Gretsch is an American musical instrument company. It was founded in Brooklyn in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch. The company began using serial numbers on its guitars in 1939. The earliest numbers were written in pencil inside the body.
A serial number can help you find when your Gretsch guitar was made. This is one of the best ways to date the instrument. It can also help you check whether the guitar matches its parts and features.
Gretsch guitars were made in the United States. Early Gretsch instruments were built in Brooklyn, New York. Later production continued under Baldwin in Booneville, Arkansas.
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Where to Find a Gretsch Serial Number
Many older Gretsch guitars have the serial number on a paper label. If your guitar is hollow-body or semi-hollow, look through the f-hole into the body. You are looking for a label inside the guitar with printed information such as the model and serial number.
If your Gretsch is solid-body, check also the control cavity.
If you don’t see a label, check the back of the headstock. This is a very common place on many later guitars. Also check the top edge of the headstock.
A few older Gretsch guitars have the serial number on the headstock nameplate. In that case, the number is pressed into the plate itself.
On very early Gretsch guitars, the serial number may be written in pencil inside the body. These numbers can be hard to read.
Handwritten Gretsch Serial Number 1939-1949
Gretsch began putting serial numbers on guitars in 1939. The first guitar serial numbers were written in pencil inside the body. They were usually written on the inside back of the guitar. At first, this was mostly done on higher-end Synchromatic models.
These numbers were sequential. Each new guitar got the next higher number.
Use this chart for early handwritten and pencil Gretsch serial numbers.
| Serial Number Range | Approximate Year |
|---|---|
| 001 to 999 | 1939 to 1945 |
| 1000s to 2000s | 1946 to 1947 |
| 2000s to 3000s | 1948 to 1949 |
The main dating rule here is the number of digits. A 3-digit pencil serial usually points to 1939-1945. A 4-digit pencil serial usually points to the later 1940s.
Gretsch began using stamped serial numbers in 1945 and label numbers in 1949. However, until the early 1950s, they continued to use numbers written in pencil.
Stamped Gretsch Serial Number 1945-1965
In 1945, Gretsch first began using stamped serial numbers. These numbers were impressed into the top edge of the headstock. At first, this was mainly done on some lower-priced guitars.
From the early 1950s to 1962, stamped serial numbers are seen much less often. They returned on many Electrotone and solid-body guitars from 1962 to 1965.
Some Viking, Falcon, and Country Gentleman guitars made from 1958 to 1965 have the serial number impressed into the headstock nameplate instead of the wood.
Use this chart for stamped Gretsch serial numbers.
| Serial Number Range | Approximate Year |
|---|---|
| 1000s to 3000s | 1945 to 1950 |
| 4000s to 5000s | 1951 |
| 5000s to 6000s | 1952 |
| 6000s to 8000s | 1953 |
| 9000s to 12000s | 1954 |
| 12000s to 16000s | 1955 |
| 17000s to 21000s | 1956 |
| 22000s to 26000s | 1957 |
| 27000s to 30000s | 1958 |
| 30000s to 34000s | 1959 |
| 34000s to 39000s | 1960 |
| 39000s to 45000s | 1961 |
| 46000s to 52000s | 1962 |
| 53000s to 63000s | 1963 |
| 63000s to 77000s | 1964 |
| 77000s to 84000s | 1964 to early 1965 |
Paper Label Gretsch Serial Number 1949-1965
In 1949, Gretsch began using labels inside its guitars. These labels show the company name, the model number, and the serial number. On hollow-body guitars, the label is usually visible through the f-hole. On solid-body and chambered models, it is usually in the control cavity.
The first label style was a white rectangle. It was used from 1949 to 1957.
In 1957, at serial number 25001, Gretsch changed to the orange oval label on a gray and white background. That label was used until 1965.
These label serial numbers are sequential. Each new guitar got the next higher number.
Use the chart above to search for these serial numbers.
In the early 1950s, some guitars still used older pencil numbers. Then from 1962 to 1965, some solid-body and Electrotone models used impressed serial numbers instead of labels. Some Viking, Falcon, and Country Gentleman guitars from 1958 to 1965 also have the serial number on the headstock nameplate.
