This section is designed to assist in dating and/or identifying instruments manufactured or distributed by Gibson Guitar Corp. Please note that most of this information relates to serial numbers used from 1975 to present.
NOTE - Gibson USA goes to a 9 digit serial number in early July 2005..The sixth number is now a batch number- batch 0 starts at the beginning of the day, and once we stamp 699, the batch number will change to 1. The first 5 numbers remain the same, the last 3 numbers will remain the same. The only difference is the addition of this batch indicator.
japan guitar serial number begins with w
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Les Paul Classic 1989-2014: This model features an ink stamped serial number with no "MADE IN USA" (just as we used on the original 1952-1960 Les Pauls). Most will be 5 to 6 digits in length, but the earliest examples feature 4 digit serial numbers. There should be a space after the 1st digit with the 4 and 5 digit serial numbers, and no space with the 6 digit numbers.
The 1st digit indicates the year of manufacture for the 4 & 5 digit serial numbers, these were used from 1989-1999. The 1st and 2nd indicate the year of manufacture for the 6 digit serial numbers which we've been using since 2000.
1952-1960 Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V, and Futura reissues (since late 1992):M YRRR or MYRRRRM is the model year being reissuedY is the production yearRRR(R) indicates the guitar's place production for that year. NOTE: This number includes all models for a particular reissue year - so, for example, a 1958 Reissue serial number may include '58 Reissue LP Standard and '58 Explorer production.
Historic ES MODELS (since 1995):(A or B)-MYRRRM is the model year being reissuedY is the production yearRRR indicates the guitar's place in the sequence of Historic ES production for that year.Reissue model codes:2= ES-2953= 1963 ES-335 (block inlays)4= ES-3305= ES-3459 with an "A" prefix = 1959 ES-335 (dot inlays)9 with a "B" prefix= ES-355
Example: A-38005 is the 5th '63 ES-335 Reissue produced in 1998.Carved Top models (serial number on orange label)YDDDYRRRYY is the production yearDDD is the day of the yearRRR indicate the guitar's place in the sequence of carved tops made that day.NOTE - as of 2000, 1st digit will be a "2"
Jimmy Page Les Paul (3 versions)-1st 25 aged models were hand numbered 1-25 and signed by Jimmy Page, no other number is on this model.-Limited run of 150 aged models are numbered in sequence as "PAGE xxx"-Unlimited run of Custom Authentic models are numbered in sequence as "JPP xxx"Note: The discontinued Gibson USA Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul has a standard 8 digit serial number.
Most regular production models since ca. 1993. Many '80s and early '90s serial numbers may follow a similar scheme, but may not include a factory ID code.FYYMMRRRRF= Factory code (this can be 2 letters as well)YY= year of manufacture (this can also be just 1 digit for '90s models)MM= month of manufactureR= ranking number (may be more or less digits, not necessarily indicative of total units produced)Example - S02021234 was issued in Feb. 2002.
In 1987, the Texas investors sold the company to Hisatake Shibuya, a Japanese entrepreneur who also owns the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Shibuya moved the company back to California and returned Schecter to its custom shop roots, devoting all its efforts to manufacturing high-end, expensive custom instruments. Schecter guitars were once again only available from a few retailers, one of them being Sunset Custom Guitars located in Hollywood, which Hisatake Shibuya also owned. Sunset Custom Guitars happened to be the place where Michael Ciravolo, the future president of Schecter Guitar Research, worked. In 1995, Schecter introduced the highly sought-after 'S Series' guitars and basses. In 1996, Hisatake Shibuya asked Michael Ciravolo to become Schecter's president and run the company. Michael Ciravolo, an experienced musician, brought to the company many well-known musicians as endorsees. These included Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, and Jay Noel Yuenger and Sean Yseult of White Zombie, as well as Xavier Rhone of Carbon Nation. Michael Ciravolo never really liked competitor designs, so he sought to distance the company from its past Fender-style models. Toward that end, he added the "Avenger", "Hellcat", and "Tempest" models to the Schecter catalog. He also wanted to reach out to a new generation of musicians who were ignored by most major guitar manufacturers. Yet, at this point, the company was only producing expensive, custom shop models. (Schecter's maximum output was forty guitars a month.) So, to realize his vision, Ciravolo began searching for a factory that could mass-produce Schecter guitars while maintaining high quality standards. In 1997, Michael Ciravolo met with several Asian guitar manufacturers at the Tokyo Music Festival and subsequently decided on a factory located in Incheon, South Korea. (Though not known for sure, this location could be the electric guitar factory of World Musical Instrument co. Ltd.) Schecter's guitars would be built in the South Korea factory, after which they would be shipped to the U.S. to be set up in a Schecter shop. At the 1998 summer NAMM show, Schecter introduced the Diamond Series, which included six affordably priced non-custom guitars. In 1999, Schecter added the seven string "A-7 Avenger" guitar to the 'Diamond Series'. It also introduced the "C-1", which was debuted by Jerry Horton in Papa Roach's "Last Resort" music video. The Diamond Series is still in production to this day.
In 2012, it was announced that Schecter expanded their custom shop, adding 14,000 square feet to the facility. Later the same year, Schecter announced a new line of USA-built guitars that would bring the company back to its "roots". This included the acquisition of several CNC machines from Haas Automation and a new 1,500 square feet spray booth. The new line would be called the "USA Production Series." These guitars were officially debuted at the 2013 Winter NAMM show. Schecter also announced a new line of hand-wound electric guitar and bass pickups, that would be available on USA Production and custom shop models, and possibly will be available for purchase in 2013. Along with the announcement of the USA Production Series, Schecter announced their introduction into the amplification market. These new amps would be designed in part with well-known amplifier designer James Brown, who is most famous for designing the Peavey 5150 amplifier in part with Eddie Van Halen and his line of effect pedals under the Amptweaker name. The amps first announced were the "Hellraiser USA 100", "Hellraiser Stage 100", "Hellwin USA 100", and the "Hellwin Stage 100". The USA versions are built in Schecter's USA custom shop, while the Stage series is built overseas. The Hellwin is the signature amp for Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates, who helped design the head with James Brown. Both amps make use of EL34 power tubes, an on-board noise gate, a passive and active input that compensate for the output difference by changing the circuit instead of reducing output, and a "Focus" control that adjusts the low end response. The differences between the Hellwin and the Hellraiser is the Hellwin's use of MIDI to control the amp. The Hellwin is also a 3-channel amp, as opposed to the Hellraiser's 2-channel design. Along with these amps, Schecter introduced a line of speaker cabinets, one featuring a 200W sub-woofer. called the "Depth Charge", that would increase the cabinet's bass response. These amps were debuted, along with the USA Production Line, at Winter NAMM 2013. 2ff7e9595c
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