DATING TAYLOR GUITARS BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL NUMBERS

Taylor guitars have been produced since 1974 and have used three serial number systems over
the years.
The current dating method is one of the simplest to decipher the exact year of manufacture and provides additional information.

Where to find the serial number
You can find the serial numbers on the label in the sound hole of the guitar or on the inside of the neck block.

Serienummer achterzijde kop


If you want to know the production year of your Taylor guitar, you can decipher it with the serial number decoder, or find it in explanation about the dating system below.


Taylor serial number date decoder
Enter only the serial number.
(No type or model)
(example: 1108137123
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Taylor history in short
Taylor Guitars is an acoustic guitar manufacturer and was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.
They had met a year earlier in a repair shop for musical instruments.
Bob already had a lot of experience in building acoustic guitars and Kurt wanted to start his own business. This was achieved with Taylor as a professional and innovator and Listug was responsible for the business side.
In a short time their company grew into a leading global manufacturer of high quality acoustic guitars.
Today, in their ultra-modern factories (El Cajon, California, USA and Tecate, Baja California, Mexico) with more than 900 employees, hundreds of guitars are produced every day.
In early 2011 the company opened a Taylor distribution center in the Netherlands to serve the European market.

Bob Taylor
1974 - 1992
Halfway through 1977 a switch was made from a 5-digit to a 3-digit serial number.

SERIALSYEAR  SERIALSYEAR 
 No serial numbers 1974   2446 - 32061984 
00109 and: 10109-10146 1975   3207 - 38881985 
 20147 - 20315 1976   3889 - 4778 1986 
 20316 - 450 1977   4779 - 5981 1987 
 451 - 900 1978   5982 - 7831 1988 
 901 - 1300 1979   7832 - 10070 1989 
 1301 - 1400 1980   10071 - 12497 1990 
 1401 - 1670 1981   12498 - 15249 1991 
 1671 - 19511982   15250 - 179471992 
 1952 - 24451983 

4 digit serial number
When the model 410 was introduced in 1991, it was given a unique serial number.
The serial number has a 4- plus four more digits. For example: 4-1133.
This system was only used for two years, 0001-1121 in 1991 and 1122-3152 in 1992.

It happens incidentally that there is not four, but three or two or even just one digit after 4-. They forgot to write a 0, 00 or 000 in front of the serial number, so it becomes four digits.

This only applies to 1991 (0001-1121)


9 digit serial number
A nine-digit serial number was used from 1993 to the end of 1999. The production date and model were processed in this.
Example: 960522434
The first two digits indicate the year. - 96 = 1996.
The third and fourth digits represent the month. - 05 = May.
The fifth and sixth digits are the day of the month. - 22 = 22th (May).
The seventh digit indicates the model. - 4 = Big Baby.
[0 = 300 or 400 Series, 1 = 500 through Presentation Series, 2 = 200 Series, 3 = Baby or Big Baby , 4 = Big Baby, 5 = T5, 7 = through 2002, 8 = 100 Series, and 9 = Solid Body Series.]
The last two digits indicate the sequential production number for that day. - 34 is the 34th guitar of 22 May 1996.
11-Digit Serial Numbers
For a four-digit year designation, the 9-digit serial number was
replaced by an 11-digit from January 2000 to October 2009.
The coding is the same as with 9 digit serial numbers, only not the
first 2 digits but the first 4 digits do determine the year.
Example: 20080605812
The first four digits now indicate the year. - 2008 = 2008.
The fifth and sixth digits represent the month. - 06 = June.
The seventh and eighth digits are the day of the month. -
05 = de 5th (June).
The ninth digit indicates the model. - 8 = 100 Series.
[0 = 300 or 400 Series, 1 = 500 through Presentation Series, 2 = 200 Series, 3 = Baby or Big Baby , 4 = Big Baby, 5 = T5, 7 = through 2002,
8 = 100 Series, qnd 9 = Solid Body Series.]
The last two digits indicate the sequential production number for that day. - 12 is the 12th guitar of 5 June 2008.

10-Digit Serial Numbers
The current serial numbering format has 10 digits and was introduced in November 2009. There has go back to a 2-digit year designation. The location of manufacture is also included in this format.
Example: 1108137123
The first digit indicates the location where the guitar was
produced. - 1 = El Cajon, California, USA.
[1 = El Cajon, California, USA; 2 = Tecate, Baja California, Mexico]
The second and seventh digits indicate a 2 digit year. - 17 = 2017.
The third and fourth digits represent the month. - 08 = August.
The fifth and sixth digits represent the day
of the month. - 13 = 13 (August).
The last three digits indicate the sequential production number for
that day. - 123 is the 123th guitar of 13 August 2017.


Taylor factory, El Cajon, California, USA