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"G" Serial Number Masterbilt


quills

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From what I can find, the serials starting with "G" on Masterbilts don't have records. I was wondering if anyone knew anything more than what I've found (almost nothing).

 

It's a DR-500PNS with serial G0401050180. I'd just like to know a little about it. Is it safe to assume that it's January '04?

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quills, I can't be sure because I'm traveling right now, but I have a couple of the first year Masterbilts ('04) and I believe they do have G serial numbers. They would have been some of the first guitars to emerge from the then-new Gibson QingDoa factory.

 

http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2007/Gibson-Qingdao-Factory-All-Epiphone-All-The-Time.aspx

 

There's a second facility in the same area called Epiphone Qingdao Factory (both make Epiphones exclusively, and no Gibsons, obviously), so perhaps the G was a way to identify one from the other at first.

 

That's not for certain. That the early Masterbilts were very high quality is.

 

Red 333

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From what I can find, the serials starting with "G" on Masterbilts don't have records. I was wondering if anyone knew anything more than what I've found (almost nothing).

 

It's a DR-500PNS with serial G0401050180. I'd just like to know a little about it. Is it safe to assume that it's January '04?

 

Welcome to the boards, quills! Yes, I'd say it's a 2004 model. That leading "G" is quite the puzzler. I also had a maple "PNS" Masterbilt - an EF500 - that was a pre-production model dated 2003, and its serial also started with "G". I figure these must have come out of China, likely as Red suggests - one of the Qingdao shops.

 

I do know that serials starting with GR (like my RAVS) are out of the "Grand Rewards" factory in China. The EF500RC I had was also from there. I've never seen a (2003-2011) Masterbilt that was not just gorgeously built.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Welcome to the boards, quills! Yes, I'd say it's a 2004 model. That leading "G" is quite the puzzler. I also had a maple "PNS" Masterbilt - an EF500 - that was a pre-production model dated 2003, and its serial also started with "G". I figure these must have come out of China, likely as Red suggests - one of the Qingdao shops.

 

I do know that serials starting with GR (like my RAVS) are out of the "Grand Rewards" factory in China. The EF500RC I had was also from there. I've never seen a (2003-2011) Masterbilt that was not just gorgeously built.

 

 

What about Masterbilts with serials that start with GG?

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