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Gibson
gibson.com › pages › serial-number-search
Gibson Serial Numbers
Beginning in July 2005, Gibson USA moves to a 9-digit number, with the 6th digit now being a batch number. Batch 0 starts at the beginning of the day, and once we stamp 699, the batch number changes to 1. The new format is as follows: ... These serial numbers do not indicate a specific day ...
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Guitar Dater Project
guitardaterproject.org › gibson.aspx
The Guitar Dater Project - Gibson Serial Number Decoder
Enter Serial Number eg. 81232560 Extended Search For all Gibson guitars made prior to 1977 and reisues
Discussions

Can someone please quickly verify whether this Gibson is authentic? Trading for it tomorrow 😬
Fakes use real serial numbers. A serial number is a formula. I can literally rattle off a random serial number right now. Want to see? 93221056 Guess what that is? A 1991 Gibson completed on the 322nd day of the year and was the 56th guitar completed that specific day. Literally anyone can take any serial number and stamp it on a fake guitar. Once you know the formula the serial numbers are created with, which is common knowledge, you just create one and stamp it on the guitar. What are the chances the person who owns the real guitar with that number is ever going to come across this fake? Want to know how to spot a fake right away? Every time? Without fail? Look at the serial number in the first picture. See how it’s perfectly legible? See how it looks like it’s laser etched or routed into the wood perfectly? And there’s bare wood left behind? Real Gibsons don’t look like that. Gibson stamps the serial numbers. So they’re uneven, inconsistent in depth, and hard to read. And they do it into bare wood, before paint. Then they paint over top of it. So real Gibsons will have a hard to read, stamped serial number, that’s painted. Fake Gibsons will have a perfectly routed/laser cut serial number that shows bare wood into the numbers because the guitar is painted first then the number is cut after. Which cuts through the paint and back into bare wood. That’s the dead giveaway. Every. Single. Time. People can talk all they want about “it’s fret nibs” or “it’s the bridge pins.” No, it’s the serial number. And this one is as fake as they come. There surely is a legit Gibson made in Nashville in 2006 with the serial number 017160733, but it sure as fuck ain’t this one. Do NOT trade for this thing. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Guitar
483
817
February 23, 2024
Help identifying my old Gibson Grabber... No serial number

Well it's definitely a grabber. You should check the pots for a date, people have been finding numbers on them at the very least you can get a round about... Unless those were replaced.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Bass
7
9
July 2, 2013
Serial number
Is this data in GC database wrong? Or is the date embedded in the serial number more of a loose concept? Do guitars in general or Gibson guitars specifically have production years like school years so the 1998-99 production year and they just refer to them all in this period as 1998? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/gibson
7
0
May 16, 2023
Serial number doubt
Your guitar was made on the 69th day of 2022. It’s been a little while since they used the first 2 as the year. Gibson’s website has a dating section you can reference More on reddit.com
🌐 r/gibson
5
0
December 16, 2023
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Guitar Center
guitarcenter.com › riffs › gear-tips › guitars › gibson-serial-numbers-decoding
Decoding Gibson Serial Numbers | GC Riffs
October 1, 2025 - In this article, we hope to clear up some of the mystery behind Gibson's serial number systems and show you how to find the serial number to get a reasonably accurate idea of your Gibson guitar's birthday.
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True Vintage Guitar
truevintageguitar.com › pages › gibson-serial-number-lookup
Gibson Serial Number Lookup – True Vintage Guitar
How to read ink stamp serial numbers with 5 or 6 digits: if a 1950s guitar, the first digit will indicate the last digit of the year it was made (9 = 1959). Exceptions: Gibson used a space between the prefix and consecutive number until the ...
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Scribd
scribd.com › document › 772937562 › Gibson-Serial-Number-Lookup-Authority-Guitar
Gibson Serial Number Lookup - Authority Guitar | PDF
Gibson Serial Number Lookup - Authority Guitar - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free.
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The Tone Rooms
thetonerooms.com › music rooms › twang terrace › gibson - epiphone
Gibson Serial Number Decoder | The Tone Rooms
December 27, 2018 - I wanted to know about my ES 135 so I went here. It says my guitar was made Jan 22, 2003, in Memphis or Nashville. It was obviously Memphis as it is a Semi Hollow with Serial 00223736 Gibson Guitars Serial Number Decoder - GuitarInsite
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/guitar › can someone please quickly verify whether this gibson is authentic? trading for it tomorrow 😬
r/Guitar on Reddit: Can someone please quickly verify whether this Gibson is authentic? Trading for it tomorrow 😬
February 23, 2024 -

Serial number decoder says it's legit Nashville '06, but I've learned not to trust anyone in the trading scene 😩. Someone was more experienced, please help.

