Samick started making guitars in 1965. For many years, the company made instruments both under its own name and for other brands. This is one reason Samick serial numbers can be difficult to decode.
Serial numbers began appearing on Hondo guitars in 1984. Around 1987, Samick started using regular serial numbers on its own guitars.
Samick did not have one serial number system for all of its guitars. The format changed over time and could also depend on the factory or guitar type. Some early guitars have no serial number at all. Later bolt-on, set-neck, and semi-hollow models can also use different formats. A serial number may help identify the year or factory, but it does not always tell you the exact model.
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Where to Find a Samick Serial Number
On many Samick guitars, the serial number is on the back of the headstock. On some older guitars, it appears on a white sticker with a black border placed on the back of the headstock or near the heel of the neck. These stickers often wear off or go missing, so the serial number may be gone even if the guitar originally had one.
On many bolt-on Samick guitars, the serial number can be on the neck plate.
On some semi-hollow models, you can find it on the label inside the f-hole.
Samick Serial Number Decoder
Enter the serial number of your Samick guitar and click the “Check” button. The decoder will display the year and country of manufacture.
Samick Serial Number From 1984 to 1989
The first known Samick serial numbers appeared in 1984 on Hondo and other Samick contract guitars.
These serial numbers had the following format: YMMPPPP.
The first digit is the year in the 1980s.
The next 2 digits are the month.
The last 4 digits are the production number.
Example: 7041826 reads as April 1987, production number 1826.
In 1988, Samick also used a longer format on some guitars: YYMMPPPPP.
The first 2 digits are the year.
The next 2 digits are the month.
The last 5 digits are the production number.
Example: 880912345 reads as September 1988, production number 12345.
In the mid-1980s, some early Samick guitars, including the Mastercaster series, had serial numbers in the 110PPPP or 120PPPP format. The exact meaning of the first three digits is still unknown.
These numbers were usually printed on a white sticker with a black border, placed on the back of the headstock or near the heel of the neck. Many of these stickers are now missing.
Samick Serial Number From 1990 to 1993
From 1990 to 1993, Samick was changing its serial number formats. The format can vary depending on the guitar type and where the serial number appears on the instrument.
The most common early-1990s format is YYMMPPPP.
The first 2 digits show the year.
The next 2 digits show the month.
The last 4 digits show the production number.
Example: 92071436 reads as July 1992, production number 1436.
In the early 1990s, Samick also introduced serial numbers with an S prefix: SYYMMPPPP. The rest of the number follows the same format:
The first 2 digits show the year.
The next 2 digits show the month.
The last 4 digits show the production number.
Example: S93050827 reads as May 1993, production number 827.
These serial numbers are most often found on a sticker on the back of the headstock or near the heel of the neck. Many of those stickers are now missing.
Samick Serial Number From 1992 to 2005
Starting around 1992, many Korean-made Samick guitars had the serial number printed directly on the back of the headstock instead of on the stickers found on earlier guitars. The most common Korean Samick format from this period begins with S.
In 1992, a common format is SYYPPPPP.
The first 2 digits show the year.
The remaining digits show the production number.
Example: S94018625 reads as 1994, production number 18625.
By 1994, Samick began using the month-specific format: SYMMPPPP. In this format, only the last digit of the year was present:
The digit after S shows the year in the decade.
The next 2 digits show the month.
The last 4 digits show the production number.
Example: S5081324 reads as August 1995, production number 1324.
By 1997, Samick had returned to a two-digit year format: SYYMMPPPP. This became one of the main serial number formats used during the later Korean production period.
The first 2 digits after S show the year.
The next 2 digits show the month.
The last 4 digits show the production number.
Example: S99062457 reads as June 1999, production number 2457.
Samick Semi-Hollow Serial Number
Samick semi-hollow guitars from the 1990s and 2000s use a different serial number format.
This serial number looks like this: YYPPPP(P).
The first 2 digits show the year.
The last 4-5 digits show the production number.
Example: 922685 reads as a guitar from 1992, production number 2685.
The serial number is usually found on the label inside the top f-hole.
Samick Bolt-On Serial Number
On Samick bolt-on guitars, the serial number is engraved on the neck plate.
The main bolt-on neck plate format from the 1980s into the 1990s is YMMPPPP.
The first digit is the year in the decade.
The next 2 digits are the month.
The last 4 digits are the production number.
Example: 9071384 reads as July 1989, production number 1384.
Samick changed the neck plate design in May 1990. An early 1990 bolt-on guitar can still have the older 1980s-style plate.
Some lower-priced bolt-on models use a different neck plate serial: YYPPPPP.
The first 2 digits is the year.
The last 5 digits are the production number.
Example: 9408652 reads as 1994, production number 8652.
In the early 2000s, bolt-on Samicks still retained the serial number on the neck plate. Some 2001 examples add an S prefix, but many do not.
Not every bolt-on Samick guitar uses a neck plate serial. Some bolt-on models with a recessed heel and recessed bolts did not use a normal neck plate at all. This is seen on some models from 1991 to 1997. On some models, the change happened around 1994.
