6 digit serial number

[Carlo guitarlo]

I’ve got a Gibson Les paul custom with a 6 digit serial number of  140533 stamped on back of headstock with “made in USA” below. 

Best guess is it’s between ‘70 and ‘72. Anyone have any better info? Most of the sites I’ve checked aren’t very clear. 

 

[pippy]

Serial numbers from that period are notoriously unreliable because Gibson - almost unbelievably - used the same numbers more than once. It is nigh-on impossible to tell the year of manufacture of an instrument from this era from a serial number alone.

Best idea would be to check the codes on the volume- and tone potentiometers assuming they are the original units. All USA made pots have a date code stamped on to the body of the casing.

As an example 1376925 would break down as follows;

137 = the code for CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply were Gibson's usual supplier).

69 = The last two digits of the year in which the pot was made - here 1969.

25 = the week in which the pot was made; i.e. the 25th week of the year in this example.

This, of course, just tells you when the POT was made; not the guitar. As Gibson would normally be expected to have a supply of pots ready for installation it is fair to assume the guitar would have been assembled some months (at least) after the date on the pot.

Hope this helps.

Pip.

Edited June 12, 2019 by pippy

[gearhead]

That serial number sequence was used from 1970-1975.