1. The Gibson Mandolin Serial Numbers
2. Gibson A12 Mandolin Serial Number
3. Gibson Mandolin Serial Numbers 19943129

I just got an Epiphone DR-100 in a bait and switch last night. Didn't want to feel like i was wasting both our times so i got it anyway. I can learn how to work on guitars at least as it's missing a string and some frets are sticking up.From what i can tell this is a Japan (T) guitar from 2007 but:so i was confused as to which is right.Hey there. I can’t believe no one has responded to this post. Anyway, your Epiphone acoustic appears to be one that was refurbished by MIRC in Franklin, TN. MIRC stands for Musical Instrument Repair Corporation, and they buy broken instruments from Epiphone, Fender, Gretsch, Samick, and other low-cost manufacturers, for pennies on the dollar. They fix them and then sell them at very discounted prices to dealers and/or anyone else that wants one.

Gibson Serial Numbers: 1961-1968. The Kalamazoo numbers were discontinued in 1984. When acoustic production began at the plant built in Bozeman, Montana in 1989, the series numbers were reorganized. Bozeman instruments began using 001-299 designations and, in 1990, Nashville instruments began using 300-999 designations.

You can Google them and find their company website, and their address in Franklin, TN. You can even go there personally and check out their showroom and buy one onsite, if you wanted to.What gives it away is the sticker that goes over the original Epiphone serial number. That white sticker where the original number was is the sticker that MIRC puts on all of their refurbished instruments.

The manufacturers they buy from either remove or erase the original serial numbers, and then MIRC puts that sticker where the original serial number would have been. There are plenty of guitars all over the country (but especially in Tennessee) that have been refurbished by MIRC. The repairs can be anything from broken necks and headstock to simple minor finish repairs. And most of the time they do a very good job. But the value of the instruments go way down from their original value.I hope this helps. But more importantly, I hope you didn’t trade an instrument that was worth much more than about $100. Because that’s what this one would have sold for at MIRC.Best of luck.

I just got an Epiphone DR-100. From what i can tell this is a Japan (T) guitar from 2007 but. So i was confused as to which is right.Yeah, sorry this never got answered.

As far as I know, when there's a strip of tape over the original serial number, that means it's a refurbished guitar, which means there was some flaw in its production, big or small, that was identified at the factory, so the guitar was sold wholesale to a refurbishing company, usually MIRC, who looks it over and tries to fix whatever might need fixing. Their s/n numbering system is completely different from Epiphone's, so that's why you're getting 'mixed signals.'

So that guitar was made in China, but you're unlikely to be able to find out much more about it, other than that's a 'refurb.'

In 1926 Gibson introduced the L-series guitars with the L-0 at $35 and the L-1 at $50 (1928 prices). The L-series is very difficult to properly identify and date as they were inconsistent in their appointments and the catalog descriptions do not always agree with the actual instruments produced. The Gibson LG series of flat-top guitars were developed as the natural evolution of the earlier L-Series. World War II changed many aspects of the guitar world. Gibson had helped in the war effort and seen many employees enlist. During the war years women played a greater role in manufacturing while young men were fighting overseas. Materials and methods of production were reviewed and revised.

The flood of returning soldiers with a broader world-view brought new musical tastes and new hopes for the future. Several other forces were at work for change:. Good size logs of spruce were government controlled during the war and were not easily available shortly after.

The narrower guitar sizes allowed for available materials. The LG-Series is 2” narrower than the J-Series. Gibson had changed its neck profiles and headstock shape on the successful J-Series. Introduced 1963, these were designed as dual-purpose instruments. They could be strung with steel or nylon strings. (Folk Jumbo Natural and Folk-25) 1963. Peruvian mahogany necks.

Black headstock veneers. ‘Gibson’ in gold block script. Kluson deluxe tuners. 24” +/- scale length.

Sitka spruce tops. Honduras mahogany back & sides. X bracingF-25. White pickguards like a Flamenco. 12 fret neck to body joint.

2” neck width at nut. Flat rosewood fretboard. Rosewood top belly bridge.

White plastic pins. Natural finish topB-25. 14 fret neck to body joint.

1969. F-25:. Slotted peghead.

No headstock veneer. Classical tuners. Body shape changed. Bottom belly bridge1970.

