- #JAPANESE MADE EPIPHONE SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
- #JAPANESE MADE EPIPHONE SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
- #JAPANESE MADE EPIPHONE SERIAL NUMBERS LICENSE#
In 1997, Fender transitioned to a serial number decal that included the words “Crafted in Japan” above the serial number.
#JAPANESE MADE EPIPHONE SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
As always, serial numbers should only be used as a guide for dating and should be used in combination with known age-related specifications to help identify the production year of an instrument. Records on early Japanese-made Fender instruments are not complete and are therefore not completely definitive for dating purposes. I don't know how that Asher T Deluxe got in the picture but you can guess how it became part of my collection. What does that mean? When were they made? The good folks at Fender compiled a list to guide us in the general build dates of these cool instruments. That is the third Orange Tabby I have lived with named Sherman and anyone who has ever talked to me about guitars quickly learns that I have a collection of red "E series" Made in Japan Fender Telecasters. Several other models, such as the Sheraton and John Lennon Casinos, were built in Japan and assembled and finished by Gibson USA.Take a look at the picture taken in my sauna and you will notice I am a creature of habit. The Paul McCartney Texan was produced in 2005, and in 2009, the Epiphone Historic Collection was created, beginning with the 1962 Wilshire, built by Gibson Custom. In 1993, three historic Epiphone acoustic guitars, the Texan, Frontier, and Excellente, were produced by Gibson Acoustic in Montana. The Epiphone Spirit and Special were produced in the early 1980s in Kalamazoo. Several Epiphone guitars have been produced in the United States since 1971. The "Masterbilt" acoustics are manufactured in Qingdao.Īccording to several forum entries, current Epiphone serial numbers give the following information:Įxample: SI09034853 SI = Samick Indonesia, 09 = 2009, 03 = March, 4853 = manufacturing number. Epiphone also produces a range of higher quality instruments under the "Elitist Series" moniker, which are built in Japan. Unique Epiphone models, including the Emperor, Zephyr, Riviera and Sheraton, are built to higher quality standards than the company's "Gibson copy" line. With few exceptions, Epiphones are now built only in the Qingdao factory. In 2002, Gibson opened a factory in Qingdao, China, which manufactures Epiphone guitars exclusively. Samick has stopped manufacturing guitars in Korea. These Epiphones were thought to have sometimes been built with different species of woods from the original Gibson versions some players speculated that this resulted in the instruments bearing a visual and ergonomic similarity to the Gibson originals but having a slightly different tone however this has always been suspected to be based on prejudice more than empirical fact. The brand was primarily used to issue less expensive versions of classic Gibson models, in a manner similar to that of the Squier brand by Fender. Thus, a Korean-era solidbody Epiphone would have been built under license.
#JAPANESE MADE EPIPHONE SERIAL NUMBERS LICENSE#
One of these contractors was Samick, which also built instruments under license for other brands and in its own name. From the 1980s, Epiphones were manufactured mainly in Korea but also in Japan by contractors licensed by Gibson. In the early 1970s, Epiphone began to manufacture instruments in Japan. I don't know the years but here is the serial info from wikipedia: