(Note: The new design did not appear until May 1990, so any early 1990 year models retain the '80s style plate)īut this is uncommon, most have no prefix.Īfter 2001, the Korean factory no longer produced bolt-on neck guitars, and Indonesian bolt-on models would use an 'S' prefix.Īround 1992 (although some examples have been found with stickers as late as 1993), all set neck models switched to a silk-screened serial number on the back of the headstock with an 'S' prefix:Įxample: S9207374 = 7,374th (set neck?) guitar made in 1992

They kept the same format, so the decade is determined by the style of neck plate. Semi-Hollow models (at this time) use a different format with no month, and the serial is found on the label inside the top f-hole.Įxample: 902703 = 2,703rd semi-hollow guitar made in 1990 Bolt-On Modelsīolt-neck models started having the serial number engraved into the neckplate in 1987. The 'S' prefix also first appeared at this time.Įxample: 90080084 = 84th guitar made in August of 1990Īnother format found around this time (possibly only for international models): Around this time, the serial numbers became a bit unpredictable, as they were figuring out a new system. The format for these dates is ( YY/MM/DD).Īnother neat way to know your Hondo was built prior to 1984, is that if it has the original Grover Rotomatic tuners, the posts that the buttons are screwed onto will be larger in diameter than Rotomatics made from 1984-on.Īs 1990 approached, the use of one digit for the year presented the issue of repeat serial numbers. If your guitar was built prior to 1984, or has lost its serial number sticker, the only other way to date your guitar is by looking for a date ink-stamped on the side of the original box switch.

Being a sticker, many are ripped off or wear off over the years. These serial numbers are easily recognized as a white sticker with a black border, usually found on the back of the headstock or the heel of the neck. It is commonly found on Mastercaster Series models, among others. The significance of this format is unknown. Many guitars made around 1985 have a serial number with the format: In 1988, occasionally the format was YYMMPPPPP because of high production volume.Įxample: 880510504 = 10,504th guitar made in May of 1988 Samick first started using serial numbers on Hondos and other contract brands in 1984 (their home brand models did not use serials until ~1987), using the following format:Įxample: 8030768 = 768th guitar made in March of 1988 Earliest known serial number, June 1984 (production number faded away).

Valley arts guitars serial numbers