The orange labels inside hollow bodied instruments was discontinued in and were replaced by white and orange rectangle labels on the acoustics, and small black, purple and white rectangle labels were placed on electric models. A few bolt on neck instruments had a date ink stamped on the heel area. In , Gibson first introduced the serialization method that is in practice today.
This updated system utilizes an impressed eight digit numbering scheme that covers both serializing and dating functions. The numbers show Kalamazoo production, show Nashville production.
The Kalamazoo numbers were discontinued in Bozeman instruments began using designations and, in , Nashville instruments began using designations. It should also be noted that the Nashville plant has not reached the s since , so these numbers have been reserved for prototypes. Examples: means the instrument was produced on Jan. When the Nashville Gibson plant was opened in , it was decided that the bulk of the production of products would be run in the South; the Kalamazoo plant would produce the higher end fancier models in the North.
Certain guitar models built in the late s can be used to demonstrate the old-style 6 digit serial numbers. In the earlier years at Gibson, guitars were normally built in batches of 40 instruments. Thus, the older Gibson guitars may have a serial number and a F O N. The F O N may indicate the year, batch number, and the ranking order of production within the batch of This system is useful in helping to date and authenticate instruments.
There are three separate groupings of numbers that have been identified and are used for their accuracy. Examples are as follows: A 23 D 58 E Please note that most of this information relates to serial numbers used from to present. Mesa Boogie. Prior to when the Kalamazoo, MI factory was closed, the numbers indicated Kalamazoo production.
Ranking numbers continued to indicate Nashville production through Ranking numbers for Bozeman start each day at and the electrics may start as low as the s. Examples: means the instrument was produced on Jan. The sixth number is now a batch number- batch 0 starts at the beginning of the day, and once we stamp , the batch number will change to 1.
Gibson used 5 or 6 digit ink stamped serial numbers on Les Paul guitars from until The first digit of this style serial number indicates the last digit of the year it was manufactured. This is how to date a Gibson Les Paul serial number from the s. Gibson reused this serial number scheme for reissue guitars in the past 20 years as well, so check to see that the style matches.
Do you have a Gibson Les Paul with an ink stamped serial number? I am looking to buy Gibson Les Pauls with ink stamped serial numbers like this from the s. Gibson used the 6 digits or less impressed serial number style from until Gibson reused serial numbers during this time period so that's as close as we can narrow these guitars down without reading the potentiometer codes.
Here's an example of that style. The serial number is only one way for how to date a Gibson Les Paul from the s. Often the features and potentiometer codes are a better way. You can contact me here to sell a Gibson guitar. In Gibson began carving volutes-- small bumps of additional wood where the neck transitions to the headstock-- to cut down on warranty repair work.
Starting in , 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. If you feel like your guitar could be highly valuable or just want as much information as possible, we recommend finding an official appraiser or reach out to a Gibson representative.
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