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Epiphone serial number decoder
11-digit serials from 2008 on. Year, month, factory code and sequence number.
Brass characters give the date. Grey characters are the factory code and sequence. Chars 1-2: year. Chars 3-4: month. Chars 5-6: factory code. Chars 7-11: sequence number.
Year of manufacture
- Month (1-12)
- Factory code (digits 5-6)
- Sequence (digits 7-11)
Rule: digits 1-2 year, 3-4 month, 5-6 factory, 7-11 sequence. Sources: Killer Rig (opens in a new tab); Gibson forum thread (opens in a new tab). These are community-compiled, not an Epiphone statement.
What does this mean?
Approximate: the digits fit the format as the sources describe it, but the maker has not confirmed this rule and the length of the sequence part can vary. Treat the year and month as a good lead, not a certificate.
The 11-digit format
| Years | Pattern | How to read it | Example | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 on | YY MM FF RRRRR | Digits 1-2: year (2000 plus YY). Digits 3-4: month, 01-12. Digits 5-6: factory code. Digits 7-11: sequence. | 11051502060: 2011, month 5, factory code 15, sequence 2060. | Killer Rig; Gibson forum |
Gibson's own page describes the post-2008 all-numeric scheme and says the ranking part may vary in length, so the 5-digit sequence is a convention, not a guarantee. This tool does not name factories: those mappings come from community reports and are not confirmed.
Things that trip people up
Other lengths are not decoded
Serials of 9 or 10 digits, letters, or pre-2008 formats vary by factory and we have no sourced rule for them, so the tool says so instead of guessing. Epiphone's older serials are not decoded here.
Year digits below 08 do not fit
The format is used for 2008 on. A serial that starts 07 or lower, or one that names a future year, is reported as not fitting.
Community sources. The layout is confirmed by community-compiled sources rather than by Epiphone itself. If the date looks wrong for the model, ask the maker.
Build date is not sale date
The month and year are when the serial says it was made, not when it was sold. A matching serial does not prove a guitar is genuine.
Next steps
- Gibson and Epiphone share a parent company but use different checks: Gibson serial number lookup.
- How to tell if a Gibson is fake covers Gibson-branded guitars, not Epiphone.
- Check the date against the model's history before you buy.
Other decoders
- Gibson8-digit serials stamped from 1977 on. Year, month, day and rank, read the way Gibson's own serial page describes.
- MartinSequential serials. Year from Martin's published chart, with the first and last serial of that year.
Not sure which brand format you have? Try the format finder on the home page.
Questions
Why does the tool not tell me the factory?
The two-digit factory code is shown as a number. Names for each code come from community reports that we have not been able to confirm, so we leave them out.
Is my serial sent anywhere?
No. The decoding runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us.
Not affiliated with any guitar maker. Brand names are used only to say which guitars a rule applies to.