Just like many other companies in the late 1980s, Fender decided to start manufacturing products in Korea. As with any new product line, Fender came up with a new numbering system for these guitars.
You would think after nearly 40 years of producing guitars, Fender would have a standardized serial number system down by now, right? Well, they didn't. The Korean Fender serial numbers are just as scattered and confusing as all the rest of their guitars. Let's take a look at the different serial numbers and see what they mean. What we do know about the early Korean days was that there were three different plants: the Samick pant, the Young Chang plant, and the Sung-Eum plant. Guitars produced by Samick used a serial number starting with an 'S' followed by six digits. Usually the first digit represented the year of production.
The Young Chang and Sung-Eum guitars used a serial number starting with an 'E' followed by six digits. The first number on the 'E' serial numbers is a little confusing. It does stand for the year of production in a way. The first year Young Chang produced guitars with in 1987-1988, but they didn't use a '7' or an '8' as the first number. They used a '1' because it was the first year of production. An 'E2' serial number was then used for 1989 since it was the second year of production.
At this point, they decided to start corresponding the serial number with the actual year, so in 1990 they used an 'E0' serial number. In 1991, they reused an 'E1' serial number.
It doesn't get more confusing than that, right? Here's how to tell the duplicate serial numbers apart. The 1980s guitars' serial numbers were written in silver ink. The 1990s numbers were written in black. Some early Korean serial numbers didn't have a lettered serial number at all. They just had six, seven, or eight digits with the first number representing the year.
Some of these no prefix serial numbers have been found on guitars produced all the way through 1996. Fender did some crazy stuff back then. Korean serial numbers starting with 'M' are said to actually be made out of plywood. Watch out for these! Here's a reference for the first few years.
1988 - 1993 Korean Squier Fender Serial Numbers Numbers Years 6 Digits 1988 - 1996 7 Digits 1988 - 1996 8 Digits 1988 - 1996 E1 + 6 Digits in Silver 1987 - 1988 E2 + 6 Digits in Silver 1988 - 1989 E0 + 6 Digits in Black 1989 - 1990 E1 + 6 Digits in Black 1991 - 1992 E2 + 6 Digits in Black 1992 - 1993 E3 + 6 Digits in Black 1993 - 1994 S9 + 6 Digits 1989 - 1990 S0 + 6 Digits 1990 - 1991 S1 + 6 Digits 1991 - 1992 S2 + 6 Digits 1992 - 1993 S3 + 6 Digits 1993 - 1994. After 1993, Fender really cleaned up their serial number process. They switched to two different plants: the Cor-Tek or Cort plant and the Saehan or Sunghan plant. Since Fender was using new plants to build their guitars, they decided the change the numbering system again, but this time they changed it to something more like the American guitars.
Both the Cort and Sungham plants used unique numbers. All Cort serial numbers started with the letter 'C'.
You would assume Sungham would use the letter 'S', but that was already taken by the Samick plant a few years earlier. Sungham ended up using the letter 'V'. Both of these serial numbers used an 'N' to represent the 1990s followed by a number that stood for the exact year.
This is similar to the American. So a guitar produced by Cort in 1992 would have a serial number of CN2 followed by five digits. Sungham guitars would be the same only starting with a 'V'. These serial numbers were used until 1997 when Fender stopped producing guitars at the Sungham factory. 1993 - 1997 Korean Squier Fender Serial Numbers Numbers Years CN0 + 5 Digits 1990 - 1991 CN1 + 5 Digits 1991 - 1992 CN2 + 5 Digits 1992 - 1993 CN3 + 5 Digits 1993 - 1994 CN4 + 5 Digits 1994 - 1995 CN5 + 5 Digits 1995 - 1996 CN6 + 5 Digits 1996 - 1997 VN0 + 5 Digits 1990 - 1991 VN1 + 5 Digits 1991 - 1992 VN2 + 5 Digits 1992 - 1993 VN3 + 5 Digits 1993 - 1994 VN4 + 5 Digits 1994 - 1995 VN5 + 5 Digits 1995 - 1996 VN6 + 5 Digits 1996 - 1997.
Since all guitar production was moved to the Cort factory, Fender decided to change its numbering system again. Starting in 1997, the Korean Fender Squiers used a 'KC' prefix that stood for Korean made in the Cort factory.
The 1997-1998 serial numbers were a little messed up. Fender used 'KC97' to represent 1997 and followed this prefix with six, seven, and eight digits. From 1998 on, Fender used the 'KC' prefix followed by a two-digit year identifier and six digits.
