dn00 Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Hi, I've been looking for a nice epiphone lp online and came across this. I've read the first post but have no idea how to decode this serial. Obviously J means it's made in Japan but from there I have no idea. The # is J11513936 thanks for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smips65 Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Hi' date=' I've been looking for a nice epiphone lp online and came across this. I've read the first post but have no idea how to decode this serial. Obviously J means it's made in Japan but from there I have no idea. The # is J11513936 thanks for any help[/quote'] I think that the Japan made instruments are from the Terada Plant, and have a "T" for the serial # I tried the dater, and your number was not recognized. Peter will confirm, but I would keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Hi' date=' I've been looking for a nice epiphone lp online and came across this. I've read the first post but have no idea how to decode this serial. Obviously J means it's made in Japan but from there I have no idea. The # is J11513936 [/quote'] Do you have any idea at all if git is 1991 or 2001? I keep seeing this breakdown in my mind, but I may be confusing it with something else... Maybe a Gibson breakdown? Cannot find the site I saw this on. J = Japan 1 = 2001? 151 = 151st day of year (May 31st) 3966 = production number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharmash Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 hi, just want to ask if this is a legit MIK Epiphone Les Paul Standard PLUS Limited edition. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 Petah[biggrin] Are there any changes that need to be added to the OP?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie1281734261 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I have a Jap Epi Riviera #3053015 which I bought from Rushworths in Liverpool in about 1988. Is it worth spending some cash fixing it up again or would I be better getting one of the new Korean/Chinese models? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabawokki Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Hey guys i just recently bought an epiphone les paul goldtop off of ebay. Im not 100% about the actual model or even how legit it is. The description stated that he bought it brand new in 2001 however the serial number would suggest it was built in 2003. Is there a way i can find out whether it is an elitist or just a standard with a pretty paintjob and a new truss rod cover? The serial number is U03011946 and the truss rod cover is the vertical word Gibson. Any help is much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabawokki Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 It's not an Elitist. Yours is Korean made. Peter Okay well thats one thing checked off but is there any way i can find out if its a legit epiphone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabawokki Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Oh my bad. [/img] [/img] [/img] [/img] Dunno if you can see em, its comin up as red xs on my preview. Nothin wrong with the photobucket img code is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_amos Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_amos Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Peter, No letters at all. My info came from that site link that is in my post. I questioned its accuracy and that is why I ask here. I had a Douglas Shadow Gold Top that looked and played EXACTLY like the Epi I just purchased. Some of the guys over at the Agile forum said that Epiphones and Douglases were made in the same plant. That I could believe because the two are so much alike. I am still wondering about where this is made. The year seems likely to be mid 90's according to the guy I bought it from. My daughter found on the Gibson web site something pertaining to the Epiphones year and month but no factory code. With this info mine would have been made in March of 1994. The info we did find shows that Japan was the only one that may not have had a letter code. They stopped production in Japan in 1993 and moved to Korea for the 1994 run. Again, I am in doubt as to where it was made but with this info I would think Korea. Perhaps early in the Korean run and using what was left of metal plates from Japan, if they had started stampings for the upcoming 94 year? Ya think? Probably not but it is something to consider. I find it interesting, and fun, tracking things like this down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
levanter Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Hi, i checked in guitardater but it says serial number not recognised... though using the formula in the first page, i'm guessing the its made in qingdao china, but is my guitar really legit since serial numbers can be faked? serial - 09101506562 i'm using an epiphone les paul standard plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
levanter Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 thanks for the quick reply =D i bought it from a private dealer, apparently he orders it from the supplier and sells them.. i bought it for USD$675 (cheaper than retail music shops), for some reason epiphones price in malaysia are alot higher compared to US =( oh, and there isnt any warranty card either, just comes with the owner manual and a poster with all the epiphone models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
