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Serial Number and Date for ES-125


Brianjli

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Dear Jim,

Thank you very much for your input!

I look forward to receiving this guitar. I can't sleep at nights. I'm in the hunt for a late 50s to early 60s P-90, right now and a genuine pickguard. The pickup is a essential. I already have one but i want to get the second one. This is what i always do for my vintage guitars. In the end i'll get an original case, keys, and the correct pickguard and bridge just to have them in the guitar. The P-90s are of course going in the guitar. I was contemplating if this was indeed an ES-125 or any other model looking the same as it appears that the model number is very faint in the F hole on the actual guitar. I already acquired the correct trussrod.

Edited by orys
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Tio,

I just realized that you have not yet posted an image showing the whole guitar.  Since I haven't seen an image of the stamped model name, or the body shape and depth of the guitar, I just want to make sure we're talking about an ES-125TCD here. (Thin body; Cutaway; Double pickups)

As for the fact that the FON appears to pre-date the production of the model, this is not so unusual.  The following excerpt (even though your guitar wouldn't have had a serial number) from guitarhq.com helps to explain:

Another question asked is, "The FON number says the instrument is 1958, yet the serial number says 1959; why are they different?". There is a very logical reason for this. The FON number is stamped on the instrument very early in the manufacturing process. Most times, the serial number is applied as one of the last steps (especially on pre-1961 hollow body instruments) when the instrument is nearly finished. Depending on the demand for the instrument, it could take Gibson up to 6 months to finish the instrument. Hence the FON number could be one year, and the serial number the next year.

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  • 7 months later...

I have what I've always thought - according to the music store that sold it to me ca 1971 (for $115.00) that my ES125 was a 1956.  I can't find any SN on it, however... just a bare faint stamp that's unreadable in the top f-hole center.

I have the pick guard for the guitar but have lost track of the screws to remount it.  Anybody know where I can get something like that?  I checked the Gibson parts page with no luck.

I also need the cover for the headstock nut.  There was one that came with the guitar, but it doesn't line up with the holes in the headstock.

 

thanx

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8 hours ago, hatfieldrc said:

I have what I've always thought - according to the music store that sold it to me ca 1971 (for $115.00) that my ES125 was a 1956.  I can't find any SN on it, however... just a bare faint stamp that's unreadable in the top f-hole center.

I have the pick guard for the guitar but have lost track of the screws to remount it.  Anybody know where I can get something like that?  I checked the Gibson parts page with no luck.

I also need the cover for the headstock nut.  There was one that came with the guitar, but it doesn't line up with the holes in the headstock.

 

thanx

 

The trussrod cover is the same as a Les Paul Junior plain black with no white line around it.

You can get a new one and age it a bit.

Also the pickguard mount is like a Les Paul if i'm not mistaken, so you can get one set and get the screws.

The metal bracket i think is different though, but if you just need the screw that goes into the body and the screw and nut that mounts the plastic pickguard to the bracket, then i think you'll be ok. 

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I've got myself a ES-125 
No real idea about the year... no letter in the serial number either.  
But the serial number look like    12867 17    (no dash between the two series)   It stamp in the inside back on the electronic side. 
The logo seems to be silk screened too .  Mostly all original exept for the tuners.  but...  it's so old ... pretty happy with it... but i just want to be sure  that it 's the real deal.  

Nobody talk about a 5 digit serial number... it's always 3 ou 4 ...  :/   
 

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  • 9 months later...
On 1/31/2021 at 6:01 AM, All said:

Hi, I've got a Gibson es 125 tcd (thinline). It is tobacco burst. The serial number is S2781 12. Is it from 1959? 
thanks!

To everyone with this type of question regarding Gibson serial numbers (and in this case, factory order numbers), you can find your answer on a webpage that I've linked here dozens of times over the years, including earlier in this same thread.  I would recommend bookmarking this page, which is very handy:  http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial   

Yes, a factory order number beginning with "S" dates to 1959.  

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Here's a picture of my  my Gibson ES 125.

Pickguard and I think the knobs are not original. ( trying to find replacements, but that;s another topic)

No Fon to be seen , only the serial number on the back of the headstock. ( 54439 )

I  used the link for the serialnumbers  that  JimR56 posted here, but I can't find  the year. 

Thanks,  Dirk

 

 

IMG-20210311-WA0003 (2).jpg

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#54439 falls between 42441 and 61180, and thus would indicate 1962. Here's the info from the source I linked:

Gibson Serial Numbers, Feb 1961 to 1970.