F-25 & FJ-N discontinued. Introduced 1934 and modified late 1935.Martin introduced the large body dreadnaught in 1932 – It was bigger, bolder, and louder than anything Gibson had to offer. At the time, the Nick Lucas model was the largest flat-top Gibson offered. It took Gibson 2 years to develop their response: The Jumbo of 1934.

It was the heart of the depression and the instruments cost $60 without a case. They didn’t sell well but did live up to their design intent of aheavier, booming tone with good overall balance. Dimensions: 16″ wide, 10 1/4″ long and 4 1/2″ deep.The promotional material in the Gibson catalog of 1934 said: “This greater body size produces a heavy, booming tone so popular with many players who do vocal and small combination accompaniment for both personal and radio appearances.

The bass of this model will amaze you, and of course the clear brilliant treble is in perfect balance.” For once, the hyperbole may have been closer to the truth.1934 was in the depth of the depression, and at $60 without a case, most families put food ahead of guitars. Not many were sold and the production run was therefore limited to 2 years.

Because there are few of these instruments around, little has been written about them, though some did find their way into the hands of influential artists of the day. They were popular with the Cowboy Singing Stars like Bob Baker (National Barn Dance – WLS). Wiley Morris of the Morris Brothers Hillbilly Band and Charlie Monroe (Bill Monroe’s brother) took to the instrument for it’s potential in the roots of Bluegrass music.The 1934 version had a classic Gibson sunburst: the small amber center around the bridge – about 1/4 of the top area. This was expanded in 1935 to about 1/3 of the top area.

The sides and back were tinted mahogany with a sunburst red spruce top. There was some amber colorexpressed on the sides and back of the 1934 versions.The 1934 was single bound, front and back with dot markers on the rosewood fretboard and a horizontal script logo inlay on the headstock. The rosettes were simple white-black-white. The bridge were early simple rectangular with through-saddles.

The tuners were individualGrover G-98’s.The bracing for the new larger models was X braced: there were 3 transverse tone bars between the braces – 1 more than the Martin – as Gibson experimented with bracing design heavy enough to support the large tops and light enough to be resonant and responsive.The Jumbos had a slight V shaped neck with the Gibson truss rod and a pointed ‘French’ heal – somewhat unusual for Gibson.In 1935, binding was added to the fretboard. Introduced in 1936 and discontinued in 1942. Reintroduced in 1984.Martin introduced the large body dreadnaught in 1932 – It was bigger, bolder, and louder than anything Gibson had to offer. At the time, the Nick Lucas model was the largest flat-top Gibson offered. It took Gibson 2 years to develop their response: The Jumbo of 1934.

It was the heart of the depression and the instruments cost $60 without a case. They didn’t sell well but did live up to their design intent of a heavier, booming tone with good overall balance. Worthy of mention is the Jumbo Deluxe, though it is believed that only 3 were ever made in 1938. They are essentially an Advanced Jumbo with minor compromises: they filled a gap between the J-35 and the J-55.They were mahogany back & sides with single layer binding front and back. They had dot markers on the fretboard and a moustache bridge with individual adjusters on each string.

The Gibson Mandolin Serial Numbers

The headstock carried an inlayed script “Gibson”.The Jumbo 55 (J-55) was introduce in late 1939 and discontinued in 1942. It’s price tag was $55 as compared to the Martin D-18 at $65 and D-28 at $100.Like the SJ-100 of the same year, the J-55 had a stair-step headstock that persisted for only 2 years. The pickguard was longer than earlier models and it had a moustache bridge (though slightly smaller and less ornate than that used on the SJ-200). The tuners were individual Kluson with amber buttons.The neck was a broad round profile single piece mahogany with a bound coffewood fretboard and dot markers. In 1941 the fretboard became Brazilian rosewood. The bracing was revised to accommodate the moustache bridge and generally heavier than earlier models.By the records, between 200 and 300 were built.

Introduced August 1942 and J-45’s are still available today. Please read the section on J-35’s and J-55’s as the J-45’s and Southerner Jumbos replaced the earlier models – it was a natural evolution.The first Gibson J45 guitars were only slightly different from the discontinued J-35. Internally, changes from the J-35 included strengthening the top bracing by moving the “X” brace 1 additional inch behind the soundhole. The back braces were tall and thin and Gibson scalloped the top braces.