For example, the TRL-650A lost the neck plate around April-May 1994 and switched to studs. The serial number moved to a sticker on the back of the headstock, so these guitars follow the later headstock serial number system instead of the older engraved neck plate format.
Samick Acoustic Serial Number
Samick acoustic serial numbers are harder to decode than Samick electric guitar serials. The most useful acoustic patterns are the 2-digit year formats used on many Korean-made guitars from the early and mid 1990s.
The first format is YYPPPPP(P).
The first 2 digits show the year.
The rest of the number is the production number.
Example: 9312845 reads as 1993, production number 12845. This format does not include the month.
Another acoustic format is YYMMPPPP.
The first 2 digits show the year.
The next 2 digits show the month.
The last 4 digits show the production number.
Example: 94071236 reads as July 1994, production number 1236.
Samick started building acoustics in Indonesia in 1993, but those early Indonesian models did not use serial numbers right away. The serial numbers were added in 1999. The first prefix was IS, and it quickly changed to SI.
Samick Serial Number Indonesia
Samick built its Indonesian factory in 1992. Acoustic guitar production started in 1993. Electric guitar production followed in 1995.
The Indonesian factory did not use serial numbers from its opening in 1992 until about 1999-2000. That is why some Indonesian Samick guitars from the late 1990s can be hard to date by serial number alone.
The first Indonesian prefix was IS, followed by SI.
On many SI serial numbers, the first 2 digits after the prefix are read as the year.
Example: SI04123456 points to an Indonesian-made Samick from 2004.
By 2006, Samick production had largely shifted to Indonesia.
Greg Bennett Serial Number
Greg Bennett became involved in Samick’s redesign in 1998. The Signature Series appeared in 2001, and by 2002, Samick had introduced the new line with the Greg Bennett name on every headstock. The older Samick lines and the new Greg Bennett models overlapped for a short time around 2001-2002.
On Korean-made Greg Bennett guitars, the serial number starts with S. These guitars use the same S-prefix serial system as later Korean Samick guitars: SYYMMPPPP.
Example: S02071436 reads as July 2002, production number 1436.
On many Indonesian-made Greg Bennett guitars, the serial number starts with SI. The first 2 digits after SI are read as the year.
Example: SI04123654 points to an Indonesian-made guitar from 2004.
How To Date a Samick Guitar With No Serial Number
A missing serial number does not mean the guitar is fake. Many early Samick-branded guitars have no serial number because Samick did not begin using them regularly on its own guitars until around 1987.
There are later exceptions too. Some early Indonesian-made guitars have no serial number. The same is true for some Korean Artist Series Strat-style guitars from 1995-1996 and some Korean-made models sold for the Japanese market.
Model Code
If your Samick guitar has no serial number, start with the model code. On Samick electric guitars from 1972 to 1987, model names usually begin with EG. Samick basses from that period usually start with EGB.
From 1988 to 1990, Samick changed to model codes like LS for Les Paul Standard, SA for Semi-Acoustic, and W for Warlock.
From 1991 to 2002, the naming system became simpler again, and through-neck models added a T at the end.
Logo
The logo can help too. Early Samick guitars had several different logos before the late 1980s. The Comic logo began appearing around 1985, followed by the Wave logo from 1989 to 1994. The old and new logos sometimes overlapped.
Headstock Shape
The headstock shape can also help narrow down the date.
The Arched headstock is common on Samick guitars from 1979 to 1988. These guitars often have the Tree Notes, Badge, or Comic logo.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many models changed to the Pointed headstock, mainly seen from about 1988 to 1992.
Around April 1992, Samick began switching to the Rounded headstock, which became the main style from 1992 to 2001.
Guitar Electronics & Hardware
On guitars made before 1984, or guitars that have lost the original serial number sticker, check the box switch. The original switch may have a date stamped on the side in YY/MM/DD format.
On early Hondo guitars made by Samick, original Grover Rotomatic tuners with the larger post style are another sign of a pre-1984 guitar.
A Brief History of Samick Guitars & Where They Are Made
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 began making his own pianos, and by 1964, the company was exporting them to the United States.
In 1965, Samick began making acoustic guitars. In 1969, Samick partnered with the American company International Music Corporation (IMC) to found the Hondo Guitar Company.
The company began making affordable acoustic guitars under the Hondo brand. These instruments were built to American quality standards.
In 1972, Samick began making electric guitars. Mandolins and banjos followed in 1976.
That same year, guitars appeared under the Hondo II brand, based on the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul. Starting in 1978, these guitars were 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 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 2006, Samick moved all production to Indonesia, and production in South Korea was discontinued.
In 2011, Samick released a new line of instruments under the Greg Bennett Guitars name. Greg Bennett, a former Gibson luthier, designed the line for Samick. The electric guitars featured Seymour Duncan-designed pickups, Grover tuners, and Wilkinson bridges.
Today, Samick works mainly as an OEM manufacturer for major guitar brands, including Fender, Squier, Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch, Ibanez, and Jackson.