Disclaimer The Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used. It follows that potential scammers can use this knowledge to try to trick unsuspecting buyers. If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase.
Quote: Originally posted by Vestapol Is there something written that shows what the letters are of guitar serial numbers? I have never seen a public document that explains this. We have found out over the years that some of the letters stand for the factory where they are made (and the country if the same manufacturer is in multiple countries).
Take my D34SCE Augusta for example. It begins with SK, which I understand stands for Samick Korea, but my WD18SW begins with SI, or Samick Indonesia (Samick makes guitars for a lot of people - they're HUGE). My J56SW is made in China and also begins with a G, so my assumption is at this time that the G stands for the producer of these guitars.
Jim Dirkes - aka Deacon Charleston, SC The Pack: 2005 Washburn J56SWNA Timbercraft 2005 Washburn D34SCE Augusta 2004 Washburn WD18SW 2004 Washburn NV100C Classical 1996 Washburn D46S Cheyenne The Rest: 2005 Epiphone Les Paul Classic 1981 Electra Phoenix X140N. As you can see, it could mean many things depending on the manufacturer. Alembic The first 2 numbers of the serial number correspond to the year it was built.
There may also be present a letter code designating a certain model. The latter digits indicate the individual instrument and its place in production. American Archtops The digits after the dash in the serial number are the year that the guitar was made in. Tom Anderson The neck plate of each guitar has the date it was completed along with the letters A,N or P which stands for a.m., noon or p.m. Arpeggio Korina The first 2 numbers (they will have a space between them) are the year of manufacture, then a 0, then the production number for that year. Benedetto Benedetto archtops have a 4 or 5 digit serial number.the last 2 digits in the # are the year in which the instrument was made.
The digits in front of the last 2 are the instruments place in production. G.S.Brandt The year is on the label inside of the guitar - you can also use a mirror to read the inside of the top of the guitar which is signed and dated. Breedlove On the label, inside of the guitar - the first two numbers of the serial number is the year the instrument was made. Buscarino The last two digits of the serial number is the year in which the guitar was made in. Campellone The first three digits of the serial number are the sequence of production - the next two are the month - the last two are the year in which the guitar was made. Carvin From 1964 thru 1968 Carvin Guitars Do Not Have serial numbers.then in 1970 they started off with number 5000. Year Serial # 1970 5000 1980-1983 11,000 - 13,000 1983-1984 13,001 - 15,000 1985-1986 17,000 - 20,000 1988-1989 22,000 - 25,000 1989-1991 26,000 - 33,000 1992-?
Free download grain surgery for adobe photoshop cs3. Citron The first two digits of the serial number is the month in which the guitar was made.the second two digits are the year in which the guitar was made. Collings The date is on the label on the inside of the guitar. Comins The date is on the label on the inside of the guitar. Charles Cote' Basses Before 1995 Charles Cote' Basses Do Not Have Serial Numbers.starting in 1995 each bass has a 5 digit serial #.the first 2 #'s are the year in which it was manufactured. The last three #'s are the sequence in manufacturing of that year.
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Danelectro Most Danelectro serial #'s have 4 digits. The first 2 are the week of completion.the last digit is the year. D'Angelico John D'Angelico built 1,164 guitars, all by hand. The first few had no serial #'s. Looking at that list of manufacturers, the ones that have the most specific information are the custom/small shop builders or are companies that ahve been in continuous existence for many years. Of course Collings, Goodall, Langejans et al. Are going to have specific dates on their instruments.
They are, for the most part, hand crafted instruments and are built in the US. Easy to pinpoint the date they were completed. Import guitars are another matter. Our serial numbers specify a year, a month and often the country of origin and/or the name of the manufacturer. There are exceptions to this rule as each Asian vendor uses their own variation on this serial numbering scheme however rule of YYMMXXXX applies in general.
As far as the letters go, they denote the manufacturer. I've always been under the impression that this is confidential information but I will check to see if it's appropriate for me to post the info here. Bearin mind that all of this applies only to guitars manufactured from 1978 on as that is when the current owners began producing instruments under the washburn name. The owners prior to that had only been selling under the Washburn name for about 4 years.
Before that there hadn't been a Washburn since about WWII and we have absolutely no documentation for the pre war years of Washburn. Here's one in addition. The new Washburn I thought was an HB 30 sez it's an HB27TS on the sticker inside.
Not surprising, I guess, if it went as part of a special order to a big retailer. It looks like the HB 30 on the web site but? One web source sez the hb27 has a bolt-on mahogany neck.
