We get a lot of of questions about guitars, but the most common question we get is “how old is my guitar?” We at Cream City Music have many years of experience in identifying and dating vintage guitars. From the most common Fenders and Gibsons to the rarest Rickenbacker and Mosrite Guitars we’ve seen pretty much anything you can imagine.
Does your guitar have a serial number?
Most guitar manufactures use a number or letter code to identify the year a guitar was made. Most major manufactures provide an in depth list of serial numbers, Fender and Martin have exceptional reference tools for public use.
Are the parts all original?
A lot of times vintage guitars have had a part changed here and there, however if everything is all there it can make identifying a year very easy if it is an electric guitar. Using the potentiometers or “pots” you can help decipher the year or at least give an approximate year of production. Pot code reader is a useful tool that allows you to type the code you have an dit gives you any available info.
Is there any “unique” feature to the guitar?
This can get kind of broad. Examples such as different logos or head stock designs can help to pin point the year or just the era of which a guitar was made. Something as subtle as a red vs an orange label could be the difference of a few years. Gibson Guitars have many many variables from guitar to guitar, there are many great online resources that give great details on the differences between the guitars as well as many great books that we keep on hand in our personal library.
Are you the original owner?
A lot of times finding the age of an instrument can be as easy as remembering when you purchased it. Perhaps you even have the original receipt. One owner or family owned instruments often are more valuable because not only is it rare but also it can help assure an accurate history of the instrument.
Does your guitar have an interesting story?
Many guitars have an interesting back story that makes them unique. A guitar could have a special finish from the factory and sometimes different parts, often these may have a special story to go along to explain why something just isn’t quite right when compared to others from the same period. Changed tuners, spliced neck, refinished, broken headstock, mismatched knobs, added trem, custom electronics, and just about anything you can think of makes a difference.
What is the best and most definite way to know everything about your guitar?
Give us a call and let us appraise your vintage instruments! Cream City Music has qualified staff to accurately appraise your instruments, with over 30 years of combined experience in the vintage business! Send us an email at Service@creamcitymusic.com or give us a call at 1-800-800-0087 and ask for Joe or John M.
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