The original “V” shape of the necks of the J-35s was replaced by distinctly round necks (“baseball bats”) and a tear drop pickguard. Sunburst was the only finish available for the J-45 until much later as the sunburst finish can hide flaws in the wood; this was a significant advantage during WW2 when clear wood was being used for the war effort. In 1947 a natural finish J-45 was finally offered and given the designation: J-50.Ironically the first blond J-45s were actually built in July of 1942 (Called the J-45N for ‘Natural’) and the actual number of these shipped is not known for sure.

Also, the first batch of J-45s had more binding both on the body and soundhole. This was quickly reduced to avoid model confusion between the J-45’s and the more expensive Southerner Jumbos. The Southerner Jumbos were the most expensive flat-top guitars Gibson offered at the time.The concept behind the J-45 was a high quality, affordable, big-sounding acoustic flat-top guitar. The original price in 1942 was $45. It was intended to be more affordable and more readily available than it’s main competition: the Martin D-18. It became the working man’s choice and one of the most enduring instrument designs in history.Approximate Chronology (there are always exceptions): 1942.

Body shape: 16″ wide, round shoulder dreadnought shape. Body material: mahogany. Top: Select spruce, 2-piece bookmatched with scalloped X-bracing. Neck: mahogany, single piece, unbound, 19 fret, dot markers.

Bridges: Rosewood belly-down. Some rectangular examples, black bridge pins (2 pearl dots on rectangle bridge). Headstock appointments: gold decal: “Only a Gibson is Good Enough” banner. The Gibson Southerner Jumbo was introduced in 1942 and discontinued in 1978. It was reintroduced in limited editions in 1991.Mythology has it that the Southerner Jumbo was specifically targeted at the Southern market honoring rising Country music trends.

When it came out in 1942 it was the most expensive Gibson flat-top in the line.During 1942 two new models were introduced to the Gibson line-up to replace the J-35 and J-55. They were the J-45 and the Southerner Jumbo. The Southerner Jumbo (later shortened to: “Southern Jumbo” and then “SJ”) was a fancier J-45.The appointments of the Southerner Jumbo included more top binding and an additional set of rosette rings. (The 1st year of the J-45 actually had similar appointments but they were reduced and simplified for model clarity in 1943).The back and sides were still mahogany but the Southerner Jumbo had a dark wooden stripe separating the 2 back pieces. The neck heal had a white plastic cap.The only available finish was sunburst until 1954.Approximate Chronology (there are always exceptions): 1942. Back & Sides: Mahogany but some released as Brazilian rosewood. Top: Select spruce.

Neck: mahogany – single piece. Pearl twin parallelogram inlays.

Bridges: Rosewood belly-down. Some rectangular examples. Headstock appointments: Decal – “Only a Gibson is Good Enough” banner.

The Gibson Super Jumbo first appeared in 1937. It was built for Hollywood singing star Ray Whitley as the world’s biggest and fanciest acoustic guitar.

Other singing cowboys who later owned Super Jumbos include Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Western movies were tremendously popular and the singing cowboy heroes needed instruments as big and bold as untamed West. As a consequence, the details were grand in scale and the bindings high in contrast to look good in black and white on the silver screen.The first versions of the Super Jumbo guitar had a neck joint with 12 frets clear of the body placing the moustache bridge geometrically in the center of the distinctly round 16 7/8″ lower bout.

The soundboard was so large and the body so deep that the sound was immense. The following versions evolved quickly to 14 frets clear of the body.The neck was basically the neck stocks from the L-5 archtop: 3 ply maple with single wide bound scalloped fretboard ends and headstocks and the early models had the L-5 flowerpot inlay on the headstock.The model started production in 1938 as Gibson’s top-of-the-line flat top guitar. It was initially called the De Luxe Jumbo for the few versions that were delivered before the model went into production. The original Factory Order Numbers (FON) appear to show the first De Luxe Jumbos were delivered bewteen March and June of 1938 to Joe Wolverton, Ray Whitley and Gene Autry. The one delivered first to Ray Whitley was not the model now seen as the beginning of the Super Jumbos, but a simpler 12 fret version. The 2nd delivery to Ray Whitley was the more refined 14 fret SJ that is so well photo-dicumented. The name evolved from De Luxe Jumbo to Super Jumbo in 1939, and then to the Super Jumbo 200 (reflecting the price at the time, the case would be $28 extra).

