#Olp guitar serial number dating serial numbers#
#Olp guitar serial number dating archive#

The visual quality isnвЂ™t as good as the cell phone camera but the length and flexibility allows you to get closer. Another option is a USB endoscope that is plugged into your cell phone.

The best way to find it is to put a flashlight inside the guitar and use the camera on your cell phone to look around inside.

The date code isnвЂ™t always visible thru the sound hole.

It seems not many people in the US know about the date codes, although they must be better known in Japan.

Some guitars did not get a serial number or it has faded over the years, so the only way to know about when the guitar was made is by this date code.

IвЂ™ve seen a few of guitars where the date code is partially under the kerfing.

This date code was probably stamped when they made the sides, not when the guitar was assembled.

Year 1 is 1926, therefore year 41 is 1966. In this case itвЂ™s the SHOWA period, the reign of Emperor Hirohito, which started in 1926. ItвЂ™s the Japanese year based on the reign of the current Emperor.

The year isnвЂ™t the normal year we are used to.

The date code is located on either side of the lower bout.

Typically 3 to 6 weeks before itвЂ™s finished. This date code will be very close to when the guitar was built. While the serial number is visible, although not always usable to determine the date of manufacture, there is a Date Code ink stamped on the inside of all early FGвЂ™s, except most FG-75вЂ™s.

#Olp guitar serial number dating serial numbers#

So the 6 & 7 digit serial numbers must not be related to date the guitars were built.That didnвЂ™t work for a few guitars I found.IвЂ™ve read the first digit in the serial number is the year, then a 2 digit month, 2 digits for the day, and the rest is a unit number.What got me started was a curiosity of what the early (1966-71) Japan built FG 6 & 7 digit serial numbers meant. SEE THE POSTS IN THE FORUM FOR POSSIBLY MORE INFO.ДЇOR INFO ON TAIWAN MADE FGвЂ™S SEE ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THE PAGE. This article will be updated as I find further information.

#Olp guitar serial number dating archive#

They donвЂ™t always agree with YamahaвЂ™s Guitar Archive data. The facts presented are based on personal observations, data collected, and data donated. IвЂ™ve been collecting data and in most cases can tell when a guitar with a 6 or 7 digit serial number was made (within a month or so). Yamaha doesnвЂ™t know exactly when the earliest FGвЂ™s were made. And to be able to fairly accurately determine when they were made. The purpose of this article is to solve the mystery of the early Yamaha FG serial numbers, internal markings, and labels.