Serial number dating / Gibson
Gibson serial number lookup
Find the year a Gibson was built, read from Gibson’s own numbering scheme.
Can't read a digit? Type ? in its place. Looked-up serials are kept, never tied to you. How it works
Type the serial or code from the instrument. We read it as you type.
Cross-check with a pot code
The number stamped on a potentiometer inside the guitar. It dates the part, not the whole instrument.
Example Gibson serials and how they read
Made-up serials in each of Gibson’s formats, read by the dater above.
| Serial | Reads as | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 81455234 | 25 May 1985 | Date-coded serial (1977-2005), USA |
| 21452345 | 25 May 2022 | Date-coded serial, eight-digit (2006 on), USA |
| 009561234 | 5 April 2006 | Date-coded serial, 9-digit (2005-2014, 2019 on), USA |
| 150012345 | 2015 | Modern 9-digit (2014-2019), USA |
| 123456 | Not dated from the serial | Pre-1977, no encoded date |
How Gibson serials date
- Since 1977, an eight-digit date code (YDDDYRRR) that fixes the exact day
- Nine-digit date codes (2005-2014, and 2019 on), plus a nine-digit year-lead run (2014-2019)
- 1975-1977 transitional six-digit numbers
- Before 1977 the numbers were not date-coded and were reused across years, especially 1961-1975: the same six-digit number can belong to two different years, so a pre-1977 serial cannot date the guitar on its own
- A pre-1977 Gibson is placed from its pot codes and a clear photo of the factory order number stamped inside the body, not from a year in the serial
- Custom Shop and Historic reissues use their own numbering and are dated from the build, not the serial
More on Gibson serial numbers
Where this comes from
We date a Gibson from the eight-digit date code it has stamped since 1977, two year digits split around three day-of-year digits, read the way Gibson's own lookup reads it, not a copied table. The source is Gibson's official serial lookup.
Worked example. A serial like 81455234 reads as 25 May 1985, exact to the day, at high confidence.
From about 1961 to 1975 Gibson reused the same numbers across different years, so a serial in that range does not give a year on its own.
Where to find the serial
Stamped or inked on the back of the headstock (impressed from 1977 on).
How sure is it
Every result carries its confidence. Treat the year as a strong guide, not proof: a serial can be replaced, a neck and body can be from different years, and reissues copy old numbering. For anything that matters, confirm the year against the neck date, the pot codes and Gibson's official serial lookup.
We also check the serial against the millions of listings we track and show whether that exact number has been advertised before, where, and at what price.
Other brands
This is one of many brands the serial number dater covers.