General Gibson serial number information
Gibson serial numbers are usually on the back of the guitars headstock; either stamped, inked or as a decal. Instruments with f-holes often have the serial number repeated on a label inside the guitar body. A lack of a serial number usually implies an instrument has been refinished.
The current Gibson serial number system
There is no Gibson serial number decoder that can automatically date your pre-1977 Gibson, although after this time, the currently used eight digit system ha been used. Not only can it tell the date, but also the place of production. These details are encoded unambiguosly into the serial number as follows.
YDDDYXXX
where YY is the year, DDD is the day of the year, and it was the XXXth instrument stamped that day. Numbers below 500 signify a Kalamazoo productio, above signifies Nashville.
So for example, 80921089 tells us that this bass was stamped on the 2nd April 1981 (day 092), at the Gibson Kalamazoo plant, and was the 089th instrument stamped that day
Vintage Gibson serial numbers
Gibson used various systems of numbering their instruments, and some records exist that can give a clue to a shipping date. 50s and early 1960s details are fairly straightforward, but later serial numbers (particularly around 65-75) can cause more confusion than clarity. BEFORE you read the Gibson serial number charts, please read the rest of this page!
The serial numbers Gibson used, particularly from 1969-1979 are often very difficult to interpret. The reason being that Gibsons 6 digit serial number system reached 999999 several times; each time they continued from 000001.
So Gibson re-used serial numbers. If you read through the charts for a hypothetical number, say 123456 - we see that it was shipped in 1963, 1970-72, and again in 74-75. Not an ideal situation, but many of the Guitars we see listed for sale as 1960s instruments, are actually newer. It is often not the sellers fault, as they will have looked through the numbers, found it was 1963, and would see no reason to look further in the document.
Dating Gibson guitars without serial numbers
Seeing as the Gibson serial numbers can be ambiguous, and that guitar serial numbers are sometimes removed, how can you be sure of a Gibson guitars vintage?. There are subtle changes in most Gibson guitars over the course of their production runs, and, you can usually date a guitar by physical features. Also, with a little knowledge of potentiometer codes, another approximate date can be read. Most instruments can be dated to within 1-2 years without a serial number.
See the list of serial numbers on the Gibson website
1969 Gibson EB-3 Cherry
Antioch, Tennessee, 370**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3199
1969 Gibson EB3 Bass Guitar- 100% Original with Original Case
Glastonbury, Connecticut, 060**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3700
Gibson Eb14 Electric Bass Guitar Made In USA with Case
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 333**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$280
Ash body
Maple neck
2 Humbuckers with individual coil split
Babicz Bridge
Original case
No papers
There is some wear on the painting as you can see on the pictures... more
Gibson 1965 EB-0 SG 1965 Electric Bass Guitar
Smithville, Tennessee, 371**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2800
The bass guitar is in excellent condition. It has a small belt buckle ... more
1959 1960 GIBSON EB-0 Slab Body BASS PICKGUARD USA
Houston, Texas, 770**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$250
Gibson EB-3 Cherry Mod 1969 Electric Bass Guitar Original Case Slotted Head Art
El Segundo, California, 902**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3500
... more
Vintage Gibson EB-0 Electric Bass Guitar, Mfg. 1970-72
Sacramento, California, 958**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1350
Vintage Gibson EB2 Bass pots Wiring Harness
Asheboro, North Carolina, 272**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$350