References
Sources
Every reference the decoder rules depend on, what kind of source it is, and which rules rely on it.
Source type is shown on every result because it changes how much weight an answer deserves. A manufacturer’s own dating table and a factory-code list maintained by owners are both useful, and they are not the same kind of evidence.
Manufacturer documentation
Published by the company that made the instrument. Treated as the strongest available evidence, though manufacturers' own tables are sometimes incomplete.
- Manufacturer documentation
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Gibson — Eight-digit stamped serial (1977–2013)
- Gibson — Nine-digit serial (2014 onwards)
- Gibson — Six-digit serial (1975–1977)
- Manufacturer documentation
Gibson Custom Shop serial number conventions (opens in a new tab)
Gibson Brands / Gibson Custom
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Gibson — Custom Shop CS-prefix serial
- Gibson — Custom Shop Historic reissue serial
- Manufacturer documentation
How can I find out when my instrument was manufactured? (opens in a new tab)
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Fender — US letter-prefix serial (1976–2009)
- Fender — US serial with explicit year (2010 onwards)
- Fender — Mexican letter-prefix serial (1990–2009)
- Fender — Mexican serial with explicit year (2010 onwards)
- Fender — Korean letter-prefix serial (1990s)
- Fender — Asian serial with explicit year
- Fender — American Vintage reissue V-prefix serial
- Squier — Korean letter-prefix serial (1990s)
- Squier — Chinese NC-prefix serial (1990s)
- Squier — Asian serial with explicit year
- Manufacturer documentation
Fender Japan serial number reference (opens in a new tab)
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Fender — Japanese serial (1982–2008)
- Squier — Japanese JV and SQ serial (1982–1984)
- Manufacturer documentation
Fender product registration and serial lookup (opens in a new tab)
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Fender — US letter-prefix serial (1976–2009)
- Manufacturer documentation
Martin guitar serial numbers by year (opens in a new tab)
C.F. Martin & Co.
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Martin — Sequential serial number (1898 onwards)
- Martin — Serial beyond the published table
- Manufacturer documentation
Epiphone product support and serial number guidance (opens in a new tab)
Epiphone / Gibson Brands
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Epiphone — Factory code with year and month
Specialist reference
Compiled by researchers or dealers with long-running access to large numbers of instruments. Reliable, but not authoritative.
- Specialist reference
Cross-checked against widely republished specialist dating tables (opens in a new tab)
Specialist guitar dating references
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Gibson — Eight-digit stamped serial (1977–2013)
- Gibson — Nine-digit serial (2014 onwards)
- Gibson — Custom Shop CS-prefix serial
- Fender — Japanese serial (1982–2008)
- Fender — Korean letter-prefix serial (1990s)
- Fender — Asian serial with explicit year
- Squier — Japanese JV and SQ serial (1982–1984)
- Squier — Korean letter-prefix serial (1990s)
- Squier — Chinese NC-prefix serial (1990s)
- Squier — Asian serial with explicit year
Community-maintained reference
Maintained collectively by owners and technicians. Useful where no official table exists, and clearly marked as such wherever we rely on it.
- Community-maintained reference
Epiphone factory codes and serial number structure (opens in a new tab)
Epiphone owners' community reference
Last reviewed 29 July 2026
Rules relying on this source
- Epiphone — Factory code with year and month
A note on what these links are
External links open in a new tab and are provided so you can check our reading against the original. We are not affiliated with any of these organisations, and linking to a manufacturer’s documentation is not an endorsement in either direction.
Sources move. Manufacturers reorganise their support pages, and community references come and go. The review date tells you when a person last confirmed that the information a rule depends on was still present at that address. If you find a link that has rotted or a table that has changed, please tell us.