For example, for serial number 0236758, the '02' indicates that the guitar was made in 2002; for serial number W10052743, the '10' indicates that the guitar was made in 2010. Schecter began as a parts manufacturer and eventually began making their own complete guitars, so from the late 70s to around 1998, when the Diamond Series was introduced. Second digit is type of guitar: 1 Acoustic roundbacks (also semi-hollowbody electrics). (Number range) YEAR MADE. 000: 1972 (May-Dec) 000: 1974. Schecter Guitar Serial Number Checker This is all about finding out if you'll like playing (and listening to) the damned thing. (; I think $200 is a good price, but I would probably get him to come down to $175.
SERIAL NUMBERS LEGENDA
Unfortunally ESP didn't keep good records of old serial numbers. Many records have been lost during years and most of all were destroyed in a fire accident on late '90s in ESP Japan factory. For old guitars we can only know the exact data reading the ESP warranty card (when there is), or unscrewing the neck (if the neck is bolt on) and read under it becuse probably theres the data write on pencil). I keep record of this data in order to try to deduce other correspondences. ESP Guitar Company says: 'Unfortunately the factories at ESP Japan have not kept a consistent and sensible serial number tracking system in place over the years. This has resulted in alot of confusion, and ... you may still come across the occasional serial number that may conflict with, or doesn't fall under any of the listed categories. For this we apologize, and we are working to maintain a more consistent system going forward. The PRE-2015 system doesn't apply to early ESP's, some of which had no serial number tracking system at all and used random numbers. Thanks for your understanding.'
NOTES ON SERIAL NUMBERS:
- Many custom orders or first new model made did not have any serial number.
- The circle logo 'ESP CUSTOM GUITARS' on the back of the headstock is not a typical feature on ESP guitars made for the Japanese market and custom order.
- Serials from 1990 to 1996 are written in a sort of 'Times New Roman' font, otherwise are in a sort of 'Arial' font.
NOTES FOR MY WEBSITE:
- For the special/custom order guitars the description on this website are based on the 'standard set' (specs, color, construction and hardware can vary).
- The truss rod cover change from rectangular with white edges and bell with white edges to black bullet style in 1993.
- some of the ESPs have black hardware in North America and Black Nickel hardware elsewhere. It all began a few years ago with the EU and a thing called the RoHS (Regulation of Hazardous Materials) and Gotoh in Japan basically changed their production to ensure they didn’t lose the European market, and that being manufacturers who shipped to Europe, which is most everyone. They changed pretty much everything for the “export” market, and export to most makers means anything but US. Kind of a long story. They have a way of producing black again now so expect it to all go back to the way most of us prefer over time.
---------- Before year 2000 ----------
(esp
7 or 8 DIGITS stamped in the back of the headstock:
(D)DMMYNNN
DD= day of the month (01 to 31)
MM= month (01 to 12)
Y= last digit of the year (ex: 1992 = 2)
NNN = production number 000 to 999 resetted every year
(D)DMMYNNN
DD= day of the month (01 to 31)
MM= month (01 to 12)
Y= last digit of the year (ex: 1992 = 2)
NNN = production number 000 to 999 resetted every year
EXAMPLE: the code of my MX-250 25023072 means the manufacturing date is 25.02.1993 and it was the 72nd guitar producted that year.
NOTES:
- year '7' can be 1987 or 1997, '8' can be 1988 or 1998, '9' can be 1989 or 1999! You have to look at the models in production that year.
- sometimes in old guitars (80s early 90s) 1st and/or 3rd digit is missing when is '0' and the result is serials with 6 or 7 digits (ex. 3038467 or 338467 → means 03.03.1988 number 467)
- lot of old esp's does not have any serial on the back of the headstock. If you are lucky you can find a serial written on pencil where the body is bolted to the neck (or in the neck also) or in one of the pickup cavities.
SERIAL UNDER PICKUPS:
MM= month (01 to 12)
For example my MX-220 have serial '#80129' that means was made the 08-1991 number 29)
![Schecter guitar serial number decoder for john deere Schecter guitar serial number decoder for john deere](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126430193/201177711.jpg)
5 DIGITS punched in the bolt plate (for the bolt on versions).
NOTE:Follow this reference may not be accurate because probably they printed a certain number of plates and then put on guitars in a random manner, without noticing consecutive numeration. This is the reason why we can easilu find guitars with the bolt plate referring to a year or two before or after respect the serial printed on the back of the headstock. To have an exact dating of this guitars you have to unscrew the neck and look at the date could be written below.
NOTE:Follow this reference may not be accurate because probably they printed a certain number of plates and then put on guitars in a random manner, without noticing consecutive numeration. This is the reason why we can easilu find guitars with the bolt plate referring to a year or two before or after respect the serial printed on the back of the headstock. To have an exact dating of this guitars you have to unscrew the neck and look at the date could be written below.
