Examples of Ibanez serial numbers on back of headstock Ibanez serial numbers are unique identifiers placed on instruments sold under the brand. Ibanez guitars have used serial numbers since the mid 1970s.
Some sources say the practice started in September 1975, but serial numbers indicating production as early as October 1974 have been spotted. The serial numbers are generally a character string containing letters and numbers, although some are purely numeric. Serial numbers can be useful in determining the age of a guitar as well as in which country and by which builder it was produced. Unfortunately, there is no single unified format used for Ibanez serial numbers. Guitar production is outsourced to several companies and facilities through the world and the numbering schemes are different in each region and/or factory. The information on this page is culled from several sources both on-line and off-line and represents a distillation of the available information.
It applies primarily to electric guitars, but some information may also be applicable to acoustics. Serial numbers on Ibanez guitars can generally be found in one of several locations:. On the back of the headstock either on a sticker or painted/printed on the headstock itself,. Stamped on the neck plate (the metal plate at the joint between the neck and the body), or. Printed, written or stamped on the label inside a hollow body or acoustic guitar, or. Stamped on the fretboard past the last fret, or. Stamped on the neck block inside an acoustic guitar.
The first step in deciphering the serial number is determining the country or facility in which the guitar was produced. In most cases the country of origin is provided in the same location as the serial number. In cases where you have a serial numbe r but not a country of origin, the origin can sometimes be deduced from the serial number, although in this case it's very helpful if you have at least a rough idea of the date of manufacture. Contents Serial numbers by country of origin Japan November 2004– present, FujiGen, 'F' + 7 digits Eight characters F YY ##### single letter ( F) 2-digit number 5-digit number Example: (May 2014). F = manufactured by in Nagano. YY = last two digits of year (e.g. 08=2008).
##### = consecutive production number for the year Number also indicates month of manufacture, with the sequence incrementing to the next multiple of 3,000 each month, as follows:. 9 = November. 9 = December. 9 = January. 9 = February.
9 = March. 9 = April. 9 = May. 9 = June. 9 = July. 9 = August. 9 = September.
33000 and up = October It's unclear whether this numbering convention is rigidly enforced, that is, each month actually starts out with the number prescribed above, or if this is just a way to estimate the production month. What is known is that this rubric is used by Ibanez to set the production date for warranty claims. Note: as of November 2004, the serial number represents not necessarily the year the instrument was produced but rather the model year to which the instrument belongs. It has long been Ibanez's practice to begin production for the subsequent model year in November (or even late October), but the serial numbering change that was implemented in November 2004 acknowledged and formalized this practice.
1997–October 2004, FujiGen, 'F' + 7 digits Eight characters F YY ##### single letter ( F) 2-digit number 5-digit number Example: (March 1999). F = manufactured by in Nagano. YY = last two digits of year (e.g. 08=2008).
##### = consecutive production number for the year Number also indicates month of manufacture, with the sequence incrementing to the next multiple of 5,000 each month, as follows:. 0 = January.
0 = February. 0 = March. 0 = April. 0 = May. 0 = June.
0 = July. 0 = August. 0 = September. 0 = October.
0 = November. 0 = December It's unclear whether this numbering convention is rigidly enforced, that is, each month actually starts out with the number prescribed above, or if this is just a way to estimate the production month. What is known is that this rubric is used by Ibanez to set the production date for warranty claims. 2005– present, Sugi, 'A-L' + 5 digits Six characters M YY # ## single letter ( A–L) 2-digit number 1-digit number 2-digit number Example:. M = letter indicating month of manufacture: A=January.L=December.
YY = last two digits of year (e.g. 07=2009). # = indicates the model (2=, 5=, others are unclear/unknown). ## = consecutive production number for the month Note that there is opportunity for confusion with some of the other schemes listed here with regards to the initial letters F and I, however, this format is the only one which has just six characters. It is believed that all Japanese-made models with this serial number format are produced by Sugi produces only a handful of high-end models for Ibanez.
These include a few special models and some. These serial numbers are either hand-printed on the back of the headstock (often in Sterling silver or gold ink or paint) or stamped on the fretboard beyond the last fret or sometimes both. 2016– present, 'IG' + 6 digits Eight characters IG YY MM ## 'IG' 2-digit number 2-digit number 2-digit number Example: IG161102. IG = indicates production at the. YY = last two digits of year (e.g. 16=2016).