The final production versions had a double-braced red spruce top and rosewood back and sides with a sunburst finish. In 1947 the name changed to the J-200 and the standard back and sides became highly figured maple. Gibson changed the name again in the 1950s to the SJ-200.A simpler variation on the SJ-200 with fewer appointments and a lower price tag was the SJ-100.In the early years, due to the depression and the following wartime austerity, demand for this expensive instrument was limited and production quantities were small. YearDeluxe JumboSJ-200SJ-100TotalTotals6. Introduced 1954, discontinued in 1978, reintroduced in the 1980s and still produced today.The J-160E was Gibson’s second design for an electric flat-top guitar following the CF-100. It was basically a slope shoulder dreadnaught like a J-45 or Southerner Jumbo and designed for the country and western market.

The appointments roughly followed the Southerner Jumbo but the design was primarily electric: it had a 3-ply top with ladder bracing to reduce the low-end response for the single coil pickup placed at the base of the fretboard. To accommodate the pickup, the standard production neck was pushed up to a neck-body joint at the 15th fret. Gibson introduced their first adjustable belly bridge – 2 screws to raise and lower the bridge.Changes over the years included:. Knob changes – usually following other Gibson electrics.

Mid 1960s: Cherry sunburst added. 1955: larger 20 fret fingerboards. 1959: Larger crown frets and the adjustable bridge. 1968: Changed to a bottom belly bridge and 1960 style pickguard. 1969: Changed to a square shoulder dreadnaught. 1978: Production ceased.

1980s: Reintroduced.Martin Guitars seemed to take note of the successful sales of the Gibson acoustic-electrics J-160E and CF-100E’s. Martin introduced their versions of acoustic-electrics: the D-18E in 1958 and D-28E in 1959. The Gibson CF-100 was introduced in 1950 (the CF-100E was introduced 1951) and discontinued in 1960. These were Gibson’s first flat-top cutaways. Notable endorsers of this model include Leon Redbone.For photographic examples of the Gibson Cf-100 and CF-100E – Click HereThe body dimensions basically match the LG-series: 14 1/8″ wide by 19 1/2″ long by 4 1/2″ deep. It had a 24 3/4″ scale and was constructed of all solid woods.The electric version included a P-90 pickup at the end of the soundboard like the later versions of the J-160E.1952: The headstock gold decal logo was replaced by an inlayed pearl script and crown.Mid 1950s: the pickguard changed from the teardrop to the larger undulating shape like the pre-war J-35s.1955: Gibson stopped scalloping the bracing – it was faster to produce but not as strong.See also: Gibson J-160E for more historical context.

Between 1975 and 1979, Gibson worked with Dr. Michael Kasha’s acoustic theories for guitar and Luthier Richard Schneider’s design applications to create a unique instrument for the Gibson acoustic lineup. The Mark Series guitars had 16 3/16″ lower bouts with very narrow waists, and a headstock like no other in Gibson tradition. The instruments had modified fan bracing and asymmetrical bridges. Ironically, the script logo on the headstock was old-style.The somewhat radical headstock shape was discontinued at Gibson with the Mark Series but appears to have been an influence on the young Paul Reed Smith who later used a similar shape for his electric instruments.Dr.

Michael Kasha was a chemical physicist and the director of the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. He was also a guitar enthusiast with a passion for physical and psycho-acoustics. In fact, he was part of a team of scientists paid as consultants by Gibson for their input on a project to create the finest sounding guitar based upon sound scientific logic, theory and research. Gibson hoped to score the same type of success that had occurred with Lloyd Loar in the 1920s: redefining the acoustic guitar for generations to come.Richard Schneider and assistant Abe Wechter acted as the on-site, full-time luthiers to collaborate and develop Kasha’s theories and bring them to a manufacturing reality. Following many prototypes, shapes and bracing patterns, the Mark Series was launched in 1975.The Mark Series guitars were particularly interesting among the Gibson flat tops made in the 1970s due to their unique bracing.

Considering that Gibson was using a double X bracing for most of its other flat top guitars during that period, these instruments, with their modified fan bracing, stand out as some of the better sounding Gibsons of the time. The 1970s are viewed by many collectors and players as the low point of Gibson manufacturing. These instruments live a bit outside that critique.Each model of the Mark Series was available in natural or sunburst finish. The sunburst finish was generally $30 less than natural finish. The selected tuners varied randomly by model and year. New guitars were supplied with user applied pick guards, and extra saddles of different heights that could be easily inserted to adjust the string action to accommodate the swelling of the instrument with seasonal humidity changes.

