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Epiphone acoustic! any idea of year of manufacture?


stoney07

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I have recently purchased a Epiphone 12 string acoustic. The model number inside says FR212. I have looked everywhere for this model with no success! also the serial number is 86030217. I hope someone out there can throw some light on this! many thanks! Steve

post-84498-060501700 1490041062_thumb.jpg

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I have recently purchased a Epiphone 12 string acoustic. The model number inside says FR212. I have looked everywhere for this model with no success! also the serial number is 86030217. I hope someone out there can throw some light on this! many thanks! Steve

 

My best guess would be the early 80s. Gibson had moved to Nashville from Kalamazoo circa that time and their Epiphones were being made in Japan at that time as the label indicates.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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My best guess would be the early 80s. Gibson had moved to Nashville from Kalamazoo circa that time and their Epiphones were being made in Japan at that time as the label indicates.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

Thanks Jazzman Jeff! really appreciate the help [thumbup]

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Actually Epiphone production left my home town of Kalamazoo 1969-1970. There is a serial number decoder project and an unofficial epiphone wiki website packed with answer like to the questions you are asking.

You'll learn the blue label debacle like the blue labels that say just made in Kalamazoo, some with that plus "union made" in the bottom left corner, some with those two things and "made in Japan" in the bottom right and then there are some with made in kalamazoo AND "made in Japan in the bottom right and nothing in the bottom left side... then after all of those blue label (made in Kalamazoo) stickers ran out I think is when the Norlin (sp) brown square stickers started being put on.. there is a period before or after the use of big brown Norlin (sp) when serial numbering was all messed up, a production move to Korea happened as well as a short production run out west anyway... a hodge podge of stickers was put in epiphones over the years. So stickers like in your picture could be Japan or Korea or ?

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Nothing even mentioned for an EPi FR212 in the Wiki or web.

 

I wonder if it's another makers model they slapped a sticker on for a short run? Or for a special sell, like a this store only model.

 

I have a Sigma like that. It's a Yamaha with a Sigma label on it.

 

 

 

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Nothing even mentioned for an EPi FR212 in the Wiki or web.

 

I wonder if it's another makers model they slapped a sticker on for a short run? Or for a special sell, like a this store only model.

 

I have a Sigma like that. It's a Yamaha with a Sigma label on it.

This is the actual Guitar! any info post-84498-061410800 1490418531_thumb.jpgwould be greatly appreciated.

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Looks like Remellick and Scootch are both right.

 

This is all there is about it from the Epiphone serial key:

 

"The Aria Epiphone Japan models that were made by Matsumoku from the early 1970s and ending before 1987 do not

have a reliable serial numbering system but can be approximately dated using their Epiphone label colours.

 

Blue label: early 1970s-1980

Light brown label: 1980-1985

Brown label: 1985-1987"

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According to the Epiphone Dater Project serial number decoder: 86030217

Shows to be made in "Korea"

March 1986

Production number 217

 

It appears it only supports serial numbers from 1932 thru 1970. Ser#s from 70's to 80's, made in Japan, are not supported because there is no reliable documentation available. I'm just going by what I read on the site. Hope this helps. I ran my 2012 epi bird and it only shows serial # support and country of origin.

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