MM = two digits indicating month of manufacture. ## = consecutive production number for the month These serial numbers are hand-lettered on the back of the headstock. 1998– present, Terada; 'T' + 6 digits Seven characters T YY #### single letter ( T) 2-digit number 4-digit number Example:. T = manufactured by Terada Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. Near Nagano. YY = last two digits of year (e.g.
01=2001). #### = consecutive production number for the year 1987–1996; Letter (e.g. 'F, H, I or T') + 6 digits Seven characters F, H, I, or T Y ##### single letter ( F, H, I, or T) single number 5-digit number Example: (January 1992). First character is the factory code:. F = manufactured by in Nagano (1987–1996).
H or T = manufactured by Terada Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.
Anyone know how to tell when your Samick was made from the serial number? I just got one and would like to know when it was made but have no idea how the serial numbers run. It was made in Indonesia. Interesting to see that they are building a plant here in the US to make guitars and moved their US headquarters and distribution center to near Nashville. They bought 18 acres, so far, and are going to produce American made guitars.
Anyway, I would greatly appreciate learning how to tell when my guitar was made from the serial number. Let's try this approach.
The Samick website does not have an email contact so that option is out. Does anyone know how to decipher the serial number on Samick acoustics to figure out when your guitar was manufactured?
This info would be good to know and I am hoping someone on the forum has figured this out and is willing to share the info. Thanks a lot in advance.
Got a nice Jumbo J 2 that sounds great and looks great and feels great. The neck is like a strat and it plays really well, even the hard to get chords. Glad I got this inexpensive but great guitar. The tone is really nice on the bass end and bright on the treble. The mids are great as well. It is my best acoustic guitar, by far, unplugged. The twentieth aniv.
Seagull S6 will probably be the best when I get it back with the EMG active pickup. It has a solid spruce top. You need to watch those solid tops for cracking. I have a very good case for it. But the Jumbo just has that natural unplugged sound I can't see why more people don't buy them. They are loud and full and very tonefull.
They have that nice deep round bass that a lot of people are searching for by trying to find different strings. Try a Jumbo if you are up to it and want to get that really full bassy resonating sound. This Samick Jumbo J2 you can feel vibrate very noticeably when you play it, both in the neck and in the body. I like an acoustic that resonates and vibrates so that you can feel the vibrations. Flashback to the old hippy days when real was real and plastic was plastic, if you know what I mean.
Those were the days, eh? Duffy Winfield, Pa.
Area served Worldwide Products Website The V.C. Squier Company manufactured for, and. It was established in 1890 by Victor Carroll Squier in. In 1965, the company was acquired.
By 1975, Squier became defunct as a manufacturer and a brand name for strings, as Fender opted to market its strings under the Fender brand name. In 1982, the Squier brand was reactivated by Fender to become its brand for lower priced versions of Fender guitars. Squier guitars have been manufactured in Japan, Korea, Mexico, India, Indonesia, China, and the United States. Contents.
History V.C. Squier Company (1890-1975) , a young immigrant who arrived in, in the latter part of the 19th century, was a farmer and shoemaker who had learned the fine European art of making. He moved to in 1881, where he built and repaired violins with his son, Victor Carroll Squier.
To this day, their violins are noted for their exceptional varnishes, and they command high prices as fine examples of early U.S. Instrument craftsmanship. Squier ranks among the best-known U.S.-trained violin makers and is often referred to as 'the American Stradivarius.' Victor returned to Battle Creek, where he opened his own shop in 1890. As his business grew, Squier moved the company to 429 Lake Ave. And eventually to 427 Capitol Ave, S.W.—the famous 'fiddle factory' of Battle Creek. With a limited market for violins in Battle Creek, however, Squier astutely sought relationships with national music schools and famous violinists.
Up to 1900, the best were made in Europe. Victor Squier started making his own hand-wound violin strings, and the business grew so quickly that he and his employees improvised a dramatic production increase by converting a treadle sewing machine into a string winder capable of producing 1,000 uniformly high-quality strings per day. Squier, and became well known nationwide and were especially popular among students because of their reasonable price. In the 1930s, Squier began making strings for the era's new electric instruments; the company also sold, and until divesting itself of all string-related products in 1961. Entered the picture in the 1950s, when the V.C. Squier Company began supplying inventor and businessman with strings for his unusual new electric guitars.
