Did you know that you can use Epiphone serial numbers to discover the age of your guitar? In this guide, we’ll give you the basics on how it works so that you can learn if you have a vintage gem that’s worth a fortune.

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The Guitar Dater Project - Epiphone Serial Number Decoder. 3.5) The Epiphone serial number decoder currently supports 12 serial number formats from 25 factories. Vintage numbers from 1932 to 1970 are supported. Serial numbers from 70' and 80's era Epiphone guitars made in. Guild Guitar Serial # lookup: 10% complete It should be noted that many manufactures don't have complete records themselves so any progress given here are based on what we know we still have to complete for a given manufacturer and may still be missing serial numbers after '100% complete'. Dating a guitar or amplifier (Fender) is based on the format of the serial number of that brand. Each brand has its own coding method that has changed regularly over the years. As a result, certain brands have the same serial numbers, but with a different coding method, which creates overlaps. The Guitardater Project cannot verify the authenticity of ANY Guitar, this site is simply meant as a tool to satisfy the curiosity of guitar enthusiasts. This website possesses NO DATABASE of guitars made by manufactures, instead simple serial code patterns that are available on this site and in the wider guitar community are used. Gibson Serial Numbers 1975-Present This section is designed to assist in dating and/or identifying instruments manufactured or distributed by Gibson Guitar Corp. Please note that most of this information relates to serial numbers used from 1975 to present. Gibson USA, Gibson Acoustic, Gibson Memphis.

How To Use Epiphone Serial Numbers To Date Your Guitar

If you have a vintage Epiphone or Gibson guitar, you could be sitting on a gold mine. Many older models have a rich history, and better than that, they could be worth a lot of money.

If you can’t make it to an antique shop with a certified professional who can date your guitar, you can still determine its age by using the Epiphone serial number. That information is extremely helpful if you’re trying to determine its value or if you’re looking to sell your instrument.

In this guide, we’ll give you the basics on how the numbers work and resources to help you determine the age and origin of your guitar.

To understand the significance of the Epiphone serial number, we first need to look at how their company historyintertwines with that of Gibson.

Epiphone started as a family business in 1873 as a luxury banjo manufacturer. In the 1930’s, they switched up their business model and began producing high-end guitars, and became the only manufacturer to successfully make the transition.

They grew in popularity and by the 1950’s, became Gibson’s main rival. In 1957, the Chicago Musical Instrument Company (CMI) acquired Epiphone. As they already owned Gibson, this merge brought the two powerful brand names under one umbrella.

In 1969, a second purchase occurred. Norlin acquired CMI and moved all of the production of Epiphone to Japan and subsequently to Korea.

During each of these transitions, there were also changes made to how the instruments were labeled, which is part of the reason why the serial number identification process is so confusing. For example, after 1969, it’s unlikely your guitar would have a label saying it was made overseas, but you might have a seven-digit serial number that could tell that story.

When trying to date your vintage Epiphone or Gibson instrument, the most accurate way to do it is by decoding the serial number. Because there aren’t any factory ledgers prior to the 1980’s for Epiphone, these stamps will give you the closest approximation to their manufacturing date.

Particularly with older models, the serial number may not be enough to trace the guitar’s origins. Because there is not a single, central database for any of the models manufactured prior to 1977, you have to dig deep into the code to figure out from where and when it originated.

In fact, at Gibson’s customer service line, they report that at least a quarter of the calls they receive daily are from people trying to date their guitar.

If it was manufactured after 1977, the process is easy. If not, they, like the rest of us, refer to Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars to try to begin the process.

Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars

Used Book in Good Condition
Carter, Walter (Author)
English (Publication Language)

A serial number not only confirms the authenticity of your guitar but can impact the value. If, for example, you have a Gibson Explorer that was made from 1958 to 1959, you have one of the few models produced in that period.

In general, rare guitars are worth more money, and that particular model is valued at between $250,000 and $310,000.

Today, it’s simple to use the serial number on your Gibson to date your guitar. If it was manufactured after 1977, the build date is included in the sequence.

The first and fifth number signifies the year it was built, and the second, third, and fourth are the day of the year.

For example, if the first five digits of your eight-digit serial number are 01545, then you know that the guitar was made on the 154th day of the year in 2005.

The sixth number in the modern sequence will tell you the batch, and the last three indicate the rolling production number.

Unfortunately, prior to the system instituted in 1977, the process is anything but simple to decipher.

There are entire books written on how to decipher your Epiphone serial number sequence, but here we will outline the basics of what you need to know based on year ranges that have commonalities.

In the first two years, 1932 and 1933, Epiphone die-stamped the serial number on the inside of the back of their instruments. If you look through the “F” hole on the bass side, you will see it positioned below the label.

Beginning in 1934, they moved the placement directly onto the label itself.

This sequence begins in 1932 with the number 5000, and the last documented serial number in this series is 20142.

Epiphone Electric Instruments – 1935 To 1944

When Epiphone launched the Electar line in 1935, they also began using a new system for serial numbers on their electric instruments.

You’ll find them die stamped on the top rear of the peghead, and they are a sequence of between three and five numbers.

They range from 001 in 1935, to 9999 in 1945.

In 1944, there were some shakeups inside of Epiphone which resulted in the creation of a new numbering system. Most significantly, Epi died, and his widow gave up her shares which opened the door to a financial restructuring of the company.

Dating A Guitar By Serial Number

At the same time, the new shareholders decided to change some of their production methods which had a direct impact on their inventory. This, in turn, affected the numbering scheme.

The new serials began at 50,000 in 1944 and ended at 59,999 in 1950.

This is one of the many spans of time where there is a significant amount of grey area around dating the serial number on your instrument.

We know that from 1944 to 1950, the manufacturer introduced a two-digit prefix in front of the actual three-digit production number of all of its electric models. However, there is no data that tells us how many guitars were made each year, which makes it impossible to pinpoint an estimated date the

Guitar Dating By Serial Number