Top answer
1 of 5
5089
Fakes use real serial numbers. A serial number is a formula. I can literally rattle off a random serial number right now. Want to see? 93221056 Guess what that is? A 1991 Gibson completed on the 322nd day of the year and was the 56th guitar completed that specific day. Literally anyone can take any serial number and stamp it on a fake guitar. Once you know the formula the serial numbers are created with, which is common knowledge, you just create one and stamp it on the guitar. What are the chances the person who owns the real guitar with that number is ever going to come across this fake? Want to know how to spot a fake right away? Every time? Without fail? Look at the serial number in the first picture. See how it’s perfectly legible? See how it looks like it’s laser etched or routed into the wood perfectly? And there’s bare wood left behind? Real Gibsons don’t look like that. Gibson stamps the serial numbers. So they’re uneven, inconsistent in depth, and hard to read. And they do it into bare wood, before paint. Then they paint over top of it. So real Gibsons will have a hard to read, stamped serial number, that’s painted. Fake Gibsons will have a perfectly routed/laser cut serial number that shows bare wood into the numbers because the guitar is painted first then the number is cut after. Which cuts through the paint and back into bare wood. That’s the dead giveaway. Every. Single. Time. People can talk all they want about “it’s fret nibs” or “it’s the bridge pins.” No, it’s the serial number. And this one is as fake as they come. There surely is a legit Gibson made in Nashville in 2006 with the serial number 017160733, but it sure as fuck ain’t this one. Do NOT trade for this thing.
2 of 5
599
Looks fake to me headstock shape and serial looks engraved
Find elsewhere
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My Les Paul
mylespaul.com › forums › the les paul › gibson les pauls
Gibson serial numbers 2016 and beyond | My Les Paul Forum
June 9, 2021 - The pattern is as follows: YYRRRRRRR YY is the model year RRRRRRR is the number in product for the model year (starts at 0000001)" However they fail to mention that in 2016 it was changed back to the 1st and 5th digit system frim priir to 2014. Fir 2016 and firward the year is the 1st and 5th ...
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Rainbow music
rainbowmusic.co.uk › home › blog › how to verify and authenticate your gibson guitar serial number
How To Verify And Authenticate Your Gibson Guitar Serial Number - Rainbow music
Examples - 9 xxx = 1989 (4 digit ... year, many instruments have a serial number that begins with "94" for the year, with the remaining 6 digits indicating the ranking number....
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True Vintage Guitar
truevintageguitar.com › blogs › tvg-blog › how-to-date-gibson-sg
How to date a Gibson SG – True Vintage Guitar
July 18, 2022 - How to date Gibson SG guitars with serial numbers, potentiometer codes, neck width, etc. True Vintage Guitar.
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Tone Wolf
tonewolf.com › home › guitar resource center › gibson guitar serial numbers by year
Gibson Guitar Serial Numbers By Year | Tone Wolf
If you are wondering "How do I find out what year my Gibson guitar was made?", simply reference your serial number or factory order number (FON) using the dating guide below. Gibson has produced many types of instruments, and used many different versions of guitar serialization over the years.
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Serial Number Decoder
serial-number-decoder.com › gibson › gibson.htm
Gibson guitar serial number decoder. Date a Gibson by serial number
From 1977 to 2013 Gibson have used an eight or nine digit serial number on all of their guitars that can be easily decoded to show the exact day that the guitar was manufactured along with the location of the Gibson factory. From 2014 onwards Gibson changed the serial number format to a simplified nine digit number which can still be used to find the year of manufacture.
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The Gear Page
thegearpage.net › home › forums
Gibson serial number question
July 17, 2024 - Stolen:2024 Gibson Murphy Lab reissue 1959 ES 355 Watermelon · Nov 27, 2025 · njt · There are several sub-forums to write or read staff and member reviews of music gear. Click on the link below that says "Sub-Forums" to choose the reviews. We want our members to consider reviewing any gear that they know well.
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Edgewaterguitars
edgewaterguitars.com › blog › how-to-date-a-gibson-guitar-by-serial-number-the-complete-guide
How to Date a Gibson Guitar by Serial Number: The Complete Guide - Edgewater Guitars
March 31, 2025 - After WWII, Gibson continued using sequential numbers without a consistent pattern until about 1961. Numbers from this era typically range from 100 to 99999, restarting several times, making this era particularly challenging to date by serial number alone.
Price   $$
Address   US
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Edgewaterguitars
edgewaterguitars.com › guitar-serial-number-lookup › gibson
Gibson Serial Number Lookup: Complete Dating Guide & Decoder [2025]
To date your Gibson guitar: Check the serial number on the back of the headstock (solid bodies) or inside the f-hole label (hollow bodies). Most Gibson serial numbers follow patterns based on production era: ink stamps (1952-1961), impressed 6-digits (1961-1969), "Made in USA" stamps (1970-1975), ...
Price   $$
Address   US
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My Les Paul
mylespaul.com › forums › the les paul › gibson les pauls
Where can i check serial numbers | My Les Paul Forum
February 23, 2010 - I check for serial numbers on the back of guitar headstocks. Click to expand... well played, sir. well played. ... Gibson Serial Checker "90861506: This instrument was produced on March 27th, 1991 in Nashville, Tennesee, and was instrument #6 stamped that day."
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Quora
quora.com › Where-can-I-find-the-serial-number-on-my-Gibson-guitar
Where can I find the serial number on my Gibson guitar? - Quora
Answer (1 of 7): Gibson Les Paul and other Gibson guitar serial numbers can be found on the back of the Headstock. I dont know how you could miss it but that is where the serial number is found.
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Joe's Vintage Guitars
joesvintageguitarsaz.com › home › serial number & dating guides › how to read gibson serial numbers
Gibson Serial Numbers Guide - Joe's Vintage Guitars
September 21, 2023 - Use this simple Gibson serial number lookup guide to decode your Gibson's year of manufacture and find out when your Gibson was made.
Price   $$$$
Address   47 N Fraser Dr E, 85203, Mesa
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