Squier Company became an official for Fender in 1963. Fender acquired the V.C. Squier Company in early 1965, shortly before Fender itself was acquired by in May of the same year. By the mid-1970s, the Squier name was retired as the strings had taken the Fender name.
Squier Guitars (1982-present) Before the Fender Squier line of guitars was introduced in 1982, Fender was making lower priced guitars such as the at its plant. Until the introduction of the Fender Squier series, Fender had never produced lower priced guitars based on its main and models and had always used different model designs for its lower priced guitars. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Fender was facing competition from lower priced Japanese made guitars.
The higher priced Fender guitars were made in the United States and could not compete with the lower prices of Japanese made Fender copies. In the early 1980s, Japanese labor and production costs were much lower than in America and to compete with the Japanese made guitars, Fender moved the lower priced Fender guitar production from America to Japan. Fender was also losing sales in Japan to Japanese guitar brands such as, and and the establishment of would benefit Fender sales in Japan, as well as overseas. Fender began negotiations with several Japanese musical instrument distributors and reached an agreement with Yamano Gakki and to establish Fender Japan.
Yamano Gakki was known for once being part of. Kanda Shokai owned the Greco brand name and one of the conditions of the Fender Japan agreement was that Kanda Shokai cease production of its own Greco Fender copies. This arrangement benefited Fender because it removed the Greco Fender copies from the Japanese market, which were selling in Japan at much lower prices than the American made Fenders and it also benefited Kanda Shokai because Kanda Shokai could then distribute Japanese made Fender branded guitars in Japan.
Samick Guitar Serial Number Decoder
Further negotiations between Fender and Japanese guitar factories took place. Tokai was seriously considered to start building the first Japanese made Fenders, but after a breakdown in negotiations, Gakki was chosen instead. The initial Squier models were launched on July/August 1982.
Over time, the Squier series slowly evolved to include designs and production has moved from Japan to various other Asian countries such as Korea, China and Indonesia. Instrument models. A Squier SA-105 acoustic guitar. MA-1. SA Series. Telecoustic.
Stratocoustic Electric guitars Original. (1997-1998). (1997-1998). 'Mus-Uar' (2016) Electric bass.
Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. Dimension Bass.
Amplifiers. Instrument series JV & SQ series The first Fender Japan models introduced in May 1982 were the 1957 and 1962 series, which were Fender Stratocaster models ST'57-115, ST'57-85, ST'57-65, ST'62-115, ST'62-85, ST'62-65 and the Precision Bass models PB'57-95, PB'57-70, PB'62-98, PB'62-75. These models were Fender models and not Squier models. The Stratocasters had Fender USA pickups installed and were made for the Japanese market only and not for export. Fender soon added a less expensive export Squier series based on the Fender Japan 1957 and 1962 series in July/August 1982, which had a large Fender logo with a smaller Squier logo and had a zinc rather than a steel tremolo block and again the Stratocasters had Fender USA pickups installed. The Squier series were also made available for the Japanese market in October 1982, which incorporated small changes compared to the export Squier series.
The large Fender logo of the export Squier series was soon changed to a large Squier logo. The first Fender Japan guitars are known as the JV Fenders and JV Squiers, with JV standing for 'Japanese Vintage' to reflect the guitars were made from the original blueprints of the vintage US guitars, were made by the Gakki factory in Japan, using technical support from Fender. The SQ Squier series was introduced in late 1983 to early 1984. The SQ Squier series was based more on 1970s Fender models and also had USA made pickups installed.
Vista models In 1996, Squier began to manufacture the Vista Series, which saw them introducing their own unique guitar designs independent from the Fender mother company for the first time. Made in the same factory as the Japanese Fenders of the era, they were known as high quality guitars. The series included the guitar, the guitar (co-designed by ), the (a hybrid of the Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster models), and a re-issue of the. Later, in 97, a guitar version of the Musicmaster Bass was added, though it should be noted this was based on the bass design, and not the Fender Musicmaster guitar design of the 1960s.
