Guides
Guides to dating a vintage guitar
Short, original guides built on the same data as the decoder. Each ends with one thing to check next.
- How to read a serial numberA six-step method that works for any maker, from finding the number to weighing what it says.
- Serials that lieReused blocks, repeating digits, missing hyphens and year-end figures that disagree.
- Reading a Martin soundhole stampWhere the number is, how the year-end figures work, and the 1956 doubt.
- Dating by potsRead the EIA source code on a potentiometer and use it as an earliest date.
- Dating by featuresOverlap feature windows with a serial range to narrow the answer.
- Dating ukuleles, banjos and mandolinsNo dependable serial system: labels, blocks and hardware instead.
- What a serial cannot tell youExact day, originality, authenticity, value and model are all outside its reach.
- Caring for a 60-year-old guitar before restringingA first inspection, light strings, and when to stop and call a luthier.