SAMICK GUITAR IDENTIFICATION SERIAL NUMBERS
SAMICK GUITAR IDENTIFICATION SERIAL NUMBER

SAMICK GUITAR IDENTIFICATION SERIAL NUMBER

The S and E serial number prefix Korean Squiers are from the late 1980s/early 1990s.

SAMICK GUITAR IDENTIFICATION SERIAL NUMBERS

This was a very helpful, super well researched article on Samick Valley Arts, especially their version of a California Pro, which may also help in identification of your guitar or potential guitar. S, E(Made in Korea) S Samick, E Young Chang, E letter serial numbers were used on Young Changs Fenix brand guitars. Currently Gibson is rumored to be in preliminary negotiations to buy the Samick company. They have built guitars for Fender, Gibson, Jackson, Washburn and a host of other small American guitar companies. For example, after 1969, it’s unlikely your guitar would have a label saying it was made overseas, but you might have a seven-digit serial number that could tell that story. Great helpful article on Samick Period Valley Arts Guitars. Samick is a world renown music company that has built more guitars than any other company in the world. Norlin acquired CMI and moved all of the production of Epiphone to Japan and subsequently to Korea.ĭuring each of these transitions, there were also changes made to how the instruments were labeled, which is part of the reason why the serial number identification process is so confusing. As they already owned Gibson, this merge brought the two powerful brand names under one umbrella. 1982-87 was a combo of matsumoku and Samick produced guitars (Terada as well, but this guitar is definitely not a Terada, as they were all higher end creme de la creme for the time). If you want to know the production year of your Samick guitar, you can decipher it with the serial number decoder. By 86, most of the guitars that received this branding were made in Samick Korea. The serial number is stamped or as a sticker on the back of the headstock, the neck plate or on (semi) acoustic guitars on the bottom inside the body. In 1957, the Chicago Musical Instrument Company (CMI) acquired Epiphone. But the branding started en masse in 86 for sure. They grew in popularity and by the 1950’s, became Gibson’s main rival.

From my listing Samick made only one Start copy in the left handed configuration and that was the model 'SSM-1 LH' and I have values for that one. Second: I see your Strat copy is a left handed guitar. Five digits with a space after the first digit and custom shop on the back of the headstock, applied from 1990 to 1999. (Since 2004 Epiphone guitars have been produced in China) Five digit serial numbers. In the 1930’s, they switched up their business model and began producing high-end guitars, and became the only manufacturer to successfully make the transition. First: I know of no listing of serial numbers to date Samick guitars so I think were S.O.L. Serial number 11 05 15 00160 is the 160 th guitar built in May 2011. To understand the significance of the Epiphone serial number, we first need to look at how their company historyintertwines with that of Gibson.Įpiphone started as a family business in 1873 as a luxury banjo manufacturer.

Samick guitar identification