1988 -
1989 - 592XX
1990 -
1991 -
1992 - 601XX --> 618XX
1993 - 619XX --> 912XX
1994 - 166XX --> 183XX
1995 - 191XX --> 244XX
1996 - 257XX --> 261XX
1997 - 273XX --> 294XX
1998 - 301XX --> 357XX
1999 - 339XX --> 369XX
2000 - 379XX --> 387XX
2001 - 388XX --> 416XX
2002 - 402XX
2003 - 4170X
1989 - 592XX
1990 -
1991 -
1992 - 601XX --> 618XX
1993 - 619XX --> 912XX
1994 - 166XX --> 183XX
1995 - 191XX --> 244XX
1996 - 257XX --> 261XX
1997 - 273XX --> 294XX
1998 - 301XX --> 357XX
1999 - 339XX --> 369XX
2000 - 379XX --> 387XX
2001 - 388XX --> 416XX
2002 - 402XX
2003 - 4170X
8 DIGITS stamped in the back of the headstock:
PPYYWWDNN (stamped on the back of the headstock).PP = place of manufacture:
K = ESP Kiso Factory (Japan) / set-neck and neck-thru only;
S = ESP Sado Factory (Japan) / bolt-on only;
T = ESP Takada Factory (Japan) / ESP Custom Shop
SS = ESP Standard Factory / Signature Series or Standard Series
CH = Craft House
CS = Craft House (used rarely)
TH = Technical House
N = Nagano Factory
YY = last two digits of the year
WW = week of the year (max.52)
D = day of that week: 1 = monday, 2 = tuesday,... (max.7)
NN = number off the line that day (max.99)
EXAMPLE: the code of my MX-250 K0604202 means the manufacturing date is 24.01.2006 and it was the 2nd guitar built that day.
WW = week of the year (max.52)
D = day of that week: 1 = monday, 2 = tuesday,... (max.7)
NN = number off the line that day (max.99)
EXAMPLE: the code of my MX-250 K0604202 means the manufacturing date is 24.01.2006 and it was the 2nd guitar built that day.
8 DIGITS stamped in the back of the headstock:
BNNNNYYP
BNNNNYYP
NNNN= production number
YY = last two digits of the year
1 - Custom Series
2 - Original Series and Signatures Series (i.e. guitars produced by the Custom Shop that are production models)
Schecter Guitar Serial Number Decoder Lookup
Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant from Mannheim, started in 1883 with building from drum kits and banjos. After WWI the company has been taken over by his son Fred.Under his leadership, the company flourished and gained the reputation for high quality and precision. Around 1930 with the rise of big bands, the banjo was gradually replaced by the guitar. In 1939 the first electric guitar from Gretsch was released, the 'Electromatic Line' followed by the archtop model 'Synchromatic Line'. In 1942 he handed over the company to his sons Fred Jr. and William. Led by Fred Gretsch jr. Mainly in the middle of the 1950s many innovative guitars were built, such as the Model 6120 and the 'White Falcon'. In 1967 the company was sold to Baldwin Piano Company and the production was moved to Arkansas. The entire production was stopped in 1981 due to a fire in the factory. In the 1980s, interest in Gretsch guitars revived. Thanks to, among other, the Stray Cats and Chris Isaak and the production was resumed. The Gretsch White Falcon 1 has been a popular model again since the early 1980s. | Since 1985, when Fred got the company back into the family, the Gretsches were made in Japan. In 2002, Fred approached the Fender company for distribution in Europe. Fender offered to distribute it worldwide and also build the guitars for Gretsch. Gretsch and Fender signed an agreement in 2003 allowing Fender to gain control over production and distribution of guitars and gained a foothold in the Gibson dominated market for semi-acoustic guitars. New and improved old models soon appeared. Friedrich Gretsch (1885) |
Schecter Guitar Parts
In the early years (1939-1945) Gretsch started with handwritten sequential serial numbers (001-999), written directly on the inside of the guitar. Often these serials are vague or almost illegible or completely erased. If you see at least three hard-to-read numbers, you can be pretty sure that it is a pre-war instrument. In the period from 1945 to 1954 there is the transition from handwritten serial numbers to the official labels in 1949, although the numbering remained the same. The following serials are approximate. In general, a higher number means that the guitar was produced later in the year or transferred to the next year's range.
(*) In 1957, about a thousand serial number labels were lost for unknown reasons. Part of this is recovered in 1965 and used for that year's production.
| With the imminent acquisition by Baldwin and annual production of approximately 150,000 guitars, Gretsch switched to a date-linked coding system in August 1966. Strangely enough, some guitars have serial numbers stamped into the narrow top of the headstock, while others have it stamped on the back. From June of 1967, the text 'Made in the USA' is stamped next to the serial number. The date-code distribution used from 1966 to 1972: (without a hyphen in the serial number) The first digit(s) represent the month of manufacture (1-12 for January-December). The next digit is the last digit of the year (6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 1, 2 for 1966-1972). The last three digits is the production number of that month. Example 129800: Month: December Year: 1969 Production number: 800 The guitars manufactured from 1972-1981 are easier to identify because they are the only Gretsch specimens with a hyphen (or a space) after the first one or two digits. The meaning of the numbers is the same as that without a hyphen. The digits for the hyphen are for the month (1-12). The first position after the hyphen (or space) represents the last digit of the year (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 1 for 1972-1981). The last three digits represent the production number for that month. Example 6-2752: Month: June Year: 1972 Production number: 752 Before the acquisition by Fender (in 2003), a more logical sequential application for the period 1989-2002 is the production made in Japan with a xxxxxx-xxx serial number. The first two digits are the year, the next digit or two digits is the month (1-9/10-12). The subsequent three digits is the model number, eg. 120 = G6120. The digits after the hyphen show the production number during the execution of the model. (not for that month or year) Example 976120-123: Month: June, Year: 1997, Model: 120, Production number: 123 In 2003 Gretsch is acquired by Fender. Fender decided to introduce a single serial number system for all guitars after 2002. The Gretsch serial numbers now have a two letter prefix indicating the location of the production, followed by a two-digit year a two-digit month and a four-digit production number related to that specific plant. Production locations:
Example: KS14053456 Year of manufacture: 2014. Month: May. Manufacture: Korea. Factory: SPG. Production number: 3456. |