General Gibson serial number information
Gibson serial numbers are usually on the back of the guitars headstock; either stamped, inked or as a decal. Instruments with f-holes often have the serial number repeated on a label inside the guitar body. A lack of a serial number usually implies an instrument has been refinished.
The current Gibson serial number system
There is no Gibson serial number decoder that can automatically date your pre-1977 Gibson, although after this time, the currently used eight digit system ha been used. Not only can it tell the date, but also the place of production. These details are encoded unambiguosly into the serial number as follows.
YDDDYXXX
where YY is the year, DDD is the day of the year, and it was the XXXth instrument stamped that day. Numbers below 500 signify a Kalamazoo productio, above signifies Nashville.
So for example, 80921089 tells us that this bass was stamped on the 2nd April 1981 (day 092), at the Gibson Kalamazoo plant, and was the 089th instrument stamped that day
Vintage Gibson serial numbers
Gibson used various systems of numbering their instruments, and some records exist that can give a clue to a shipping date. 50s and early 1960s details are fairly straightforward, but later serial numbers (particularly around 65-75) can cause more confusion than clarity. BEFORE you read the Gibson serial number charts, please read the rest of this page!
The serial numbers Gibson used, particularly from 1969-1979 are often very difficult to interpret. The reason being that Gibsons 6 digit serial number system reached 999999 several times; each time they continued from 000001.
So Gibson re-used serial numbers. If you read through the charts for a hypothetical number, say 123456 - we see that it was shipped in 1963, 1970-72, and again in 74-75. Not an ideal situation, but many of the Guitars we see listed for sale as 1960s instruments, are actually newer. It is often not the sellers fault, as they will have looked through the numbers, found it was 1963, and would see no reason to look further in the document.
Dating Gibson guitars without serial numbers
Seeing as the Gibson serial numbers can be ambiguous, and that guitar serial numbers are sometimes removed, how can you be sure of a Gibson guitars vintage?. There are subtle changes in most Gibson guitars over the course of their production runs, and, you can usually date a guitar by physical features. Also, with a little knowledge of potentiometer codes, another approximate date can be read. Most instruments can be dated to within 1-2 years without a serial number.
See the list of serial numbers on the Gibson website
Gibson 1960s EB Bass Tuner Small Plate Nickel Chrome Left Side Rivoli Rick 3000
Cass City, Michigan, 487**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$75
Please refer to all photos for more details as they are the best part of the description. Photos are of the actual item that you will receive. Gibson 1960s EB Bass Tuner Small Plate Nickel Chrome Left Side Rivoli Rick 3000
Description
Our SKU: 10485026
Item Brand: Gibson
Item MPN:
This listing is for Gibson 1960s EB Bass Tuner Small Plate Nickel ... more
USA GIBSON EB BASS Guitar Bridge Tailpiece STUD Post Set Vintage Parts
Plano, Texas, 750**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$149
... more
Vintage Early 1960's Gibson EB-0 / EB-2 Bass Bridge Mute
Brooklyn, New York, 112**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$175
Very Good Condition Sold by a mom & pop music store in Brooklyn NY
... more
1959 1960 GIBSON EB-0 Slab Body BASS PICKGUARD USA
Houston, Texas, 770**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$250
1960??s GIBSON Bass EB-3 EB-2 EB-0 Hand Rest Cover
Houston, Texas, 770**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$250
The cover features the iconic Gibson logo and is a great addition to any vintage musical instrument collection. Whether you are a seasoned musician or a collector, this hand rest cover is a unique and... more
GIBSON 1968-7O SLOT-HEAD EB-O EB-3 BASS CASE BLACK TOLEX RED LINING VERY CLEAN!
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$349
FREE USA SHIPPING!
(for a limited time)
This month The Bass Palace will be listing 15 to 20 vintage cases from The Swami's own personal collection. Most of these are in primo condition and some are actually NOS. There are even some seldom-seen ones to be offered. These are the cream-of-the-crop if you are looking for a case worthy of your own special instrument. As an intro I am offering FREE shipping to the lower 48 thru 11 / 15 (a $40-60 savings)! But make no mistake, once the sale ... more
Epiphone By Gibson Rock Bass Ebony Jazz Bass Hockey Stick Headstock Very Rare
Flower Mound, Texas, 750**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$400
These were made from 1986-93 according to the internet. The serial number sticker has been peeled of, but I believe this is an earlier one
Very nice looking bass
Sealed tuners, new strings, brass saddles, black on black with matching headstock, all original
The body has a few light nicks and scratches, in the clear coat. None major
No apparent fret wear or groves
The bass has just had a ... more
Replica Gibson EB-2 Style Semi-Hollow 5-String Bass | Sire Marcus Miller Pickups
Brookings, South Dakota, 570**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$449
It is in the style of a Gibson EB-2 type bass or generally the recognizable semi-hollow basses of the 60's from leading brands like Gibson, Epiphone, Guild, Hagstrom & Hofner. As far as I'm aware, there were no semi-hollow 5-string basses like this that existed back then and very few that exist even now.... more