How can I tell what year my Gretsch guitar was made?
Gretsch began date-coding serial numbers in August 1966. Date-coded serial numbers are typically found stamped on the back or top of the headstock, and “Made in USA” is stamped next to the number starting in June 1967. The first digit or first 2 digits = month (1-12).
What do the Gretsch model numbers mean?
The numbers are easy – four digits always represent vintage model years a modern guitar emulates, the lone “-12” designates Gretsch’s only 12-string, and “6/12” goes for the two doublenecks. In the modern era, Gretsch has gradually moved to denoting model variations with a letters following a common model number.
How do I identify my Gretsch model?
The first two digits are the year, the next digit or two digits is the month (1-9/10-12). The subsequent three digits is the model number, eg. 120 = G6120. In 2003 Gretsch is acquired by Fender.
How do you read a Gretsch serial number?
Gretsch serial numbers typically appear on the back of the headstock and begin with a two-letter prefix code indicating the country of origin and specific manufacturing facility, followed by numbers indicating year and month of manufacture and sequential order of manufacture.
Where is Gretsch model number?
On most modern (after 1989) Gretsch guitars you will find it on the back of the headstock. Some models from 1962 – late 1960s also had serial numbers on the top of the headstock or on the pickguard.
When did Gretsch start putting serial numbers on guitars?
In the beginning, Gretsch simply wrote serial numbers inside the guitar in pencil. These pencilled-in numbers often fade and become illegible, or even disappear. After World War II, some guitars had a serial number embossed on the head, but reliable numbers didn’t really appear until the advent of the first labels, around 1949.
When did Gretsch start using orange and grey labels?
In about 1969, Gretsch began to use another version of the Orange and Grey label on F-Hole instruments. This third iteration of the label had “Fred Gretsch Mfg. Co” with lines for the Model No. and serial No., and it said “That Great Gretsch Sound” at the bottom. It was used until 1981.
What kind of guitar is a Gretsch 57?
Nevertheless, if it has all the typical ’57 features, it is considered a ’57 model, not a ’56. Gretsch guitars were built in batches, typically of 100, but sometimes 50.
When did Doug Baldwin take over the Gretsch Company?
Toward the end of 1967, Baldwin took over the Gretsch Company. “Made In USA” was added to the serial number stamp and the numbers were date coded in the same way that they had been between ’65 and ’67.
