Not an ideal situation, but many of the Guitars we see listed for sale as 1960s instruments, are actually newer. 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. The reason being that Gibsons 6 digit serial number system reached 999999 several times each time they continued from 000001. The serial numbers Gibson used, particularly from 1969-1979 are often very difficult to interpret. BEFORE you read the Gibson serial number charts, please read the rest of this page! 50s and early 1960s details are fairly straightforward, but later serial numbers (particularly around 65-75) can cause more confusion than clarity. Gibson used various systems of numbering their instruments, and some records exist that can give a clue to a shipping date. So for example, 8 092 1 089 tells us that this bass was stamped on the 2nd April 19 81 (day 092), at the Gibson Kalamazoo plant, and was the 089th instrument stamped that day Vintage Gibson serial numbers Numbers below 500 signify a Kalamazoo productio, above signifies Nashville.

Where YY is the year, DDD is the day of the year, and it was the XXXth instrument stamped that day. These details are encoded unambiguosly into the serial number as follows. Not only can it tell the date, but also the place of production. 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. A lack of a serial number usually implies an instrument has been refinished. Instruments with f-holes often have the serial number repeated on a label inside the guitar body. Gibson serial numbers are usually on the back of the guitars headstock either stamped, inked or as a decal. 1981 Victory Standard (Candy Apple Red).

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