Extended 27-fret fingerboard |
XL | Extended scale 27-inch extended scale in the cited RG examples |
XX | 20th anniversary 20th-anniversary designation |
XXV | 25th anniversary 25th-anniversary designation |
Z | Edge Zero family Edge Zero or Edge Zero II tremolo; the code does not distinguish the exact bridge version |
Finish abbreviations · 15 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
AGM | Apple Green Metallic |
BK | Black |
BKF | Black Flat |
DY | Desert Sun Yellow |
EB | Electric Blue |
GRF | Gray Metallic Flat |
GRM | Gray Metallic |
HBK | HBK finish code (color name not established here) |
PN | Purple Neon |
PWF | Pearl White Flat |
RF | Road Flare Red |
ROM | Roadster Orange Metallic |
TFF | Tri Fade Burst Flat |
WH | White |
WHF | White Flat |
Documented modern naming examples · 4 reference entries
| Code | Reference meaning |
|---|---|
RG652 | Selected 2014-onward Prestige convention A documented example of the alternative three-digit Prestige numbering convention. 6 strings · HH with pickguard |
RG655 | Selected 2014-onward Prestige convention A documented example of the alternative three-digit Prestige numbering convention. 6 strings · HSH with pickguard |
RG752 | Selected 2014-onward Prestige convention A documented example of the alternative three-digit Prestige numbering convention. 7 strings · HH with pickguard |
RG852 | Selected 2014-onward Prestige convention A documented example of the alternative three-digit Prestige numbering convention. 8 strings · HH with pickguard |
Based on the Ibanez Wiki model-number reference and its suffix guide. These are community references. Use the official Ibanez catalogs to confirm a model’s year-specific features.
Put the place in perspective
See where the story began.
Supported results include an OpenStreetMap view of the manufacturing area. Loading a result map connects to OpenStreetMap; your serial number is not included in the map link. An external link lets you explore the map in more detail.
Before you go
Ibanez serial lookup questions
Can a serial number identify my exact Ibanez model?
Usually it supplies date or manufacturing clues. The model name is a separate identifier, and Ibanez’s official FAQ says it does not manage models by serial number. Compare model markings and instrument features with reliable catalogs or documentation. A replacement neck may carry a serial date that differs from the body.
Why does my number return more than one possible year?
Some formats use a single year digit, and prefixes or number lengths can overlap between systems. The lookup keeps those possibilities visible. A made-in label and an independently known manufacturing year can help narrow the interpretation.
Does the map show the exact factory?
The map shows the supported location at the stated precision. Country-only information produces a country view; a supported city produces a city view. A city reference does not establish the instrument’s exact production address.
Can I use a dash or spaces in the serial number?
Yes. Keep all the letters, digits and leading zeros. Do not replace a letter with a digit just to make it match: compare O with 0 and I with 1 on the original instrument.
My serial number is not recognized. Is the instrument fake?
A missing match does not establish authenticity. Serial records and published format guides have gaps, and instruments can have unusual or replacement labels and components. Compare the whole instrument and seek an informed physical inspection when authenticity matters.
Does a sequence number tell me how many were made?
A sequence can apply to a factory, date period or numbering run, depending on the format. It is not a reliable production total for one model, and it cannot tell you how many survive.
Can I look up a bass or an acoustic guitar?
You can try the complete instrument serial. Coverage depends on the numbering format, rather than just the instrument type. For a numeric acoustic label, select its made-in country and inside-body label placement before applying a label-specific rule. Do not apply an electric-guitar rule to an acoustic or bass unless its period and manufacturing context also fit.
How do I find the right Ibanez manual?
Enter the instrument’s model name in the lookup above to get a Manuals+ search link, then compare its controls, bridge and other hardware with the manual. A serial-based date alone may not distinguish every model variation. Use the official Ibanez manual library or search Manuals+ for documentation.
Keep the details together