DATING GIBSON GUITARS AND MANDOLINS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL NUMBERS
Gibson is known for having the most duplicated serial numbers, and has used different numbering systems since 1900, making it challenging to determine the production year based solely on the serial number.
Between 1902 and 1976, Gibson instruments were assigned a serial number, a Factory Order Number (FON), or both. However, this practice was not always consistent, resulting in some instruments without any identification.
Where to find the serial number
You can find the serial number of a Gibson guitar either stamped or punched on the back of the headstock or inside the sound hole for acoustics. The acoustic models have been produced in Bozeman, Montana since 1989.
To determine the production year of your Gibson guitar or mandolin, you can use the serial number decoder or consult the TABLES PROVIDED BELOW.
Gibson is a legendary American guitar manufacturer known for producing high-quality instruments that have been used by many of the world’s most famous musicians. The company was founded in 1902 by Orville Gibson in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Orville was a luthier and craftsman who began making mandolins in the late 19th century. He developed a unique archtop design that set his instruments apart from others of the time, and in 1896 he patented this design.
Orville’s guitars and mandolins were initially sold under the name “The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd.” The company’s early success was due in large part to the popularity of mandolins during the early 20th century. However, as guitar playing became more popular, Gibson began to focus more on guitar production.
In the 1920s, Gibson introduced the L-5 guitar, which became an instant classic. The L-5 was the first guitar to feature f-holes, which gave it a unique sound that was well-suited for jazz music. The company also introduced the ES-150, which was the first electric guitar to be commercially successful. These two guitars set the standard for Gibson’s electric and acoustic guitars for many years to come.
During the 1930s, Gibson introduced the J-200, which quickly became one of the company’s most popular acoustic guitars. The J-200 was known for its large size and booming sound, and it was used by many country and western musicians of the time. Gibson also introduced the ES-300, which was the first electric guitar to feature a pickup with adjustable pole pieces. This allowed guitarists to adjust the sound of the guitar to their liking, and it quickly became a popular feature.
In the 1950s, Gibson introduced the Les Paul guitar, which has become one of the most iconic guitars in history. The Les Paul was designed in collaboration with jazz guitarist Les Paul and featured a solid body and dual humbucking pickups. The Les Paul became a favorite of many rock guitarists and has been used by artists such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Slash.
During the 1960s, Gibson introduced the SG guitar, which was a redesign of the Les Paul. The SG was lighter and had a more aggressive sound than the Les Paul, and it quickly became a favorite of rock guitarists. The company also introduced the ES-335, which was a semi-hollowbody guitar that became popular in both jazz and rock circles.
In the 1970s, Gibson introduced the Flying V and Explorer guitars, which were both unconventional designs that became popular with heavy metal guitarists. The company also introduced the L-6S, which was a solid body guitar with a unique pickup configuration that allowed for a wide range of tones.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Gibson continued to produce high-quality guitars and introduced new models such as the Firebird and the ES-137. The company also acquired other guitar brands such as Epiphone and Steinberger, which allowed it to expand its product offerings.
In recent years, Gibson has faced financial struggles and has filed for bankruptcy protection. However, the company has continued to produce high-quality guitars and has introduced new models such as the Gibson Custom Shop True Historic Les Paul and the Gibson USA SG Standard. Today, Gibson remains one of the most respected guitar manufacturers in the world and its instruments are played by musicians in all genres of music.
Serial numbers
Factory Order Numbers (FON) with a letter from 1935 to 1941
The FON consists a batch number of usually four digits, followed by a one letter (sometimes prefixed by a space) followed by one or two digits (ranking). • 1935-1937: Letter between the batch number and the order number. e.g. 0123 A5 • 1938-1941: Two or three letters before batch number. The first letter is the year. If there is a second character follows it is the code for the type of the instrument. (G = Gibson, K = Kalamazoo, W = Recording King (Montgomery Wards). If follows there is a third letter E, it stands for Electric. • Exceptions: Some high-end models and lap steels from 1939-1940 have been added the letter A, to the prefixes D, E or F.
1st Letter
PRODUCTION YEAR
A
1935
B
1936
C
1937
D and DA
1938
Ex (x = any letter)
1939
F and FA
1940
E (no sequel letter)
1941
G
1941
H
1942
Factory Order numbers with a letter from 1952 to 1961
The letter preceding the batch number in the FON, and indicates the year of production. The batch number, the first four digits of the FON, followed by a one or two-digit number. This letter must be before the FON batch number. e.g. Y1234 23
This was done on archtop models from 1952 to 1961 and is stamped on the inside of the F-hole. On flat tops it was stamped on the neck block.