This one has a set neck that looks like maple - what I think the HB 30 specs have been. Since in my youth 40 years ago I rebuilt crappy old imports with bolt-on necks, I do think I know the difference. SN DC04020747 that I take as being built in 2004. For what it's worth, the box I got in a pawn shop near an air force base looked as if someone bought it, then never really played it.
I'm slowly getting it into pro playing condition. The action's high for my thing as a nutty fingerpicker. (Wanna hear I'm a little teapot in A minor?) The sides of the frets, especially on the high string side are rough. I'll file them and mess a bit more on the action but this is the first time I've read of this issue in any reviews of the hb30. It's a decent-playing box. But the serials?
Go ahead and holler at me on the forum or email. This one has an old picker and newspaperman curious. Old guitar player.
Quote: Originally posted by n/a As you can see, it could mean many things depending on the manufacturer. Alembic The first 2 numbers of the serial number correspond to the year it was built. There may also be present a letter code designating a certain model. The latter digits indicate the individual instrument and its place in production. American Archtops The digits after the dash in the serial number are the year that the guitar was made in. Tom Anderson The neck plate of each guitar has the date it was completed along with the letters A,N or P which stands for a.m., noon or p.m.
Arpeggio Korina The first 2 numbers (they will have a space between them) are the year of manufacture, then a 0, then the production number for that year. Benedetto Benedetto archtops have a 4 or 5 digit serial number.the last 2 digits in the # are the year in which the instrument was made. The digits in front of the last 2 are the instruments place in production. G.S.Brandt The year is on the label inside of the guitar - you can also use a mirror to read the inside of the top of the guitar which is signed and dated. Breedlove On the label, inside of the guitar - the first two numbers of the serial number is the year the instrument was made.
Buscarino The last two digits of the serial number is the year in which the guitar was made in. Campellone The first three digits of the serial number are the sequence of production - the next two are the month - the last two are the year in which the guitar was made. Carvin From 1964 thru 1968 Carvin Guitars Do Not Have serial numbers.then in 1970 they started off with number 5000. Year Serial # 1970 5000 1980-1983 11,000 - 13,000 1983-1984 13,001 - 15,000 1985-1986 17,000 - 20,000 1988-1989 22,000 - 25,000 1989-1991 26,000 - 33,000 1992-? Citron The first two digits of the serial number is the month in which the guitar was made.the second two digits are the year in which the guitar was made. Collings The date is on the label on the inside of the guitar.
Comins The date is on the label on the inside of the guitar. Charles Cote' Basses Before 1995 Charles Cote' Basses Do Not Have Serial Numbers.starting in 1995 each bass has a 5 digit serial #.the first 2 #'s are the year in which it was manufactured. The last three #'s are the sequence in manufacturing of that year.
Danelectro Most Danelectro serial #'s have 4 digits. The first 2 are the week of completion.the last digit is the year. D'Angelico John D'Angelico built 1,164 guitars, all by hand.
The first few had no serial #'s.
Alongside Fender, Gibson, Martin and Rickenbacker, Gretsch was one of the original American guitar manufacturers. As such, there are a lot of vintage specimens hidden under beds, lurking in closets or parading in plain sight on shop walls (and Reverb listings). Half the battle of finding a great deal or pre-empting conflict is accurately dating the guitar in question. The guide below is intended to help you identify the production year of any Gretsch guitar, given the serial number and its location on the guitar.
This information has been compiled from multiple sources (cited at bottom). Their collective investigative legwork deserves the respect and gratitude of us all. Like the other Giants of Original American Guitars (save Martin), Gretsch had its share of corporate hand-offs and resulting serial number inconsistencies over the years. While the situation isn't quite as bad as say, Gibson or Guild, this guide should be viewed as the best available consensus, not gospel.
In some cases a serial number may leave you with a fuzzy span of several years, and in others you will know which number your guitar was within a batch during a specific month and year. And there's always the possibility of discovering a specimen that completely upends common knowledge about what was produced when. Just make sure it's not modified or a partscaster before screaming from the Gretsch-pert mountaintops. The best approach is to cross-reference the serial number with known features for the model during different eras and the personal account of previous owners. Getting the correct year is one thing, but getting the story behind a guitar is the fun part. The guide for that is much simpler: be nice, ask questions, offer whiskey. Overview of Gretsch Production Eras If you have absolutely no idea whether your Gretsch is old or new, a good place to start is the model number.
