Epiphone serial numbers usually contain numbers and one or two letters. Some serial numbers use only numbers, while others use a combination of letters and numbers.
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Epiphone Serial Number Location
The serial number is usually on the back of the headstock. On semi-hollow guitars, it may be on a label inside the upper f-hole. On acoustic guitars, it is often on a label inside the sound hole.
Epiphone Serial Number Decoder
Enter the serial number in the search field, then click the Check button. The Epiphone serial number decoder will show you the country and production date of your guitar.
Epiphone Numeric Serial Number
11-Digit Serial Number
Let’s use 11051500160 as an example.
The first two digits show the year: 11 = 2011.
The next two digits show the month: 05 = May.
The fifth and sixth digits are the factory code: 15. (See list numbered factory codes).
The last five digits are the production number.
So, serial number 11051500160 is the 160th guitar made in May 2011 at the Qingdao factory in China.
Epiphone guitars have been made in China since 2004.
5-Digit Serial Number
Five-digit serial numbers with a space after the first digit and “Custom Shop” on the back of the headstock were used from 1990 to 1999.
The first digit shows the last digit of the production year.
The next four digits are the serial number.
Five-digit serial numbers with no space after the first digit were used from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1961 to 1967 on both acoustic and electric guitars.
6-Digit Serial Number
From 1961 to early 1970, Epiphone used six-digit serial numbers. Many numbers were reused during this period, so the exact production year can be difficult to determine.
A six-digit serial number starting with 0 indicates a guitar made in 1967.
7-Digit Serial Number
Seven-digit serial numbers do not include a factory code.
The first digit shows the last digit of the production year.
The second and third digits show the month.
These serial numbers were used on guitars made by Samick in Korea between 1984 and 1995.
8 and 9-Digit Serial Numbers
Eight and nine-digit serial numbers do not include a factory code.
Eight-digit numbers were used from 1990, while nine-digit numbers were used from 1988. These guitars were made by Samick in Korea.
Epiphone Alphanumeric Serial Number
1 Letter + 5 Digits
This format was used on Elite and Elitist models.
The letter shows the factory code.
The first digit shows the last digit of the production year.
The factory code can be F or T.
Example: Serial number T32222 is the 2,222nd guitar made in 2003 at the Terada Gakki Seisakusyo factory in Japan.
1 Letter + 6 Digits
The letter shows the factory code.
The next two digits show the last two digits of the production year.
Example: Serial number Z051234 is the 1,234th guitar made in 2005 at the Zaozhuang Saehan factory in China.
Between 2001 and 2010, only one digit was used for the production year.
2 Letters + 5 Digits
The two letters show the factory code.
The first digit shows the last digit of the production year.
Example: Serial number CI21234 is the 1,234th guitar made in 2002 at the Cort factory in Indonesia.
1 Letter + 7 Digits
The letter shows the factory code.
The first digit shows the last digit of the production year.
The third and fourth digits show the month.
The last four digits are the production number.
Because the year is shown by only one digit, the same format can point to the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s, depending on the factory code.
Example: Serial number S6031234 is the 1,234th guitar made in March 1986, 1996, or 2006 at the Samick factory in Korea.
2 Letters + 6 Digits
The first letter shows the factory code.
The next two digits show the last two digits of the production year.
The second letter, which is the fourth character in the serial number, shows the month: A = January, B = February, and so on.
The last four digits are the production number.
Example: Serial number R04G0123 is the 123rd guitar made in July 2004 at the Peerless factory in Korea.
1 Letter + 8 Digits
The letter shows the factory code.
The next two digits show the last two digits of the production year, and the next two show the month.
The last four digits are the production number.
Example: C99040233 is the 233rd guitar made in April 1999 at the Cort factory in Korea.
This format was used until 2010.
2 Letters + 7 Digits
The first letter shows the factory code.
The next two digits show the last two digits of the production year.
The second letter shows the month: A = January, B = February, and so on.
The last five digits are the production number.
Example: S07C00122 is the 122nd guitar made in March 2007 at the Samick factory in Korea.
This format was used until 2010.
2 Letters + 8 Digits
The first two letters show the factory code.
The next two digits show the last two digits of the production year.
The fifth and sixth digits show the month.
The last four digits are the production number.
