The Korean codes
| Code | Plant |
|---|---|
| DW | DaeWon |
| KC | Cor-Tek (Cort) |
| KS | Saein |
| PW | Peerless |
| R | Peerless |
| S | Samick |
| U | Unsung |
Reading a Korean serial
The structure is the same as any modern Epiphone: factory code, two-digit year, two-digit month, sequence. U96051234 reads as Unsung, May 1996.
Two-digit years in the 90s range read as the 1990s, and values up to 30 read as the 2000s or 2010s. That works because Korean contract production began well after 1930, so there is no genuine ambiguity to resolve.
Examples
- U96051234 — Unsung, Korea — May 1996
- KS98111234 — Saein, Korea — November 1998
- R03071234 — Peerless, Korea — July 2003
Why Korean Epiphones have a following
The Korean plants of the 1990s — particularly Peerless, Samick, Unsung and Cort — built instruments for a great many brands, and the standard was high enough that Korean-era Epiphones now trade above their Chinese and Indonesian equivalents from the same catalogue position.
That premium is worth knowing about when reading a listing. A seller describing a guitar as “Korean-made” is making a claim that affects the price, and the serial prefix is the fastest way to check it.
What the Korean era actually covers
Korean contract production ran from the late 1980s through to the mid-2000s, tailing off as volume moved to China and Indonesia. The Sheraton, Riviera, Casino and Sorrento models built at Peerless during the 1990s are the ones most often singled out, and they are the reason the era carries the reputation it does.
It is not a uniform story. The same plants also produced the cheapest instruments in the catalogue, and a Korean serial on a budget model tells you where it was made rather than that it is a hidden gem. The prefix establishes origin; the model designation establishes what you are actually looking at.
Checking a Korean claim quickly
Decode the prefix against the factory code table and confirm the country matches what the seller has said. Then check the year digits against the model — a model that was not in the catalogue in that year is a reason to ask a question, and it is the kind of mismatch that is difficult to explain away.
The headstock also states the country of manufacture directly on most instruments. Where the decal and the serial disagree, the decal is generally the easier of the two to read correctly, and worth trusting first.
Common questions
- Are Korean Epiphones better than Chinese ones?
- Korean-era instruments from the 1990s generally trade at a premium, which reflects both build reputation and scarcity. It is a generalisation rather than a rule — the Korean plants built across the whole price range, and modern production from other countries is frequently excellent.
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