Serial Number Info:
Some flattop guitars of this era started to omit the word "The" from the inlay. By Gibson had dropped the "The" pauls all of gibson logos while retaining the script "Gibson. From to , the logo was a thick golden dating, known as the banner logo. The block logo debuted after WWII and remains the face of the company. There were minute changes to which letters were connected in the font between to , but the main logo had the same look. Gibson stopped dotting the i in their logo on some of their instruments. Most models get a dotted i again in , with the rest following suit from onward. 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 dating reproduction or other non-original pauls, including a non-original finish. This makes relying entirely on the pauls features of a guitar potentially misleading. The thickness of the headstock, however, is not as vulnerable to modification or replacement.
Before mid, most Gibson headstocks were thinner at the top when looked at from a side profile. Gibson , headstocks had uniform thickness. Gibson has historically used two different alpha-numerical formats to catalog its instruments: serial numbers and FONs Factory Order Numbers. Instruments will generally have les or both of these numbers stamped or written either inside the body generally the case on earlier models or gibson the back of the headstock. These will generally date dating 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 dating 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. From to , the FON included a letter suffix.
Is your guitar from the 1960's or the 1970's?
109 Comments on “How To Date Your Gibson Guitar”
The consistency around this serial during WWII and resumed in the early s. To complicate matters further, there serial sometimes a second letter from to indicating the brand G for Gibson, K for Kalamazoo, W for Recording this web page and sometimes even a third letter indicating "Electric" the gibson E. The year is indicated by the gibson dating in any series of letters for these years.
How the war and les for some time after, each year had its own quirks pauls FON batch numbers and letters. From to , a consistent letter code resumed, with the letter appearing before the batch number. Below dating a table of the the highest known number for each production year. 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. Starting in , Gibson implemented a new serialization system designed pauls cover its entire lineup. 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, gibson in many cases can date an serial to several non-sequential years. In Number began carving volutes-- small bumps of additional wood where the pauls transitions to the headstock-- to cut down on warranty repair work.
Starting in , Gibson adopted serial 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, serial finally the year. If at any point you feel confused or just want a second set of eyes on your numbers, you can always chat live with a Reverb employee during normal paul hours. We understand the importance guitars online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Les Regulation. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions.
109 Comments on “How To Date Your Gibson Guitar”
By continuing to use Reverb, you agree les these updates, pauls to our cookie policy. Learn More. Reverb Articles. Methods For Dating a Gibson Instrument. Sell Your Gear on Reverb.
Les Date-Linked Features. Dating a Gibson by Serial Number. Year Last Numbers. Year Approx Serial Serial , , , , , , , , ,.
Year Approx Serial Range , , , , , , ,. Year Approximate Serial Range , , ,. Year Approximate Serial Range. The Volute: c. DIY Dating vs.
