Gibson Serial Numbers 2012
admin 08.09.2019
DATING GIBSON GUITARS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL NUMBERS. Gibson has used various methods of numbering from 1900, so it is not simply based on the serial number to identify the year of manufacture. From 1902 to 1976, Gibson instruments have a serial number or a FON (Factory Order Number) or both.
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.
Dating Gibson Serial Numbers
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 InstrumentFor 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 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. Other Date-Linked FeaturesAside 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 YearFON Batch # Range1902 - 19161 to 36501917 - 192311000 to 120001924 - 192511000A to 11250A (suffix included)1925 - 19318000 to 99991931 - 19331 to 89019341 to 150019351A to 1520A19361B to 1100B19371C to 1400C19381D to 1000D19391E to 980E1940 - 19451 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.
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 that it was made in 1956. 1961-1969Starting in 1961, Gibson implemented a new serialization system designed to cover its entire lineup.
Gibson 6 Digit Serial Numbers
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.
Gibson Acoustic Serial Numbers
YearApprox Serial Range19-1464-6667096709670-0991963, -1001963, 0-1491963, -1991963, -1991963, -1963196419641221964, -196529653831965, -, -, -350-320699. YearApprox Serial Range-39653791965, -, 190-396639663966391-4966496649664251965-66, 190-5965, -5101965, -5561966, 191-695966, -596959695900969601-606090.
YearApproximate Serial Range-8968896899689968996896Despite 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. 1958 Les Paul CustomStarting in 1970, ‘Made in USA’ was stamped on the headstock below the serial number.The serial numbers from this period are generally as follows: NumberYear01-S19000S19000S19000S19000S1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, S1970, 1971, S1973, 1974, S1970, 1971, 197 NumberYear99XXXXXX197500XXXXXX197606XXXXXX19771977-CurrentStarting 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.