By 1998 the Vista Series was discontinued. Pro Tone Alongside the Vista series (which focused on contemporary designs) was the Pro Tone series, made in Korea at the Cort factory and focusing on classic models. Introduced in 1996 with a $500 RRP, the guitars were of higher quality than standard Squier guitars and featured ash bodies, satin finished necks and alnico pickups.
The line consisted of 6 Stratocasters, a Fat Stratocaster (Humbucker at the bridge position), a Fat Telecaster (Humbucker at the neck position) and a Thinline Telecaster as well as a 4 string and 5 string Precision Bass. The series was discontinued under the Squier name in 1998 and moved to Mexico, as guitarists were unwilling to spend such high prices for Squier guitars. The series is still highly regarded and has held much of its value on the used market. Affinity The Squier lineup was augmented in 1996 with Affinity series guitars and basses. Entry-level Affinity Series instruments were straightforward, basic Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass guitars in black, red and white. The Affinity Series paved the way for the subsequent great success of Squier instrument/amp/accessory packages, such as the Strat Pak and Bass Pak, that provided aspiring musicians with everything they need to enter the world of amplified music in a single all-in-one purchase.
These bundled Affinity guitars are manufactured in Indonesia (identified by skunk stripe on neck) whereas stand-alone Affinity are manufactured in China (identified by no skunk stripe on neck). The earliest guitars are not marked on the headstock as belonging to the Affinity series, but are easily identifiable by the decal stating 'Strat' or 'Tele' rather than the full name of the model.
Vintage Modified The year 2004 saw the introduction of Squier's Vintage Modified line, a series of high-end instruments based around the concept of taking vintage designs and adding 'hot rod' features such as hardware variations, gloss maple necks, new finishes and pickguards, and Duncan Designed pickups. The VM line draws from a wide range of Fender instruments, and has resulted in a large variety of models with many different feature combinations.
Vintage Modified guitar models include Stratocasters, Telecasters, Jaguars, Jazzmasters and Mustangs. The bass lineup features Precision and Jazz basses (including fretless versions of both), Jaguars and Telecasters, with five-string and short-scale models featured in the range.
In 2013 a was added to the VM line. The majority of Vintage Modified instruments are available only in right-handed configurations.
Classic Vibe In 2008, Squier released its Classic Vibe series, a series of electric guitars and basses mirroring classic designs of the 1950s and '60s. Each roughly reflected the hardware, woods, color variations, finishes, body contours, and tonal characteristics of their respective era, although Squier state that the series was not created to be completely era correct, but rather impart the 'vibe' (aura) of a classic Fender design. See also. References.
Part II - F-Serial used on LP Std'59/'60 models and Tribute/Plus models This newest serial number system used by Epiphone is not yet completely deciphered. 'F' doesn't refer to 'Fine, Korea' - nor to 'Fuji-gen, Japan' - New 'F' models are made in China. This serial number system doesn't exactly tell the year - and doesn't tell the month at all. Beginning with F300000 in late 2009 used on LP Std'59/Std'60/Tribute models. Continued around F310650F311050 in spring 2012 on Tribute-Plus models.
Continued around F305000 in 2011. Continued around F310000 in 2012. Continued around F317000 in 2013. Continued around F324000 in 2014. Continued around F330000 in 2015. Continued around F340000 in 2018 - Epiphone Japan Serial Numbers 1998-Current The Yamano Gakki Epiphone Japan serial numbers from 1998 onwards are in a YMMPPP format.
Guitar Serial Number
Y = Year of manufacture MM = Month of manufacture PPP = Production number The serial number letters used by the Terada and Fuji-Gen guitar factories are:. J = Terada.
T = Terada,. F = Fuji-Gen. No Letter = Fuji-Gen Example: J902123 = Terada / 1999 / February / unit 123 Example: T902123 = Terada / 1999 / February / unit 123 Example: F902123 = Fuji-Gen / 1999 / February / unit 123 Example: 902123 = Fuji-Gen / 1999 / February / unit 123 1987-1997 For Yamano Gakki Epiphone Japan semi acoustic models from 1987 to approximately 1997, the serial numbers are in a YCPPP format. They were made by Terada and usually have an Orange Epiphone label.
Just like many other companies in the late 1980s, Fender decided to start manufacturing products in Korea. As with any new product line, Fender came up with a new numbering system for these guitars. You would think after nearly 40 years of producing guitars, Fender would have a standardized serial number system down by now, right? Well, they didn't. The Korean Fender serial numbers are just as scattered and confusing as all the rest of their guitars. Let's take a look at the different serial numbers and see what they mean.
