Samick Musical Instruments Co. was founded in September 1958 in Korea.
Samick’s founder, Lee Hyo-ik, was a Korean importer of Baldwin pianos. Around 1960, he also began producing his own pianos. By 1964, the company had begun exporting pianos to the United States.
A year later, in 1965, Samick began producing acoustic guitars. In 1969, Samick, in partnership with the American company International Music Corporation (IMC), founded the Hondo Guitar Company.
They began producing inexpensive acoustic guitars under the Hondo brand. The instruments were manufactured according to American quality standards.
In 1972, the company began producing electric guitars. Mandolins and banjos followed in 1976.
In 1976, they released guitars under the Hondo II brand. They were based on the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul. Since 1978, these guitars have been equipped with DiMarzio pickups.
Until 1989, Hondo guitars were primarily manufactured at the Samick factory in Korea.
In 1978, a Samick branch opened in Los Angeles. Samick instruments quickly gained popularity in the United States. In 1987, the American division, Samick Music Corporation (SMC), was established.
In 1992, the company opened a factory in Cileungsi near Bogor, Indonesia (PT Samick Indonesia). They moved production of the vast majority of their instruments there.
In 1995, Hondo Guitar Company was sold to MBT International, Musicorp. The Hondo brand was replaced by J.B. Player.
In 2006, Samick moved all production to Indonesia, and production in South Korea was discontinued.
In 2003, a group of Samick employees founded SPG (Sound Professional Guitar Co., Ltd.). The company acquired Samick’s Korean factory in 2006 after production ceased.
In 2011, a new line of instruments was released under the Greg Bennet Guitars label. Greg Bennett, a former Gibson luthier, designed this line for Samick. The electric guitars were equipped with Seymour Duncan-designed pickups, Grover tuners, and Wilkinson bridges.
Today, Samick produces guitars primarily under OEM license for several major brands, such as Fender/Squier, Gibson, Epihone, Gretsch, Ibanez, Jackson, and many others.
They also produce guitars under their own brand.
Since 1984, serial numbers have appeared on Hondo guitars. Around 1987, Samick began using regular serial numbers on its own guitars.
Where to Find The Serial Number?
The Samik serial number is located on the back of the headstock, or on the neck plate. On semi-acoustic and acoustic guitars, look for the serial number on the bottom inside the body.
How to Read Samik Serial Number?
Here are a few tips for identifying the year of Samick guitars:
- No Prefix (Pre-1987): For older models, the first one or two digits often indicate the year of manufacture.
- Prefix “S” (Korean Production): Guitars made in Korea after the late 80s usually have an “S” prefix. For 7-digit numbers, the first digit after the prefix indicates the year of production. For 8-digit numbers, the first 2 digits after the prefix are the year.
- Prefix “SI” (Indonesian Production): After 2006 some serial numbers began with “SI” (Samick Indonesia). The next two digits are the year.