What Year Was My Martin Guitar Built?
Serial Numbers Used To Date Martin Guitars
First locate the Serial number on your Martin® guitar. (The Model number is not necessary to find the date of manufacture.) Serial numbers are found on the neck block.
Looking inside the soundhole and toward the neck you will find the serial number and model stamped on the neck block.
The model number is above, the serial number is below it.
How To Read The Chart Below
The serial numbers denote the last serial number used in that year.
Example: Serial Number 439628 was built in 1983 as the last serial number made in 1982 was 439627.
Serial numbers listed do not apply to Martin Backpackers® or Little Martin® guitars. Contact the factory for production dates on those instruments.
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Серийный номер гитар martinez
Manufacturers sometimes want to change their serial number format, especially in Asian countries to which many Western companies have outsourced their production. The decoders are updated when the format of a new serial number format from a recognized manufacturer is known. |
Fake or real
If a serial number is not in the lists or is not recognized in the serial number decoder, it does not mean that the guitar is a fake.
Conversely, it is of course no guarantee whether the guitar is authentic, as a serial number is easy to copy.
Example of a Gibson serial number:
A real serial number is stamped dark on the back of the
headstock. A fake serial number is usually in white.
Brands such as Gibson, Fender, PRS or other renowned brands also issue a certificate of authenticity, but this can also be used for fraud.
An authorized dealer will certainly not sell you a fake, but if you want to buy a guitar privately or via the internet, be careful.
What you should pay attention to is first of all the price.
Authentic guitars and vintage versions keep their value or increase in price.
This of course depends on the condition of the guitar.
What you should also pay attention to is the appearance of the guitar.
Headstock
Note the shape of the headstock, the font used, and the position where the serial number is affixed. You can compare this with original images of the model.
Fret inlays
The manufacturers have advanced equipment to accurately place the inlays between the frets. On a fake you often see a deviation with respect to the original model.
There are more external features that you should pay attention to, such as the logo and printed or stamped serial number, but that differs per brand.
With acoustic guitars, the most common trick is that forgers use cheap plywood instead of solid wood.
To do this, look at the inner edge of the sound hole to see if the wood grain also continues.
If you are in any doubt about the guitar’s authenticity, please first contact the manufacturer’s service department and provide the features (or a photo) that you are unsure about.
The manufacturer will certainly respond to this because they want to combat counterfeits and will take action against them.
MIRC USED guitars
It is often said that guitars where have «USED» printed on them and got a gold-colored sticker are fake.
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Серийный номер гитар martinez
DATING MARTIN GUITARS AND MANDOLINS
BY REFERENCE OF SERIAL NUMBERS
It’s actually a lot easier than you may think. Because in contrast to Gibson or Fender,
C.F. Martin the serial numbers simply used in sequence starting 1898. An exception are the electric solidbody guitars.
By means of the serial number of your Martin can therefore quite precise date of production be determined.
Where to find the serial number
Look in the sound hole of the guitar in the direction of the neck and you see on the neck block model and serial numbers are stamped. Above: model. Below: serial number.
If you want to know the production year of your Martin guitar or mandolin, you can decipher it with the serial number decoder, or find it in the tables below.
Since end-19th century, Martin make one of the best flat top acoustic guitars.
All Martin Guitars are numbered in sequential order since 1898. With the exception of the electric models.
Because Martin had estimated that in 1898 around 8000 instruments had been built, the series numbering starts in 1898 with 8000.
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| For mandolins a different serial number system was used than for guitars. Only from 1991 to 1993 are the serial numbers of the mandolins from the same set used for guitars. Источник |