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i.d. your Epiphone here -- serial # key, guitardater link + factory codes... a worldwide guide >part 3


Steven Lister

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Well scratch the nut width I just went ahead and bought one. I also picked up the chrome pickup brackets, I can't wait to finish all the mods I wanna do. I would still like to know the model and such if anyone has an idea. ** Also another update, I figured out my Bigsby (Vibratone), I watched a youtube vid with tips on how to keep it in tune. Basically you tune it up a little sharp, strum a bit and toy with whammy, then tune each string again gently using the Bigsby after tuning each string. This apparently evens out string tension after every point of contact. This helped a lot, I was able to give it a go without knocking my guitar out of tune. Now all I have to do is learn how to use the damn thing:P

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Hey chaps,

 

New to this place. Bought a Casino the other day, and just have a quick query...

 

The only serial number I can locate is on the sticker inside the body, and there doesn't appear to be one on the headstock. Is this the norm?

 

And am I right in thinking that the serial numbers no longer include a factory letter?

 

Serial number is - 09111501035

 

So made in November '09, but thats all I can decipher.

 

Any info. would be appreciated.

 

Ta!

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I went to the guitar dater site, put in my serial number for my Les Paul, but got a "serial number unrecognized" result.

 

According to the first post, anything built before 93, the codes don't really give any info.

 

Mine is S9200577. I used to think the 92 was for 1992, but now not sure with the pre '93 info. Anyone have any idea?

 

Thanks.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi!

I'm having an old SQ-180, and I cant read the SN. I thinhk its made in Korea in '92, but im not sure. The code is 1121298.

Thanks.

 

EDIT:Thats OK, I found by myself. It read this way: YMMPPPP(1(91)12(december)1298(production number))

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Hey guys, would really appreciate help ID'ing my Epiphone. I attached pictures to make it easier. Here's what I found at the Guitar Dater Project:

 

Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database

August 2000

Production Number: 0049

 

It looks a lot like a Les Paul Junior, but the guitar doesn't actually say Les Paul anywhere. It's TV Yellow, the serial is J00080049. I've spent the better part of a day researching and can't find it anywhere, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get an idea of how much it might be worth, might have to sell it to pay for some upcoming bills.

 

Thanks,

Sam.

post-25140-076377600 1283050979_thumb.jpg

post-25140-016106300 1283050992_thumb.jpg

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Hey guys, would really appreciate help ID'ing my Epiphone. I attached pictures to make it easier. Here's what I found at the Guitar Dater Project:

 

Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database

August 2000

Production Number: 0049

 

It looks a lot like a Les Paul Junior, but the guitar doesn't actually say Les Paul anywhere. It's TV Yellow, the serial is J00080049. I've spent the better part of a day researching and can't find it anywhere, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get an idea of how much it might be worth, might have to sell it to pay for some upcoming bills.

 

Thanks,

Sam.

Hi Sam.

 

The guitar is a Les Paul Junior DC (Double-Cut) made in Indonesia in August 2000. As far as I've heard these are quite sought after, but try creating a new post in the elctrics session. Some of the other members might be able to help you.

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I own a black explorer, the headstock says "Epiphone by Gibson", I bought the guitar second hand back in the very early 90`s sometime, so my guess is thats its built at least a few years ahead of that. Its fitted with black hardware, and a locking tremolo, the humbuckers are split half white and half black, the serial # on a sticker on the headstock reads 880400161, I just played it end never thought of it really, but owning it for nearly 20 years now, it would be fun to know if this is a genuine thing or just some fake thing, as I have never really seen one like it, tnx in advance for any help!