levanter Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 phew thanks! Is it normal that there isnt a warranty card? i thought a well known brand like epi would have provided one? And sorry, im sure this has been asked many times, but hows the quality of the china made epi after 2008? heard alot of bad reviews on chinas qc and production. And how do they compare with indo made ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingv09 Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 What if the last 3 digits are etched out and the back of the headstock is stamped used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gan_naire Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 The Epiphone I have has a serial number....C4122476, where could it be from? Canada? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobacil Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Wow, I'm glad this thread exists! My main guitar since the mid-ninties has been my Epiphone Les Paul. I don't know anything about it though, I'm not even sure if it's a studio, special, custom or what. I'd love to know anything I can about it. It's all black with cream pickgaurd and pickup rings. No binding or special inlays. It says Epiphone on the headstock in abalone(decal?) and the Truss rod plate reads: Gibson (vertically). The dot inlays look like fake Abalone. I'm pretty sure it's a 3 piece alder body. I got it in 1996 at the Guitar Center in El Cerrito California. Serial Number: F5090321 Something that throws me off... The Neckplate reads: "Hand-crafted in Korea by Epiphone. The Epiphone Company Nashville Tennessee USA" So it says Korean made yet the Serial number starts with F which makes me think it's Japan made. Any info on this guitar would be much appreciated. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 My main guitar since the mid-ninties has been my Epiphone Les Paul. I got it in 1996 at the Guitar Center in El Cerrito California. Serial Number: F5090321 Something that throws me off... The Neckplate reads: "Hand-crafted in Korea by Epiphone. The Epiphone Company Nashville Tennessee USA" So it says Korean made yet the Serial number starts with F which makes me think it's Japan made. Guitar Dater says: Your guitar was made at the Fine Guitars Plant, Korea September 1995 Production Number: 0321 F = Fine Guitars Plant, Korea (for NON-Elitist Models, which yours is). 5 = 1995 09 = September Prod. # = 0321 for that month Manual/Visual verification of Factory code in Original Post matches the Production Plant indicated by Guitar Dater..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobacil Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Thank you so much, animalfarm! I love this guitar. Any clue on the model by any chance? It looks exactly like a "Les Paul 100 Ebony" with these 3 visual differences: It doesn't say "les Paul" on the headstock the truss rod plate reads "gibson" Different tuning machines than that of the '100 Ebony' It's ok if you don't have that info. I appreciate the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Thank you so much' date=' animalfarm! I love this guitar. Any clue on the model by any chance? It looks exactly like a "Les Paul 100 Ebony" with these 3 visual differences: It doesn't say "les Paul" on the headstock the truss rod plate reads "gibson" Different tuning machines than that of the '100 Ebony' It's ok if you don't have that info. I appreciate the help![/quote'] Take pictures, then start a "please help ID this Model EPi LP" thread in the Electrics section. Here's a link to how to post photos frpm the EPI "Forum Feedback" section, unless you already have a Photobucket or Imageshack account! Look forward to the pics, and Welcome aboard! http://forums.epiphone.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=8886 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpm Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Hey all! I'm new to the board, and am in the process of scraping together the money to get a blonde Dot. My question is: How far back do these codes cover on Epi's made overseas? My little brother has an ET-290 that I bought almost 25 years ago for $95. Just recently figured out what the model number was. We have passed it between myself, my little brother, and one of our other brothers a few times. I've been told ours was made around 1970, but haven't had a way to verify more precisely. Are there any identifiable codes for Epi's that old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Lister Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 philpm from page 1: note that for guitars made prior to 1993, the serial # assigned does not reveal the date or factory where made General wisdom is that serial #s pre-93 were not coded and that no records were kept of what guitar = what production factory. This was due to the outsourcing of production to many different makers after the Michigan production shutdown. Only Epi knows for sure. You can try contacting Epi directly with what you already know about year made, serial, etc. and see what they reply. Best of luck. WELCOME to the forum! Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaaby..., I'm still playing on:-" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpm Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Thanks Steven, I missed that in the initial post. Guess I should read a little more carefully next time. I'll have to grab the info from my brother. I'll see if he can snap some pics too, and I'll put them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henk2055 Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Hi! I'm looking for some help to indentify my les paul. I can't find it's serialnumber anywhere. It's a six digit number reading "002249". Here are two pics http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/henk2055/Bild274.jpg http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/henk2055/Untitled-1copy.jpg Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aavani Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 I am looking for more information on my guitar. I just bought it for $300 from a local seller (via Craigslist). **Here is what I have so far.** Serial numberU00081288 Guitar Info Your guitar was made at the Unsung Plant, Korea August 2000 Production Number: 1288 Un Sung Musical Instrument Co. Un Sung Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. was established in 1987, Inchon, Korea. They have productive capability 50,000 of Electric Guitars and basses a year. Not only do they produce guitars for several well known brands by OEM but also have their own line 'Silver Star'. I am looking for dimensions. Nut width, Bracket sizes for pickups, etc. The attached Tremolo is a cool feature but it knocks the guitar out of tune so bad it's horrible. I suspect I can correct this with a new Tusq nut made for guitars with a trem with wide grooves (I play with 11's) and possibly a bridge with rollers instead of the tune-o-matic. Thoughts? I appreciate any assistance you guys can offer. I am very new to guitar, and even more new to electric guitar. Thanks Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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