Epiphone Serial Number Lookup
Epiphone guitars are manufactured in various factories across different countries, making it challenging to identify their origin or manufacturing date. However, each Epiphone guitar is marked with a serial number that, once decoded, can reveal details about its production location and date.
To check the year of production for your Epiphone guitar you need use serial number decoder and refer to the explanation of the dating system provided below.
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Where to find Epiphone serial number Location?
To find out Epiphone serial number of your guitar, search it on the headstock. For Semi-Hollow models, it can be found on the label inside the top f-hole, while for acoustic guitars, it can be found on the label inside the sound hole. The serial number usually contains a combination of digits and one or two letters.
Epiphone Serial number Decoder
The stamped serial number can consist of a series of digits, or letter(s) + digits.
Epiphone Serial Numbers with Only digits
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.
Epiphone 5 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.
Epiphone 6 digit serial numbers:
From 1961 to early 1970, Epiphone used 6-digit serial numbers. 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.
Epiphone 7 digit serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 8 and 9 digit serial numbers:
8 and nine 9 serial numbers without a factory code. These were used respectively from 1990 and 1988 and also manufactured by Samick in Korea.
Epiphone serial numbers with Letters and digits
Epiphone 1 letter 5 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 1 letter 6 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 2 letters 5 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 1 letter 7 digits serial numbers:
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, month of March at the Samick factory in Korea.
Epiphone 2 letters 6 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 1 letter 8 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 2 letters 7 digits serial numbers:
The letter indicates the factory code, the next 2 digits are the last 2 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 2007, built at the Samick factory in Korea.
This coding method was used until 2010.
Epiphone 2 letters 8 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone 2 letters 9 digits serial numbers:
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.
Epiphone factory code Digits
| 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 letters
| 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 |
Epiphone 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.
Epiphone acoustic guitar serial numbers
Epiphones made in 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.
Epiphone blue label
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.
Epiphone brown or white “Lincolnwood” label
Brown “Lincolnwood” label was used from 1976 to 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’.
Epiphone Mottled label
From 1980 to 1987 a mottled pattern label was used for Japan acoustic guitars.
Epiphones made in Korea
The color of the Epiphone made in Korea label makes it possible to identify the period in which the guitar was built.
Epiphones made in China
In 2004 a factory was opened 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.