I just picked up an Epiphone S800 at GC today(Labor Day). $99! (They wanted $150). They had it marked incorrectly as an Epiphone Extreme? All original black hardware. The color is metallic black so it looks very stealthy. It has the "hockey stick" headstock like your Explorer. What caught my eye was the pearloid inlay "Epiphone by Gibson" in a big, bold font. It looks elegant on a black headstock. All it needed was a little TLC with a Dunlop cleaning kit. Extensive research at other sites reveals that it was manufactured in 1988. It has the HSS pickup configuration with the split-coil bridge humbucker when you pull the tone knob. It also has the Steinberger KB tremolo. Anyway what piqued my curiosity is that my serial no. is very close to your's: 880400453. Can anybody here please shed some light as to details of this guitar. I have read this entire thread but it seems that these guitars go back before they started using letters.

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Hi,

 

and welcome here.

 

RobinTheHood (RTH) has made a spec sheet....

 

http://epiphone.3house.com/

 

and HNGD !

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm already familiar with that very informative site. I learned a lot about the specs of the guitar there but, what I was further interested in is cool stuff that's being talked about in this thread. Like where the guitar was manufactured(e.g.-what country, I know, I know Samick, in Korea). What do the numbers mean? My serial # is peculiar because it has nine digits with no letters. Does it mean that it was made in April of '88 and the run is 453? Stuff like that.

Anyway,I also own an 1978 Les Paul Custom that I bought in 1979 at the Chicago Guitar Company. I am the original owner. I'll have to look at the serial tonight and see if I can discover something more about it.

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Hi,I have an S310 and I dont know how to trace the year it was made the serial number is JI98080030... I boought to some guy in mexico for $80 and i would really like how much it costs and everything, but i haven't been able to find out the year.

 

 

Can someone help me?

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Hi,I have an S310 and I dont know how to trace the year it was made the serial number is JI98080030... I boought to some guy in mexico for $80 and i would really like how much it costs and everything, but i haven't been able to find out the year.

 

Can someone help me?

 

I have visions of - "psssssst! Senor, Senor! Want to buy this guitar I have

hidden under my overcoat? I make you goooood deal, eh?" [biggrin]

 

Well.....

Guitar Dater Project says:

Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database (JI)

August 1998 (9808)

Production Number: 0030

 

RobinTheHood (RTH) has made a spec sheet....

http://epiphone.3house.com/

 

Click on S-310 or S-310 Custom (which ever is yours), look at drop-down box,

has pics and descpription to help you verify WHICH is the one you have.

 

Then check Ebay for any listings - for example:

 

'93 EPIPHONE GIBSON S-310→Black Strat Beauty‼ reduced! Buy it Now - $179.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/93-EPIPHONE-GIBSON-S-310-Black-Strat-Beauty-reduced-/110584483062?pt=Guitar&hash=item19bf594cf6

 

This answer may not be seen by many folks. If you re-post it in the ELECTRICS section

as a NEW thread, more folks will see it. It's just that not many people check to see what

new questions are added to this thread. Pete.R WILL check, for sure. He's the MAIN MAN for this

thread. If you DO a new thread, post pics if you can. If you don't know how, check the Do-it-yourself"

EPI Lounge thread, under "posting pics" section.

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I have visions of - "psssssst! Senor, Senor! Want to buy this guitar I have

hidden under my overcoat? I make you goooood deal, eh?" [biggrin]

 

Well.....

Guitar Dater Project says:

Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database (JI)

August 1998 (9808)

Production Number: 0030....

 

 

hey man thanks for being that nice, sorry for not answering sooner

but I'm at college right now and it's been a little hectic...

 

 

you almost got that story right, i saw it announced on a newspaper and went to some dude's

random house, it was really sketchy hood and wasn't sure if the post was real but then it

turned put to be a nice guy whose kid didn't really want to learn guitar so kinda lucky for

me...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just purchased a used Epi LP lefty from about the mid 90's. The owner said that he's had it about 15 years. The serial number is 9403209. From what I found at this site... http://fuq.encycmet.com/questions/379/ ...it's a Nashville built instrument from 1994. It is a bolt on neck and has a truss cover that has Gibson on it. All black with no binding. Since web site information can be wrong at times I figured that someone here would have the straigh skinny on this serial number. It's a nice guitar with electric problems that I will be sorting out soon and where and when it ws made is not too important as the guitar is what it is. I'd just like to know. Thanks and I hope to be contributing here soon. Bob

 

Hi Bob and welcome. If your LP has a bolt on neck, I think you can pretty safely assume it's not an authentic Epiphone. And it most definitely was not made in Nashville. That doesn't mean it's not a decent guitar; many of the early LP copies that were made in Japan had bolt on necks. But Gibson/Epiphone has never, to my knowledge, made a LP with a bolt on neck.

