A serial number ending in 501 could be the first instrument made at factory #5 that day, or it could be the 501 st instrument of the day.The remaining characters (RRR) can indicate the order of instruments created that day, as well as which factory the instrument was made in.00027xxx for the 2 nd day of the year of 2007 (January 2, 2007).Gibsons have this pattern stamped onto the back of their headstocks: YDDDYRRR.Gibson serial numbers are even more interesting, because you can find out the specific date that your instrument was completed! Here's how:.Shop our selection of Fender Guitars Gibson Serial Dating

Serial number coding for Mexican-made instruments is largely the same, except they will start with an M.

The remaining digits are important for product identification, but the first few characters are all you need to determine the instruments age.

The second character will usually be a number.

For US instruments, the serial number will start with a letter.

Serial dating is easiest for instruments made in the USA or Mexico, but is also possible for those made in Japan, Korea, China, and Indonesia.

First, narrow it down by the country of origin.

Here's a brief rundown of how to do it, plus resources for more information. Well, good news it's very easy to figure out the age of Fender and Gibson instruments from the last 30 years. In 1979 Hondo offered Asian-made licensed-versions (not copies…) of the respected SD Curlee instruments.How Old Is My Guitar? Use the Serial Number!Įver wonder exactly when your favorite guitar was made? You sort of remember when you got it, but you want to really know its history, especially if you're not the first owner.

The Hondo 781 EXP, a lurid instrument sure to inspire fist-pumping. We see copies of: Gibson’s THE PAUL, the Fender Lead II, an early Fender Telecaster, an EVH-style strat, as well as some generic-looking but original instruments. The Hondo Longhorns circa 1981 updated versions of the circa 1960 Danelectro instruments. Was is supposed to invoke Honda, then known to Americans as a leading manufacturer of motorcycles? Here’s a look back at the company’s big push into the US market in the 1970s.

Anyways… by the time I started playing the electric guitar, the Hondo II name was already retired and they were simply branded ‘Samicks.’ Not sure what was up with the awkward name Hondo. Samick is among the world’s largest manufacturers of musical instruments, with much modern production of guitars taking place in Indonesia. According to wikipedia, Hondos were built in Japan between 19. Marketed as ideal beginner-instruments, Hondo II was the US brand name for certain guitars built by the Korean Samick corporation.

Hondo guitar serial number