Guitars, basses and amps
Guitar serial number lookup
Find out when an instrument was made from its serial number. Each decoder uses only what the manufacturer itself publishes about its numbering, and says plainly when a number can’t be dated.
Lookups by brand
- FenderDecoder · Decode a Fender guitar or bass serial number from the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Korea or Indonesia, using the prefixes and year rules Fender itself publishes.
- SquierDecoder · What Fender publishes about Squier serial numbers: the Japanese SQ and JV prefixes and the Korean prefixes, and why most newer Squier serials can’t be dated here.
- Fender ampsDecoder · Date a Fender amplifier from the two-letter code on its QA sticker or tube chart, or from the EIA code on a transformer, following Fender’s own tables.
- Fender acousticsModel lookup · Fender says its acoustic serial numbers can’t date a guitar. Look up your Fender acoustic by model name to see the catalog years and construction Fender lists for it.
- GibsonDecoder · Decode a Gibson serial number from 1975 on: the year, day of production and rank, using the formats Gibson itself publishes for each era.
- EpiphoneDecoder · Read the year and month from an Epiphone serial number using the layouts Gibson publishes, and why the factory letters can’t be decoded from Gibson’s guide.
- MartinDecoder · Find the year a C. F. Martin guitar was made from its serial number, using Martin’s own list of the last number used each year since 1898.
- TaylorDecoder · Decode a Taylor guitar serial number: factory, the date work began and the series, using Taylor’s published 9-, 10- and 11-digit layouts.
Before you decode
- Copy the serial exactly. Letters at the start often name a factory, country or era, so they matter as much as the digits.
- Use the right number. Model numbers, part numbers and dates stamped on necks or electronics are separate from the serial.
- A date isn’t proof. A serial number dates an instrument; it doesn’t authenticate it. Counterfeits exist, and parts get swapped.
- No price estimates. No manufacturer or government source publishes used-instrument values, so we don’t estimate them.