serial numbers

[billiards]

suppose i should just go to gibson....however i am trying to find out the year of mfg. and number of units made, and just where in the line the one i purchased stands from beginning to end......( j180 ec) , thanks for any help:d/

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

A typical acoustic serial number these days looks like this:

 

01234012

 

the 1st. and 5th number = year of mfg. (in this example 04)

 

the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th number = day of the year made (the 123rd. day)

 

the 6th, 7th, and 8th number = where your guitar placed in the lot made for that day. (012)

 

This guitar if it existed, would have been the 12th. guitar of that model, manufactured on May 3rd. 2004

 

 

As far as how many total of that model was made on that day, I suppose only Gibson knows.

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

[modoc_333]

A typical acoustic serial number these days looks like this:

 

01234012

 

the 1st. and 5th number = year of mfg. (in this example 04)

 

the 2nd' date=' 3rd, and 4th number = day of the year made (the 123rd. day)

 

the 6th, 7th, and 8th number = where your guitar placed in the lot made for that day. (012)

 

This guitar if it existed, would have been the 12th. guitar of that model, manufactured on May 3rd. 2004

 

 

As far as how many total of that model was made on that day, I suppose only Gibson knows.

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

[/quote']

 

almost. it wouldn't be the 12th guitar of that model. it would be the 12th guitar total.... of all models to get a serial number that day.

and gibson doesn't release production numbers unless it's a limited run and that number is advertised as part of the marketing appeal.

[ksdaddy]

And God help you if it was made before they adopted that system in 1977. Before that it CAN be simple or it can be.. oh..., let's see, your Gibson might have been made in 1973,74 or 75.... OR (I love this one) some serial number ranges were repeated in various times in the 60s so you need to analyze the rest of the guitar to know (or at least pick a system you can defend).

 

But hopefully you're talking 77 and later. One thing to consider is that the neck is stamped with the serial number and it is mated to it's body then. They aren't necessarily physically joined that day but they are betrothed to one another. The two subassemblies then go through their assembly and finish steps which might take another week or two or three. So if any given Gibson translates to February 1st by the serial number, it probably didn't leave the factory until February 15th or 20th.

 

And to further confuse later generations of folks like us, some guitars get set aside because there might be some QC problem. I think those issues get straightened out quite quickly but I suppose some could sit and collect dust for a while before they get straightened out, thereby broadening the range between the neck date and the day the box gets opened at Mom & Pop Music in Pawtuckett.

 

I can see it now... "Whaddya mean you just got it in? The serial number says it's six months old!"

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

 

almost. it wouldn't be the 12th guitar of that model. it would be the 12th guitar total.... of all models to get a serial number that day.

and gibson doesn't release production numbers unless it's a limited run and that number is advertised as part of the marketing appeal.

 

Thank You for that.

[billiards]

thanks for all the interest in helping me....i purchased this j 180 ec having been told it was an early model...the serial number reads 00011007 which would be 2001 jan.1 7 built that day. (must have worked new years day......well again thanks a million

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

That is a unique serial number. I don't know if they work on New Years day or not. But that number would indicate they did.

 

You don't have to rush off you know. Stick around for a bit. Post some photos of her. I would enjoy seeing it. We're suckers here for guitar porn.

 

Here's some of my babies. I don't post them often enough.