Serial number dating / Ibanez
Ibanez serial number lookup
Find the year an Ibanez was built, read from Ibanez’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 Ibanez serials and how they read
Made-up serials in each of Ibanez’s formats, read by the dater above.
| Serial | Reads as | Format |
|---|---|---|
| F1012345 | 2010 | FujiGen, Japan (1997 on) |
| F204157 | 1992 | Japan factory code (1986-1996) |
| C760276 | Mar 1976 | Month-letter, Japan (1975-1988) |
| 5A240901234 | Sept 2024 | Factory code + year + month (2016 on) |
| PW19051234 | May 2019 | Indonesia, PT Woonan (2019 on) |
| I120412345 | Apr 2012 | Indonesia (2001 on) |
| GS190712345 | Jul 2019 | China, GIO series (GS, 2007 on) |
How Ibanez serials date
- FujiGen 'F' + year, Japan (1997 on)
- Japan factory code F/H/I + year (1986-1996) and the 1975-1988 month letter
- Korea: Cort, Samick, Saehan, Peerless, Yoojin (prefix + year + month)
- Indonesia: Cort (I), PT Woonan (PW) and others (prefix + year + month)
- China: J, S, GS, SS, A prefixes (prefix + year + month)
More on Ibanez serial numbers
Where this comes from
We date an Ibanez from the factory letter and year in the serial, using the published FujiGen and factory schemes, read the same way, with no copied chart. The source is Ibanez support.
Worked example. A serial like F1012345 reads as 2010, built by FujiGen in Japan, at high confidence.
The F7 prefix is both 1987 and 1997 (FujiGen reused the F7 stamp), and the same leading letters recur across different Asian factories, so some Ibanez serials read at lower confidence.
Where to find the serial
On the back of the headstock or the neck plate (older/hollow bodies: a neck plate or interior label).
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 Ibanez support.
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.