This will give you an approximate idea of the era during which your guitar was manufactured. It's also one more piece of evidence to pair with the serial number to corroborate the actual year. 1933 - 1948: Model numbers reflect retail price. The original Synchromatic models. 1948 - 1971: 6000 Series (example, the original 6120 Chet Atkins Hollowbody) 1971 - 1980: 7000 Series (though the 8000 Series started in 1979) 1979 - 1983: 8000 Series 1990 - present: G before the number. G6120) Does this also tell me where my Gretsch was manufactured, you ask? The bulk of vintage Gretsch specimens were manufactured in the original factory in New York, with a decade of Arkansas production during the '70s.
From there, things get a bit more complicated. See the reference below. Early 1900s - 1970: New York City 1970 - 1979: Booneville, Arkansas 1979 - 1981: Various locations including Mexico. Low production. 1989 - present: Japan (Terada factory) 1995 - present: US (Custom & Masterbuilt Series) 2000 - present: China and Korea (Electromatic & Synchromatic Series) You will also hear people throw around terms with Gretsch guitar like pre-Baldwin or Fender-era. This refers to the corporate ownership changes the company experienced over time.
Gretsch is unique in that it started as a family company, was bought out and later taken back by the family, only to be bought a second time. See the reference below. Pre-Baldwin Era: 1883 - 1967. Gretsch is family owned, growing to major distribution. This was the original Golden Age for Gretsch, particularly the late '50 and early '60s, when they enjoyed the endorsement of Chet Atkins and George Harrison. Baldwin Era: 1967 - 1981.
Gretsch is bought by Baldwin as a second choice after failing to buy Fender. Production moved to Baldwin/Burns factory in Arkansas. Quality and worker morale drop in the wake of new management and two factory fires. Chet Atkins withdraws his endorsement. Revival Era: 1989 - 2002. Gretsch (great grandson of the founder) buys back the company.
Production begins in Japan's Terada plant, mostly re-creating classic models. Fender Era: 2002 - present. Fender buys Gretsch with complete control. Model ranges expand and quality improves even further, with standard models produced in Japan and budget models produced in China, Korea or Indonesia. In the eyes of collectors, late '50s and early '60s models are most desirable, particularly specimens with the same features as those played by Harrison or Atkins.
Specimens from 1967 - 1981 are mostly considered player-grade, non-collectible guitars, though some models like the Atkins Axe and Super Axe have a strong following. In terms of raw playability, the made-in-Japan models of the last decade are regarded as high-quality instruments that avoid some of the flaws of the mid-20th century designs on which they're based. Serial Numbers To find the serial number on your Gretsch, start by looking at the headstock. On most modern (post-1989) Gretsch guitars, you'll find it on the back of the headstock. Some models from 1962 - late '60s also had serial numbers on the top of the headstock or on the model plate, but for most vintage specimens you'll be looking for a label, either visible through the F-hole on hollow bodies or in a control cavity for solid bodies (in which case you'll need some tools).
Before 1949 there were no labels and serials were written in pencil inside the guitar. Gretsch serial numbers were sequential (a la Martin) from 1939 - 1966. When Baldwin took over, serials became date-coded from 1967 - 1981.
Jackson Guitar Serial Number Decoder
Click on the links here to jump directly to the serial number style that matches your instrument:. Pre-War: 1939 - 1945 In the early years, Gretsch began with sequential serial numbers, written by hand usually in pencil directly on the inside of the guitar body.
As such, many of these serials will be faded, nearly illegible or erased completely. At the very least, if you only see three hard-to-read numbers, you can be fairly confident that it's a pre-war instrument.
001 to 999 1939 - 1945 Four Digit Sequential: 1945 - 1954 This era saw the transition from hand-written penciled serial numbers to official labels in 1949, though the numbering system remained the same. Keep in mind that the ranges below are best consensus approximations. A healthy +/- one year disclaimer is as good as it's going to get, based on the historical examples available.
In general, a higher number means the guitar was produced later in the year or transitioned into the range for the overlapping year. Notice the uptick in production in 1954.
1000 to 20xx 1945 - 1947 20xx to 30xx 1948 - 1949 30xx to 40xx 1950 40xx to 50xx 1951 50xx to 70xx 1952 70xx to 90xx 1953 90xx to 130xx 1954 Five Digit Sequential: 1954 - 1965 This era continued the same sequential numbering scheme. The only difference is that the number of guitars produced (and thus serial numbers) got higher. A funny thing happened, however, in 1957. A batch of nearly a thousand serial number labels were misplaced, only to be rediscovered - and used - in 1965.
