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Gibson serial number lookup
8-digit serials stamped from 1977 on. Year, month, day and rank, read the way Gibson's own serial page describes.
Brass characters give the date. Grey characters are the rank. Chars 1 and 5 together: the two-digit year. Chars 2-4: day of the year. Chars 6-8: production rank.
Year of manufacture
- Month (1-12)
- Day of month
- Production rank (digits 6-8)
Rule: the first and fifth digits together are the last two digits of the year, digits 2-4 the day of the year, digits 6-8 the rank. Source: Gibson serial number search (opens in a new tab).
What does this mean?
High: the digits fit Gibson's published format. Approximate: the digits fit, but a note above says the number could also belong to another format. Best guess: not used on this page. Any result is a build date from a published pattern, not proof of authenticity.
The 8-digit format
| Years | Pattern | How to read it | Decoded here? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 on (impressed) | Y DDD Y RRR | Digits 1 and 5 together are the last two digits of the year. Digits 2-4 are the day of the year (001-366). Digits 6-8 are the rank. 70108276: January 10, 1978, rank 276 (The Music Zoo's example). | Yes | Gibson; The Music Zoo; Guitar Center |
| 1975-1977 (decal) | YY NNNNNN | The first two digits give the year: 99 = 1975, 00 = 1976, 06 = 1977. | No (a 99 or 06 serial is flagged) | Gibson |
| 1994 (Centennial) | 94 RRRRRR | 94 means 1994; the other six digits are a production number. No day. | No (flagged) | Gibson |
| July 2005-2014 and mid-2019 on (Gibson USA) | Y DDD Y B RRR | 9 digits: year and day as above, digit 6 is a batch number, digits 7-9 the rank. | No | Gibson |
| 2014 to mid-2019 (Gibson USA) | YY RRRRRRR | 9 digits: a two-digit model year and a production number. No day; a model year can start in the autumn before. | No | Gibson |
Rows are only listed when a source is linked. Custom Shop, reissue, Les Paul Classic and pre-1975 serials use other formats that this page does not decode.
Things that trip people up
Digits 1 and 5 are different digits
The year is split across two positions. In 81237567 digit 1 is 8 and digit 5 is 7, so the year is 1987, and day 123 is May 3. Two-digit years 77 to 99 are read as 1977-1999 and 00 upward as 2000 on.
Leading zeros matter
A serial from 2000 to 2009 begins with 0. The tool reads your serial as text, so the zero is kept. Type it in full.
Day 366
Day 366 exists only in a leap year. A serial whose digits 1 and 5 give a non-leap year and whose day is 366 does not fit, and the tool says so.
Decals and the 1994 Centennial
Gibson's page lists two other 8-digit numbers that are not day-of-year codes: 1975-1977 decals (99, 00 or 06 first) and many 1994 instruments (94 first). A 99, 06 or 94 serial cannot be a valid day, so the tool says which format it is instead of a date. A 00 serial can be either a stamped 2000-2009 number or a 1976 decal, so the tool shows the stamped reading with a note.
After mid-2005. Gibson USA moved to 9-digit serials in July 2005, which this tool does not decode. Gibson still lists the 8-digit format as "1977-Present" for Gibson USA, Gibson Acoustic and Gibson Memphis, so the tool decodes later 8-digit serials and adds a note asking you to check that the date fits the guitar.
Build date is not sale date
The serial gives a build date from a published pattern. A guitar can be sold years later, and a matching serial does not prove a guitar is genuine. See how to tell if a Gibson is fake for checks beyond the serial.
Next steps
- Compare the decoded date with the model's history: a date before the model existed is a red flag worth asking about.
- Buyer's checklist for serial numbers.
- Gibson also runs its own tool: Gibson serial number search (opens in a new tab).
- Epiphone made by the same company uses a different serial: Epiphone serial number decoder.
Other decoders
- Epiphone11-digit serials from 2008 on. Year, month, factory code and sequence number.
- 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
Does this work for a Les Paul?
The tool reads the serial, not the model. If a Les Paul has an 8-digit serial stamped into the back of the headstock, the pattern above applies. Custom Shop, reissue and Les Paul Classic numbers use other formats, so they are not decoded here.
Why is no year shown?
The digits break a rule: the serial is not 8 digits, the day is outside 001-366, day 366 falls in a non-leap year, the year would be in the future, or the number is a decal or 1994 Centennial serial with no day. The message says which.
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.