Gibson Serial Numbers

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Common back colors include translucent dark brown, translucent light brown, sunburst, cherry red, etc. How do we explain the scratched-out serial number? It appears to be a flat top with a German carve.

The sixth number is now a batch number- batch 0 starts at the beginning of the day, and once we stamp 699, the batch number will change to 1. It might cost you a sale or two but it will save you from returns, a bad reputation and angry customers.

Is this Gibson ES-335 legit? - The solid maple block down the center of the body minimizes feedback, but the hollow body wings gives good sustain, tone and weight. He has also endorsed the equivalents.

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. From 1943 to 1947, the logo was a thick golden script, known as the banner logo. Most models get a dotted i again in 1972, with the rest following suit from 1981 onward. Other Date-Linked Features Aside from the logos, each era of manufacturing included certain identifying traits such as the hardware tuners, knobs, plates, etc. 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. 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. These will generally date an instrument earlier than the serial number, as they were typically applied in the early stages of assembly. The year is indicated by the first letter in any series of letters for these years. The serial number on this Les Paul Junior indicates it was made in 1956. 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 first number of the sequence indicates the decade of production, followed by the three digit day of the year, and finally the year. 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.

Gibson Serial Numbers - 1977 to Present
This is an excellent way to break the headstock off or at least crack it. Since they are much more common, they are also easier and less expensive to obtain. The 1962 and later relector knob has a deeper post hole the bottom of the post hole comes much closer to the metal cap. This new serial number system allows determination of the exact date the instrument was stamped with the serial number, and the factory of manufacturer. The table below shows the years in which the numbers could relate. If follows there is a third letter E, it stands for Electric. It appears to be a flat top with a German carve. These are always electric from the factory. Gibson's most simplest system was introduced in 2014.