A confusing but known anomaly. Thankfully, guitars made in 1965 had different features. See the end of our article if you're unsure whether your guitar is a '57 or a '65. 130xx to 180xx 1955 180xx to 210xx 1956 210xx to 260xx 1957 (Or 1965.
Check features.) 260xx to 300xx 1958 300xx to 340xx 1959 340xx to 390xx 1960 390xx to 450xx 1961 451xx to 530xx 1962 530xx to 630xx 1963 630xx to 770xx 1964 770xx to 840xx 1965 Baldwin Era, No Hyphen: 1966 - 1972 With the imminent Baldwin buyout and yearly production topping 150,000 guitars, Gretsch switched to a date-coded system in August of '66. Some specimens oddly have these serials stamped into the thin top of the headstock, while others have it on the back. Starting in June of '67, the words 'Made in the USA' were stamped next to the serial number. Here is the date-code breakdown.
The first digit(s) represent the month of manufacture (1 - 12 for Jan - Dec). The next digit is the last digit of the year (6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 1, 2 for 1966 - 1972). The last three digits most likely represent production number (188 for the 188th guitar made that month). Example: A serial number showing 118145 would indicate a guitar made in November (11) of 1968 (8) that was the 145th down the assembly line that month. Baldwin Era, Hyphenated: 1972 - 1981 These guitars are a bit easier to identify, since they are the only Gretsch specimens with a hyphen (or a space) after the first one or two digits.
The meaning of the numbers remained the same. The digits before the hyphen represent the month (1 - 12). Torrent download poweriso for windows. The first digit after the hyphen (or space) represents the last digit of the year (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 1).
The final three numbers represent the production number for that month. Example: A serial number of 4-3001 would indicate the 1st guitar made in April of 1973. Modern Pre-Fender: 1989 - 2002 When Gretsch the great-grandson regained control of the company, there was a solid decade of Japan production with a xxxxxx-xxx type serial number.
These serial numbers include year, month, model number and production order info. The first two digits are the year (i.e. The next digit(s) is the month (1 - 12).
The next three digits are the model number, all within the resurrected G6000 Series (i.e. 120 = G6120). The numbers after the hyphen represent the production number during the run of the model, not for that month or year. Example: A serial number of 998120-345 tells us this guitar was made in 1999 during the month of August (8) and is a G6120 model (120), the 345th to be produced during the Revival Era.
Starting in 1999, Gretsch began producing budget-level Electromatic, Synchromatic and Historic Series guitars in Korea. Unfortunately, these guitars followed no clear numbering system. Worse yet, the serial numbers were put on a simple sticker on the back of the headstock, ensuring that they would be lost immediately. Fender eventually corrected this when they took over in 2002, but there remains a batch of made-in-Korea Gretsch guitars from 1999 - 2002 that have no serial number. Fender Era: 2002 - Present Brand new Gretsch guitars seen hanging in shops today are the result of Fender's respect for the company's loyal fan base, an understanding of the Gretsch aesthetic and tight quality control. Thankfully, regardless of the series or point of manufacture, Fender decided to use a single serial number system for all post-2002 guitars. Contemporary Gretsch serial numbers have a two letter prefix indicating the location of manufacture, followed by a two-digit year, a two-digit month and a four-digit production number relating to that specific factory for the given year.
Example: A serial number of JT04021010 tells us the guitar was made at the Japan Terada factory (JT) in 2004 (04) during the month of February (02) as the 1,010th Gretsch guitar made at the factory that year. The key below shows which prefixes correspond to which factories. CS United States - Custom Shop CY China - Yako KP Korea - Peerless KS Korea - Samick JD Japan - Dyna Gakki JF Japan - FujiGen Gakki JT Japan - Terada IS Indonesia - Samick Caveats, Exceptions, Gratitude The serial number should serve as one piece of evidence in dating a guitar, even though it is usually the most powerful piece. Examine the checking on the finish, the age of the wiring, the tuners, the bridge and the knobs to corroborate the age of the guitar you're looking. If you're about to put down a hefty sum on a vintage Gretsch, we strongly encourage you to consult multiple sources such as Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars and to understand what features and hardware were original for a given year.
This will help avoid buying a guitar with non-original parts. We can hardly express enough how grateful we are for the hard work that the good folks at The Gretsch Pages website, Mike Lewis at Fender, Jay Scott and George Gruhn have put in to help refine the available public information on Gretsch serial numbers.
Disclaimer The Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used. It follows that potential scammers can use this knowledge to try to trick unsuspecting buyers. If you have any doubts as to a guitars’ authenticity please contact the guitar manufacturer before your purchase.
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