Joe's Vintage Guitars - Preserving History One Guitar at a Time

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Reference guides for dating vintage guitars by serial number, pot codes, and production records.

Fender neck plate with a stamped serial number
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Fender Serial Number Lookup: Free Decoder & Dating Guide

Decode any Fender serial number, then confirm the year with neck heel dates and pot codes. Free lookup plus year-by-year charts from a Fender appraiser.

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Gibson serial number on an interior paper label
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Gibson Serial Number Lookup

Free Gibson serial number lookup. Decode serials and FONs from 1902 to today, including reused 1960s ranges and Custom Shop, Historic and Classic formats.

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Martin model and serial number stamped on the neck block
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Martin Serial Number Lookup

Find your Martin guitar’s year with the serial number lookup and year charts through 2025. Compare logos, tuners, neck-block stamps and construction photos.

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Model and serial number on a Gretsch guitar label
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Gretsch Serial Number Lookup And Dating Guide

Date your Gretsch with a free serial lookup, vintage charts and photo guides to labels, pickups, hardware and finishes. Compare original guitars and reissues.

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Guild F48 label showing the model and serial number
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Guild Serial Number Lookup: How To Date A Guild Guitar

Look up your Guild serial number with vintage charts and a date-code decoder. Compare labels, factory eras, model prefixes and detailed guitar photos.

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Rickenbacker output jack plate with a two-letter serial code
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Rickenbacker Serial Number Lookup

Date your Rickenbacker guitar or bass with our free serial number lookup. Find the serial, read date codes, and compare vintage features in photos.

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Fender amplifier tube chart with the ink-stamped two-letter date code. The first letter is the year and the second letter is the month.
Serial Number & Dating Guides

Vintage Fender Amp Serial Numbers: How To Find The Year

Wondering how old your vintage Fender amplifier is? Learn to date it using tube chart codes, transformer details, and era-specific features.

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