 

Cheers

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Hi Bob and welcome. If your LP has a bolt on neck, I think you can pretty safely assume it's not an authentic Epiphone. And it most definitely was not made in Nashville. That doesn't mean it's not a decent guitar; many of the early LP copies that were made in Japan had bolt on necks. But Gibson/Epiphone has never, to my knowledge, made a LP with a bolt on neck.

 

Cheers

 

Sure they do. Epi LP Specials and Special IIs and Les Paul 100s all have a bolt on neck.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello to all on the forum, there is a lot of good information here.

 

I tried using the search tools, but could not find an answer so here goes:

 

Recently bought a second hand Epiphone LP standard, and when I tried to date it the serial number was not known. The serial number on both the box that the guitar was in, and via a printed sticker on the neck are listed as 311445073. However, when I peeled the sticker off there is a number stamped underneath it as EE03114*** with the last three digits having been 'dimpled/ drilled' out and painted over.

 

Accordingly, although the guitar looks every much the real thing the tuning keys are made by Jinho and not Grover, and I am a littles suspicious now.

 

Can any of you sages help out here, as if it is fake then I will return it.

 

Thanks.

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Thanks for the reply, appreciate it, but I still have a couple questions if you could help with:

 

Any idea why Epiphone would put a new serial number over the old one, and remove the last three digits of the original stamped in number?

 

Also, the tuning heads being made by Jinho, were these official bin parts used by Epiphone?

 

Finally, the original number of EE03114xxx, would seem to date it from 2003. Is there any other way to verify this from the type of equipment fitted?

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Thanks again for replying.

 

I wholly agree that it is an awful amount of effort to fake a guitar of relatively minor value, and having seen your earlier reply, I am satisfied it is most likely legit.

 

However, I am curious by nature, and don't understand why a manufacturer would change only a part of a numbering system as opposed to either deleting the original entirely, or adding a prefix to indicate something else in the manufacturing process .

 

In addition, I was asking if Epiphone would have originally used Jinho tuners in the past, in particular around 2003/2004?

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The reason they replace the serial number with a sticker and remove the last few digits of the original is to prevent someone from removing the sticker and selling it as a new guitar instead of a used or factory second. Leaving the beginning of the serial number unaltered is probably to be able to track the date and factory where it was manufactured if necessary.

 

And yes, the original number shows it was made in QingDao China in November 2003.

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Hi, on my sheraton 1 ther's only this number on the back of neck S6054101 someone can tell me more about her ? What kind of PU are on , and the year of birth i think from Korea but i'm no sure .

Thanks for all and sorry for my english so limitated i'm from Italy.

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Hi, on my sheraton 1 ther's only this number on the back of neck S6054101 someone can tell me more about her ? What kind of PU are on , and the year of birth i think from Korea but i'm no sure .

Thanks for all and sorry for my english so limitated i'm from Italy.

 

 

Sheraton I, :-k I tend to say '86 made

 

and of course, pics would help

 

What's a Sheraton 1??? There were the original Sheratons, mini humbuckers and Frequensator tailpiece, and there were the Asian Sheraton II with full sized 'buckers and stop tailpiece. AFAIK, no Samick made Sheraton came with minis or a freakin' sator. And it can't be a 1986, because those serial #s that started with the factory codes weren't used until the early '90s. Without seeing it, I would say it's a 1996 Samick made Sheraton II.

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