Gretsch Date-Coded Serial Number 1965-1981
Gretsch changed from the older sequential serial number to a date-coded system in 1965. This format was used through the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
The serial number was moved to the back of the headstock. On some guitars made before 1967, it can also be found on the top edge of the headstock.
Toward the end of 1967, after Baldwin took over the company, Gretsch continued using this date-coded system. At that point the number was again placed on the back of the headstock. From about June 1967 to 1973, many guitars also have Made in USA stamped next to the serial number.
The new serial number indicated the guitar’s production date. The first one or two digits show the month. The next digit shows the last digit of the year. The remaining digits show the production sequence.
Examples:
58321 = May 1968, guitar 321
4712 = April 1967, guitar 12
127045 = December 1970 or December 1980, guitar 45
This system gets harder around 1970 to 1972. Numbers that begin with 10, 11, or 12 can be confusing. In those cases, the guitar’s features help confirm the date.
From 1973 to 1981, many Gretsch guitars used a second date-coded format with a hyphen. The digits before the hyphen show the month. The first digit after the hyphen shows the last digit of the year. The last 3 digits show the production number.
Examples:
3-4127 = March 1974, guitar 127
7-8456 = July 1978, guitar 456
11-5123 = November 1975, guitar 123
2-9804 = February 1979, guitar 804
Not every 1970s Gretsch serial number is date-coded. Some f-hole guitars from 1969 to 1981 have 5-digit label numbers that begin with 1 or 2. Those numbers are sequential. They are NOT date-coded.
On many guitars from the late 1960s and early 1970s, this number appears on an orange and grey label with That Great Gretsch Sound printed at the bottom.
Later guitars 1972-1981, use a black and white Gretsch Guitars label. Because these serial numbers are not date-coded, the best way to date the guitar is by combining the label style, the model number series, and the guitar’s features.
Japanese Gretsch Serial Number 1989-2002
Gretsch guitar production stopped by 1981. The Gretsch family bought the brand back in 1985. New Gretsch guitars returned in 1989. During this time, production was restarted in Japan, mainly through Terada for higher-end models.
Japanese-made Gretsch guitars use a different serial number logic. Most of these serial numbers are found on the back of the headstock.
This format looks like: YYMmmm-xxx or YYMMmmm-xxx.
The first 2 digits show the year.
The next 1 or 2 digits show the month.
The next 3 digits show the model number.
The digits after the hyphen show the production number.
So serial number 951120-014 means:
95 = 1995.
11 = November.
20 = model code.
014 = production number.
One important point: the last digits after the hyphen are not the monthly production total. They show the production number for that model run.
Starting in 1999, Gretsch added lower-priced Electromatic, Synchromatic, and Historic Series guitars made in Korea. Those guitars did not follow one clear serial number system. Many used a sticker on the back of the headstock, and some of those stickers are now missing. So this Japanese serial number format works for the Japanese-made models, not for every Gretsch guitars from 1999 to 2002.
Letter Prefix Gretsch Serial Number Since 2003
In 2003, Gretsch was sold to Fender, which decided to introduce a unified serial number system for all guitars.
This is the system used on modern Gretsch guitars and basses. The serial number is usually found on the back of the headstock.
Modern Gretsch serial numbers start with a two-letter factory prefix. After that come 2 digits for the year, 2 digits for the month, and 4 digits for the production number: Prefix + YY + MM + ####.
For example, serial number JT14082345 means:
- JT = Japan, Terada.
- 14 = 2014.
- 08 = August.
- 2345 = production number.
Serial number CY23050127 means:
- CY = China, Yako.
- 23 = 2023.
- 05 = May.
- 0127 = production number.
The last 4 digits are the yearly production sequence for that factory. Numbers from 0001 to 0100 were reserved for prototypes, samples, one-offs, and other special instruments.
These are the main modern factory prefixes:
| Prefix | Factory |
|---|---|
| JT | Japan, Terada |
| JD | Japan, Dyna Gakki |
| JF | Japan, Fuji-Gen Gakki |
| CY | China, Yako |
| KP | Korea, Peerless |
| KS | Korea, Samick/SPG |
| CS | U.S. Custom Shop |