What we do know about the early Korean days was that there were three different plants: the Samick pant, the Young Chang plant, and the Sung-Eum plant. Guitars produced by Samick used a serial number starting with an 'S' followed by six digits.
Usually the first digit represented the year of production. The Young Chang and Sung-Eum guitars used a serial number starting with an 'E' followed by six digits. The first number on the 'E' serial numbers is a little confusing.
It does stand for the year of production in a way. The first year Young Chang produced guitars with in 1987-1988, but they didn't use a '7' or an '8' as the first number. They used a '1' because it was the first year of production. An 'E2' serial number was then used for 1989 since it was the second year of production. At this point, they decided to start corresponding the serial number with the actual year, so in 1990 they used an 'E0' serial number. In 1991, they reused an 'E1' serial number.
It doesn't get more confusing than that, right? Here's how to tell the duplicate serial numbers apart.
The 1980s guitars' serial numbers were written in silver ink. The 1990s numbers were written in black. Some early Korean serial numbers didn't have a lettered serial number at all. They just had six, seven, or eight digits with the first number representing the year. Some of these no prefix serial numbers have been found on guitars produced all the way through 1996. Fender did some crazy stuff back then. Korean serial numbers starting with 'M' are said to actually be made out of plywood.
Watch out for these! Here's a reference for the first few years. 1988 - 1993 Korean Squier Fender Serial Numbers Numbers Years 6 Digits 1988 - 1996 7 Digits 1988 - 1996 8 Digits 1988 - 1996 E1 + 6 Digits in Silver 1987 - 1988 E2 + 6 Digits in Silver 1988 - 1989 E0 + 6 Digits in Black 1989 - 1990 E1 + 6 Digits in Black 1991 - 1992 E2 + 6 Digits in Black 1992 - 1993 E3 + 6 Digits in Black 1993 - 1994 S9 + 6 Digits 1989 - 1990 S0 + 6 Digits 1990 - 1991 S1 + 6 Digits 1991 - 1992 S2 + 6 Digits 1992 - 1993 S3 + 6 Digits 1993 - 1994. After 1993, Fender really cleaned up their serial number process. They switched to two different plants: the Cor-Tek or Cort plant and the Saehan or Sunghan plant. Since Fender was using new plants to build their guitars, they decided the change the numbering system again, but this time they changed it to something more like the American guitars. Both the Cort and Sungham plants used unique numbers.
All Cort serial numbers started with the letter 'C'. You would assume Sungham would use the letter 'S', but that was already taken by the Samick plant a few years earlier. Sungham ended up using the letter 'V'. Both of these serial numbers used an 'N' to represent the 1990s followed by a number that stood for the exact year. This is similar to the American. So a guitar produced by Cort in 1992 would have a serial number of CN2 followed by five digits. Sungham guitars would be the same only starting with a 'V'.
These serial numbers were used until 1997 when Fender stopped producing guitars at the Sungham factory. 1993 - 1997 Korean Squier Fender Serial Numbers Numbers Years CN0 + 5 Digits 1990 - 1991 CN1 + 5 Digits 1991 - 1992 CN2 + 5 Digits 1992 - 1993 CN3 + 5 Digits 1993 - 1994 CN4 + 5 Digits 1994 - 1995 CN5 + 5 Digits 1995 - 1996 CN6 + 5 Digits 1996 - 1997 VN0 + 5 Digits 1990 - 1991 VN1 + 5 Digits 1991 - 1992 VN2 + 5 Digits 1992 - 1993 VN3 + 5 Digits 1993 - 1994 VN4 + 5 Digits 1994 - 1995 VN5 + 5 Digits 1995 - 1996 VN6 + 5 Digits 1996 - 1997. Since all guitar production was moved to the Cort factory, Fender decided to change its numbering system again. Starting in 1997, the Korean Fender Squiers used a 'KC' prefix that stood for Korean made in the Cort factory. The 1997-1998 serial numbers were a little messed up. Fender used 'KC97' to represent 1997 and followed this prefix with six, seven, and eight digits.
From 1998 on, Fender used the 'KC' prefix followed by a two-digit year identifier and six digits.
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