FON
PRODUCTION YEAR
Z
1952
Y
1953
X
1954
W
1955
V
1956
U
1957
T
1958
S
1959
R
1960
Q
1961
Gibson serial numbers 1952 to 1961, solidbody model
A number stamped with ink on the back of the headstock.
Gibson’s solid bodys were released in 1952. Gibson did not use serial numbers at that time but started in 1953.
The first digit of the series number is the last digit of the year. If the stamped number consists of 5 digits, there is a space between the first and second digit (a separation between the last digit of the year and the actual serial number).
If it concerns a 6-digit serial number, there is no space, because the highest 4-digit number (9999) has been exceeded and the space therefore fills up. This was the case in the years 1955, 1956, 1959 and 1960.
In 1955, Gibson forgot to reset the series of serial numbers to 0001. So they had only set the year from 4 to 5. For this reason the series of 4 digit serial numbers was exceeded after 9999. Hence 5 digits and no space between the year (5) and the serial number. (after 5 9999 came 510 000)
Apparently the production was high in 1956 because 6 9999 is exceeded. Also in 1959 and 1960 there was a high production, 9 9999 is exceeded to 932 000 or higher. Thus, from the production in 1959, a 1, 2 or 3 may be the second digit.
Gibson stopped the stamped serial numbers at the end of 1960, although a few instruments were made in 1961 with a 1 as a prefix. Some lap steels and Les Paul’s from 1961 have such a serial number.
Another exception to the above rules is in the fall of 1958, where some Les Paul Juniors and Specials had a four-digit serial number.
1st Letter
PRODUCTION YEAR
None
1952
3
1953
4
1954
5
1955
6
1956
7
1957
8 (at the end of 1958, a number of LP Juniors/Specials had a four-digit serial number without a prior annual digit)
1958
9
1959
0
1960
1 (rare)
1961
Gibson serial numbers, from February 1961 until 1970
Gibson started in 1961 with a new series numbering system. They wanted to apply a more structured series of sequences, but in practice the opposite happened. Numbers were reused during this period, and in many cases the numbers were not strictly applied for successive years. For all models, the serial number is stamped on the back of the headstock. A number of serial numbers were duplicated from 1963 to 1969. From this period the 5-digit and 6-digit numbers are easy to confuse and give an incorrect year.
1st Letter
PRODUCTION YEAR
0100 – 42440
1961
42441 – 61180
1962
61450 – 64222
1963
64240 – 71040
1964
71041 – 96600
1962 (some 1963 and 1964)
96601 – 99999
1963
000001 – 099999
1967 (all 6-digit numbers starting with 0. are 1967)
100000 – 106099
1963 or 1967
106100 – 106899
1963
109000 – 109999
1963 or 1967
110000 – 111549
1963
111550 – 115799
1963 or 1967
115800 – 118299
1963
118300 – 120999
1963 or 1967
121000 – 139999
1963
140000 – 140100
1963 or 1967
140101 – 144304
1963
144305 – 144380
1964
144381 – 149864
1963
149865 – 149891
1964
149892 – 152989
1963
152990 – 174222
1964
174223 – 176643
1964 or 1965
176644 – 250335
1964
250336 – 305983
1965
306000 – 310999
1965 or 1967
311000 – 320149
1965
320150 – 320699
1967
320700 – 329179
1965
329180 – 330199
1965 or 1967
330200 – 332240
1965, 1967 or 1968
332241 – 348092
1965
348093 – 349100
1966
349121 – 368638
1965
368640 – 369890
1966
370000 – 370999
1967
380000 – 385309
1966
390000 – 390998
1967
400001 – 406666
1966
406667 – 409670
1966 – 1968
409671 – 410900
1966
410901 – 419999
not known
420000 – 429193
1966
500000 – 500999
1965, 1966, 1968 or 1969
501009 – 501600
1965
501601 – 501702
1968
501703 – 502706
1965 or 1968
503010 – 503109
1968
503405 – 520955
1965 or 1968
520956 – 530056
1968
530061 – 530850
1966, 1968 or 1969
530851 – 530993
1968 or 1969
530994 – 539999
1969
540000 – 540795
1966 or 1969
540796 – 545009
1969
555000 – 557999
1966
558000 – 567400
1969
570087 – 570643
1966
570645 – 570755
1966 or 1967
570857 – 570964
1966
580000 – 580080
1969
580086 – 580999
1966, 1967 or 1969
600000 – 600998
1966, 1967, or 1968 (low end models)
600000 – 606090
1969 (high end models)
700000 – 700803
1966, 1967 or 1969
750000 – 750999
1968 or 1969
800000 – 800999
1966, 1967, 1968 or 1969
801000 – 812838
1966 or 1969
812900 – 819999
1969
820000 – 820087
1966 or 1969
820088 – 823830
1966
824000 – 824999
1969
828002 – 847488
1966 or 1969
847499 – 858999
1966 or 1969
859001 – 891999
1967
892000 – 896999
1968
897000 – 898999
1967 or 1969
899000 – 899999
1968
900000 – 909999
1970
910000 – 999999
1968
Gibson serial numbers, early to mid 70th
From 1970 to 1975 the 6 digit serial numbers were randomly created.