The saddles were wider than usual. This technique of supplying interchangeable saddles/bridges was not new, it had been used by Selmer in France for their Maccaferri style instruments since the 1930s.Dimensions:.

11 3/4″ – Upper Bout. 10 3/16″ – Waist. 16 3/16″ – Lower Bout. 20 5/32″ – Body Lenth.

5 3/64″ – Body Depth. 1 5/8″ – Nut widthLike everything else, we have seen exceptions to the listed dimensions; especially the nut widths. There were some 1 3/4″ nuts available.

It is not clear how Gibson decided to set their nut widths and neck thicknesses. It appears that they experimented right up to the point of discontinuing the line.The choice to discontinue the Mark Series had to do with the general turmoil of the Gibson company in the last years of ownership by Norlin. The Mark Series, though not a wild success in terms of overall sales, did sell reasonably well. Towards the end, the line actually continued to increase in sales. Timing is everything – In 1969 the Gibson parent company: Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) was acquired by the South American brewing conglomerate: E.C.L. ECL changed its name shortly afterwards to: Norlin Inc. For ECL president Norton Stevens and CMI president Maurice Berlin.

Between 1974 and 1984 production of Gibson guitars was slowly being shifted from Kalamazoo MI to Nashville TN. The early instruments built in Nashville suffered from inexperienced workers and climate-control problems in the humid South. Solange when i get home film mp4. The Kalamazoo plant kept going for a few years as a custom-instrument shop, including the Mark Series instruments, and was ultimately closed in 1984. Mismanagement was so severe during the final Norlin years that the Gibson Guitar Corp. Was within 3 months of going out of business when it was bought by young Harvard Business grads: Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman and Gary A.

Zebrowski in January of 1986. Even the group of inexperienced entreprenuers could see and understand the value of the Gibson name.

It marked the beginning of a new era for Gibson.It was during the years of 1977 through 1986 that most of the high-end lines at Gibson were discontinued: The ES-350T, L-5S and the Mark Series among them. Gibson believed that these choices would allow them to focus on their more profitable lines. The guitar designs, however, were not the problem. The last of the Mark Series was built in 1979. By the end in 1985-86, Gibson was basically down to the Les Paul model alone.Model Designations:.

MK-99 models were handcrafted and signed by Richard Schneider. They were available in steel string or classical.

It is not clear how many were made, but it is likely that there are less than 12. The 1975 price was $1,999. MK-81 models were rosewood back & sides, ebony fingerboard with figured abalone block inlays & gold plated hardware. They had owner applied pick guards and multi-bound backs and tops (including red line highlights). There were 431 made. The 1975 price was $879.

MK-72 models were rosewood back & sides, 3 piece ebony/rosewood fingerboards with dot inlays & nickel hardware. The top and back bindings were black plastic with red line highlights.

There were 1229 made. The 1975 price was $659. MK-53 models were maple back & sides, rosewood fingerboards with dot inlays & nickel hardware.

The top and back bindings were black plastic with red line highlights. There were 1424 made. The 1975 price was $549. MK-35 models were mahogany back & sides, rosewood fingerboards with dot inlays & nickel hardware. The top and back bindings were black plastic.

There were 5226 made. The 1975 price was $439. MK-35-12 models were only made in 1977.

The appointments matched the MK-35 but the bracing was modified to accommodate the additional string tension of 12 strings. Only about a dozen were made. Body designations and style designations of Martin guitars are letter-number combinations separated by a hyphen.

After October 1930 the body and style designations and the serial number appears stamped on the neck blocks:Body designation – Style designation, Serial numberSee Martin Serial Numbers for a dating information.Body Designations:Martin Flat Top Guitar Body Sizes and Designations:The body size designation is stamped on the neck block starting in October 1930.All measurements are in inches.“Frets” refers to the number of frets that are clear of the body.“Introduced” is the year of introduction. Since the Larson brothers built guitars for many brand names, identification can be difficult, but there are a number of stylistic and structural building techniques that help narrow the exercise. Carl and August Larson built instruments between 1900 and 1944. They did not imprint the instruments with any particular brand. They did provide paper labels for the instrument that they represented but did not provide labels for custom instruments or other shops or manufacturers.First – The label: Brands that were always built by the Larson Brothers:.

Maurer after 1900. Prairie State.

EuphononBrands that were sometimes built by the Larson brothers:. WM. Stahl (1904 – 1938?). Dyer (1906 – 1923?) Generally harp guitars. Stetson. Knutsen.

