Decoder / Brand
Rickenbacker serial numbers
A two-letter year and month code from 1961 makes Rickenbackers among the easiest to date. A serial is evidence, not proof.
This is an example number. Replace it with yours. Hyphens matter, so keep them.
Your number, read character by character
Entries
Ranked by confidence. Select a row for its rule.One rule fits. Verify with features.
The rule
Two letters then the production digits. The first letter is the year (A is 1961 through Z for 1986). The second is the month (A is January through L for December). Month: November.
Sources differ on the start (late 1960) and the end of the scheme. The letter J is ambiguous.
Usually found
Jackplate: letters above the jack hole, digits below.
Where to look
- Jackplate (letters above the jack, digits below)
- Pre-1960 instruments are mostly impossible to date by serial
The formats, in order
Each row is one rule the decoder applies. Where two rows overlap in years, a number can match both, and the decoder shows both.
| Years | Format | How sure | Usually found |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 to 1986 | Two-letter year and month code, 1961 to 1986 Two letters then the production digits. The first letter is the year (A is 1961 through Z for 1986). The second is the month (A is January through L for December). | Likely | Jackplate: letters above the jack hole, digits below. |
| 1987 to 1996 | Month letter plus year digit, 1987 to 1996 A month letter (A to L), then a digit for the year (0 is 1987 up to 9 for 1996). | Likely | Jackplate. |
| 1998 to null | Serial begins with the year, 1998 onwards The first two digits are the last two digits of the year. | Likely | Jackplate. |
Traps
- Two-letter year and month code, 1961 to 1986. Sources differ on the start (late 1960) and the end of the scheme. The letter J is ambiguous.
- Month letter plus year digit, 1987 to 1996. 1997 and 1998 used a modified scheme; sources are inconsistent, so check the maker.
- Serial begins with the year, 1998 onwards. Modern Rickenbacker.
Dates that matter
- 1958. Rickenbacker 330 and 360 introduced. The slim-body models appear around this time.
- 1961. Letter-based date code starts. The two-letter year and month stamp begins on the jackplate.
Features that help date it
- Letter-based jackplate date code (1961 to 1986). Two letters above the jack hole on the jackplate.
Where the rules come from
- Rickenbacker dating guides from dealers and collectors (several, compared)
Rules are rewritten as logic, not copied tables. See About for known gaps.
Other brands
Martin, Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Harmony, Kay, Silvertone and Danelectro, Other makers.