In a random order, numbers were stamped on the back of the headstock. With some instruments preceded by a letter.
In 1970 the orange labels inside the body of acoustic guitars were replaced by white with orange rectangular labels.
The electric models were provided with a rectangular with black and purple triangle. From 1970 “MADE IN USA” was also stamped on the back of the headstock. Some instruments from the fifties also had such a stamp.
Gibson serial numbers, 1970-1975
After production continued by Gibson’s new company Norlin (1969-1986), the same confusing six-digit serial system from the 1960s continued until 1975. This means that instruments with the same serial number were produced either in the 1960s or 1970s.
Guitars got six digits in random order, and in some cases they were preceded by a letter that did not seem to have meaning.
Note that the serial numbers between 1970 and 1975 may be a repeat of the serial numbers from 1964 and 1965. In 1970 some 6 digit serial numbers had the letter A as a suffix.
The table below shows the years to which the numbers can relate.
Serial number range
PRODUCTION YEAR
000000 – 099999
1973
100000 – 199999
1970 – 1975
200000 – 299999
1973 – 1975
300000 – 399999
1974 – 1975
400000 – 499999
1974 – 1975
500000 – 599999
1974 – 1975
600000 – 699999
1970 – 1972 and 1974 – 1975
Limited Editions The limited editions from 1975 to 1977 have a gold colored serial number and imprint “Made in USA”. These serial numbers are preceded by 2 digits. 99 = 1975, 00 = 1976 and 06 = 1977.
Serials 1977 – June 2005 Gibson’s most sustainable numbering system was launched in 1977, an eight-digit number. The first and fifth digits represented the year of manufacture. The three intervening digits, the day of that year. The digits six to eight indicated the sequence number. Example: 80923015 80923015 is: 1983, day 092 (day 92 of 1983 is 2 April), production number 015.
After the opening of the new factory in Nashville, production was also included in the serial numbers. 001 to 499 appeared on instruments built in Kalamazoo, 500 to 999 built in Nashville.
Even after the Kalamazoo plant closed in 1984, this process continued until 1989 in Nashville.
In July 2005 this 8 digit system was updated by adding 1 digit. The 6th digit is now the batch number, and the last 3 digits are the sequence number of the batch. The sequence number runs from 500 to 699. Example: 113142030 is the 30th instrument from batch 4 of May 11, 2014. When 699 is reached the batch number is incremented by 1, and the sequence number is reset to 500. This coding system was used until 2014.
This system was changed again at the beginning of 2014. The day and batch number were no longer included in the serial number. The serial number now consists of 9 digits, the first 2 of which indicate the year and the next 7 digits the sequence number.
160001234 is production year 2016 with sequence number 0001234.
Gibson closed the Memphis plant in April 2019. The production of “USA made” solid body guitars is now only produced in Nashville.
If you can not find a serial number, you can approximate the age of a semi/electric guitar on the basis of the potentiometers. The code on potentiometers gives information about the manufacturer and the year and week when it is made.
The Gibson logo can also give an indication of the year of construction (approximately). The first logo (1902-1920) on Gibson’s guitars was in italic typeface, inlaid with pearl. Some specimens from 1903 to 1907 were not oblique, or had no logo at all.
During the period from the end of the 1920s to 1933 the logo was no longer placed obliquely. From some flattop guitars from this era the word “The” was omitted from the logo. From the end of 1933 to 143, Gibson had omitted the “The” of all their logos. The original thin letters were replaced after 1933 by a thicker font.
From 1943 to 1947 the logo was printed in thick gold, also called the banner logo. Some models, such as the LG-2 and the L-50s, have a real banner in the middle of the headstock with the text “Only a Gibson Is Good Enough”.
The block logo made its appearance after World War II and is till the face of Gibson to this day. Between 1968 and 1981 the dot on the “i” was omitted on some guitars. Most models get a dot on the “i” again in 1972, the rest follows from 1981.
FAQ
How can I tell what year my Gibson was made?
Guitar Decoder helps you date your Gibson guitar by checking its serial number. Gibson is known for having the most duplicated serial numbers, and has used different numbering systems since 1900, making it challenging to determine the production year based solely on the serial number.
How do I find Gibson serial number?
You can find the serial number of a Gibson guitar either stamped or punched on the back of the headstock or inside the sound hole for acoustics. The acoustic models have been produced in Bozeman, Montana since 1989.