    • All models, stamped in back top of peghead. No "MADE IN USA" stamp below serial number! Note many serial numbers are duplicated from 1963-1969. In these cases, to figure out which is the exact year for a guitar, see the General Specs section for more details. ALSO note: It is easy to confuse 5 digit and 6 digit serial numbers from this era, and hence get the wrong year for a guitar. That is, 55555 is not the same number as 555555 (but when reading the number off the back of a Gibson peghead, these two numbers do look very similar!)
      Range              Year
      -----              ----
      0100   to 42440    1961
      42441  to 61180    1962
      61450  to 64222    1963
      64240  to 71040    1964
      71041  to 96600    1962, a few from 1963/1964
      96601  to 99999    1963
Edited by JimR56
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Hi JimR56  Thanks !   

 It was sold to me as a Gibson ES 125 ,  1955. 

I  guess they made this mistake by following the serial numbers for a Gibson Les Paul ?

Gibson used 5 or 6 digit ink stamped serial numbers on Les Paul guitars from 1952 until 1960. The first digit of this style serial number indicates the last digit of the year it was manufactured. 

 

Best regards, Dirk

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I asked the seller of my guitar how they  are sure the date is 1955.

Their reply :

Regarding your remarks, regarding the serial number first of all,
The guitar is indeed from 1955, because its serial number is engraved on the back of the head and not only printed, moreover the first digit of your number is 5 which corresponds to the year 1955 (see table attached).

I really don't know if this is correct ?

thanks, Dirk

dkjtngzh9fdmvuls7jsn.png

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Sorry for the delayed reply, Dirk.  You should inform the seller that the table they refer to is for dating 1952-1961 solid body models only.  If you follow the link I provided above (http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial), and read through it, you will find this information and much much more about Gibson's serial number (and FON) history.  The webpage is quite thorough and informative, and anyone who is reading this ought to bookmark that page for future reference.  An ES-125 is not a solid body guitar, and thus the seller was wrong to refer you to the table they attached.

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Hi JimR56   

Thanks again  ! 

 I can't convince the seller that it is 1962,  but  'm 100 % sure  you are right with 1962.

Two reputable guitar shops here in the Netherlands confirmed that 1962 is correct.

best regards,  Dirk

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 10/25/2022 at 11:25 PM, Nic Atkins said:

Hey y'all we could use some help.  We recently inherited a beautiful ES-125 with FON 1704 17. We are not sure on what the year would be?  Any help is appreciated. 

It would be best if you could post photos of the instrument, but the year is most likely 1948 (see this link, which was posted earlier in this discussion: Gibson serial numbers @ guitarhg.com

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/25/2023 at 8:08 PM, Tom OBrien said:

Hello. Grabbed my ES 125 from a pawn shop back in 1984. Always wondered what year it is and finally found out the location of the Factory Order Number.  Can you help me date her. Thanks

20230225_205750.jpg

20230225_205935.jpg

From the reference webpage I've linked here (above) several times:

Gibson Factory Order Numbers, 1942 to 1951.

    • Serial numbers are seldom found on instruments made during WW2. But most (not all) have Factory Order Numbers (FON). These contain a four digit batch number stamped in ink, followed by a two digit sequence number written in red pencil (during WW2 only). After the war, the red pencil wasn't used (and on instruments made during the war, sometimes it's really hard to see the red penciled sequence number). Usually there is no more than 46 instruments (sequence numbers) per batch. Also no batch number with a "1" as the first digit was used during WW2. The FON is usually located on the neck block. The war-time list that follows is not definative but includes FONs that I have seen. Unfortunately I don't have every range of FON's during this period.
      Year    Factory Order Number 
      ----    --------------------
      1941    G (letter code sometimes seen after FON, i.e. 2586G).
      1942    907, 910, 923, 2004, 2005, 7000ish (i.e. 7119) - all 'Banner' logo.
      1942    H (letter code sometimes seen after FON, i.e. 7116H). Range 5xxxH to 8xxxH
      1943    Range generally 9xx to 22xx, depending on the model.
      1944    Range generally 22xx to 29XX, depending on the model, some with no FON.
      1945    1xx to 10xx, but many with no FON.
      1946    n/a ('Banner' logo no longer used, now script logo with no banner).
      1947    700s to 1000s
      1948    1100s to 3700s ('Script' logo no longer used, block logo used.)
      1949    2000s
      1950    3000s to 5000s
      1951    6000s to 9000s
Edited by JimR56
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

I have an ES-125 that has only a 3 digit number on the back (photo taken when the back was removed by my luthier for repairs). 
The person who sold it to me said they thought it was from late 50s/early 60s.
The number is "364".  It's hard to tell if there are or aren't faint ink marks around the digit, or if those are all woodgrain features.

I went to the link (http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial),  but couldn't find any leads. 

Thanks for any help, Louis.

m copy.jpg

n copy2.jpg

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