Joe's Vintage Guitars Blog

Serial Number & Dating Guides

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

Serial Number & Dating Guides

Guild Factory Eras And Serial Number Systems

Compare Guild’s New York, Hoboken, Westerly, Corona, Tacoma, New Hartford and Oxnard eras, with serial examples and guidance for imported models.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Guild Acoustic Guitar Identification Guide

Identify Guild acoustic guitars by body, model name, labels and construction. Compare original features and photographs before checking the serial number.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Guild Electric Guitar Identification Guide

Compare Guild Starfire, X-175, X-500, Artist Award & Thunderbird photos. Check body construction, pickups, controls, serials and later reissue differences.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Guild Pickup And Hardware Dating Guide

Identify Guild pickups, bridges, tailpieces and tuners by model and era. Compare construction details and photos before deciding which parts are original.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Vintage Guild Vs. Reissue: How To Tell Them Apart

Separate Guild guitars from later models and reissues. Compare Westerly Collection labels, country markings, Newark St. names and replaced hardware.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Rickenbacker Pickup Dating Guide

Identify Rickenbacker horseshoe, toaster and Hi-Gain pickups with photos and timelines. Compare guitar, bass and reissue features with the serial date.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Rickenbacker Tuner Dating Guide

Identify Rickenbacker Kluson, Grover and Schaller tuners. Compare housings, buttons, mounting patterns and model timelines with reference photos.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Rickenbacker Knobs And Controls

Compare Rickenbacker cooker, black vintage and silver-top knobs, plus four- and five-control layouts. Use photos and timelines to check dating clues.

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Serial Number & Dating Guides

Rickenbacker Body, Binding And Inlays

Date Rickenbacker features using body shapes, checkerboard binding, dot and triangle inlays, soundholes and headstock photos. Account for later reissues.

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