Epiphone Serial Numbers

The stamped serial number can consist of a series of numbers, or letter(s) and numbers.

Only numbers
For an eleven digit serial number, the encoding is as follows:
Example: 11051500160
The first two digits are the last 2 digits of the year. (11)
The next two digits represent the month. (05)
The 5th and 6th digit represent the factory code.. (15)
(See list numbered factory codes)
The last 5 digits form the series sequence number.
Serial number 11051500160 is the 160th guitar built in May 2011
at the factory of Qingdao in China.
(Since 2004 Epiphone guitars have been produced in China)

Five digit serial numbers.
Five digits with a space after the first digit and custom shop on the back of the headstock, applied from 1990 to 1999.
The first digit is the last digit of the production year, the following four digits are the serial number.
Five digits no space after the first digit were used from 1951 to 1956 and from 1961 to 1967 for both acoustic and electric models.

Six digit serial numbers
From 1961 to early 1970, Epiphone used 6-digit serial numbers in the Gibson serial number line. However, many serial numbers were duplicated during this period, making the exact production year difficult to trace. It is certain that the models with a 6 digit serial number starting with 0 were produced in 1967.

Seven digit serial numbers do not have a factory code.
Here is the first digit the last year of the decade. The 2nd and 3rd numbers represent the month.
These were manufactured in Korea by Samick between 1984 and 1995.

Eight and nine digit serial numbers without a factory code.
These were used respectively from 1990 and 1988 and also manufactured by Samick in Korea.

Letter(s) and numbers

One letter five digits
This combination was applied to the Elite/Elitist models.
The letter indicates the factory code and the first digit is the last digit of the year (since 2002).
The factory code can be an F or a T here.
(See list Factory code letter)
Example: Serial number T32222 is the 2222th guitar of 2003
built in the factory of Terada Gakki Seisakusyo, Japan.

One letter six digits
The letter indicates the factory code and the first and second digit are the last two digits of the year.
Example: Serial number Z051234 is the 1234th guitar built in 2005 at the Zaozhuang Saehan factory in China.

Between 2001 and 2010 only 1 digit was used for the production year.

Two letters five digits
The letters indicate the factory code and the first digit is the last digit of the year.
Example: Serial number CI21234 is the 1234th guitar built in 2002 at the Cort, Indonesia factory.

One letter seven digits
The letter indicates the factory code and the first digit is the last digit of the year.
The 3rd and 4th digits represent the month.
The last 4 digits form the series sequence number.
Because the year is only represented by 1 digit, guitars with this coding from the 80s, 90s or a decade of 2000 (depending on the factory code).
Example: Serial number S6031234 is the 1234th guitar built in 1986, 1996 or 2006 at the Samick factory in Korea.

Two letters six digits
The letter indicates the factory code and the next two digits are the last two digits of the year.
The second letter (fourth character) stands for the month.
(A = January, B = February, etc.)
The last 4 digits form the series sequence number.
Example: Serial number R04G0123 is the 123th guitar of July 2004, built in the Peerless, Korea factory.

One letter eight digits
The letter indicates the factory code, the next two digits are the last two digits of the year.
The 3rd and 4th digits represent the month.
The last 4 digits form the series sequence number.
Example: C99040233 is the 233rd guitar of April 1999, built in the Cort factory, Korea.
(This coding method was used until 2010).

Two letters seven digits
The letter indicates the factory code, the next two digits are the last two digits of the year.

The second letter (fourth character) stands for the month. (A = January, B = February, etc.)
The last 5 digits form the series sequence number.
Example: S07C00122 is the 122th guitar of March 2004, built at the Samick factory in Korea.
(This coding method was used until 2010)

Two letters eight digits
The 2 letters indicate the factory code, the next two digits are the last two digits of the year.
The 5th and 6th digits represent the month.
The last 4 digits form the series sequence number.
Example: SI02060234 is the 234th guitar of June 2002, built at the Samick factory in Cileungsi near Bogor, Indonesia.

Two letter nine digits
This coding is the same as the coding of two letter eight digits
with the difference that here is 5 digits for it sequence number
are used.

Acoustic guitars

Japan

The acoustic guitars from Epiphone, which were manufactured by Matsumoku in Japan from 1970 to 1987, are not reliable serial numbering system, but can be approximately dated by color and inscription from the Epiphone label.
Blue label 1970-1975
The first blue labels that were used were leftover labels from the Kalamazoo factory.
In the bottom left corner of these labels is printed “Union Made” and stamped, “Made in Japan”.
Until supplies ran out, they were used from 1970 until the beginning of 1971. Some of these first labels do not include Made in Japan or Union Made.
After supplies ran out, new blue labels were used where in the lower right corner “Made in Japan” is printed.
Brown or white “Lincolnwood” label 1976-1979
The Lincolnwood label was also used for the acoustic guitars of
the Taiwanese “Ep” series from 1979-1980.
These labels in the bottom right corner say, ‘Made in Taiwan’.
From 1980 to 1987 a mottled label was used.

China

In 2004 Gibson opened a factory in Qingdao, China, which produces Epiphone guitars.

No labels have been used here, but stickers with “Made in China” are glued to the neck of the guitars. With the exception of the Masterbilts, these do have a label with a serial number in the resonance box.

Numbered factory codes

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

Factory code letter

NUMBER	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 Letter factory codes

NUMBER	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 are unsure whether the serial number corresponds with the year of manufacture, you can do a potmeter-check with an electric model.