Wack (1932 – 1944). Regal (1901 – 1904). ChampionBrands that were occasionally (but very rarely) built by the Larson brothers:. C. Leland “Brilliantone” (1910 – 1918?). Southern California Music Company. H.F.

Meyers (1909-1912?). Mayflower Music (1904-1905?). Bradbury.

Kaai UkulelesSizes of Maurer Guitars (from the 1932 Maurer / Prairie State Catalog):All listed sizes are for 12 fret to body models: ModelBody LengthWidth at BridgeScale LengthStandard18″12 3/4″24 5/8″Concert18 7/8″13 1/2″25″Grand19 1/8″14″25 3/8″Auditorium20″15″25 5/8″Larson Sound Hole Dimensions:These dimensions were similar for all Larson made instruments. The soundhole size coincided with the overall size of the instrument. BrandLower BoutSound HoleParlor12 5/8″3 3/16″Stetson12 3/4″3 11/16″Maurer13 1/2″3 5/8″ – 3 11/16″Stetson14 1/2″3 15/16″Euphonon15″3 3/4″ – 3 7/8″Dreadnaught15 11/16″3 7/8″Tuners and Hardware:Tuners, hardware and tailpieces were probably purchased from Lyon and Healy who had a factory just down the street from the Larson shop. In general, the Larsons used fancier hardware on the more expensive instruments – so the date of the hardware should coincide with similar instruments of the period. Materials used in Construction:.

Bodies: Rosewood, oak, mahogany, koa and maple,. Tops: Spruce. Fretboards: Ebony.

Bridges: Ebony – Sometimes with a flattened pyramid rectangular bridge shape.Top Bracing:The more economical Student Grade instruments were often ladder braced. The braces were generally thin and numerous compared with other manufacturers. Intermediate Grade and Best Grade were generally X braced with laminated braces for added strength. General Notes on Larson Construction Technique:Prairie State instruments have the patented rod and/or tube reinforcing, occasionally found on other Larson built guitars.The Larson bridge, if not otherwise specified by another company, is a rectangular flattened pyramid ebony style similar to those used by Lyon and Healy.On 12 fret to the body guitars, in a break with tradition, the Larson brothers frequently inlayed the 10th fret instead of the ninth.Ebony Fretboards were generally thicker than other builders.

If the fretboard was bound, they generally added a stripe of black under the side binding.The top and back are lightly arched, producing the deepest measurement in the center of the guitars body.Inlays and bindings are remarkably consistent through the years.The soundhole binding does not extend the full depth of the soundhole. Maurer & Prairie State Model Numbers:Most information about Larson Brothers instruments comes from their catalog published around 1930. Unfortunately, the information is confusing and inconsistent. Sometimes a higher model number means a bigger and fancier instrument but there does not appear to be a thoughtful of consistent method for ascribing model numbers. The following are a rough guide. The following numbers are the earliest known serial number for the year listed. There can easily be more numbers within each year listed.

This should be considered a guide to get you within a year of the correct date. Where no serial numbers are shown – they simply are not known. See the notes below.

YearEarliest Known Serial Number That Year19061 Banjos from various contracted builders28 Earliest reference to Forrest Dale VT77 Groton CT facility opened8369 The Silver Bell introduced808 Ads for the Sultana model193130620 Symphonie, Sultana, and Senorita introduced110 September 1938 hurricane hit193935341 Gretsch purchases Fred Bacon Banjo Company603482 Sequence #64826Depending on the selected source, there is disagreement about these numbers. We’ve seen some serial number lists that are as much as 8 years out-of-sync with this list. Where possible, these numbers are in agreement with existing sales receipts. In any event, these should be used only as a guide and not assumed to be absolutely correct.

1941 – 1965Gretsch started a new serial number system. It’s not clear how it works during this period.

1940: #1 or #001 to 1965: approximately #84xxx. 1950s – 1960sDuring the Folk Boom of the 1960s, Gretsch produced a line of 5 string open back banjos with regular and long necks. These had black plastic laminate headstock overlays with “Bacon” engraved in blockletters and a small, metal plate engraved “Bacon Folk Model”. These appear to have a unique serial number scheme.

1964 – 1970Gretsch used a new serial format showing: Month/Year/Production Number (3-4 digits), stamped as follows:. MYNNN or MYNNNN – Month = 1-9 – with 3 or 4-digit production number. MMYNNN or MMYNNNN – Month =10,11,12 – with 3 or 4-digit production numberIt’s not clear whether the 3-4 digit production number is the total production for the month or for the year. For example:.