Example: SI02060234 is the 234th guitar made in June 2002 at the Samick factory in Cileungsi near Bogor, Indonesia.
2 Letters + 9 Digits
This format works the same way as the two-letter + eight-digit format, but the production number has five digits instead of four.
Epiphone Factory Code Number Chart
| NUMBER | FACTORY | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | unknown | China |
| 11 | Qingdao | China |
| 12 | DeaWon or Unsung | China |
| 13 | unknown | China |
| 14 | DaeWon | China |
| 15 | Qingdao (electric) | China |
| 16 | Qingdao (acoustic) | China |
| 17 | unknown | China |
| 18 | unknown | China |
| 19 | Fine Guitars | China |
| 20 | DeaWon or Unsung | China |
| 21 | Unsung | Korea |
| 22 | unknown | Korea |
| 23 | Samick | Indonesia |
Epiphone Factory Code Letter Chart
| LETTER | FACTORY | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| B | Bohêmia Musico-Delicia | Czech Republic |
| BW | unknown | China |
| C | Cort | Korea |
| CI | Cort | Indonesia |
| DW | DaeWon | China |
| EA | Qingdao (acoustic) | China |
| ED | Dongbei | China |
| EE | QingDao (electric) | China |
| F | Fuji-gen (Elite/Elitist models) | Japan |
| F | Fine Guitars | Korea |
| FC | Fuji-gen (nineties) | Japan |
| G | QingDao (acoustic) | Korea |
| GG | unknown | Korea |
| GR | Farida, Guang Dong | Indonesia |
| I | Saein | Korea |
| IS | Samick, Bogor | Indonesia |
| J | Terada Gakki Seisakusyo | Japan |
| K | Korea Ins. | Korea |
| L | Leader Musical Instrument Co Ltd. | Korea |
| MC | Muse | China |
| MR | Mirr factory | China [Korea to 2004] |
| O | Choice | Korea |
| P | Peerless | Korea |
| R | Peerless | Korea |
| QG | Qingdao Gibson | China |
| S | Samick | Korea |
| SI | Samick, Bogor | Indonesia |
| SJ | SaeJun | China |
| SM | Samil | Korea |
| T | Terada Gakki Seisakusyo | Japan |
| U | Unsung | Korea |
| UC | Unsung China | China |
| Z | Zaozhuang Saehan | China |
Unclear Epiphone Factory Code Chart
| LETTER | FACTORY | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| H | unknown | Probably Hunan, China |
| GP | unknown | Probably Korea |
| JK | unknown | Probably Korea or Indonesia |
| SK | unknown | unknown |
| SN | unknown | Probably Indonesia |
| SW | unknown | unknown |
| WF | unknown | Probably China |
| X | unknown | Probably China |
| Y | unknown | Probably Korea |
If you’re not sure whether the serial number matches the production year, you can also check the pot codes on an electric guitar.
Dating Epiphone Acoustic Guitars
Epiphone Japanese Guitars
Epiphone acoustic guitars made by Matsumoku in Japan from 1970 to 1987 cannot always be dated reliably by serial number. The color and wording on the Epiphone label can help narrow down the production period.
Epiphone Blue Label
The first blue labels were leftover labels from the Kalamazoo factory. They had “Union Made” printed in the lower left corner, with “Made in Japan” stamped on the label.
These labels were used from 1970 to early 1971, until the old stock ran out.
Some early labels do not have “Made in Japan” or “Union Made”.
After the old labels were gone, Epiphone began using new blue labels with “Made in Japan” printed in the lower right corner.
Epiphone Brown or White Lincolnwood Label
The brown “Lincolnwood” label was used from 1976 to 1979.
The Lincolnwood label was also used on Taiwanese “Ep” series acoustic guitars from 1979 to 1980. These labels have “Made in Taiwan” printed in the lower right corner.
Epiphone Mottled Label
From 1980 to 1987, Epiphone used a mottled-pattern label on Japanese acoustic guitars.
Epiphone Korean Guitars
The color of the Epiphone “Made in Korea” label can help you identify when the guitar was made.
Epiphone Chinese Guitars
In 2004, Epiphone opened a factory in Qingdao, China.
Guitars made there do not use paper labels. Instead, they have “Made in China” stickers on the neck.
Masterbilt models are an exception. They have a label with the serial number inside the guitar body.