# 41122 would have been made April 1971, #122. #121131 could be made in either December 1971, #131 or January 1972, #11311966Gretsch stopped production of Bacon and B&D banjos.Known Problems with Gretsch’s Serial Number System:Due to the various renumbering schemes, there are Gretsch-built Bacons and B&D’s with 3 digit, 4 digit and 5 digit serial numbers, which confuses identification of instruments made between 1910 and 1940. For example:. #221 could have been made around 1907 or in the early 1940’s. #2121 could have been made around 1913 or 1914, the late 1940’s or February 1971, #21. #31121 could have been made in the early 1931 or 1932, 1960 or March 1971, #121In general: Bacon serial numbers begin in 1906 (1 and 2 digit) and run consecutively until the sale of the company to Gretsch in 1940 (5 digit). Like all other companies, there are exceptions.

For example: B&D had several un-numbered models between 1913 and 1920.The hurricane of September 1938 destroyed the company’s ability to manufacture anything. Gretsch was contracted to make banjos for them. The financial strain became too much and the company sold in 1940 to Gretsch. Day was in his 70’s.Gretsch appears to have started a new numbering system at about that time. The system is not known for certain but might have restarted as consecutive numbers beginning at 1000.B&D models stopped around 1968 following Baldwin’s (Gretsch’s parent company) 1967 purchase of the ODE company. In 1987, after the Gretsch family had re-acquired their name, re-introduced the B&D Silver Bell but the market didn’t seem to care.There were many name variations for The Bacon Banjo Company, Inc.

Gibson A12 Mandolin Serial Number

But it remained in Fred Bacon’s name from 1920 until the company closed in 1938. The original partners were Fred and Cassie Bacon and Mr. Oliver Winship. The name variations included ‘Bacon and Day’ and ‘B&D’ for all the instruments co-developed by Fred Bacon and David Day. Starting in 1923, models included: the Silver Bell, the Super Banjo and the Blue Bell.

To confuse matters, they also manufactured ‘Bacon’ banjos that had been developed by Fred Bacon: the Professional, the Orchestra and the Blue Ribbon.The passage of time confuses matters even further: They made some non-SilverBell models that had been developed in the 1930’s that bore the B&D label like the Seniorita, and some later Gretsch SilverBells that carried only the Bacon label.Ironically, after almost 40 years of making some of the world’s finest banjos, the “Bacon and Day” banjos were the first to carry David L. EarliestLatestYear679921890 “Electric” banjo introducedNot Known96 Metal nameplates71901 “Whyte Ladye” introduced04 Factory burned – Sold to Vega “Tube-a-Phone” introduced1910 Metal nameplate discontinued23 Name changed to “Vega”01933 Recorded number sequence962 Printer error yellow labels105221963 October 1962 to February 964 New series: February 1970 Vega sold to Martin. All Gurian Guitars have serial numbers stamped on the neck block in characters visible through the soundhole. This information is approximate and has not been verified by the LoPrinzi family.

If you have additional information or corrections, please contact us.Augustino & Thomas LoPrinzi Guitars usually have the date of manufacture on the label. 1958 to 1973+/-LoPrinzi Guitars – most from Plainsboro New Jersey. Headstocks say ‘LoPrinzi’. 1973 to 1980:LoPrinzi Guitars – Plainsboro, New Jersey – AMF years (serial numbers: high 3,000 – 4,000s) Tom LoPrinzi was still with the company. Headstocks say ‘LoPrinzi’. 1980:AMF ceased production of ‘LoPrinzi’ guitars.

Gibson Mandolin Serial Numbers 19943129

1975 to 1990:Labels say: ‘A. LoPrinzi – Rosemont, New Jersey’ – built by Augustino LoPrinzi (and apprentices) with “Augustino” on the headstocks. 1990 to Present:Augustino LoPrinzi Guitar Maker – Clearwater Florida (LoPrinzi name bought back from AMF) – Instruments designed and built by Augustino and Donna LoPrinzi (daughter).Augustino LoPrinzi has developed a fine reputation for classical guitars, ukuleles, steel string and 12-string guitars. Serial number records exist for instruments built before 1975 and after 1980.They are maintained by Donna LoPrinzi in Clearwater Florida.If you would like to use content from this page, see our.